Smoke Signals • EarthMix AU

CHAPTER 10: Heat

🎶

Staffan Carlén - You Make Me Feel

Tame Impala - Feels Like We Only Go Backwards

Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová - Falling Slowly

Landon Pigg - Falling In Love at a Coffee Shop

- - -

"No, not those. Take ones that aren't going ripe in at least three days."

Podd turns to Earth and raises an eyebrow. "May I ask why?"

Earth looks at his best friend's confused face. "Because he keeps his food stored for days. If you buy him something that's already ripe, it'd go bad before he gets the chance to eat it."

Podd stops Earth's cart from moving down the aisle. He scans his best friend's eyes and backs away a little when he sees him clearly irritated. Still, he doesn't take his eyes off of Earth.

"What now?" Earth grimaces, showing his displeasure at being stalled. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Earth regards Podd's expression. His best friend seems to be pondering; Earth feels as if he's cornered all of the sudden.

Podd plants both of his hands on the cart, trying to get Earth's attention. He's looking too eager to begin a conversation that Earth isn't really in the mood for.

"You're suddenly noticing things."

Earth scoffs and tries to get the cart to move but fails. He huffs; Earth knows that he needs to give Podd some sort of answer to get him off his back.

"He's my friend. I tend to notice things about my friends."

"Bullshit," Podd begins, unconvinced. "Took you a year to even spell my surname correctly. And we fucking lived together in college."

Earth crosses his arms in front of him and finally looks Podd straight in the eye. "And your point is?"

"Point is—you're whipped,"

"Whipped?" He scoffs, "Stop with the internet talk, man."

Podd smiles teasingly and finally raises his hands in surrender. He takes a bundle of bananas that looks as if it wouldn't go bad for at least a week and places it inside the cart.

"I'm just saying."

Earth shoots him a glare and moves down the aisle, taking more items from the shelves. "I'm never taking you grocery shopping again,"

"Let's not forget that you dragged me here this early—excited, may I add—because you're cooking for Mi—"

Earth cuts Podd off. "I'm not cooking for him; I'm teaching him how to cook." He looks away from Podd and concentrates hard on the list in his hand. "Besides, I need to know if I'm getting the right ingredients. You remember Namtan's recipe better than I do."

"Yeah okay let's pretend phones don't exist for a second."

Earth wishes he has a good response to that, but he's out. He could've called him. Or shoot Podd or Namtan a message. But the plan was to ask Podd to come over so he wouldn't have to go grocery shopping alone. In his head, going alone would feel like he's too eager.