REJOIN | ✔️

Chapter Eight

One thing I actually had forgotten about was the fact I'd been grounded. We'd remembered by around nine o'clock and by then it was much too late. I walked through the door to the latest showing of The Return of The Planet of the Wailing Banshees (™) and was grounded for another week.

When it came to Thursday, all my exams were done and I was on the cusp of freedom, so things were looking up. I was forced to do the grocery shopping with my sister before I was granted said freedom, but that seemed easy enough. What's the worst that could happen on a trip to Tesco?

I had a feeling the reason I was being made to go was because last time she'd spent the entirety of the grocery budget on refuelling her Maybelline addiction. As usual, she'd felt no remorse. Her excuse was, "How else am I going to attract a rich husband and let you both retire early?" Being the golden child, she got away with it of course. My mum even went so far as to say she was going to buy it for her anyway.

I wasn't bitter about any of it, I swear.

Mum dropped us at the front of the store and parked up, apparently keeping a watchful eye, our father in tow. This seemed an almost pointless endeavour, considering all that surrounded the superstore, for quite a few miles, was mountainous forests. In that one act alone she proved she knew nothing about me, because if she did, she'd have known I was the least likely out of anyone in the northern hemisphere to go for an impromptu hike.

We had the majority of the list in the trolley by the time we'd reached the first of the frozen aisles. Now, I don't know how tall the inventors of the reach-in freezers for supermarkets are, but I can assure you with utmost certainty they are not 5ft1. I don't know how I'd pulled the literal short straw, considering my mum is 5ft9 and my dad is 6ft2. I really must have been adopted after all.

One of the few remaining items on the list was frozen sausages and the last bag sat smugly at the bottom of the freezer, right at the back. Was it too late to get chilled ones instead?

My sister, 5ft8 with arms basically longer than my legs by the way, was chatting away on her phone and gave me a dirty look when I gestured for her to get them.

Perfect.

Looking down to check for footholds, I stepped onto the vent that jutted out from the bottom of the freezer and waited with bated breath for any signs that it couldn't hold my weight. I was relieved when it didn't seem to protest because I don't think my ego could have handled it.

Leaning down, I reached for the bag fruitlessly for a few moments before I wobbled and nearly over-balanced. Thankfully at the last moment, someone grabbed my waist from behind and pulled me back to safety. At first, I'd thought Clara had decided to help after all but when I looked up and saw who it was, I flushed crimson all the way to my hairline.

"Chris!" I squeaked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

I couldn't tell if the ever-present blinding smile was a reward for either, a) my reaction to recognising him or b) the fact that I'd nearly just fallen into a freezer, but it was there.

"I'm... shopping?" the doctor answered hesitantly, eyes narrowing as though he was scared it was a trick question. He brandished his basket as proof. "Grabbing a few bits for dinner."

Coincidentally at that moment my sister remembered I exist and rushed over, her face displaying faux surprise. "Jane! There you are," she exclaimed, as though I hadn't been standing three feet away the whole time.

Averting her eyes before she could register my sarcastic expression, she pretended as though she'd only then noticed Chris for the first time. "Oh, Chris! How lovely to see you!"