"Angie, darling, do we want the vodka sauce or alfredo?" Peggy called out, vodka sauce already in hand.
When no response came, she glanced around, but Angie Martinelli was nowhere to be found. Peggy sighed. Her girlfriend had wandered off… again. Any time they went to a store, Peggy could be certain she'd lose Angie at least once. The younger woman had the uncanny ability to become distracted by the simplest of things and before Peggy knew it, she was walking down the aisle by herself, Angie nowhere in sight.
Placing the jar back on the shelf, she reached for her phone, intending on texting her errant lover, but about that time, Angie bounded around the corner and dumped an armful of assorted cheeses into their basket.
Peggy stared in disbelief. "Beefing up your calcium intake?"
Angie frowned. "What? They're having a sale, and you know how much I love cheese."
"Yes," Peggy replied, leaning over to count said cheese, "but you have seven different kinds here."
"And?" Angie challenged.
"Don't you think it's a bit excessive?"
Angie rolled her eyes. "This from the woman who has three jars of Nutella in our basket."
Peggy arched an eyebrow and leaned in closer. "I didn't hear you complaining when we used the last of it last night." Her breath ghosted across Angie's neck, and the younger woman shivered.
"First, you play dirty, English," Angie replied, unsuccessfully containing the shudder in her voice. "Second, we haven't gone through that much Nutella, and third, why haven't we gone through that much Nutella?" she finished, lightly slapping Peggy's arm.
"You're incorrigible," Peggy admonished, but she grinned and allowed the cheese to remain. "Now," she said, turning back to the shelf. "Do you want vodka sauce or alfredo?"
Angie was already shuffling over to the pastas. "Both are good," she tossed over her shoulder.
"That's not quite the answer I was hoping for," Peggy huffed.
Looking up, Angie grinned. "How much pasta do we go through on a weekly basis?"
Peggy shrugged. "Quite a lot, actually."
"Exactly! So get both."
Muttering something under her breath about sauce-and-cheese hoarding Italians, Peggy plucked both jars from the shelf and placed them in the basket.
"You know I can hear you, right?" Angie called, giving her an amused look.
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Peggy returned and pushed the cart down to where Angie stood. She surveyed the various dry pastas. "What should we get this time?"
"How about some linguine?" Angie said, reaching out to grab a bag of the flat noodles.
Shaking her head, Peggy frowned. "We had that Friday night. I'm in the mood for something curlier."
Angie snorted. "Curlier? Geez, Peg, don't let Ma hear you say that."
Peggy chuckled. "Certainly not."
Angie started to say something, but stopped, mouth falling open and eyes lighting up with glee. "Oh my God!" she squealed and darted forward, hand snaking out to grab a long, flat package. "We're buying this!" she practically cackled and shoved the package in front of Peggy's face.
Stepping back, Peggy placed a calming hand on Angie's arm and pushed the package away. "I can't read it if it's shoved against my nose, darling," she chastised. "Now, care to tell me why you've suddenly reverted back to a teenager over a bag of pasta?"
Angie rolled her eyes. "Read it, Peggy."
Peggy glanced down at the rather bland packaging. "Organic fettuccine."
"Seriously, English?" her girlfriend huffed impatiently.
Peggy looked down again. "Cartinelli brand pasta?"
"Cartinelli!" Angie squealed, jumping up and down.
Peggy was confused. "I'm afraid I don't follow, Angie."
"Oh come on, Pegs!" Angie sighed. "Cartinelli. Peggy Carter. Angie Martinelli. Cartinelli," she grinned, biting her lower lip. "It's like our brand."
Peggy felt laughter welling up inside her, and she couldn't contain the amused grin that spread across her face. Her girlfriend truly was the most adorable person she'd ever known. It was her ability to enjoy life's simple pleasures that had initially drawn her to Angie, and this moment only reinforced the love and affection she had for the younger woman.
"Dear Lord, Angie, you never cease to amaze me," she laughed, drawing her close to place an affectionate kiss against the tip of her nose. She watched Angie glance down the aisle, and then almost lost her footing when Angie reached out and pulled her close, capturing her lips for a quick but passionate kiss. When she pulled away, her eyes were shining with mischief.
"Love you, Pegs," she breathed.
Peggy scrambled to regain her bearings. It wasn't everyday she found herself being on the receiving end of a heated kiss in the middle of a supermarket.
"I love you, too, Angie," she told her somewhat flustered. "But what was that for?"
Angie beamed. "No reason. Just thought you should know."
Peggy bit her lower lip and smiled. "Get the pasta."
Grinning, Angie scooped up several bags and placed them in the basket. "I'm going to run down and get toilet paper, because someone used the last roll this morning," she scolded and turned to head down the aisle.
Peggy simply nodded, still bemused by their impromptu kiss.
"Oh, and Peggy?" Angie called, spinning around to smirk at her.
"Yes?"
"I think you should probably get a few more jars of Nutella."
"But we have three," Peggy replied, confusion seeping into her voice.
"Yeah, but I have a feeling we're going to go through it faster than normal this week," Angie informed her with a saucy wink.
Peggy felt her stomach flip flop, and all she could do was stand there staring as Angie skipped down the aisle, her laughter trailing behind her.
