The Consequence

“Oh, hey, we’re gonna do this Q and A, while shopping!” Justin beamed into the camera.

The supermarket was fairly empty. Mid week shopping wasn’t part of many peoples routines. It would seem they all saved themselves for the weekend trolley dash. Evie had grabbed a trolley and was slowly pushing it up and down the aisles, picking things from the shelves that her parents had requested. Justin bounced along behind her, still talking animatedly into the camera that Tyler was clutching, whilst Ryan walked a few steps behind them.

“Justin, you might wanna do that again, I forgot to switch this thing on,” Tyler apologised, stabbing a button on the camera, whilst Justin glared at him.

“Guys, calm down a little, yeah?” Evie asked, dropping a bag of cheese puffs into the trolley. “We’re in public now, not the safety of the garage.”

“I’m calm!” Justin protested.

“You’re like Tigger on LSD,” Ryan commented, holding up a packet of crisps. “Save me these in the trolley?”

Evie grabbed them from him and let them fall between the food for her family. “I second Ryan’s first statement. Calm down.”

Justin saluted his girlfriend. “Yes, mother.”

“Ew,” Tyler wrinkled his nose in disgust, “anyway, Brianna from Chicago wants to know -”

Evie pushed the trolley forwards, tuning out her boyfriend and his friends as they jumped around the aisles, picking up all manner of objects and answering the list of questions Tyler had printed off from form spring. She inhaled deeply, looking down at the list in her hand. Her mother’s scratchy handwriting screamed up from her. Vegetables, fruit, ice cream, frozen pizza, cake, biscuits. She chewed her lip and looked behind her to see Ryan push Justin into a shelf, causing boxes of biscuits to cascade towards the floor.

She smiled and watched as Ryan pointed towards the boxes and Justin picked them up, pushing them back onto the shelf.

“You’re not doing it right!” Ryan ordered, setting the boxes straight.

Evie pushed the trolley forwards, before she collided with something. Whipping her head around, ready to apologise to some poor old woman who was probably wondering which brand of chocolate biscuits to buy, but it wasn’t an old woman.

Logan had gripped the trolley, a look of annoyance etched into his face. “Hi, thanks for that.” He stepped back and clutched his stomach.

“Oh shush, I didn’t push it that hard,” Evie moved passed him and walked up the next aisle, with Logan hot on her heels.

“I believe you and me have got some unfinished business,” he stated.

Evie opened a freezer and picked up a few tubs of ice cream, dropping them into the trolley. “Unfinished business? Is that what you’re calling this thing now?”

“This ‘thing’, as you say, you and me, me and you, it’s gotten too far.”

“You’re telling me,” Evie opened another freezer and placed a couple of boxes of fish fingers into the trolley. “I can’t keep sneaking around. I just, can’t, Logan. I love Justin, and to risk everything with him for this. It’s insane.”

Logan shook his head. “No, no, Eves, I don’t mean like that. I mean on my side of things. Evie, I’m kinda in love with you.”

She looked up at him, pushing her hair out of her eyes. “Coming from the boy who wanted to know what the hell love was a couple of days ago. Logan, just back off okay? I can’t deal with this right now.”

“You can’t or you don’t want to?”

“Both.”

“Not your choice, babe.”

She scoffed and pushed her trolley forwards. Logan had to give up eventually. He was a typical boy. He’d get bored and his eye would wander to some other beautiful girl who drifted past him. She carried on pushing her trolley to the end of the aisle, towards the vegetables. Logan was still following her.

“Listen, it’s not just you in this. Wake up call, babe, there’s two of us, we both get a say and I say I’m in freaking love with you,” Logan folded his arms and stopped by the broccoli. “Evie, don’t ignore me. Say something.”

Evie grabbed some bananas, letting them fall into the ever growing mountain of food in the trolley. “Love or lust? Because a few days ago, Logan Thayer didn’t believe in love.”

Logan pushed his hair out of his face and shook his head. “Love.”

Evie rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Yeah, and you’ll say anything to keep me hanging on. I know you, Logan, and it’s not hard to figure out how you work. I’ve seen the way you’ve treated your ex-girlfriends. You’re the guy that doesn’t call, the quick fling, the re-bound. I can’t take a chance with you. I’m not about to dump Justin and leap into your arms. It’s not going to happen.”

“Evie, I’ve just fucking told you I love you and you’ve just thrown it in my face.” He threw his hands up in the air. “What am I supposed to do?”

She shrugged. “Back off? If you love me like you -”

“No. Don’t you fucking dare throw that one at me.”

“Logan, I’m -”

He closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms, kissing her sweetly. “Why won’t you believe me?”

“Because you’re Logan, and you’re not about to change. Not for me anyway.” She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and wriggled out of his grasp, grabbing her trolley and pushing it forwards.

Logan shrugged. “Then I’m gonna go out of my way to prove it to you.” He looked around, before heading towards the exit.

“Logan!”

The sound of Justin Godsey screeching his name forced him to stop and plaster on a big fake smile. Logan turned around and grinned at his best friend. “Hey, I was just heading home. I forgot my, um, wallet.”

“Okay, well we’re going to Evie’s after this, you should come join us.”

Logan glanced over to where Evie was standing, watching the exchange from a safe distance. “I’ll think about it. See you later.” He turned, shooting her a dark look before jogging towards the exit.