Side by side they walked through the aisle in the grocery store and once in a while they stopped for a second to put a few things into the shopping cart. A few times they discussed if they really needed some of the things. She opined yes but he didn't.
"Why do we need a muffineer and peppershaker which looks like a dancing couple, huh? We have various of them at home. We don't really need this!" He said and put the muffineer and peppershaker back where it belonged.
"Of course we do. Look how sweet it is!" She took them out of the shelf and brandished the item in front of his face. "Isn't that sweet?"
"Absolutely cute...and when we're home you gonna stick a photo showing us on their faces, right?" He laughed and looked questioningly at her. "Dead honest, Sam, why do you need this shit? Besides, we just wanted to buy some food for dinner and stuff. Not any silly decoration for the house." He reasoned and pushed the cart towards the freezer section. But his girlfriend grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Involuntary he stumbled back to her along with the shopping cart.
"Wait up. This discussion isn't over yet! It's also your house ,which is involved, you're talking about. So would you please stay here? Don't make such a fuss, it's just a muffineer and a peppershaker."
"Exactly, just a damn muffineer. I can tell you how this poor thing ends up. It'll be standing in one of the cabinets and will never see the daylight again, that's gonna be the sad life of Mr Muffineer and Mrs Peppershaker." He rolled his eyes when his girlfriend looked at him with her big brown eyes, making a sad puppy dog face. "Sam, that's not fair. You know I wouldn't say no to that face." He laughed again, taking the item out of her hand and put it into the shopping cart. "Okay then, because I want to fulfill all the desires my precious girlfriend has. Although it's just a damn salt shaker and a peppershaker, if that's what makes you happy." Again he chuckled.
She just threw herself at her boyfriend and placed kisses on his lips while she mumbled "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
With her arms wrapped around his waist they continued their shopping. Whilst pushing the cart in front of him, he placed some kisses on her forehead.
.…...
"Well honey, do you need anything else or can we go to the checkout counter?" He asked after they had everything what they needed for dinner and the next days.
"Yep, I need something else." She said and loosened herself from his embrace. "I'll be right back." She pecked him on the lips and was about to walk in another direction when her boyfriend held her back.
"Hey, ain't I allowed to go with you? Since when do we have any secrets, huh?" He pulled her closer to his body and looked her in the eyes, filled with love. He could get lost in them every time he looked at them.
"Actually no, but I figured you're not as home in thus subject as I am. I'll get it done on my own while you move towards the checkout, okay?" She wanted to start out again, when her boyfriend held her back a second time. "Haven't you forgotten anything?"He asked, not able to refrain from the laughter as she looked puzzled at him.
"What are you talking about?" She had to laugh when her boyfriend kissed her on the lips. "You're such a wacko!"
"Yeah, I love you, too, honey." He whispered into her ear. Then she disappeared behind the shelves and he stood in line. "Sam." He laughed and shook his head in amusement.
Quickly the line moved forward and he was next. After taking all the things out of the cart and placing them on the assembly line, he looked impatiently for his girlfriend.
"That would be 76, 98 $, Sir." The cashier said and waited for him to pay. He who was still looking in the direction where his girlfriend disappeared, jumped a bit and smiled abashed at her. "Sorry, how much do I owe you?" He asked politely and looked back into the other direction.
"Still 76, 98 $, Sir!" This time she sounded a lot more bugged.
"Oh yeah." He handed her some bills, which the cashier accepted gratefully, and waited for the change. "Have a nice day, Sir." She sounded friendlier than before and handed him the change.
"Thanks. You too." He moved a bit to make room for the next customers and searched his girlfriend. The cashier asked him if anything was wrong. He just told her that he was waiting for someone who was still in the store.
Suddenly someone pinched him in the sides, he was about to defend himself as he heard the infectious laugh of his girlfriend.
"Sam, urgh, I should've known it's you. Got everything, honey?" He asked, draping his arm around her, walking towards the exit.
"Yep..bought everything I needed."
As they arrived at the car, they put the grocery bags into the trunk and brought the shopping cart back to it's place.
"What are we gonna do tonight?" She questioned, looking outside the window if the car when they drove through the streets of Los Angeles. It was already dawning and every now and then the lights of the lanterns brightened the inside of the car for a few seconds.
"What do you want, love, everything you want." He looked at her an placed his hand on her thigh before turning back on the street.
"Order some pizza and watch DVD's!" She exclaimed happily after several minutes of thinking about it. She took his right hand and intertwined their hands. Placing them in her lap, she gently caressed them. They drove like that for another 10 minutes before Nathan pulled into their house's garage.
The house was located at the end of a street and wasn't visible from the outside. The sun, which was about to go down, dipped the beige-colored façade into a bright orange.
The empty pizza boxes laid next to the lounger, near to it, two glasses filled with claret. The waves twinkled in soft orange and red. The sky was tinged in various shades of blue and violet, getting darker from every minute. The waves were breaking on the rocks and a chilly breeze blew gently. It was beautiful.
They just enjoyed the last rays of sun that day. She lay in his arms, covered with a blanket. He had his arms wrapped around her from behind and soothingly moved his fingers up and down her forearms. He pulled her closer to his body, he let her just put her head down on his shoulder and held her. When her tears welled up, he spoke. "Sam, what's the matter?" He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Do you think things will ever go back to normal?" Her sobbing got more intense and she just stared out to the ocean.
"Sam, nothing's gonna be like it used to be. Too much happened for that. That's gonna be forever. Though, I believe that one day we'll lead a 'normal' life. If that means I have to leave everything behind, I will do it immediately without missing a beat. Because I love you. 'Cause nothing is more important than you being happy and feeling safe and secure- that's the main point. I'm not gonna admit that you have to deal with this ever again. The things your father has done aren't excusing nor forgiving. Never. I won't judge you for wanting to take your life, because it was the only solution for you to end the pain. I'm grateful you told me why. I couldn't bear it, I didn't show, I couldn't bear to be left in the dark. I couldn't bear it not knowing what your dad did to you. But still I don't understand how a person, which once loved you, can do this to someone, I guess,
I never will. Believe me, I would never ever do something like that to you. I promise you that. I can't tell you how happy I am to have you by my side. With you by my side I grew up, from a high school boy to a responsible man. I learned to value and respect women and to make them happy. Even though it only counts for you and my mom." He chuckled and kissed her forehead again. "You're the most wonderful thing that could have happened to a man like me. You're the best girlfriend I could ever imagine. You're mine and a thank you for being able to spend all my days with you- until now. I want to be with you every day for the rest of our lives. I don' want a day to go by without you there with me. I can't want to grow old with you. I want to be there when our hair turns gray. I want to be the one holding your hand when our skin starts to wrinkle. I know there's a lot we have to work up a lot, you have to work up a lot. It's a long process but we'll get through this, my love. I'll be there for you, whenever you need me. I promise."