Juliet paced the mostly empty house. Save a few items from her apartment like the couch and TV, the living room was completely empty. She'd promised Shawn she wouldn't decorate without him. Currently, he was camping with Henry and Gus. That being said, the house felt nothing like home; more like a minimalist air BnB she rented.
She stopped pacing to sit down on her couch. Checking her phone for the time (four pm), she noticed the lack of messages. No one had texted her; she had no one to talk to, no one to help pass the time as she waited for her boyfriend to return.
After moping for a few minutes, she opened the fridge to plan a dinner. Surprisingly, it was completely empty. She had forgotten that she and Shawn hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. Glad they hadn't gone, she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her car keys. Finally, she had something to do.
Pushing around her shopping cart aimlessly, she watched the other shoppers. A mother, father, and a toddler-aged daughter all walked together, the daughter pointing at things excitedly, yelling out items' names. Juliet smiled. That could be her and Shawn someday. Another couple strolled by, their hands intertwined. The man held a shopping basket, the woman her purse.
Juliet started down the cereal aisle, grabbing a few boxes before starting toward the ice cream section. She debated getting one of those frozen cakes to go with the ice cream too. Shawn never even had to know she ate the entire cake herself. If he found out she bought a cake for no reason, every time they went shopping, he'd want a cake.
The only other person in the freezer aisle was a man. He looked single; she couldn't explain it, he just seemed like someone who wouldn't have a steady girlfriend. "Excuse me," she said, steering her cart around him.
Slowly rolling her cart down the aisle, she looked at the different flavors of ice cream. She could feel the man's eyes on her back, watching her. Ignoring him, she opened a freezer door, grabbing a large gallon tub of vanilla chocolate swirl. By the time she got to the end of the aisle, where the cakes were kept, she could still feel him watching her. What was his deal? Usually when people checked her out, their gazes didn't linger for more than a few seconds.
Throwing a cake in her cart, she slowly turned the cart around. Immediately, the man went back to staring at popsicles. While she walked towards him, she stared at him, so he could feel as uncomfortable as she felt a minute earlier. From her angle, she could actually see his face. It only took her a couple seconds to place it. "Shawn? What're you doing here? You're supposed to be camping with Gus and your dad."
"I, uh, came to grab some food," he said, unconvincingly. "Turns out my dad doesn't know how to 'live off the land'."
"Shawn, look what I found," Gus said, walking into the aisle holding a giant cinnamon roll-shaped cake.
Juliet raised an eyebrow at Shawn. "Really?"
"Gus was sent with me?"
"Oh my god, I can't believe you! You lied about a camping trip so you wouldn't have come to the house."
"Jules-"
She frowned at him, shaking her head. "Maybe we shouldn't move in together."
"Jules, I want to! I love the house we picked out. I just got overwhelmed by the whole thing and needed a day or two."
"You should've told me that instead of lying about a camping trip."
"That's low," Gus commented to Shawn. "You didn't tell me you left her at the house alone." He looked up at Juliet. "I would never let him stay over if I knew why."
"You made me promise not to decorate without you," she practically yelled at Shawn. "I've been sitting at home with only a couch, a TV, and a bed!"
"Jules, I-"
"Do you even want to move in with me?"
Reluctantly, he reached out to rub her arm. She let him. "Of course I do, babe. I just never thought I'd ever settle down. I want to, but it's a lot to process. I realize that I should've talked about it instead of running away from it. I'm sorry."
She sighed. "I forgive you, but only if we go shopping tomorrow afternoon. I'd really like chairs and a table. Maybe a nightstand, a lamp or two."
"Done."
She kissed him on the cheek. "You can stay at Gus's tonight though."
He shot her a very serious look. "Are you saying that so you can eat an entire cake by yourself?"
She scoffed before laughing nervously. "No."
He crossed his arms. "Jules?"
"It's my cake."
"Our cake since it will be in our fridge."
"Not if I eat the entire thing as soon as I get home."
"Damnit, she found a loophole," Shawn muttered to himself.
"See you tomorrow," she said before slowly backing away.
"I'm going to need proof that you ate it all at once, and that it didn't go into our fridge."
"No, I'm not going to-"
"FaceTime me so I have live proof."
"Okay, no one needs to see me eat an entire cake."
"Shawn, let her have the cake," Gus insisted.
Juliet nodded at pointed at Gus.
"No, because I know she won't let me buy a cake for no reason."
"I have a reason," she protested.
"What?"
"I'm alone in a new house with nothing in it when my boyfriend should be there with me."
"But I'll be there now."
"Because you want the cake."
"Put the cake back; I'll still go home with you."
"No, I want the cake."
"Why can't we share it?" he asked.
"Because you lied to me?"
"Fair enough."
"So what're we doing?" Gus asked.
"I'm going home with the cake," Juliet answered.
"And I'm going with her to watch her eat the cake and hope she gives me a piece," Shawn added.
"So I'm going home to watch all the movies Shawn rented on my account," Gus remarked. "Alone."
"See you Monday," Shawn replied, following Juliet who had already left the aisle. "I have to see if my girlfriend can eat an entire cake by herself in one sitting."
