Dustin never liked grocery shopping, if he had it his way he'd eat fast food every day or just eat from the bar but after realizing how shitty it made him feel he tried to do better, at least by trying to make dinner and breakfast at home, which meant he had to brave the grocery store. In any other town it would probably be fine but in this town, where everyone knew everyone, it took him forever to wade through the small talk since not saying hi always seemed rude, especially when the main cashier, Minnie, who refused to retire and was best friends with his mom, had to strike up an at least twenty minute conversation to check in on how he was doing even though the answers were almost always the same: the bar is great, no I don't have a girlfriend, yup I know Mom wants grand kids and I'm getting older. It was like torture but he still drug himself to the one grocery shop in town, pushing a cart up and down the aisles. "Beans, could make chili or something." He muttered to himself, pushing his cart down an aisle and towards a display of canned beans towards the front of the store. He had just reached that spot when someone caught his eye, making him freeze. No...there was no way she came back here, he tried to tell himself but his pounding heart said otherwise as he watched Azalea walk around the produce aisle as if she had never left.

Dustin felt like he was frozen as he watched her until her heard her voice, feeling like it snapped him out of his trance. His first was to hide, he backed up, going to spin his cart around without realizing how close he was to the tower of beans, knocking back into it and sending the beans in a cascade, hitting the floor and rolling everywhere while Dustin stood like a deer in headlights from the sound, knowing he had just majorly screwed up.

As Dustin stared back at her he felt the emotions from the years they were together crashing into him, quickly followed by a wave of regret for how things had happened and the second she turned away from him he felt his heart shrivel up and crumble to dust. He wanted to run out of that damn grocery store but he knew he couldn't leave the mess for someone else to clean up. He looked down and started to pick up the cans, stacking them back up the best that he could.

Dustin made himself focus on cleaning up the cans, part of hoping once he was done he could take off and avoid the awkwardness and guilt all together. He thought the plan was working until someone joining and it was like he automatically knew who it was without having to look. "H-hi Azalea." He told her, wanting to pull her into his arms but kept himself busy with the cans.

"Oh, uh," Dustin tried not to stammer but the words didn't seem to want to come out the more he stared at her until he finally had to look away, focusing on stacking some of the cans, "fine...just been working, running the bar, how about you?" He asked, not wanting to admit that he often stalked her social media but he could never bring himself to reach out, not wanting to destroy her peace for a second time.

Dustin grimaced slightly and nodded, "oh yeah...I heard a little about that, I'm sorry it happened." He said, with how the town was and where he worked it didn't take long for the rumor mill to reach him. He had been at a loss of if he should do something, like send a card but nothing seemed appropriate so he just...hadn't done anything to reach out to the family. "I don't know if I would say let...it was more like...Ma forced him to." He said with a little chuckle, remembering to grab a can of beans to put in his cart. Working and eventually owning the bar hadn't been in his plans but after he had flunked out of college it wasn't like there was much else for him to do.

Dustin nodded, still feeling a little guilty about not being able to be there for her family in some way but it was too late. "Yeah...I saw she opened up a place, it looks nice." He offered, he'd just been too chicken shit to go in there so he stayed away. He smiled a little bit at the talk of his parents, "yeah...he still checks in a lot though and any time their travels come near here they have to stop by and he's gotta tell me whatever I'm doing wrong." He shrugged, used to it by now, he still didn't feel like he deserved to work the place, that it was just given to him so he had something to do since he wasn't as successful as his older brothers.

Dustin perked up with the promise that she meant what she had said, "I think I will." He said, unable to keep himself from smiling just a little bit, a little bit of hope nudging into his chest but he tried to ignore it. "Yeah...we'll see, they're down in Florida right now so I have a bit of break right now." Though that didn't mean there wasn't a shadow looming over him. If it was up to him he would have remodeled the bar by now to make it more modern but he could see the vein bursting in his fathers forehead if he tried. "How...how long are you staying?"

"Good to know." Dustin half smiled but chuckled when she brought up Disney, quickly shaking his head, "no, more like the swamp tours and restaurant scene." He said, the thought of either of his parents forcing their way through Disney making him wanting to burst out in laughter but he held it back, though a smile tried to sneak onto his face. "Oh," he nodded, feeling bile rise up in the back of his throat at the thought of baseball, that's what he'd gotten a scholarship for...until he utterly fucked up and flunked out of school. "That's cool."

"Ugh, you know how they are." Dustin chuckled a little, the same incident she was thinking of popping into his head but it made him a bit embarrassed when he realized his house still looked exactly the same. "Oh, well, that's cool, I'm sure your family is happy to have you back." He said, wanting to add that he was too but held back, knowing that she shouldn't expect anything to happen between them.

Hearing her laughter made something shift in Dustin's chest, feeling like a dagger was being shoved into it, reminding him of how badly he had screwed everything up, but then again had he really? She'd been able to go and make a name for herself while he was a washed up golden boy. "Uh, yeah, guess so." He replied, not wanting to hold out hope. He looked at Azalea, feeling all the words he had wanted to tell her die in his throat, before turning and going down another aisle. 

Dustin turned his focus to shopping for groceries, mentally checking his list as he went, which left him distracted as he continued along the aisle so that he didn't see him and Azalea on a collision course until it was too late. He looked up in surprise, "oh me too, sorry." He said sheepishly, watching as she moved around him, unable to stop himself as he turned to look after her.

When she caught him Dustin felt his face turn red, he looked away but from the corner of his eye he saw her struggle for something on the top shelf. He smiled a little bit, remembering a time in the library when she had been in a similar predicament and, since no one else was around, he had reached up to help her. He left his cart, walking over and reaching up, grabbing what she needed and held it out to her. "Here."

"You're welcome." Dustin half smiled, trying to will the rapid pace of his heart to slow down before it exploded. He looked away, feeling like he shouldn't linger and headed back to his cart to finish his shopping so he could go home.