Always Remember

traitorous brain gives my real thoughts away. “Uh, please.”
    “ Of course,” he answers. “I told you if you needed anything you could call. Give me half an hour and I’ll be over.”
    “ Thank you.” I hang up, and drop my head back against the wall. Jesus.

BING

    I pull up outside Jen’s block of flats and send her a text to say I’m here. I can’t believe I’m actually taking her shopping. I don’t know what the hell you buy in a supermarket... That’s Mum’s job.
    Jen appears wrapped in skin tight jeans, a thick coat , and snow boots. She walks carefully over to my car and gets in, knocking the snow from her feet first.
    “ Anyone would think it’s the Arctic out here.” I grin and pull away.
    “ I’ve lived on the beach my whole life. I don’t do snow.” She sniffs, and looks out the window. “It’s horrible.”
    “ Nah.” I shake my head. “You just haven’t ever had a proper snowball fight.”
    “ I don’t think I want to have one, if I’m gonna be honest.”
    “ No, you do.” I insist. “Let’s do your shopping then we’ll have one.” I grin.
    “ Er....” She turns those baby blues on me. “I’m really not an Eskimo.”
    “ Sure?” I park in Tesco car park and reach over to tweak her fluffy hood. “You sure look like one.”
    Her eyes narrow. “I can tell this is going to be fun.”
    I wink at her and we climb out the car. Even though the car park is clear of snow, the pathways are all icy. I ’m kind of hoping she slips so I can catch her. And then hold her up. And not let go.
    Fucking hell! I’m doing what Alec did and turning into a pussy whipped ass.
    I snap myself out of it and watch Jen pick her steps on the least icy bits. She accidentally slips on a bit of black ice , and my arm shoots out behind her, curling around her perfect waist and pulling her close to me.
    “ I’ve got you,” I whisper in her ear. She nods and puts a hand on my chest, her long blue nails a stark burst of colour against my black coat.
    “ You’ve got me,” she whispers back, slightly breathless.
    “ Hold on tight, and don’t let go,” I give her my arm, and she grips it like a lifeline, leaning into me.
    “ I won’t,” she replies as I grab a trolley.
    Silently, a part of me is wishing the conversation had a totally different meaning.
    We walk into the supermarket and she finally takes her hood down revealing her blonde locks. She shakes her hair out and digs into her pocket.
    “ Shopping list,” she smiles sheepishly at me. “If I don’t have a list and stick to it, I tend to buy a load of unhealthy crap I don’t need.”
    “ I blame my sister,” I mumble. “She’s always been Miss I Want It Now.”
    “ Yep, shopping with her is a nightmare.”
    She picks some bread off the shelf, followed by muffins, and drops them into the trolley.
    “Double chocolate chip muffins?” I question.
    “ Necessary evil.” She smacks her lips together.
    “ If it’s evil, then why buy it?”
    “ You really don’t want me to answer that question.” She plucks her way through the fruit and veg section. I think there’s a bit of everything going in the trolley.
    “ If I didn’t want to know, I wouldn’t ask.”
    She shrugs her shoulders and hooks her fingers round the trolley, directing it down another aisle.
    The women’s aisle.
    “ Um,” I manage.
    “ You said you wanted to know!” She giggles and puts a box of tampons in the trolley. I’m pretty sure I look like a deer in headlights.
    Hell no. I did not sign up for buying little mice you insert into your body.
    “ Are we done in the, uh…” I cough slightly. “Ladies aisle?”
    “ I’m not sure....” Jen taps a finger against her lips in a steady rhythm. Attention? Diverted.
    Her tongue snakes out and runs across her top lip, sticking to the side as she reaches up for a can of deodorant. I let go of the trolley and get it for her, putting it in her hand.
    “Thank you,” she smiles.
    “ No, thank you for buying it,” I wink at her. “I could smell you from where I was stood.”
    She drops back from her tiptoes , and levels a glare at me. “If I were you I’d watch it, Samuel, before you and my tampons get acquainted. Very, very acquainted.”
    “ Sounds kinky.” I start walking again.
    “ You are so disturbed I don’t even have any words to respond to that.”
    “ You have no words? Wow. You’re speechless. I feel kinda special right now.”
    “ Oh, honey, you are special.” She puts milk