💌Ren + Theo: Love in Aisle 9

The Whole Foods Scene

We’re grocery shopping in Whole Foods,
pinky fingers interlocked.

You carry a cantaloupe under your left arm, 
and I have a bag of red seedless grapes in my right hand.

We wander through the produce section eyeing all the exotic fruits, 
reminiscing about our spontaneous meet up in Maui 
when neither of us knew how this could ever work.

But when you suggested we eat fresh pineapple for dinner 
and go for a swim at sunset I knew we’d find a way.

The cereal aisle beckons. We both sneak 
the organic versions of our childhood favorites into the basket, 
Graham Crunch for you, 
Life and Marshmallow Galaxy and Fruitful O’s for me. 
Cereal is my weakness, that is until I met you.
Now I crave your touch, your bear hugs, and
watching you eat your cereal out of an oversized mug. 
It’s our silly, early morning tradition, 
a nod to how we both feel like we lost 20 years off our age since we met.

An artic blast hits us in the dairy section, 
you plop down the basket, and wrap me up against your chest. 
It feels like the whole store is on the edge 
of their seat to see what happens next.

I look up into his dark chocolate eyes. 
We’re out of milk again, I remind him. 
His lips graze mine
and I'm infatuated all over again.
I’ve never known want until I met him. Now I can’t stop asking for more.

I’ll grab it, he smirks and slides his arm around my waist. 
He picks out a carton of flax milk for me and 
organic grass-fed milk for him. 
We still need a few staples, he says as he glances at the list.

Let's see, butter, eggs, and flour. 
I can’t forget the flour, he winks, because
I’m making banana bread for you to take to book club tonight.

Also, I noticed you were almost out of tofu and sweet potatoes 
for your favorite dinner bowls, he holds my gaze for a beat too long. 
This man sets the bar too high. 
Could you maybe fetch some Vegan Goddess dressing too? I add.

Of course! I’ll be right back, kissing me on the forehead.
I watch him walk away and he turns around, 
waggles his eyebrows up and down. He knows I’m watching.

With a basket full of groceries, 
flip flops and ripped denim shorts, 
he is quite possibly the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

Later, he finds me in the tea aisle, my arms breaking, 
full of Pita bread, alfalfa sprouts, a ½ pound of pastrami turkey,
and a can of black beans.

Here let me take that. 
He methodically unburdens the weight 
of my last-minute items.

Did you stock up on your bougie tea, 
a flirty grin spreads across his face and he snags not one 
but five boxes 
of Tumeric Ginger for me.

I don’t need that much, I chuckle staring at the sale price. 
You most definitely do, he declares and tilts my chin toward him. 
I love you, he mouths and proceeds 
to steep me in some sort of magical kiss.

Do I need to carry you out now too?

Without warning, he throws me over his shoulder, 
overflowing basket in the other hand,
and we trek to our next little adventure.