Page 38 of Pippin & Nacho

When I got to the shampoo and soap aisle, I stopped in front of the body wash. The one that we used was on sale, too. It smelled so fucking good on Nate. I grabbed the bottle that read ‘Lime & Coconut,’ popped the lid, and inhaled the scent, bringing me back to when we’d fooled around after our shower. This scent, mixed with his arousing smell, turned me the hell on. Yes, we needed more of this, especially since it was on sale. We were probably running out anyway, despite body wash not being on the list. Maybe Nate forgot to write it down.

By the time I finished shopping, the cashier rang up all my goods as I packed them up in the three canvas bags I’d brought. They’d filled up fast, so I had to use some plastic bags to carry the rest.

It was hard to skateboard home with all I had to carry, so I tossed my board into my backpack and walked home, which took longer, and the shit was heavy, making my shoulders and arms ache, but I’d finally made it.

After unpacking everything and putting it away, I made myself a sandwich and had some of those yummy cookies I’d bought on sale. They were my reward for remembering to put the groceries away. I’d nearly forgotten.

Since I had to work tonight and would be up really late, I took a nap.

When I woke up before I had to get ready for work, I found Nate going through the groceries I’d bought. He heard me approach, turned, and smiled at me, which made my heart flutter. I had no idea why his smile always did that to me. There was love in that smile, but so many people frowned at me or got irritated, so smiles always made me feel like I was doing something right.

“Hey, thanks so much for shopping today, baby.”

“No problem.”

He pulled out the three containers of cookies and raised his brow at me with a crooked smile. “Do you really need this many cookies?”

“They were on sale, and they’re my favorite.”

He huffed a laugh. “Fair enough. Did you get everything on the list?”

“I think so.” I dug into the pocket of my jacket, hanging up in the hall, and pulled out the receipt and… fuck. The envelope with the coupons was still in my pocket. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Nate. I forgot the coupons.”

The sense of failure hit me. I’d fucked up again. Why couldn’t I get anything right?

He took the proffered receipt and coupons from me, shrugging. “It’s fine. We’ll use them next time. They should still be good.”

But when he read over the receipt, he frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. “Shit. I… Nevermind. It’s all good.” He looked back at me and smiled again, but it was strained. It wasn’t a smile my Nate usually gave me. This one told me I’d definitely fucked up more than the coupons.

“No, never mind. What? Tell me. I did something wrong, didn’t I?”

“It’s…” He sighed and stared at his feet. “You spent fifty bucks more than was in the budget.”

“What?” My heart accelerated as the first threads of panic set, and I started to pace the small kitchen, but Nate stopped me by pressing his hands to my shoulders.

“It’s fine. I’ll… figure things out.”

My stomach sank as I sat down in the kitchen chair, staring at my feet. All I wanted to do was help my star, and I screwed everything up. I always messed things up. “I’m so sorry, Nate… I…”

“Sam, it’s fine. You got everything we needed on the list. You did exactly what I asked you to do, and I said you could grab yourself something.”

“I spent too much money.”

“If we make enough tips tonight, we’ll put it into the bank in the morning, and hopefully, we won’t end up with an overdraft. We’ll be okay.”

My hands fidgeted in my lap as the sense of failure suffocated me. How could Nate not be angry with me? We didn’t have that kind of money to spend, and I just bought whatever I wanted, not paying attention to what I’d spent. Just because something was on sale didn’t mean we could afford it. I needed to remember that.

Nate squatted in front of me to get my attention, wearing one of his crooked smiles, as if that would make me feel better. “Did we really need six bottles of body wash?”

My face burned, and I shrugged. “I like the way it smells on you, and it was on sale; buy two, get one free.”

His smile broadened. “So you were thinking about me when you bought them?”

I chewed on my lip ring and nodded.

“You’re so sweet, baby.”

But I wasn’t having it. He couldn’t make me believe for one second he wasn’t upset. Now, we’d have to scramble to make money before our bank started charging us fees.

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