Pick up the food

The cool evening air hits the moment you step outside, a sharp contrast from the warmth of Jane’s living room. Her laugh still lingers in your head as you head toward your car, keys spinning around your finger while you walk. Before getting in, you glance back toward the house.

Through the window, you can still see Jane curled up on the couch in your hoodie, the TV glow flickering softly across the room while she searches for a movie. The sight alone makes your chest feel lighter.

“God, I’m obsessed with this girl,” you think as you smile to yourself.

You slide into the driver’s seat and start the car, music quietly filling the cabin as you pull away from the curb. The roads are mostly empty now that it’s getting later, streetlights reflecting across the windshield while your thoughts drift back to the conversation on the couch.

Marriage.

Five years.

A future together.

Normally, that kind of conversation would’ve terrified you.

“But with her… it just feels right,” you think, resting one hand against the steering wheel.

The grocery store is half-empty when you walk in, fluorescent lights buzzing softly overhead. You grab a basket and head toward the wine aisle first, scanning labels you barely understand.

Red wine. White wine. Dry. Semi-sweet.

“Why are there this many options?” you think.

You stare at the shelves for another minute before finally grabbing a bottle that looks decent enough without completely destroying your bank account.

“She said surprise me,” you mumble under your breath. “Hopefully this doesn’t taste like battery acid.”

Next comes the condoms.

You round the corner toward the pharmacy section only to immediately stop walking.

Of course they locked them up.

A glass security case sits directly in front of you, every box sealed behind it like they’re expensive jewelry instead of condoms. You glance around awkwardly before spotting the assistance button beside the shelf.

“There’s no way this is actually happening right now,” you think.

Still, you press the button.

A few painfully awkward minutes later, an older employee in a red store vest walks around the corner.

“You need something unlocked?” he asks casually.

“Uh… yeah.”

He steps over to the case and gestures toward the shelf.

“Which ones?”

Your eyes flick over the options way too quickly.

“Why does this suddenly feel like a life-or-**** decision?” you think.

You point quickly.

“Those ones.”

The employee squints slightly.

“The XL?”

Heat instantly crawls up your neck.

“Yeah,” you answer, trying to sound far more confident than you actually feel.

The employee just nods casually while unlocking the case.

“Good choice, John,” he says after glancing toward the self-checkout screen nearby. “Those are popular.”

You let out a short laugh through your nose.

“Awesome. Fantastic. Somehow this got worse,” you think.

A minute later, you’re speed-walking toward self-checkout with the wine and condoms sitting in your basket like giant glowing warning signs. Thankfully, nobody around you seems to care except your own brain.

Once you finally make it outside, you toss the bag into the passenger seat and exhale dramatically before climbing back into the car.

“Survived that,” you mutter.

The drive to the pizzeria feels calmer. The embarrassment fades while music hums softly through the speakers again, your hands relaxed against the wheel as you drive through the quiet streets.

You catch yourself smiling again when your phone lights up briefly with a text from Jane.

don’t forget the garlic sauce

A laugh escapes you instantly.

“She’s lucky I like her,” you think.

But the truth is, the thought of going back to her apartment already feels like the best part of your night. The image of her curled up under a blanket in your hoodie, waiting for you to come back, keeps replaying in your head the entire drive.

By the time you pull into the pizzeria parking lot, the smell of garlic and fresh dough already hangs faintly in the air.

Warm light spills through the front windows as you step inside, immediately making the cool night outside feel distant.

“Pickup for John?” the worker behind the counter asks before you even speak.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

He slides the large pepperoni pizza across the counter with a grin.

“Careful, man. It’s hot.”

A few minutes later, you walk back toward the car with the warm pizza box balanced carefully in your hands, steam curling into the cold night air around you. The smell of melted cheese and garlic fills the air the second you open the passenger door and set everything down beside the grocery bags.

────────────────────

You chose to pick up pizza, wine, and condoms for the night with Jane:

Relationship Status: +1%

Boyfriend Points Gained: +2

The effort you put into the night makes Jane feel cared for and wanted. She especially remembers that you intentionally planned ahead for intimacy, even if she tries to play it off jokingly.

────────────────────

You climb into the driver’s seat, shutting the door behind you as the quiet settles back in around the car. For a moment, you just sit there with one hand resting on the wheel while the dashboard glows softly in the dark parking lot.

Your phone lights up again:

another 5 mins and im stealing your pizza

A smile immediately pulls at your face.

“She’s definitely serious too,” you think.

You start the car, the engine humming quietly as the music comes back on through the speakers. Outside, the parking lot sits mostly empty except for a few scattered cars and people heading in and out of nearby stores.

Just as you reach for the gear shift, something catches your attention near the far edge of the parking lot. A figure stands partially under one of the dim lights near the sidewalk, lingering long enough to pull your focus for a second.

You narrow your eyes slightly.

Maybe it’s nothing.

Probably nothing.

Still, something about it feels… off.

Your fingers tap lightly against the steering wheel while you debate it for a moment.

You could ignore it, shake the weird feeling off, and head straight back to Jane, where a warm couch, pizza, wine, and a movie are waiting for you.

Or…

You could see what caught your attention in the first place.