You were sitting on the couch when Leo tossed an apple to you as he walked back into the living room towards the couch you had both been previously cuddling on, already biting into his. You caught it just before it hit your face. Scowling at him you started to twist the apple stem while saying the alphabet out loud.  “A, B, C, D….”

“Babe what are you doing with the apple stem?” Leo asked while spiting a bit of apple juice out onto your arm.  He started whipping it off of your arm with his sweater sleeve, “Ah sorry! I didn’t mean to do that.” You laughed at his panicked voice and turned your attention back to the apple in your hands. You kept up your twisting while continuing to say the alphabet, “ E, F, G, H, ah it snapped!!!”

“Okay, now that it has snapped will you please tell me what you were doing? I’ve never seen anyone do that with an apple before and it was kind of weird to be honest.” Leo was finished with his apple by now, you had no clue how he ate that fast but he did. He reached over and took yours away from you and started to bite into it.

“Hey now, you ate yours! This one is mine.” You reached over and snagged your apple back from him, he had already taken a huge bite out of it, but you were still wanting your snack. Leo tried to keep it away but he lost and pouted once you took it back. “But I’m still hungry, can’t I just have another bite?”

“Babe, that apple was supposed to be a pre-supper snack, not a meal. Wait another hour and then we can go out to eat okay?” That being said, Leo continued to stare at your apple as you bit into it. “Didn’t you want to know what I was doing with the apple stem?”  Maybe if you distracted him he would stop staring at your apple like it was the last piece of food in your apartment.

Leo nodded at you and turned himself around on the couch so he was now sitting cross legged  and facing you. You in turn, situated yourself in the same way so you could face him while you told him your story.

“Okay so, when I was in elementary school back in the states, this big thing went around during lunch time at the end of 3^rd grade. Everyone was getting pre-made lunch bags in the cafeteria because it was the end of the school year and everyone’s bag had an apple in it. Leo’s eyes got wide as he grabbed onto your knee, “You only got an apple for lunch!”

 Realizing what he meant you shook your head a few times as you pat the back of his hand, ” No no! We got our pick of what type of sandwich we wanted and we also got a pickle, an apple and other things too!” You started rubbing the back of his hand with your thumb as he sighed in relief at the fact that his girlfriend was given food to eat in elementary school other than just  an apple. “Anyway, back to the story. I’m not sure where she even heard it from, but one of the girls I was sitting next to said to spin the apple stem and every full spin equaled a letter of the alphabet. When the stem snaps off, the letter that you had said on that spin is the first letter of the person’s first name that you will marry.”

Leo looked at his apple and then back at you, “Mine doesn’t have a stem though. What does that mean? Does it mean I won’t get married?” Looking at him with your most serious face you said, “No, it just means you need to trade your bag of chips to someone for their apple.”  You started giggling as he made an unamused face at you and then flicked you in the forehead.

“So, you got the letter H? But my name starts with a T.” You looked at the stem in your hand then back up at your boyfriends frowning face. “I guess we need to break up so I can marry Hakyeon or Hongbin then. I mean, the apple stem knows all.” 

Leo silently reached for the stem in your hand and took it. He then stood up, holding it out and away from his body as if it were his dance practice socks that he rarely washes and just leaves in his gym bag. He walked away and you followed him, interested in his strange and random actions. You followed him as he went into your kitchen and over to the sink. He turned the water faucet on and then he dropped the stem in the drain and at the same time he turned the garbage disposal on.  

“Leo, oh my gosh!” You were laughing so hard, leaning up against the counter as Leo smirked down at the garbage disposal after turning the water off. “I’m only picking apples  that don’t have stems from now on. You too, you better pick apples that don’t have stems when you go produce shopping. You know what, from now on I think it would be best if we always go food shopping together.”

He walked over to you and wrapped his arms around you while you were still shaking from laughter. He kissed the top of your head as your laugher subsided and he then placed his head on top of yours. You both stood like that for a while until his stomach grumbled. “Can we please go eat now?”

“Yeah okay, sure, just don’t attack any produce stands on our way.” You put your shoes on  as he put his coat on, “I can’t make any promises. Damn apples.” He grabbed your hand as he walked out the door, you locking it behind you both on your way out.