Chapter 22: The Great Grocery Store Heist
It was supposed to be a simple grocery run. Just milk and eggs. Nothing complicated. But when Ayla and Caden did anything together, nothing stayed simple for long.
"Why do you need six cartons of eggs?" Ayla asked, squinting at the ridiculous stack of eggs in Caden's arms as they walked through the store.
"Meal prep," Caden replied seriously, juggling the cartons like he was auditioning for the circus.
"Meal prep? You burn toast, Caden."
"That was one time," he said defensively. "And to be fair, the toaster was possessed. It's on a crusade against breakfast foods."
Ayla gave him a flat look. "You're unbelievable."
"Unbelievably charming," he corrected with a wink.
"Unbelievably something," she muttered under her breath, reaching for a box of cereal.
The Milk Incident
They were halfway through the dairy aisle when things started going downhill.
"Okay, we need milk," Caden announced, grabbing the first carton in sight. He examined it like it contained the secrets of the universe. "Is there really a difference between 2% and whole milk?"
"Yes," Ayla said patiently. "Whole milk has more fat."
"So, it's tastier?"
"Basically."
"Cool. We'll get the whole one then."
Just as he placed the milk in the cart, another customer accidentally bumped into him. Caden, in his usual graceful fashion, overcorrected and sent the carton flying.
The milk exploded on the floor in an epic spray.
"Oh my god!" Ayla gasped, jumping back as the white river spread toward her shoes.
Caden froze like a deer in headlights, clutching the now-empty cap in his hand. "Uh… well, that's one way to make a splash."
Ayla stared at him, completely speechless. "You cannot be real."
"I swear, the milk attacked me," Caden said solemnly, as if that would somehow make things better.
A store employee appeared, glaring at the mess. "Sir, please don't touch any more milk."
"Don't worry," Caden promised, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm officially banned from dairy products for life."
The Great Cart Chase
After cleaning up the milk fiasco, Ayla thought the worst was behind them. She was wrong.
While she browsed the bread aisle, Caden—who couldn't be trusted with anything—got bored and started pushing the shopping cart around like a racecar driver.
"You know this isn't Mario Kart, right?" Ayla called over her shoulder as she compared bagels.
Caden ignored her. "I've gotta drift!" he shouted dramatically, spinning the cart down the aisle.
And that's when things went very, very wrong.
The cart, now traveling at a speed it was never designed to handle, collided with a giant display of canned soup.
The cans tumbled like dominoes, clattering loudly to the floor. Shoppers turned to stare, horrified.
"Oh no." Ayla buried her face in her hands. "Oh no, no, no."
Caden stood in the middle of the chaos, looking sheepish but oddly proud. "That… was way cooler than I expected."
"Cooler? Caden, you just destroyed an entire display!"
"Yeah, but look at that carnage." He gestured grandly to the pile of cans. "It's like modern art."
Before Ayla could strangle him, a stern-looking manager approached.
"Sir," the manager began, clearly trying not to lose his temper, "you need to leave."
Caden threw his hands up in defeat. "I know, I know. Milk spill, soup apocalypse—it's been a rough day."
"Now," the manager snapped.
Ayla grabbed Caden's arm and started dragging him away before things escalated further. "You are a menace to society."
"But an entertaining menace," Caden added cheerfully.
The Checkout Catastrophe
When they finally reached the checkout line, Ayla was clinging to the last remnants of her sanity.
"Let's just pay and leave before you cause a city-wide disaster," she muttered, tossing the groceries onto the belt.
Caden leaned casually on the conveyor belt. "You act like this hasn't been the most fun shopping trip of your life."
Ayla shot him a look. "If this is your idea of fun, I never want to go skydiving with you."
The cashier scanned their items, giving them a wary glance. "You guys okay?"
"We're fine," Ayla said quickly. "We're just… having a day."
As the cashier handed Caden their receipt, he grinned and said, "See? No arrests. That's progress."
Ayla groaned. "I'm never taking you anywhere again."
"Promise?" Caden teased, winking at her.
The Walk of Shame
On the way to the car, the rain started again—light at first, then quickly becoming a downpour.
"Of course it's raining," Ayla grumbled, clutching the grocery bags to her chest. "Because this day couldn't possibly get worse."
Caden, carrying the rest of the bags, gave her a crooked smile. "At least we didn't end up on the news."
"Yet."
They reached the car, soaking wet and out of breath. Caden fumbled with the keys, trying to unlock the door.
"Why isn't this working?" he muttered, pressing the button frantically.
Ayla leaned in, peering at the car. "Uh, Caden?"
"Yeah?"
"This isn't our car."
They stared at the unfamiliar vehicle in stunned silence for a moment. Then, without a word, they both burst into hysterical laughter.
Caden doubled over, clutching his stomach. "Oh my god, we almost committed grand theft auto."
Ayla wiped tears from her eyes, still laughing. "This is officially the dumbest day of my life."
Caden grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Admit it—you had fun."
Ayla shook her head, still smiling. "You're insane."
"And you're stuck with me," Caden said, giving her a playful nudge.
"Unfortunately," Ayla muttered, though her smile didn't fade.
A Perfectly Imperfect Ending
By the time they got home, they were drenched, exhausted, and still laughing.
"Well," Caden said as they set the groceries on the kitchen counter, "I think that went pretty well."
"Pretty well?" Ayla repeated incredulously. "You destroyed half the store!"
"Yeah, but I didn't get us kicked out of the parking lot. That's personal growth."
Ayla rolled her eyes, but there was no hiding the fondness in her gaze. "You're unbelievable."
Caden gave her a mischievous grin. "And yet, you keep hanging out with me."
Ayla sighed dramatically. "I must have a thing for chaos."
"Admit it—you love the chaos."
She shook her head, smiling despite herself. "Maybe a little."
Caden's grin widened. "And that's all I needed to hear."
As the rain pattered softly against the windows, they settled onto the couch with a sense of comfortable familiarity.
Because in their messy, chaotic way, they were exactly where they were meant to be.