Taemin pressed his car remote once and watched as the alarm lights flashed  twice. He tucked his keys into his pocket and ambled through the car park towards the brightly lit building. The car park was jam-packed and he was astounded how such a place could still be so busy at this time of night. He rubbed his hands together and blew hot breath into his palms, trying to warm them up against the chilly air.

He reached the entrance and spotted the steely bars of the stacked trolleys and let out a misty breath as he neared them. Reaching out, he yanked a single trolley hard and it came loose with a loud clatter. Pulling a piece of paper from his pocket he tucked it under the clip of the tiny board that was fixed on the front of the trolley and pushed it through the large automatic doors.

Immediately he was enveloped in noise and bright light; greeted by a throng of people, wheeling to and fro frantically and he marvelled at all the manic energy at display. It was eleven-thirty in the morning, two days before Christmas and Taemin had foolishly thought that there would be less of a rush at this time of day. He had hoped that it would be quite safe to quickly nip in and get what he wanted and be out and driving back home within twenty minutes. It appeared that he was quite wrong to deduce such an assumption as his eyes wandered over the long queues at the cashier. Looks like everyone else had the same idea as me, he thought irritated.

Sighing, he looked over his shopping list.

THINGS TO BUY:

1) Carrots

2) Green Beans

3) Banana milk

4) 2kg. ground beef

Bla, bla, bla, Taemin thought as he proceeded to pass by the flowers and plant section; the magazines and books section. His mother had also added ''items forgotten'' from her food shop a few days earlier.

Nutella Cheesecake!!!!

Ok, he got it; he chuckled in his head, Nutella Cheesecake. Must not forget. He casually pushed along the trolley towards the fruit and vegetable section and let out a stifled yawn. There was something very intrinsically boring about food shopping. The idea of shopping for food was just incredibly dull.

Dull, dull, dull.

He picked up some luxury Christmas crackers that caught his eye from a nearby stack and threw them into the empty trolley. His head did an involuntary nod as Dean Martin's White Christmas cascaded from the speakers. His lips twitched at the corners of his mouth as he listened to the seasonal tune. It was rather nice listening to cheerful Christmassy music in December. It immediately filled you with warmth and excitement. Well it did for him anyway. Probably not everyone enjoyed Christmas but that wasn't really his problem.

He spotted the green beans' shelf in between a mother and her pushchair and hung back for a second as the mother jostled the large pushchair with a sleeping child in it towards the side. Prams got on his nerves and he hated being polite and waiting for them to move out of the way. But he was perfectly polite and stood by smiling pleasantly until the mother flashed him a grateful smile and moved away. He returned a fake smile back and then gave her another one that was rather genuine.

Well, he thought, she was probably just trying to give her family a nice Christmas lunch or dinner and it wasn't easy shopping with a small child. He always felt a little softer at this time of year, mainly because he loved it so much. He grabbed some green beans and then quickly reached for the carrots before anyone else came forward. He could be nice when he wanted to but he still had a shopping list to complete. With the two items crossed off his list, he moved onto the next equally boring item.

He ripped off a clear bag from the roll and put in scoops of ground beef before weighing them.

He pondered over the harsh, bright lighting found in supermarkets as he strolled along. They made the ugly people look even uglier and the good-looking people even better looking. Weird. Well he knew what category he fell into; he smirked happily and moseyed along with his trolley.

***

Two aisles down, Minho was also pushing a trolley with a little list crumpled in his hand.

1) Cranberry sauce.

He wanted to have cranberry sauce this year. He had never had it before and thought that it was about time to try it. He scanned the numerous shelves and found a small jar and placed it into his trolley.

He looked further down his list;

2) 1 whole chicken

3) Hot Chocolate

4) Brussel Sprouts

5) Bread

6) Banana milk

7) Butter

8) Nutella Cheesecake

He wound his way through the trolleys and people and found himself in the cold freezer section. He stared at the contents in the giant fridges for a while and then opened the stiff doors and chucked various items into his trolley. Nat King Cole's Christmas Song gently boomed from the speakers as Minho went down the aisle with the coffees and teas.

He hummed along with the song and realised how lonely it suddenly made him feel. It was a bittersweet song that always made him smile with a small ache in his heart. It was so nice to have family this time of year. He wished he had one.

He eyed a hot chocolate pack and threw that into the small heap in his trolley. Now on to the banana milk. He rubbed his right eye and pushed back his floppy fringe from his forehead. He just wanted to do his shopping and get home quickly. He had almost not even come out to the supermarket but decided that he really did have nothing to eat on Christmas day and that would be a shame, so his inner voice had needled at him till he had grabbed his coat and car keys.

He spied the crate labeled ''Banana Milk'' and wheeled over to it. He extended his hand out and reached for the last pack… And the bag strangely resisted. He frowned and tugged at the pack and realised that there was another hand also holding onto it. Rather determinedly he noted, feeling a flare of anger spark. His eyes travelled to the owner of the offending hand and his brows furrowed. Standing there was a smaller man with his unwelcome hand gripping the netted bag.

“Hey,” Minho said, “that's mine.”

“No it isn't,” the man said defiantly and tugged the pack from Minho's hand. “It's mine.”

Minho tugged it back. “I saw it first,” he insisted whilst looking at the man crossly. What was wrong with him anyway? Anyone with a shred of decency would just back off. Obviously if someone is holding an item in their hands - it's theirs.

“Really?” the smaller man persisted otherwise. “That's what you think but how can you even suggest that you saw it first? I could have seen it metres away.”

Minho's mouth opened incredulously as the man carried on speaking.

“Besides,” he said in a lofty tone, “I have more of it my hand so that means that it is mine. Just get some other flavours what's the big deal?”

Big deal? Minho gripped the small pack with white knuckles as he fumed. The man was svelte and one of those perfect looking men that just didn't seem real. Not real enough to be shopping in a supermarket anyhow. With perfect jeans and a black coat and perfect hair – and just looking so perfectly put together – the kind of people that seemed to look good all the time and made you feel just plain irritated. Not that Minho thought he was ugly. He knew he wasn't. He knew he wasn't particularly good looking either but he wasn't bad looking…just not perfect looking like this idiot standing in front of him. The man probably thought he had some Go-given right to all the items in the store or something.

Minho made a face at the infuriating man and grit his teeth, still not letting go, “It isn't a big deal. Only that I grabbed them first; so, out of principle, I should be the one to buy them. Go and ask the staff if they have any more out the back.”

The other man yanked the bag his way again, “Out the back?” he spat out patronisingly. His eyes narrowed as if he couldn't believe that Minho was naïve enough to believe such a thing. “There is no such thing as ‘out the back’. Everything they have in the store is on the floor and obviously this is the last of the Banana Milk. And I am so not going to any other supermarket just to get some. So, if you'll just let go, I'll be on my way.”

“No!” Minho shot back tugging the bag near to him, feeling annoyed. What the hell was wrong with this man? He thought as they had a small tug-of-war with the pack. “You have all those other things in your trolley, why do you need more?”

“Because,” came a pointed response, “I want them. They have other flavours there. Melon milk, strawberry milk, look, they even have orange milk. So if you please, give me the damned pack,” he hissed.

“Urrggh,” Minho said. So this man thought that he, Minho, would be suited to other flavours? What kind of analogy was that? Why were people so petty? Why? He sighed and shook his head and let go of the pack, springing the blond man's hands backwards along with the sprouts.

“Fine then, have them. I hope you drown on them,” he said grumpily, pushing away his trolley from the irksome shopper. Honestly some people were so flipping selfish and stupid and he really couldn't be bothered with them.

Meanwhile Taemin smirked in satisfaction grimly, as he smoothed the back of his hair against his nape. Really, some people. What was their problem? Honestly, arguing over banana milk, when he, Taemin, clearly had a firmer grasp on the bag than the other man had. Why were people so petty? For goodness sake.

Obviously the man was one of those irritatingly trendy types, with his dark hair flopping around his face and artful glasses that were just fake probably because they looked good on him. Like maybe he was a model or something with his faded blue jeans and brown cord jacket slung over a white T-shirt - casual attire that just screamed 'I'm a model but I don't care about my appearance!' As Taemin strolled away, he pressed his lips together thinly, feeling annoyed.

As well as looking like a model, Taemin bet that the man was some kind of activist. Like a demonstrator or something - appearing to be a do-gooder but really a prissy little sod inside. Yeah, that's what he was, Taemin nodded. He put the banana milk next to his vegetables. You couldn’t ask for a better milk flavour than banana.

Now what was left on his list…

NUTELLA CHEESECAKE.

He strode quickly towards the open freezer section, pushing various people out of his way without seeming to.

***

Minho glowered inwardly feeling embarrassed and aggravated. And hot. He felt hot. The nerve of that man… He the collar of his t-shirt uncomfortably that lay underneath his jacket. It was like below five outside but he was feeling all hot and bothered. It was a bad idea to come food shopping he decided. He looked at his trolley and threw in some pot noodles for the sake of it as he pushed himself along to the open freezer section to cool off. He wanted Nutella Cheesecake.

He neared the freezer compartment and sighed as it appeared that they had run out of them. Typical. However, he edged near and saw one, sad looking box at the bottom of the silver lined freezer. Oh good, he thought. He reached for it and as he wrapped his fingers around the box his arm was immediately jostled.

“You've got to be joking!” came a voice that sounded all too familiar.

“No, but you must be,” Minho replied heatedly, gripping the box tightly. The other man hadn't much grip on the box and Minho flicked it away smartly from his hands.

“But it's the last box!” the man exclaimed.

“Exactly, and it's mine,” Minho said stubbornly.

The other man shook his head and his lips and Minho rolled his eyes. Perfect looking asshat, that's what this man was.

“Yeah, but look at your trolley. I mean it is quite sparse no? There is nothing in your trolley that would go with the cheesecake” the other man argued. “So really I think I should get that.”

“You must be seriously deranged.” Minho said placing the box in his trolley and ignoring the bargaining tactics of the aforementioned asshat.

“No, I am not,” the man edged near to him and Minho leaned back, away from him, scrunching his nose at the nerve of the man. “What do you need them for anyway?”

“The same reason as you perhaps,” Minho said steering away. “To eat?”

“Ah, another man who does not bake. That's nice,” the other man said flashing him a quick smile with perfectly white teeth. Minho looked at him with a fed-up expression trying to manoeuvre his way in the opposite direction.

“Look, I really need that,” the other man now dropped his fake smile and looked at Minho sombrely. He pointed at the box and Minho wasn't much moved by his appealing gestures. “My dad is going to mess them up when he tries to make them himself and my mother wants back-up.”

Selfish! Minho thought. He could feel prickles of frustration heat his skin. This was turning into a horrible food shop. He should have followed his gut instinct and not come.

The man smiled at him coaxingly again and Minho wondered if the man thought he was stupid enough to fall for a warm smile and just hand over the cheesecake. It appeared that the man thought he really was that charming as he looked at Minho earnestly. This was really beyond a joke. Sure he was good looking, but please! The man was starting to talk again and Minho shook his head, feeling at the end of his tether.

“You know what?” he said loudly, surprising the man enough to get him to stop talking. “Have the bloody cheesecake,” He reached for them, feeling his metaphorical thread breaking. “You want anything else?” he said sarcastically with dark raised brows. He shoved the box at the other man and the man took it looking taken aback.

He opened his mouth about to speak again but Minho cut him off.

“Here you want cranberry sauce?” Minho reached for the small jar. “Did I get the last one of that too? Here take it.” He placed it into the man's trolley realising that he was going too far in his tirade but unable to stop himself as he was on a roll.

“You want hot chocolate? Here take mine,” and he flung his packet of hot chocolate in the man's trolley.

The man's expression went from shocked to looking downright amused. “Hey,” he said in a sensitive voice watching Minho getting all worked up. “I don't want your hot chocolate. You can keep that; they still have lots of them on the shelves.” He tried to appease Minho with a low voice and a phoney constructed look of concern.

Minho gave him a narrowed eye glare, feeling his words quieten down in his throat. “It's all right.”

The man eyed him cautiously, indicating with his hands that yes indeed it was all right. NOT.

“Clearly Christmas is a stressful time for some people,” he carried on saying in what he probably thought was a soothing voice. “You know, what with all the shopping and dinners and family. It can be stressful.”

Minho let out a deep breath and then frowned. Oh my God, he had made a scene. He had a made a scene in the grocery! He couldn't even bear to look around to see if any other shoppers had witnessed his meltdown. He wished he could vanish about now. The man warily kept his eye on him as he picked up the packet of hot chocolate and put it back into Minho's trolley.

“And here,” he said. 'You can keep the cheesecake.” He was still holding the box in his hands and put them into Minho's trolley.

“I don't want them,” Minho said crabbily, trying to cover up his mortification.

“Go on keep them,” the man cajoled. “You already let me have the banana milk,” the man smiled and Minho did the exact opposite and pressed his mouth into a firm line.

“Well I'll be going then. You keep those all right?”

Minho gave a small nod and was glad when the man gave him a last look and then wandered off.

***

Well that was interesting, Taemin thought. He had just witnessed his first major Christmas freak out. He didn't see too many of those. The poor guy looked all flustered and upset over a box of cheesecake that Taemin felt compelled to let him have them. Maybe he had had a very bad day and just couldn't take it anymore. People like that did exist. He had looked really embarrassed afterwards, Taemin could tell. That's why Taemin thought he would make a quick exit and walk away. Perhaps the man had been dumped by his girlfriend or something, Taemin mused.

He had very pretty eyes, Taemin reflected. Taemin always noticed beautiful eyes, males and females alike. And the man's eyes had been very brown and bright and very pretty. Model definitely or an actor or been told he should be on TV…Maybe he had been in an argument, Taemin thought. Lots of things could have happened to make him go hysterical over frozen goods. Besides, Taemin wondered graciously, the cheesecake was only a back up. The other guy looked like he needed them more than Taemin did. He would just have to tell his mother that the shop had run out - which was true. They had now. There were officially no more Nutella cheesecakess left in the building to buy. His mother would understand.

Mother, he frowned. , he had nearly forgotten. Chocolate Liqueurs. For his mother. She hadn't put the liqueurs on the list but he knew how much she enjoyed them with a drink after dinner. She ate them every year. He went over to the confectionary shelves and picked up her favourite ones.

***

Minho tried in vain to look for the shortest queue he could see but they all seemed equally as long as each other. Sighing inwardly he pushed his trolley along to the nearest one and waited patiently. He glimpsed at other people's trolleys and saw them laden with items. He looked down at his own trolley and it looked rather pathetic in comparison.

He scrunched his nose slightly – it would be nice to get Christmas crackers but there wouldn't be any point. He had no one to pull crackers with, he was alone this year. Jonghyun and Onew, hiscoupled-up  best friends, were spending Christmas with Jonghyun's parents. He had told Jonghyun that he had made plans for Christmas day and that had instantly vanquished the concerned frown on his forehead.

He looked around some more. There simply had to be another queue for fewer items surely…

But it didn't appear that there was; so feeling resigned, Minho slumped forward on the trolley bars and watched the conveyor belt next to him slide along towards the cashier.

Three minutes later it seemed as if the person's trolley in front of him wasn't lessening and, muttering under his breath, Minho stood upright, grasped his trolley and pushed it out of the line. There simply had to be a shorter line.

He carefully looked around and spotted that till number three did seem to be going a lot quicker than the others. He quickly sped up and went to join the queue and was glad to see that there was only one trolley ahead of him.

“Hello again,” Minho heard and looked up startled. It was the blond man again. He was looking at Minho with a small smile and Minho would have groaned aloud if he were less than polite. He managed an awkward smile that resulted in a lopsided grin and replied back, “Hi.”

“The cashier here really isn't wasting any time - I think she wants to get home.” The man indicated with his eyes. “That's why her hands are moving so fast.” He was leaning back casually against the steel counter of the till next to them.

“I'm sorry about earlier,” Minho said after a moment, fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt.

The man chuckled pleasantly as he now leant against his trolley and shook his head.

“It’s fine, I am too. I've never fought over food before,” he smiled at Minho and it was a rather nice and open smile which Minho returned.

The man seemed to hesitate for a moment and then straightened up and extended a hand. “I'm Taemin by the way.”

Minho stuck his own hand out and shook it firmly. “Minho.”

Taemin nodded and moved ahead a few more steps as his items got closer to the cashier.

“So,” Taemin said striking up a conversation, “do you live around here?”

“Yeah,” Minho answered, “this is my local supermarket.”

Taemin nodded; his eyes on the conveyor belt.

Minho cleared his throat, “Do you live near here?”

Taemin faced him and nodded in response. “Yeah I do, just down the fifth street, house with the black wrought iron gates, with little snakes carved on it.”

Minho's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected piece of extra information and Taemin looked away for a moment and then locked his eyes with Minho again. Taemin's family must be very rich if they lived on the fifth street. That was the road with the massive houses and driveways that looked like small lanes.

“So you're having a very big family dinner?” Minho asked as they both budged along a little in the line.

“Yeah.”

There were some small shelves filled with chocolates and Taemin grabbed a bar. He held it up for Minho's inspection. “Snickers, my weakness.” He grinned and placed it on the counter.

Minho smiled and brushed his hair away from his eyes. “Well that is what they are there for, to tempt you right at the last minute.”

“Well it works,” Taemin said ruefully. “Every time. I get my chocolate addiction from my mother.” He looked down on the belt at a box of fancy chocolates. “Those are for her. I buy her liqueurs every year on Christmas. She says that the day just wouldn't feel right without them. She has to have them after Christmas dinner with a drink,” he grinned.

Minho smiled good naturedly as Taemin moved to the other side of the cashier near the steel slide as his items slid down. He started to put his shopping into bags as the cashier totalled up his bill. Minho watched as Taemin took out his wallet and handed over a credit card for the cashier to swipe. She did and Taemin came forward and signed. Minho noticed that he had a rather nice looking signature. Quite complicated though. Minho's signature was quite simple looking.

It didn't take long for the cashier to total up Minho's items and Taemin was still putting his things away as Minho joined his side and put away his things.

“It's busy isn't it?” Taemin commented and Minho looked at him as he put his things away.

He looked around, “Yeah it is. I guess everyone thinks it will be quieter this morning.”

“And they're wrong,” Taemin said as he started to place his bags into his trolley.

Minho had filled one bag already and saw all his frozen and to be fridged things still laying in a heap. He moved the bag aside and tore off another carrier bag and put the rest of his things inside. Taemin had four bags now in his trolley and Minho picked up his own two and walked along side Taemin towards the exit.

As they reached the doors, Taemin flashed him a quick smile.

“So have a nice Christmas.”

“Yeah,” Minho said, “You too and Happy New Year.”

“Thanks, I'll be sure to enjoy the banana milk and you enjoy the cheesecake all right?”

Minho laughed, “Yeah. I will.”

They went outside and the cold air wafted around them immediately.

“Well… bye then,” Taemin said giving a small nod.

Minho returned it, “Yeah… bye”

And they both walked off into different directions in the huge car park.