-2-

            Yang Tae Sub lifts a bag of apples nonchalantly, eyeing a mountain of plums in the distance hungrily. “Do you think we should get some of those too?”
            “Are you going to open a fruit store?” Kim Kyung-Soo responds, reaching to take the bag. He sits it next to the bag of bananas and oranges.
            The doctor gives him a quick glance of disappointment. Unsatisfied he says to him, “Fine, let’s not then. It’s not like we need fruit to balance out our diets.”
            An amused sigh passes between them from the appointed cart-pusher. “If you really want them, you might as well get them. We can put them in your fridge.”
            The doctor perks up with a huge grin as he begins to walk off towards them, as if he wasn't already physically aiming for them. “Okay, okay! And I’ll let you keep the apples.”
            “That better be a real promise this time.” Kyung-Soo is calling out to him, making his way through mountains of fruits. His lover barely pays his words any attention as he debates on the best plums.
            “It is,” he finally tells him, grabbing a plastic bag before getting several of the plums. His eyes peer at them, comparing and contemplating. “Take it as a reward for being such an aspiring lecturer.”
            The photographer lifts an eyebrow at his words, grinning handsomely in his direction. “I’d rather it be a reward for being such an attractive lecturer if it’s coming from you.”
            Shocked and surprised, Tae Sub turns to him. He nearly knocks over the moutain of plums in the process, but he is quick to switch slap a hand to the taller one’s arm as he look around. When his eyes catch no one glancing, he allows his hand to linger. Still, it is not long before he removes it. “Are you crazy?”
            “Sure am, crazy in love.” Kyung-Soo admits, resting a hand to his lover's shoulder. He gives it a loving squeeze.
            Tae Sub eyes that reliable hand he's come to love bashfully for a moment before shrugging it off. “More like just crazy. What’s getting into you today anyway?”
            “It’s been a while since we could meet. I think I’ve just missed you too much honestly.” Kyung-Soo smiles, pushing forward. He follows his possibly overly shy fiance to the vegetable aisle.
            “Aren’t you embarrassed saying stuff like that?” said shy fiance questions, hurrying his step to the lettuce.
            The buggy stops just near him. The lecturer shrugs a shoulder, leaning down to rest his elbows to the object and his face to his thankfully uncommented on dry palms. “Why would I be? I’m saying it to the person I love.”
            “Of course I would agree. But still... it’s in public. The people have ears, the walls have ears… what makes you so brave to say something like that out loud?”  Tae Sub goes towards the cucumbers. He gets a plentiful amount for both of them. Kyung-Soo follows behind quietly as he goes about picking out a variety of vegetables for both houses.
            “I don’t know, really. Just seeing you, maybe? It makes me want to say mushy stuff to you, to get you flustered. It’s how I know that you still love me. You’re also especially cute when flustered, so why not?” He grins confidently, his gaze directly meeting his lover. They stand there idly staring at each other for a long moment, one of them relaxed while the other bashfully brushes against a stand of tomatoes.  
            Tae Sub is the first to turn away as another buggy approaches, his heart beating hard in his chest to be caught having such an intimate moment. He grabs a few tomatoes, bags them tensely. “What else did you say she needed?”
            The older man breaks into a quieted laugh, coming to his side. He helps him grab a few more tomatoes, standing close. He whispers smugly to him, “She, who? We came to stack up on groceries for our houses.”
            The doctor gulps, pausing. His eyes linger upward hesitantly, finding dark eyes already staring at him. His eyes dart away. “I know, I know… just… play along for once will you? Always throwing me under the bus, this one…”
            Kyung-Soo simply nods, stepping away. He leans against the stand, letting the other breath. His smile is loving and playful. “Sorry. I couldn’t just let the moment pass by. It was too irresistible.”
            Tae Sub nods quickly, retreating to the carrots. He gets a few absent mindedly. “Whatever, just help me shop. My break isn’t long and if we don’t get ingredients now I can’t be sure we’ll eat any real food any time soon.”
            “Okay, okay. I’ll let you off today.” their buggy stalks closer. Specific vegetables are picked out carefully, adjusted to fit the likes of both men. Tae Sub pauses, bagged broccoli in hand. He drops it into the buggy. “Do you want me to drop these off at your home later, by the way? Or do you want to just pick them up? We can have dinner and you can take them home.”
            “Let’s go with the latter option. It’s been a while since I got to eat a real meal with someone. Especially you.” They move onto health drinks. Timid hands brush over a few of the popularized bottled options fleetingly.
            “Me too… It’s been a long time since I got to cook for anyone other than myself.”
            The older man scans them, intrigued by new brands. He picks up a few of them to look at the interesting flavors. “What do I owe the honor of a homemade dinner by the reluctant-to-cook chef?”
            “Well…” Tae Sub stops, hand paused over one of the drinks he planned to buy. He waited until Kyung-Soo’s hand got close to hastily slide his fingers under his. “…Like you said, it’s been a while. Too long of a while. So, I want to be with you as long as I can today. Have a nice meal… relax a bit… maybe get some sleep until we have to go our separate ways.”
            His partner smiles softly, his eyes lowering to slenders hands with fingertips that bump nervously against his own. Fingertips draw inwards, grasping the warm hand. Gentle squeezing meets prolonged interaction. “Then I'm happy to pay that price… you know, eating with you is one of my favorite pastimes. I’d be happy to eat with you whenever I can. Out of everyone, you make me feel the less lonely. Like my spot at the dinner table matters.”
            “Me too… I’ve actually been secretly looking forward to this for days now. I even planned out the meal about a week ago and made a list of everything I needed. It was going to be a small surprise, but I assumed you’d figure it out before I could cook it, so I thought I’d just tell you instead. It’s much easier that way.”
            Kyung-Soo steps forward, eyes fogged by a need to touch and to cherish the person In front of him. His lips move in for Tae Sub’s forehead before either of them can give themselves time to think. As they plant a soft, lasting kiss, his heart aches a deep gratefulness that the grocery shop is nearly empty. “Thank you, Tae Sub-ah. I really can’t wait to share a meal with you again for the thousandth time. Truly… thank you for caring about me. Just knowing you want to make me happy makes me happy, really. I appreciate how cute your thinking is.”
            “What’s so cute about it? It’s just normal thinking… simple and rational. People that are dating think like this all the time. It's not even special, so why would it be cute?” Tae Sub lowers his head, releasing his hand. He sticks both of them in his back pockets, walking off embarrassedly from the scene.
            The doctor’s boyfriend follows with a natural, genuine grin on his face. It only knows of the purest of love and all its gentleness. “It’s cute because it’s so you – and all the more special than usual because today it makes you look like a young brat. Anyway let’s hurry and finish this, so time can pass. I want to fast forward to you cooking in my kitchen as fast as I can, where you make cute mistakes and I get to back-hug you.”
            The lecturer’s boyfriend nods, looking around at random items. He tries to focus, try to remember what he needs, but can only recall the feeling of Kyung-Soo’s warm back-hugs. He clears his throat, having to take out his list. He leads the way, heading in the direction of the nearest item. “You’re definitely crazy…”
            “Just for you.” The photographer replies automatically, following slowly. He watches the back of Tae Sub again lovingly, impatient to hug it as they arrive at the meat section.