Beautiful With You (Norman Reedus)

Chapter 5

He didn't show up at work today and I felt bummed. I had gotten my hopes up that he would be there, but then I felt crushed when my shift ended. Maybe he just grew tired of being at the café, or maybe he found somewhere else. I wasn't going to dwell on it. I was just going to go about my life like I had before. Luckily today was my short shift and that is why I am in the grocery store right now. I only had a couple things in my cart and I was heading towards the frozen aisle. Everything was so expensive and I was working on a limited budget, the list was clutched in my hand and I had a pen in the other, as I held onto the handle of the cart. I had to make sure that I left money so that I could pay this month's bills.

I sighed as I looked at the pizza rolls, trying to find the triple cheese ones. Did I ever mention that I hated grocery shopping? I felt like it was monotonous and if we didn't need food, I would just not shop. I hated that it could be crowded and that there are some rude people. Those that stop right in front of you and block the whole aisle, then you have those that cut you off or those that just bump into you and don't say anything to you. It is as if you are an inconvenience to them and are in the way. I tossed the pizza rolls into the cart and went to the frozen dinners, tossing in a few Hungry Man and a couple of Lean Cuisines. Next I moved onto the frozen pizza and grabbed a couple of the Stouffer's French Bread and a couple of the Tony's. Why would I buy a whole chicken if it was just me? I didn't eat leftovers much and it would just go to waste, so I walked by them and headed towards the snack aisles. I had already hit the cereal aisle, so I didn't need any of those. I was leaning against the cart and checking off the things that I just picked up. I wasn't looking where I was going and I bumped into something, it turning out to be another person's cart.

"I'm so...." I trailed off when I spotted who it was.

"Man we have to stop running into each other like this," He joked, a smile on his face as he reached for some Hershey bars.

I laughed at that and shook my head, "Maybe you should just stop stalking me and we wouldn't run into each other like this."

He let out a loud laugh and looked at me, I could see the light in his eyes and his whole demeanor had changed since yesterday. It was a difference between night and day.

"That was a good comeback. I would have to say that was witty," he told me and I couldn't help but flush with pride. I couldn't believe that he had just called me witty and that we had just ran into other.

"Thank you," I mumbled out and threw in a pack of crackers. I looked to him and saw his cart, almost overflowing with items. "Having a party?" I asked, letting my curiosity get the best of me.

"Something like that," he said, a small smile on his face as he put a box of something in his cart, although I wasn't really paying attention to it.

I reached for the fruit snacks and threw them in my cart and looked at him again, seeing that his eyes are following me. My cheek flushed, not doing well when someone is staring. The silence that followed was getting to me and it sounded louder than any kind of talking that both of us would be doing. I grabbed another box, finding that I was getting hungry for them. I threw another one in and I had to stop myself, his chuckle breaking the silence and I couldn't help but chuckle with him.

"What? I have to feed my inner child. I love these things," I told him, stopping myself from grabbing a fourth box, although I hated the number three.

"I didn't say anything," he said, putting his hands up in mock defense, his eyes wide and the corners of her mouth twitching up.

"You better not," I spoke, trying to look menacing but failing miserably. I burst into laughter as I moved so that I could turn the cart around, knowing that I was done in that aisle. We both pushed the carts out of the aisle and I headed towards the checkout, I didn't know what to say to him and I wondered what he was going to do. I felt relief when he turned his cart the same way I had done. For some reason I wanted Norman to follow me and to hang out with him more than what we have done. I looked to my watch and let out a breath. I had a couple of more hours to get home and put these groceries away. I was hoping that this amount of time is allowing me to have some time with him.