Imperfect Desires

21 A Supermarket Encounter

"Don't you dare touch that bread!" Nora's loud scream startled the group of shoppers around them. She pursed her lips but didn't bother apologizing as she snatched the bread from Xiu's hand saying, "Aren't you tired of eating this? We have spent the whole week on bread."

"And who's fault is that?" Xiu retorted with a smirk as she wiggled her brows.

Nora grumpily huffed. "Focus on the grocery list."

Xiu smiled at her tantrums and turned back to look through the ingredients of the condiment pack in her hand. Seeing that it was sugar-free, she placed it in the trolley and pushed it forward.

"So, are you going to that recreational trip tomorrow?" Nora asked while placing the pasta in the trolley.

"Don't want to," Xiu replied indifferently.

"Don't make excuses this time. Who knows you might get a surprise on this trip?" Nora teased her playfully.

Xiu shook her head at Nora's teasing and didn't pay any attention to her.

"Mom, I want that candy!" Both Xiu and Nora's attention shifted to a little boy tugging at his mother's sleeve and his mother was sternly dragging him away.

"Candies are not good for teeth. You will get cavities. Stop making a scene here."

This particular scene reminded both girls of a particular person they were very well familiar with. Xiu looked at Nora and found her guiltily averting her eyes. Of course! That person was Nora herself who threw these kinds of tantrums when it came to her shopping habits.

Seeing the tears in that kid's eyes, Xiu pulled out candy from her purse and saw how that kid's eyes brightened up. But Xiu languidly unwrapped it before placing it in her mouth. Her look of satisfaction made the kid wail even more pitifully.

The mother of the kid glared at Xiu and said loud enough for people to hear, "Young people these days are really insolent!"

Xiu didn't mind at all. But someone else sure did. As Nora was about to get in her fight mode, Xiu raised her hand to stop her.

"We don't have to concern ourselves with these remarks."

Nora nodded and stomped her foot before walking off to buy the seafood. Just then Xiu heard someone scoffing and turned to see Dylan scowling while throwing daggers at her with his eyes.

"I knew it! You are no good! How can you be so petty?" He was raging over from the moment he saw Xiu teasing that little kid.

Xiu crossed her arms before her chest in an imposing manner completely losing her childlike innocence that created the misunderstanding between them at the first meeting. "Please, enlighten me... How am I being petty?"

Her words were simple but her authoritative voice with a sharp edge gave Dylan an eerie feeling. But he still wanted to hold his ground as he insisted, "Didn't you just mock that little kid? Over a candy! How shameless is that?"

Xiu thumped her hands on the trolley's handle making Dylan flinch in surprise. She started pushing the trolley toward him as she spoke, "The candy was mine. Why am I not allowed to eat it?"

With her each step, Dylan took a step back. "But... Your petty action of provoking him made that kid cry." Dylan spoke adamantly while Xiu rolled her eyes at him.

Xiu gave an illusion that she was going to push the trolley to hit him and Dylan on instinct tried to avoid it, only to bump into a pillar. As he stumbled back, Xiu extended her foot and Dylan tripped only to land on his buttock in a pitiful condition.

"Ommf!" He groaned in pain.

Xiu squatted down near him while he rubbed his forehead. "Aiyo! This is why I think you should walk with a cane. Uncle is getting on age and he even needs spectacles now. Should I lend you mine?"

Dylan glared at her. "Just because you're a girl I'm being a gentleman otherwise..."

Xiu stood up with ease disregarding his words as she turned to leave and said over her shoulder, "Keep your chivalry to yourself. I am an independent woman. I don't need it from someone like you."

Dylan was stumped for words for a while before he shouted at her back, "Don't let me find you again!"

"Don't wanna see you again as well, Uncle," Xiu replied with a sickly sweet smile which made him cringe.

Xiu left Dylan in his pitiful state right there on the floor and came to join Nora at the checkout counter. Coincidently, the mother-son pair from earlier were also right ahead of them.

Xiu turned to Nora and winked at her as she started wailing, "Ahhh! Nora, my tooth is hurting."

Nora had already gotten the hint as she also made an anxious face and said, "Oh my! That's why I warned you to stop eating those candies. You must have gotten cavities from all that sugar consumption."

The kid ahead of them looked at them making his eyes big. His mother was also looking at Xiu and Nora in confusion.

"Now what?" Xiu asked with another scream of pain.

.

"Let me take you to the dentist." Nora held Xiu's hand as if ready to pull her out of here.

But Xiu resisted like a kid and with glossy eyes said, "I don't want to. The dentist will use that big needle to poke into my mouth. It'll hurt a lot. Also, my face will swell up and all my friends will call me ugly."

The kid ahead of them gasped as he held his mother's hand tightly. His face looked horrified. "Mom, I don't want candies ever again." His mother looked surprised as she looked at both Xiu and Nora, she felt a bit guilty for her remark. She judged their intention too soon. Even though their way of giving the message was too peculiar but it worked on a five-year-old very well.

As Xiu watched the mother-son pair leaving the supermarket, both friends did their signature fist bump dramatically.

"And as always, my baby Xiu'er is the best actress." Nora praised Xiu who flipped her hair off her shoulder- even when all her hair were tied up in a bun.

"I told you, I was the most amazing actress in my past life," Xiu replied sincerely.

"Yes, yes. And I was the ruler of the seven seas." Nora obviously took her words to be a joke as she played along.

But Xiu wasn't backing off either as she replied, "Oh my! Your Majesty, you bestowed me with your friendship..." She wiped her non-existent tears and continued, "Now, this peasant of yours can die in peace." She was curtsying like a noble lady as she lifted her eyes and met with Nora's amused gaze.

Both friends burst out laughing happily without any regard for the others around them. They really knew how to live in their own bubble. Perhaps, that's why both of them didn't realize that someone was intently looking towards their antics.

With a soft look in his eyes, Darren couldn't stop himself from following Xiu from the moment he saw her at the checkout counter. And that drama of hers really took him by surprise. Just as he said before, she really knew how to change her shades in the blink of an eye. He was definitely entertained.

"Daz, let's never come to this supermarket ever again!" Dylan's voice broke Darren's gaze as he turned to see the black face of his best friend. Dylan looked like he was on the verge of exploding.

"What ticked you off now?" Darren asked offhandedly while turning to look in Xiu's direction but couldn't find her anymore. He felt slightly disappointed.

"That little monster!" Dylan gritted out. He didn't even have to explain anything and Darren already could figure out who he was talking about.

"She met you here as well?" Dylan nodded his head while Darren sighed out, "You said we won't go to that convenience store since she met you there. Then you stopped driving your Ferrari just because you again bumped into her because of that car. And now, we are even not allowed to come to this supermarket?" Dylan again nodded his head but this time, Darren slapped the back of his head saying, "Knock yourself out of it already! Just say you don't want to help me buy my daily necessities."

"I'm serious," Dylan argued but Darren kept on ignoring his childish behavior.

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