It was only a few hours before Jade would come over, he had already prepared the best snacks and laid out blankets and pillows in front of the television, hell it's winter, and the only thing he needed to complete the snuggle fest was a warm mug of hot cocoa; which he didn't have.

But what he needed wasn't an ordinary hot cocoa, it was Bliss Miss, the master of all things hot and chocolate, other lowly hot cocoas can suck it. Every sip of that drink fills your whole taste buds with warm and creamy chocolaty goodness, reminding you of the Christmas cheer you once had when you were younger.

Such a feeling he treasured, it was a bad idea to waste it all in one sitting. Yesterday, he had exhausted the supply; today, Jade messaged him that she would stay over for the night. It was a bad timing, and he regretted not restocking early; but enough whining, he needed to buy that box for her this instant.

Dave grabbed his wallet and quickly got into his jacket as he went outside. There was a small store not far away, and it would take less than a minute to perform this feat.

Upon arriving at the store, he made his way to the hot cocoa aisle and scanned every row and column. Various assortments lay before him, but all were too familiar tasting mixes. He had expected to see a box by now, but minutes ticked by, and he still wasn't able to see any; there was alarmingly none.

"Hey, where'd all the Bliss Miss go?" Dave asked one of the employees. He half-expected the guy to help him find the box, but what he got wasn't enlightening.

"Sorry, we're all out of stock," the man replied. "But if you're that desperate, go to Super Mart, they still might have some."

Not wasting a second, Dave started for the door.

Another walking distance and cold winds to endure, he finally arrived at the aforementioned store, which was larger and well stocked than the latter.

He went for the same aisle and searched for it, this time double checking every box; but it was still nowhere to be seen. He again approached the nearest employee and asked the same question. The reply was pretty much mood dampening.

"There was nothing left after someone bought four boxes at the same time, but we'll restock soon."

Soon meant hours or tomorrow, and he knew his Harley deserved better.

Sighing, he mumbled a polite "thank you" before heading outside once more. He hoped the next store would yield a favorable result.

Standing in front of another shelf filled lowly peasant mixes, he swore to God he was about to give up. Who wouldn't snap after taking cab rides just to go to six fucking stores, only to be told there was not a single box of Bliss Miss left? From what he had just heard, it was apparently an item that started trending today, and people craved it so hard that every store that had it on stock was sold out.

Guilt started to gnaw at him, maybe if he hadn't exhausted his supply, none of this would've happened, he would've been at home instead, ready with their drink and being all warm and cozy.

He only had two choices: either buy a plain hot cocoa, or pray to the gods- scratch that, he had to pick a god and pray for a box of Bliss Miss to appear before him. He knew innumerable holy entities being oppressed by one wish won't end well.

"Dave?" A voice came from behind him.

Shit.

He recognized that voice. It was Jade's.

He wanted to make a run for it, but the next time they meet, she might deem it too suspicious, and they would start an awkward rebuttal. With no choice but to face her, he turned around and saw her by a self-checkout terminal, she had stopped scanning a few snacks and drinks she had bought, and her gaze was all on him. He nonchalantly waved a hand and made his way to her.

"Sup, Harley." Dave replied, biting his lower lip. "What are you doing here?" Thank god he wore shades; his eyes were currently as wide as a deer's caught in headlights.

"Just finishing up my last minute shopping, what are you doing here?" Jade asked, taking a box of biscuits into her hand. There was a hint of playfulness in her voice, but he couldn't deny the feeling that he was being tested. He hurriedly raked through his mind to find a perfectly good reason, and voila.

"I was looking for some cereal." He lied. That probably wasn't the most solid alibi; the way Jade raised an eyebrow and smirked proved it so.

"I thought you already had some?"

"Can't a man have more?" Dave teased as he curved one corner of his lip. "Since I'm here, I can buy you some hot cocoa when we walk back to my apartment." Smooth moves, he thought.

"Oh disregard that, I have something better!" Jade eagerly fished through her basket, and when she had plucked out a box and waved it in his face, the brand imprinted on its sleek surface made Dave's heart stop.

Bliss Fucking Miss.

"It was the last one on stock." she added.

All those countless hours of going around and asking employees felt like his search was all for nothing, and to add salt to the wounds, it meant the box he sought for ended up in the hands of the person he wanted to surprise it with.

"Dave, is there something wrong?" Jade asked when she noticed her boyfriend was suddenly quiet. "If you don't want it, maybe we can go with your plan."

The emotions he had bottled up for hours surged through him, but he tried to suppress them, only to let a few trickle out. "I was trying to find one of those for you; it was supposed to be a surprise!"

He wanted to let out more about what happened, about the time he nearly got run over trying to call for a cab, or that one time he had to chase a guy thinking he had the mix, and when he had finally pried it from his beaten hands, it was just a box with the same font and design. All those emotions from hours ago just waited to come out, but he took a deep breath, and held it all back in. It wasn't very cool of someone like him to make a scene in public.

Jade slightly jumped at her boyfriend's sudden outburst, she knew Dave wasn't someone who'd lie, and she could feel his emotions were strong in his voice. There were also many times he'd do anything for her, and this was one of them. Smiling, she walked over to him and gave him a tight hug.

"Thank you for trying so hard to find them for me." She purred.

"But I had already prepared everything."

Jade cupped his face and planted a quick peck on his lips. "You poor thing, I'm going to wrap you up in blankets and hug the living daylights out of you."

"Jade, now's not the time for that." Dave pulled away, chuckling as he tried to recompose himself.

She giggled. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." And she quickly kissed him once more. "Come on, you can help me take these back to my place, and then we can go to yours."

"So we're clear, we're still having Bliss Miss, right?"

"Of course! Why not?"

A warm feeling suddenly bubbled up in the pit of his stomach, and he caught himself smiling at her. He was glad she understood him, and this was what made him love her. It was all actually worth it in the end.

After Dave helped her carry them back to her apartment, they took a cab going back to his place and spent the rest of the night drinking Bliss Miss and wrapped lovingly in each other's arms, whilst telling Jade all about his shitty adventure, and she laughing on every bit.