Cara Playing Cupid

Chapter 10 - Flowers

"Salt air, and the rust on your door
I never needed anything more
Whispers of 'Are you sure?'
'Never have I ever before'..."

I sang the lyrics with the song played in my AirPods and bobbed my head with the soft rhythm of 'August' by Taylor Swift.

"But I can see us lost in the memory
August slipped away into a moment in time
'Cause it was never mine
And I can see us twisted in bedsheets
August sipped away like a bottle of wine
'Cause you were never mine..."

I picked up the cottage cheese, inspected the expiry date, and placed it carefully into my shopping cart, adding it to the growing collection of items. I crossed it off the list my mother had given me and glanced around the supermarket, my eyes scanning for the next item.

The supermarket was a bustling hive of activity, brightly lit with overhead fluorescents that made everything look vivid and crisp. The polished floors gleamed, showcasing the vibrant packaging of the products on the shelves. Dairy section was chilled and neatly organized, with cool, crisp light that made the milk cartons and cheese blocks glisten.

I navigated through the aisles, with my mind still preoccupied with the chaos from earlier in the week.

After the incident with Blake, I had gone underground, avoiding social interactions as much as possible. Sophia and Daphne had noticed my awkward behavior and bombarded me with questions. I fibbed, telling them I couldn't place the letter in Elijah's locker because the boys had gotten out early, and I managed to slip away unnoticed.

I'd rather face a thousand embarrassing moments than reveal my encounter with Blake. Sophia's skeptical looks made it clear she didn't believe my excuse, while Daphne, who felt guilty, apologized profusely, saying it was because of her I almost got into trouble.

We postponed our plan until we could find another opportunity. Unfortunately, Daphne had to rewrite the letter because I had crumpled the original one.

Now, as I looked around the supermarket, I knew I needed to come up with a new plan. I couldn't let the letter incident derail everything, but I was running out of ideas.

I extended my hand to grab the milk, but another hand came from behind and picked it up. Frowning, I turned around to see who the rude person was and almost stumbled in surprise to see Elijah.

He had a huge smile on his face, and as he spoke, his lips moved animatedly, but I couldn't make out his words over the music blaring in my airpods.

"Sorry..." I gave him a sheepish smile and pulled the AirPods out. "Can you repeat that?"

"Now I get why you weren't replying." He chuckled, glancing at the airpods. "I thought you were ignoring me."

"I would never ignore you," I said, placing the AirPods back in their case. A grin spread across his face, making his eyes crinkle at the corners.

"Good to know." He jammed his hands into his front pockets.

"What are you doing here?"

"The same as you." He gestured towards his cart.

"You are grocery shopping?" My brows shot up in surprise.

"Yeah..." He scratched the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I meant it in a good way." I giggled at his nervousness. "My brother should learn it from you."

I told him how my mom had given me a long list of groceries because we were running low, and how my brother had refused to help, claiming it was too embarrassing to shop among women.