Nick was never one to think highly of himself. At thirty-seven years old he was probably war more successful than most of the people he graduated from high school were, perhaps even his peers from his time at Stanford University. He was the head of a successful advertising firm, not by his own choice, but he’d managed to maintain its business and bring in new clients on top of keeping the old satisfied. He was doing a pretty damn good job as a teacher to those observing from an outsider’s perspective. Nick lived in a nice apartment - yes, he missed living in a home, and yes, he could afford to be living in a spacious house in Bellevue right now. He chose to live below his means, though, showing how humble he was and just as grateful for everything that he had. Nick was kind to those around him, never taking a passing moment for granted, always wanting to leave a lasting impression on everyone he met and doing his best to make more friends than enemies. Nicholas Thompson was a great man, a pleasure to be known by anyone, but he still couldn’t wrap his mind around just why a woman like Gabby could find him to be so amazing.
“Maybe the answer is more simple than either of us can imagine. Maybe in the grand scheme of life, with everything that is happening in the world now, in the past, and what will happen in the future, something took the time to look at you, and look at me, and decided to make us perfect for each other. Every puzzle piece has another that compliments its crooked edges. We fit together in every place that we need to, every way that we need to. We can’t really help but wonder why it is that we found each other or how the hell happiness like this really exists, and it’s too unbelievable to exist at times. I’m just happy for whatever it was that decided that we’re us.” He paused after such a poetic moment, Nick’s wisdom from every joyful moment and every ounce of turmoil pouring out of his lips, now set in a soft smile on his face. “I’m just happy I have you. I love you.” A hand made its way to her knee, thumb rubbing soft circles through the denim that covered her leg.
That happiness carried on throughout the car ride to the store and even as the two walked inside, Gabby taking charge of the cart while Nick took the liberty of plucking the list she’d made before out of her pocket and unfolding it to examine the ingredients they’d need for their perfect, yet simple, romantic evening in. Nick’s smile reflected Gabby’s, both of them excited for these small moments together. One wouldn’t think grocery shopping could be a task to be so elated to carry out, but when one was with the one they cared most about in the world it was hard to not get giddy over even the smallest things.
“Let’s start out with the base of it all and then work our way down the list. Once we have everything you can pick out the wine and we can figure out dessert.” Gabby drank wine more often than Nick did, the man often finding her popping open a bottle at the end of a long day to simmer down before lounging on the couch or even nestling herself into a pile of soft blankets to dive into a book or her own writing before bed. He’d pour himself a glass to have alongside her from time to time, or with whatever meal they deemed worthy enough to have some on the side. Tonight had been dubbed a special, romantic night though, so wine was highly called for. “We need chicken broth, and acini de pepe,” Nick said, his cheeks flushing lightly as he plodded slowly through the name of the tiny pasta balls needed to put in their soup, hoping he did the pronunciation justice. He was bilingual, after all, thanks to his mother making sure that he could speak and read Greek when they would visit with or call their relatives in her home country. Italian was certainly different from Camilla Thompson’s native tongue, though, and he could only try his best like any other person out there.
His method was obvious, Nick directing Gabby towards the aisle of the market where the basics of pasta and soup were all kept. The broth should be near the pasta itself, making their trip easier by being able to gather several things at once. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever bought this stuff before,” Nick thought aloud as he reached for a box of the appropriate pasta, happy to have easily found it amongst all the other boxes of varieties of pasta available at the store. “Then again, I’ve never maid Italian wedding soup either. I think the broth’s over there.” He pointed down the aisle a ways, Gabby much closer to reaching to grab a cardboard carton of chicken broth to soak all of the scrumptious ingredients of their soup in. “You know, it took me a while to get used to the weather here when we first moved. I hated the rain. But the soup? God, I’d never eaten soup so much before we came to Bellevue. I love it now. Fuck,” the man chuckled, glancing back down towards the list. “Produce section next?”
The produce section of the store was certainly a little more crowded than the previous aisle, not that it was packed, but the couple had to navigate around a few more shopping carts to get to the exact veggies that they’d need. They were familiar ingredients to Nick, the onions and herbs, the greens and carrots that would help add color and flavor to their little brew. Vegetables were some of his favorite things to eat, even over meats, the man often times opting for a good vegetarian option in restaurants when going out for meals. As they navigated their way towards the herbs Nick caught sight of a familiar face, one of his students with their mother, helping out with selecting a few fruits and veggies of their own. “Don’t look now, but one of my kids is in here,” he murmured to Gabby, still watching from a distance. “You know, I haven’t run into one in public yet?” As if they could sense that they were being spoken about, the teenager spotted Nick as well and gave a sheepish wave in his direction.
“Hey Mr. Thompson,” they said, eyes flickering between Nick and Gabby before smirking at their teacher. The students had all seen pictures of Nick and Gabby together on his desk when they’d come to get help with their reading or an assignment, and Nick could tell that the girl from his class was connecting the dots between the photos and the woman now standing beside him in person. “Hey, Alexis,” he replies, offering a wave of his hand as well. “You’re gonna behave this weekend, right?” It was a joke, the girl being one of his best students. Her mother caught wind of the comments, smiling and shaking her head as she went back to business of gathering groceries, Alexis laughing and nodding. “Only if you do too, Mr. Thompson,” she jabbed back, earning a light nudge of an elbow from her mother, the girl’s look still shifting between Nick and Gabby. Nick’s cheeks were turning a light shade of red now, the man dismissing his student for the second time today as he turned to look at his girlfriend. “Jesus,” he whispered through an airy laugh, the man shaking his head at the interaction. “I wonder how the rest of them will be at the dance…”
It was always nice, hearing someone sorta... pour their heart out. The little speech that'd come from Nick had all of Gabby's attention. Well, even if he hadn't just given a little speech he still would've had all of her attention, bearing in mind it was pretty much impossible not to. There wasn't a thing in the world that could alter the fact that she was all in. And she knew that from the start. Corners of her lips turned up into a grin, eyes gleaming as they watched his face, and it almost felt like she was in a daze for a second, head nodding up and down in what seemed like slow motion. "For whatever reason the universe decided to push us together... I don't think I'll ever be able to explain just how happy I am that it actually happened," she told him, tone sincere, words soft. Nothing---no one could measure up to Nicholas. It wasn't even a consideration.
"And I love you," the dark-haired woman told him, grin broadening. She knew she'd never be able to tell him that with a straight face. But why would she want to? Love, and well, their love particularly? Such a beautiful thing. And you can't say that kind of thing dispassionately.
Their drive to the grocery store was much like the rest of their drives together. Calm, collected, comfortable. Gabby always enjoyed being in the car with Nick. Sometimes they talked and sometimes they didn't. Conversation isn't required at all times to be comfortable around someone, right? Certainly not for them. Sometimes the company of another person is all you really need. That was the case for Gabby. Nicholas' company was all she needed. Just knowing he was there, and she was fortunate enough to be gifted by the beautiful presence of such an extraordinary human being... sometimes she hadn't any idea how she got so blessed.
She realized, however, she'd stopped short near the entrance of the grocery store, gaze, like, locked on her boyfriend's face as she took a few moments to take in just how lucky she really was. Uh, Gabby. Snap the hell out of it, will you? Her brain echoed those words, and she quietly gasped, humiliation immediately taking over her features as she moved out of the way, hands on the handle of the cart all the while. "I uh," she started to say, clearing her throat in attempt to get herself together, hands clenching onto the handle. What, is this your first time meeting him or something? Get! it! together! "I'm sorry. You know me, it's hard for me not to get lost looking at you..." Words came out sheepish, cheeks tinted crimson, laughter flowing past those pink lips of hers. "Who could blame me, though? It's easy to get a little overwhelmed looking at you," Gabby complimented. A little overwhelmed would be an understatement. Perhaps she should have said something like completely inundated... but something about that just wouldn't have sounded right coming from her out loud. Taking no hesitation in leaning over a little bit to give him a gentle peck on the cheek, lips as soft as a feather against his skin, she couldn't help but to giggle. The only reason she hadn't gone all in with a full kiss is because she really didn't know how he really felt about public displays of affection... and well, they were at the entrance of a grocery store. Maybe if they'd been in an aisle all alone...
"Okay, boss," Gabrielle told him, nose scrunching up adorably as she began pushing the cart, wheels rolling against the floor. "Acini de pepe," she repeated, almost in a sing-song tone. "That pasta is so cute. Have you seen it? It even tastes cute. Does that make sense? Because, I mean, it does to me, but maybe not to others..." And then she realized that she was somehow ranting about how cute that particular pasta was. "Fuck," she mumbled quietly, laughing as she stopped before the different pastas. "Tell me why I'm making such a fool of myself in front of you this evening." This was a joke, but at the same time, she was genuinely confused as to why. Perhaps he just sometimes made her nervous. She was all over the place---in a good way. Seconds later, she was pushing the cart forward again, after Nick had placed a box in the cart. "There's a first time for everything, hmm?" She told him, that sweet grin of hers in attendance yet again. Man. Next up: chicken broth. Eyes scanned the shelf for low-sodium chicken broth. The stuff with too much salt just wasn't going to work. Perhaps it's because she was so used to cooking most things without salt. And it still tasted just fine. Other spices often helped make up for it. "I had no idea you liked soup so much," Gabby mused, smiling over at her man. And well, there was something about hearing him use the word fuck in public. "We'll have to make soup more often. I'd definitely be okay with it. Gotta tell you, though, Italian Wedding soup is my favorite one. That and a traditional lentil and chicken soup. Do you have a favorite?"
The pair had immediately, after navigating around other customers and carts, headed over towards the produce section, the shelf of onions having been their first stop in the department. She'd gone to reach for an onion after opening a produce bag, but stopped short when he'd mentioned that one of his students were near. Gabrielle got a little excited, and even though he'd said don't look now, she stole a little glance, right as Nick's student had waved at him. Whoops. "How does it feel? Bizarre?" Gabby questioned in a whisper, unable to contain her smile.
The smirk on his student's face had Gabby pursing her lips in slight amusement. Maybe they were smirking because they'd perhaps... seen a picture of Gabby? She took it upon herself to lift a hand in a wave, wanting to be well-mannered rather than not even bothering to greet her boyfriend's student. That would make her a bitch---and she wasn't. The little exchange between Nick and his student had Gabby snort quietly, and uncontrollably at that. If she'd been able to help herself, she would've kept quiet, but she just couldn't. Only if you do too, Mr. Thompson truly must have been an underlying implication, especially considering the look she'd been giving the both of them. "Trust me, I'm sure it'll be fun. You're gonna get a lot of teasing remarks..." She whispered, teeth grazing over her bottom lip as she smiled. And well, her own comment might have had a little underlying gist, too, because she herself couldn't resist teasing her boyfriend from time to time---in multiple ways. However, she'd waited until his student Alexis and her mother had been out of earshot for that comment to pass her lips.
“Next on our list...” Gabby started to say, glancing at the list held between Nick’s fingertips. “Ground beef.” It wasn’t long before she started navigating their cart towards the meat department of the store, after they’d grabbed their onions, carrots, escarole, and basil. “You know, just thinking about the soup we’re gonna concoct tonight has my stomach grumbling. And it’s so chilly outside, it’s going to be perfect.” And she wasn’t even just referring to the soup---but everything. The entire situation. Just some Nick and Gabby time... which she was sure they could both use. “Hot soup, some wine, some good company...” It was hard for Gabby to contain her smiles around Nick. Genuinely hard. So anyone who may have seen them throughout this shopping trip would know, just by looking at them from a distance, how goddamn happy he made her.