The past month had felt like a whirlwind for Grace Li. Ever since she started dating Aiden Thompson, it was like stepping into a whole new world. Every day brought something different—exciting, yet a little overwhelming. She wasn't the type to rush into things, and with their relationship still under wraps, she sometimes felt like she was struggling to keep up with his pace.
On Saturday morning, Aiden moved in. To keep things low-key, he didn't ask any friends for help—just hired a moving company to drop his stuff off at Grace's place.
When Grace opened the door, Aiden was outside, checking the last of his boxes with the movers. He looked up and grinned. "Perfect timing. Can you grab my bag?"
She took his backpack, glancing at the luggage and moving boxes stacked by the door. "Didn't expect you to pack this light," she teased.
Aiden carried a box inside and shrugged. "Bringing too much stuff is a hassle. Besides, your storage space isn't exactly unlimited—I figured I shouldn't take over your whole apartment."
Grace closed the door behind them, watching as Aiden settled his things in the living room. It suddenly hit her—he was really moving in.
Instead of unpacking right away, Aiden grabbed a glass of water and flopped onto the couch, like he'd already made himself at home. Grace stood there, feeling a mix of emotions. Her personal space was no longer just hers alone, but oddly enough, she didn't mind it.
As they unpacked together, Grace helped him hang up his clothes. She noticed his wardrobe was basically all black, white, and gray—his shirts folded neatly, socks and underwear rolled up like they were on display at a store. Compared to her messy closet, his organization skills were almost intimidating.
While she was reaching into his suitcase, a few pieces of clothing slipped out. Instinctively, she bent down to pick them up, but the second her fingers touched the fabric, her face heated up. Did I really just grab that?
Before she could process it, Aiden walked into the room and caught her red-handed, crouched over his open suitcase, holding his—well, personal items. Their eyes met, and for a second, everything froze.
Grace immediately let go and stammered, "Uh… y-you should probably handle this yourself. Easier for you to find things that way."
Aiden chuckled and took the clothes from her. "I don't mind you helping. I mean, it's all gonna end up in the same closet anyway."
Grace turned away, pretending to be busy, but her ears burned.
Once they finished unpacking, they headed out to Whole Foods to grab groceries and a few household essentials. Since Aiden had gotten rid of some old stuff, he needed to replace a few things.
It was their first time grocery shopping together. Walking into Whole Foods, Grace focused on picking out fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots for a salad, while Aiden pushed the cart, occasionally grabbing random bottles of fancy sauces and reading the labels. "This looks interesting," he mused. "Bet you'll buy it and never use it."
Grace shot him a look. "Shows how much you know. Sauces are the heart and soul of cooking."
Aiden smirked and tossed the bottle into the cart. "Alright, I'll let you prove me wrong."
By the time they got to self-checkout, their cart was full. Grace started scanning the items, and Aiden packed the bags. Just as she reached for her phone to pay, he swiped his card first.
"I got this," he said casually.
Grace frowned. "Most of this stuff is for me. I should pay."
Aiden waved her off. "Come on, I'm crashing at your place rent-free. Covering groceries is the least I can do. Plus, I get points on my card—it's a win-win."
She hesitated, then relented. He did have a point. Their situation was unusual, but at least Aiden wasn't just freeloading. Maybe she had misjudged him at first. Or… was he actually a low-key, responsible guy?
Back home, Grace tied on an apron and started cooking while Aiden helped out in the kitchen. By the time she finished, they had three dishes and a soup on the table.
After dinner, Grace gathered the dishes and carried them to the sink. Aiden followed her into the kitchen. "I'll do the dishes."
She raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I heard you don't even step foot in the kitchen."
Aiden crossed his arms. "It's just washing dishes. How hard can it be?"
Grace laughed. "I don't know… making you wash dishes on your first day here kinda feels like hazing."
Aiden smirked. "You just don't trust me not to break something, huh?"
"Not at all," she said, grinning. "I just think you should settle in first."
Aiden was quiet for a moment before he said, "Then you better get used to it—this might be my job from now on. Unless…"
"Unless what?" she asked, curious.
"Unless I learn how to cook," he said with a playful wink.
Grace blinked, then realized what he was getting at. He was already thinking about their future—how they'd divide household chores, how they'd make things work as a team.
She chuckled. "Alright, let's see how long that takes."
With that, she stepped aside and let him take over the sink. He wasn't the fastest, but he was focused, carefully scrubbing each plate. Watching him, Grace felt an unexpected warmth in her chest.
For a brief moment, she had a vision of the two of them—living together, sharing responsibilities, building a life.
And strangely enough, it didn't scare her at all.
**
Monday was the Lantern Festival, a day that brought back nostalgic memories of home for Grace Li.
The afternoon, her coworkers decided to order some afternoon snacks, not necessarily to celebrate the festival, but just as an excuse to enjoy some good food together. Aiden Thompson and Peter were out on a client visit, leaving five of them in the office.
Everyone gathered around the table, which was covered with an extra-large pizza from a well-rated Italian place nearby. The warm, cheesy aroma filled the air. Alongside it, there were buckets of crispy fried chicken, fresh out of the fryer, and bubble tea from Chinatown, with chewy tapioca pearls complementing the rich tea flavors.
Olivia, wearing disposable gloves, took a big bite of a chicken wing and mumbled, "Why does the Lantern Festival have to be on a Monday? If it were Sunday, I could've hit up a Chinatown bar and partied all night."
Ryan, munching on a slice of pizza, said, "You can still go out tonight. Times Square is having a crazy light show."
"No way. It'll be packed. I'll probably see nothing but the backs of people's heads," Olivia scoffed.
Just then, Ryan walked in from outside, struggling to carry a large foam cooler. A coworker, in between bites of pizza, casually asked, "Hey, Ryan, what's in the box?"
Ryan carefully placed the cooler down and grinned. "Not mine. My parents ordered me some seafood from Maine. They know today is the Lantern Festival, so they thought I should treat myself."
"Whoa!" Olivia's eyes widened. "That's a serious haul!"
"Yeah, my mom figured I shouldn't be eating takeout all the time," Ryan chuckled. "She only told me after she ordered it. There's no way I can eat all this myself, so if anyone wants some, feel free to take some home after work."
"Let's see what you got!" someone said eagerly.
Ryan grabbed a box cutter and carefully sliced through the packing tape. Inside, two massive Maine lobsters lay on top, their claws restrained by rubber bands. Beneath them, five enormous Dungeness crabs, each larger than a grown man's fist, were still lively and moving.
"Wow!" Everyone gasped in unison.
Ryan laughed. "You guys act like you've never seen seafood before."
"We have," Olivia said, "but it's not like we buy this stuff every day."
Growing up in a coastal town, Ryan was used to having fresh seafood, so he shrugged. "Well, if you want some, take it. No way I'm finishing all this alone."
Olivia, barely containing her excitement, asked, "Anything else in there?"
Ryan dug through the box. "Yeah, some clams, mussels, and sea snails."
Then, an idea struck him. "Hey, what if we do a Lantern Festival seafood dinner? We can cook it all together instead of everyone taking separate bits home."
Mike clapped his hands. "That's a great idea! But where would we do it?"
Ryan sighed. "Not my place. I don't even own a pot."
Another coworker shook their head. "My studio apartment is tiny. No way we'd all fit."
Everyone's gaze naturally shifted to Grace, who was sipping her bubble tea. She blinked in surprise. "Wait… you mean my place?"
"Well," Olivia said, "out of all of us, your apartment is probably the most spacious. And you know how to cook seafood, right?"
Normally, Grace wouldn't have hesitated to say yes. But now that she was living with Aiden Thompson, the last thing she needed was for her coworkers to notice something and start asking questions.
Mike sensed her hesitation. "Hey, Grace, if it's inconvenient, no worries. We can figure something else out."
Grace didn't want to be the killjoy. She forced a smile and said, "No, it's fine. Let's do it at my place."
Olivia grinned. "Awesome! But seven of us eating just seafood? We need more food."
"No doubt," Ryan agreed. "Let's stop by a supermarket after work and grab some extra stuff."
As her coworkers excitedly discussed what else to buy, Grace was already running scenarios in her head. If they saw a man's stuff in her apartment, what excuse could she use? Maybe she could say her cousin was in town for job interviews and staying over for a few days?
That seemed reasonable enough.
Besides, Aiden was in New Jersey for work today, and the train ride back was only about an hour. There was a good chance the dinner would be over before he even got home. Just to be safe, Grace sent him a message.
Grace: What time are you getting back?
Aiden: Taking the 6 PM train. Should be home around 7:30.
Grace: Ryan and the team want to do a seafood dinner at our place. I said yes.
Aiden: Got it. What's my cover story? 😏
Grace: My cousin, job hunting in NYC.
Aiden: Cool. I'll head straight home after the train.
Grace exhaled, feeling a little more at ease. This could work.