a terrible idea,” I said, running down the stairs after him. “We don’t even know what we’re eating.”
“You can look in the car.”
“I left my phone inside.”
“You can use mine. Stop whining.”
“I don’t want to.”
“I don’t care.” He grinned and unlocked the truck. “Get in.”
I poked my tongue out at him, but did as I was told nonetheless and got in. “I’m choosing the recipe.”
“Fine. Just don’t make it super complicated. I’d hate to have to hit you with a pan and be implicated for your murder on the first day of our relationship.”
“Oh, no, you can’t threaten murder. That’s my job.”
“Just find a recipe and stop shouting at me.”
“I’m not shouting at you.” I took his phone. “What’s your passcode?”
“Ooh, I don’t know if I should let you do that.”
“Pass me a pan. Go on. I don’t mind being implicated.”
Colton laughed. “Three-nine-seven-one.”
“That’s the most random passcode,” I said as I typed it in.
“Nope. It’s the four corners of the keyboard.”
I repeated the pattern I’d just typed in on the air. Huh. So it was. Why did that code make so much sense?
“It’s kind of annoying that you didn’t start at one.”
“I’ll keep that mind. Have you found the internet yet?”
“Jesus, no. Why do you have so many apps? Why do you not have any kind of organizational system here? You do know you can put them into folders, don’t you?”
“Then I wouldn’t be able to find anything.”
“You’re enjoying my pain, aren’t you?”
Colton chuckled. “Little bit.”
“You suck.” I flipped through the one hundred thousand apps until I found the browser where I proceeded to type in “complicated recipes to piss off your boyfriend” just for a laugh.
At least forty blog posts came up offering me numerous options.
Look at that.
It wasn’t a bad idea after all.
As long as they didn’t give me their life story before they got to the recipe, we were good.
I really didn’t care how or when they developed the recipe. I just wanted the how-to and the ingredients.
A link to cut to the recipe, at the very least.
The first three were a bust thanks to their inclusion of avocado—ugh—or their life story. I scrolled down and tapped on a random link. The recipe was for the exceptionally complicated spaghetti Bolognese and the life story came after the recipe.
We had a winner.
“Spaghetti Bolognese!” I declared brightly.
“I can manage that,” Colton replied. “And you already have the beef.”
“No. It’s two days out of date. We’re gonna need fresh.”
“Is there anything fresh in your fridge right now?”
“The banana looked good.” I shrugged. “I haven’t been to the store yet. Since you’ve forced me here, I may as well get a few other things.”
“You’re the one who said we’d end up down a rabbit hole buying things we don’t need.”
“You’re shaming my fridge! I need stuff!”
“This was a mistake.” He shook his head as he pulled into a parking slot.
“I told you, but you didn’t listen to me.”
“I was trying to be optimistic.”
“Terrible idea.” I got out of the car and followed him to the door.
Colton grabbed a cart and tossed me a look from the corner of his eye, but he didn’t say another word.
Probably a good idea.
Evidently, I was feeling argumentative now.
“Okay. We can do this.”
“Who are you talking to?” Colton peered over at me.
“Myself,” I replied. “Personal pep talk, you know?”
“Can’t say I’ve ever done it myself.”
“You’re missing out. It’s a wonderful way to increase your own ego.” I stopped in front of the fruit display and perused the apples. “Shall I buy apples?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re not being very helpful.”
He sighed. “Do you like apples?”
“Sometimes.”
“So buy two or three.”
“I don’t know if I want them.”
“Are you being deliberately difficult to make a misguided point about how awful grocery shopping is?”
I skipped the apples and picked up a bag of oranges. “Thank you for noticing.” I smiled and put them in the cart. “I just hate doing it and I don’t think it’s something two people embarking on a relationship should engage in. Especially people as tempestuous as us.”
“I resent your use of the word tempestuous.”
“What would you use instead?” I grabbed some lemons and checked them over before putting them in the cart. “Volatile? Unpredictable?”
“Passionate.”
“That’s the kind of thing Romeo would have said to Juliet and look how that ended.”
He ran his tongue over his lips. “I don’t know how to talk to you right now.”
“That’ll be why I’m single.” I plucked the other things I needed from the fruit section and moved to the vegetables. Potatoes, corn,