Chapter 230 - Food Lover

Wearing Gael's clothes outside of his house was something Angela would have never thought she would find very comfortable and sexy at the same time. She couldn't wear her dress from their date as it got dirtied already and it was cold outside. So Gael found a smaller shirt which was still big on her considering his size—the man was, after all, six foot two. He'd also given her a hoodie and joggers, and it surprised him how she was able to pull off a look as if it was intentional for her to wear a baggy outfit.

Angela rocked his clothes. She wore the white t-shirt under a grey hoodie and grey joggers with adjustable bottom hems and waistband and then slipped into her black heels. Her hair was tied up into a high ponytail, and just like that, she looked like a hip hop artist.

A crooked smile broke his face as he observed her twisting and turning in front of the full mirror in his closet. Seeing her in his clothes felt so fulfilling that he wanted to see more of her in them. Her wearing nothing but his black dress shirt earlier was already sexy enough—he'd have to let her do that again. "You should wear my clothes more often," he muttered, leaning against the door of the closet wearing a plain white t-shirt and jeans.

"Not gonna lie, these are so comfy." She beamed, and her eyes sparkled. Then she skipped towards him, hooking her arm with his and urging him to move. "Come on! I can hear my stomach protesting again."

"When I said we change clothes earlier, it's so that I can go, and then you stay warm in bed. Aren't you tired? You don't have to come with me. I'm fine driving out to get you food," he told her as they headed out of the house.

"But I wanna go. I don't like being left alone."

"Alright." 

The cold air hit her face harshly as soon as they stepped out into the driveway, making her shiver. Gael put on a black trenchcoat, and then he pulled the hoodie on her head to cover her ears. They got into his car and sped off, going in the direction of the city.

The drive took about fifteen minutes until Angela saw the huge lit Target sign. It was the closest twenty-four-hour store with a grocery section. They parked the car and got inside, thankful that it was early in the morning and that there were very few shoppers. She grabbed a big cart and started perusing the aisles, looking for some food she craved to eat. 

The grocery section in Target wasn't that big—a bit more expensive than other stores, too—but there were enough options for her to choose from to fill her stomach tonight. Gael ended up grabbing stuff for himself too. She was in the freezer section when he told her he would get some bread, and when he came back, his eyes widened to see pints of Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs ice cream in the cart.

"Are we having an ice cream party or something that you forgot to tell me about?" he wondered, seeing at least five different flavors of each.

Looking guilty, Angela bit her bottom lip. "I couldn't decide what to pick. They all looked delicious."

He chuckled at her confession, shaking his head as he put down a loaf of bread, some cheese, and deli meats. He'd noticed she hadn't actually gotten something filling and was tempted with something else instead—it was adorable. "You got everything you want?"

"Mmm…" She swallowed, looking down at the contents of the cart. She was hungry, but the things she grabbed were mostly junk food. It was one of those days where you know it's bad for you to be eating so much crap, but you still eat them anyway because you feel like it. There were a few bags of chips, in which she was sure she wouldn't be able to finish everything tonight, but she got them anyway, thinking that it would be nice to fill his cupboard with it. And some packs of fruits. "I think I went overboard with the chips."

"Yeah… I don't eat chips so often. But we can still get them. It can be stored for a long time anyway, so you can eat whenever you come over."

Angela smiled, sliding her hands around his waist and looking up at him. "Whenever I come over? How often would that be?"

"My bad. Do you want to move in instead?" he asked with an unreadable expression.

She fake gasped at his suggestion, her hand flat on her chest. "You cheeky flirt."

He leaned in and stole a quick kiss from her lips before slipping away and pushing the cart down the aisle. "Let's go, Luffy."

Her brows drew together as she followed him. "Luffy?"

"From the Japanese anime, One Piece."

"Okay… I don't watch anime. Should I be worried that you reference a character whom I don't know about? Who is this Luffy?"

A snicker came out of him when he realized that he called her that without much thought. It was the cart full of food and her looking so giddy like a child with new toys that made him think of it out of nowhere. "He's the captain of a pirate ship and the protagonist, wears a straw hat and has a body that stretches like rubber."

Angela's mouth hung open, hearing him describe the male character. She folded her arms under her chest and scoffed. "So you think I'm a pirate who wears a straw hat and stretches like rubber? What the hell?"

"No!" He chuckled. "He likes to eat a lot. It's actually funny when he does, and his whole body stretches like a balloon with all the food he's eating."

Her eyes widened this time. "Now you're saying I stretch like a balloon and eat like a pig?"

Hearing and seeing her reaction sent him into a fit of laughter. He held his stomach, throwing his head back as he cackled in the empty aisle. Witnessing Angela go off whenever she's annoyed by his antics was quite satisfying. He was only playing with her, and getting this reaction was like a reward. "I didn't say anything like that… You said it."

"But you called me Luffy, and I'm not even a man!"

"Babe, if you were a man, then that would make me gay." He laughed again and continued to push the cart. "But if you were one, I'd probably be glad to swing that way."

Angela didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his statement. Gael just told her that he wouldn't mind being gay if she was a man. She watched his back with a confused expression. How the hell was she supposed to answer that?

"Hey! Take that back. I'm not a Luffy!" 

She dashed, leaped, and climbed onto his back, her arms and legs circling around him like the koala that she was. "Ooof!" Gael let go of the cart, his hands immediately grabbing her legs to hold her up against his back. "What are you doing?" he laughed.

"I don't know. I just went with my instincts." She laughed with him.

He turned his head to the right and asked, "You know what's Luffy's full name?"

"What?"

"Monkey D. Luffy."

Angela was speechless for a good five seconds before she groaned and ruffled his hair roughly, messing it up. "Now you're saying I'm a monkey?"

Still laughing, he responded, "Well, you just climbed on me. At first, it was a subconscious comment to call you Luffy because of all the food. But you're proving more and more how you two are alike."

"But I don't wanna be a rubber man who eats and becomes a balloon! Take it back."

"Fine, fine. I take it back. You're not Luffy. Happy now?" He cocked a brow and saw her silly grin, making him shake his head. "How am I supposed to push the cart like this?"

She then hopped off his back, hooked arms with him, and went to the self-checkout counter. Then they drove back to his house. It was already ten minutes past four in the morning when they arrived. She put away everything they bought while he made them sandwiches.

***

Angela sighed in satisfaction after the last bite of her sandwich and taking the last sip of apple juice. She was sitting on top of the kitchen island while Gael leaned against it. "That was amazing. Thank you," she told him.

Gael kissed her cheek and put the dishes into the sink before going back to her. He settled between her legs, his hands planted on either side of her hips, caging her with his arms. "Do you have plans tonight?"

She looked to the side as she thought about her calendar and then met his eyes again. "Oh… Samantha invited me to her party."

The corners of his lips curled into a handsome smile. "I was gonna ask you to go with me."

"Is that a date?"

"Mm."

She leaned in and kissed him, lightly scratching his scruff. "I'd love to."

He then carried her in his arms and went up to his bedroom. "We better go back to bed."

"I thought you weren't going to let me sleep?"

Gael chuckled. "Who said anything about sleeping?"