There's a secret room somewhere inside.

The cars outside in the parking lot prove it. Even at ten at night, there are cars outside of Wal-Mart.

The lot is packed, yet when I stare at the building, I can't possibly see where the entrance to the secret room was outside.

It had to be inside.

I shove my hands into my coat pockets, prepared to face the worse.

I could do this.

I could prove that there was a secret room inside of Wal-Mart. Even if my friend's mom, an employee of Wal-Mart, said otherwise. Of course, she would be the one to lie.

I started to walk towards the looming structure, my shoulders hunched against the cold that I felt both on my face and inside my body. Chilling me to the bone.

What was inside the secret room?

And why hadn't we thought of this before?

I waited just inside the doors, leaning against the wall while the doors slid open, slid closed, the cold air splashing against my face. Where was my partner at?

For a fleeting moment, I had the feeling that I would have to do this alone.The thought terrorfied me. I didn't want to do this alone. I wasn't comfortable doing this alone...I didn't even know what I was doing. I closed my eyes tightly, wishing that he would show up soon, before I gathered the courage to walk inside alone.

I felt hands circle my waist, and his body lining itself against mine for a hug. His hugs were so generous, they made me so happy that I didn't want to let go. I didn't want to let go of the love that sprang inside my body, weaving a warm tingleing feeling that started to spread from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. His jacket was poofy and warm as I slid my hands inside. He warmed me up quickly, then pecked a kiss to my temple.

"Miss me?"

So cocky, so cute. So mine. I only smile, a smile that brightens my face and makes my chapped lips hurt. But I smile none-the-less because I have him.

Hand in hand, we enter the store. He had it all planned out, where to start looking. We started at the frozen food section, walking briskly around, and, when no one was looking, he would run inside the storage rooms as quickly as he could while I took the lookout. We coudn't do this at some stations, such as the deli and the meat sections, but it was easy when we could. It sent a thrill through my body and I had to keep my hands over his in order to not touch, to not run my fingers through his hair and scream out my love.

That could wait.

We made it towards the clothing section, and my eyes caught site of a leopard print shirt, with a scooped back and a baby doll fit. I wanted it. I had to have it. My mind screamed at me to buy it, to try it on, to parade in front of him in it. It screamed out LOVE ME, TAKE ME, I'M YOURS, HE'LL LOVE YOU.

He saw my pained face. Continue searching, or try it on?

"Try it on, I'll wait," he said.

The fabric was soft between my fingers, so soft that I had to rubb it against my face. The lady who usually hands out the little plasic tag hangers that have the number of items you are trying on wasn't there, so I took a blue tag and let myself in a room.

It was heaven against my skin. I loved the feel of it so much, I loved the look of it so much that I had to do a few twirls. The sticker that is usually on the mirror that says shoplifting was against the law was only halfway on the mirror, halfway on the wall. I reached up to tear it off, but as soon as my fingers pinched the side, the mirror swung inwards.

My mouth dropped open and I scrambled out of the dressing room, almost tripping over myself. I found him sitting on the bench where men usually sat while the women-folk put them through waiting hell.
I shook him by his shoulders, and tugged him inside.

His face became sly and his hands started to roam, but then he saw the gaping hole and the stairs that led downward.

"You found it, praise Bob Dole, you found it!"

Annoyed at his constant referrences to Bob Dole, I found myself rolling my eyes before we walked down the stairs, holding on to each other's arms in case one of us slipped or tripped over something. It was dark, but after about two minutes, the stairs leveled out and light flooded the darkness around us. The secret room was full of merchandise, but not of frozen food, infant's clothing, car parts, or DVDs. The room opened out into little lanes where squirrels were tethered.

Bets were being taken. We looked at each other in confusion as a buzzer sounded and the squirrels started to run.

Squirrel racing. A room dedicated to squirrels. The merchandise were all about squirrels, from full-adult customs to squirrel cookies. It was just so unexpected that we walked back out in a daze. We closed the mirror and walked out.

"That wasn't worth it," we said in unison.

We were better off not knowing.