The afternoon sun poured through the windshield as Jake drove down the main road, the windows cracked just enough to let in the breeze. His hand rested on the gear shift, his other on the wheel, while Madison sat beside him, her legs tucked up in the passenger seat, sipping a pink drink from Starbucks.

She was 19, wearing black biker shorts, a cropped crewneck, and her favorite white sneakers. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she looked over at Jake with a playful smile. “You know we’re going for one thing and leaving with ten, right?”

Jake, 20, glanced at her and grinned. “That’s the rule of Target. You walk in for toothpaste, and walk out with a cart full of throw blankets and trail mix.”

Madison laughed. “You act like that’s a bad thing.”

He smirked, flicking on his turn signal. “I’m just saying—I’ve never once seen you leave that place without buying something pink, soft, or scented.”

“And you love it,” she teased, bumping his arm.

“Yeah, I kinda do,” he admitted.

They pulled into the Target parking lot, the big red bullseye sign gleaming in the sunlight. Jake parked in their usual spot near the entrance, and before he could even grab the keys, Madison was already halfway out the door.

“Let’s gooo,” she said, tossing her cup into the trash bin and skipping ahead with that same energy that made Jake fall for her in the first place.

Inside, Madison grabbed a cart and headed straight for the home décor section. “Okay, just looking. No promises.”

Jake chuckled and followed, watching her light up at every fuzzy pillow, tiny fake plant, or pastel-colored mug she passed. “Should I just Venmo Target now and save time?” he asked.

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I’m not that bad.”

“You literally just put two candles in the cart.”

“They match my vibe!”

Jake shook his head, but his smile said otherwise. He didn’t care how long they stayed or how many random things they bought—just being with her like this, in the middle of a normal day, made everything feel better.

As they wandered through the aisles, laughing, testing lotions, and racing each other with the cart when no one was looking, it hit Jake again: life didn’t need to be fancy to be special.