Something We Do Together

Chapter One | Lemons For Sweetness

"...So we need... Uh. Eggs? Right?" Matt looked expectantly at his brothers.

"Matt, I told you. We already have eggs at HOME!" Nick quietly hissed.

"Well what do we need then? If you're so smart Mr.... Smartguy."

"I don't fucking know. I've never made a fucking pie before! That's the whole point of the video!" Matt started to smile. Nick could hear Chris chuckling behind the camera. "Matt, you're gonna make me lose my shit in this fucking store, I swear. And then I'm gonna get in trouble. Then it's gonna be embarrassing when they kick us out. Then we're gonna have to come up with a new video... So I guess I'll kill myself. How about that? Save us the hassle."

Matt broke out into a full laughing fit, followed by Chris, his partner-in-crime. "Or you could do that. That works too. Idiots." Nick angrily furrowed his brow watching his brothers fumble over each other, but he could never stay too angry at them. Not when they were so happy. "Whatever. You guys have fun with that. I'm going to produce to get some apples."

As he left the aisle he could still hear his brothers lost in their own joy.

Nick ran through the imaginary grocery list in his head. Apples... Sugar... Eggs... Wait, no. We have eggs. Cinnamon? I heard people use lemons... for... something... Maybe this wasn't a great idea. He thought to himself. It was his idea for the Wednesday YouTube video to be a 'Baking Pies From Scratch Without a Recipe', because if he had to wear another blindfold to bake a cake he might have an aneurysm.

The produce section teemed with an ungodly selection of apples. So many. Granny Smiths. Pink Ladies. Red Delicious, Gross. After pulling off a little bag from one of the rolls, Nick closed his eyes and stepped backward. He thought it would be fun to choose blind.

"AHH!!!" Nick yelped as a sharp pain in his side forced him to the floor, "DAMN IT! What the fuck?!" he laid dazed on the ground. He tried to pick himself up, but his hand kept slipping on the little produce bag.

"Oh my. I'm so sorry, my dear." Nick looked up, ready to defend his own stupidity. A tall man stood over him. "Are you alright?" His soft, baritone voice echoed the same concern on his face.

"I'm... Uh, yeah I..."

The man held out his hand, "Here, let me help you up." Nick took it and was yanked hard to his feet. "There we are. You hurt?" He took a second to center himself before facing his saviour. The man towered over him, eyes staring down like sapphires against his golden skin.

"I'm fine, thanks." Nick replied shakily.

"Well that's good. Again, I'm so sorry."

"No, no, it's my fault, really."

"I looked at the peppers for a moment and I didn't see you step in front of my cart."

"Yeah, that was... That was my bad. I was... choosing apples..."

"Ah... of course." Nick could feel his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. Where were Matt and Chris when he needed them?

"Yeah. I thought it'd be funny and cute to just blindly, like, you know, eenie-meenie-miney-mo type shit. 'Cause my brothers and I are doing this thing, but I don't really know what apples I need to use. So I just... I-I didn't..." He bit his lip, horrified that he had just started rambling to this stranger.

"What're the apples for? Maybe I could help?"

"We're, um. We're making pie. Apple pie. Well no, I'm making apple pie. Chris wanted to make pumpkin, I think, and Matt, he uh..." Nick stopped himself again. Lying in pain on the floor didn't seem so bad anymore.