Page 65 of Should the Sky Fall

When he asked Maggie, she just patted his cheek, smiled, and said she wished she’d had a child like him instead of the ‘fussy-pants boy’ she’d brought into the world.

Does that mean the shape matters? Probably. Just to be safe, Maggie made him buy three different types: spaghetti, fettuccine, and penne. He didn’t dare object.

When they finally get to the end of the list and make their way to the registers, Dawson is already there, a frown on his face and his phone pressed to his ear. His trolley is almost full. How on earth did he manage to get all that while Cal struggled to find the few items on the list?

Dawson notices them approaching, and his shoulders droop as he expels a huge breath and pockets his phone.

“Thank God, I was about to start looking for you.” He fixes Cal with a glare. “Where have you been for so long?”

Panicking.Not that he’s about to admit that.

Maggie pats his shoulder and says to Dawson, “Go easy on him. He was a tad confused with all the different names of the products, but we managed.”

Dawson must only now notice Cal’s not alone, because he looks at Maggie confusedly.

Maggie isn’t deterred. If anything, her smile grows. “You must be the husband. Such a handsome lad.” She turns to Cal. “You’re lucky.”

Cal just stands there, not knowing how to react. Dawson is beautiful, of course, but what does it have to do with Cal being lucky?

When he looks at Dawson, he finds him blushing furiously and fidgeting. “Um…”

Sensing his discomfort, Cal takes Maggie’s hand. “Thank you, Maggie. I don’t know what I’d have done without your help.”

She waves the thanks away. “Not at all. It was fun. But I need to do my own shopping now. Take care, boys.” She waves at them and steers her trolley away.

“Making friends in the supermarket?” Dawson asks, amused.

“I didn’t know what flour to pick. She helped.”

Dawson seems to be trying very hard not to laugh at him. “Okay, no letting you wander off on your own next time.” Cal wants to object—he should learn to do this stuff. “I tried calling you. You didn’t pick up.”

“My phone is in the backpack.” He didn’t even think to take it with him. For the past week, he’s used it solely for ‘googling stuff’.

Dawson huffs. “Right. Well, all is good now.” He turns with the trolley and Cal follows him.

“This is a lot of stuff,” he says, watching Dawson scan and bag up his items.

“Yeah, you don’t wanna carry all that.” He gives him a pointed look, probably because Cal wanted to walk. As the sixth bag is filled with their shopping, Cal is really glad he’s not the one making decisions.

They put everything in one trolley and head back to the car. Dawson opens the trunk and starts loading the bags. Cal reaches for the last two bags, but Dawson jumps in front of him.

“Nonono, don’t do that. It’s too heavy.”

Cal tries the weight. “No, it’s not.”

Dawson gives him a stern look. “Do you want to go back to the hospital? Four white walls and no windows?”

Cal lets go of the bags. “Here you go.”

Dawson smirks. “That’s what I thought.”

Cal’s resolution to do everything in his power to not have to go back to the hospital lasts until Dawson parks in their apartment building and attempts to carry all the bags to the elevator himself.

“Cal…” he warns when Cal tries to steal a bag from him.

“I don’t want you to carry it all yourself.”

“I’m fine.”