After taking care of the car situation at the dealership, they decided to take the subway back to the office.
As they neared the subway exit, they paused, watching the drizzle outside. The weather in New York had been all over the place lately—just a few days ago, it was sunny and warm, but now, thanks to a cold front moving in, the rain was back.
Grace Li had left her umbrella in the car, and Aiden Thompson hadn't expected rain either. Standing near the entrance, they hesitated for a moment. The office was only about three blocks away—not too far. Grace figured she could probably just make a run for it.
"Wait here for a sec," Aiden said before jogging off into the rain toward a nearby convenience store.
A few moments later, he came back with an oversized black umbrella. As he walked toward her, his strides steady and sure, something about the moment made Grace feel unexpectedly warm inside—despite the chilly wind and rain, it was as if even the cold front had softened just a little.
Aiden stopped next to her and said, "Let's go."
They shared the umbrella, stepping into the rain together. In New York, couples showing affection in public wasn't unusual, but considering their workplace, they kept a bit of distance. Aiden even tilted the umbrella slightly toward her side. Every now and then, their eyes met—a brief, unspoken exchange.
When they reached the office building, Aiden suggested that Grace head up first while he waited a moment before following, just to avoid unnecessary attention.
Because of the nature of their work, they were often out meeting clients, so coming in late once in a while wasn't a big deal. Still, Aiden kept things professional—he shot a quick Slack message:
Aiden Thompson: Hey, running a little late. Be there soon.
Back at her desk, Grace powered up her laptop and got to work. A few minutes later, Aiden walked in. Their eyes met briefly—no words were exchanged, but there was an unspoken understanding before they both got back to business.
By the afternoon, the temperature had dropped to 46°F (about 8°C). The office heating kept it comfortable, so Grace hadn't really noticed the cold—until Ryan and Mike returned from a client meeting, rubbing their hands together.
"Man, it's freezing out there!" Ryan complained.
That's when she remembered—Aiden had been out all afternoon, and he wasn't dressed for this weather.
He had just gotten back from meeting some startup founders. Grace glanced over and noticed he was only wearing a thick flannel shirt under a blazer—not nearly warm enough for a day like this.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before he started sneezing. Grace felt a pang of concern, but with their coworkers around, she didn't want to make it obvious. Instead, she shot him a quick message.
Grace Li: Hey, maybe you should head home early today. No need to stay late.Aiden Thompson: Still got some stuff to finish up. Why don't we head out together?Grace Li: Why wait for me?Aiden Thompson: We can split a cab. I'll drop you off first, then head home. No point in both of us getting separate rides.Grace saw right through him. This wasn't about saving money—he probably just didn't want her going home alone after what happened yesterday.Grace Li: You sure you're warm enough?Aiden Thompson: Nah, I told you—I don't get cold.Grace Li: 🐶 Yeah, and I told you—don't tough it out, okay?
***
As expected, the tough guy ended up sick the next day.
Grace Li's car was still at the dealership, but she still made it to work early. Normally, Aiden Thompson arrived around the same time as her, but today, he was nowhere to be seen. Even after work officially started, there was still no sign of him.
Then, Grace received a text from him, saying he had a fever and was taking the day off.
She sighed. No surprise there. First, he ran out in the rain to get her an umbrella, then he braved the cold to meet a client. No matter how tough he thought he was, his body had its limits.
Stepping out into the hallway, she called him.
When he picked up, his voice was hoarse.
"Hey, did you see a doctor?" she asked.
"Nah," Aiden said lazily. "Just went downstairs to CVS and grabbed some cold meds."
"Want me to come over and keep you company?"
He let out a soft chuckle, refusing to admit any weakness. "I'm not that fragile. It's just a cold. I'll be fine."
"Did you check your temperature? How high is it?"
"Yeah. 102.2."
Grace frowned. "That's pretty high."
"Don't worry. Not a big deal."
"Did you eat anything?"
"Yeah, grabbed something while I was out."
"What do you want for lunch? I'll bring it over."
Aiden laughed. "You're not seriously gonna go out of your way just for that, are you?"
"What, you don't want me to?"
"I just don't want you running around for nothing. Just get off work early, pick up your car, then swing by."
Made sense. The dealership had already called to say her car would be ready by the afternoon, and it was on the way to his place.
"Alright," she said. "But if you start feeling worse, call me. I'll take you to urgent care."
"Got it."
"And drink lots of water. Keep yourself warm."
"Yeah, yeah. Got it, Mom."
Grace hung up, turning around only to find Scarlet Harris standing there, having just walked in.
"Morning, Grace!" Scarlet greeted her with a knowing smile.
"Morning."
Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "That call sounded… sweet."
Grace cleared her throat. "Just a friend. He's sick."
Scarlet smirked. "Uh-huh. Sure. A 'friend.'"
Grace just smiled, not bothering to explain.
After work, Grace called a ride to the dealership to pick up her car. The moment she got it back, she drove straight to Brooklyn.
When it came to Brooklyn, Grace had a mental food map ready to go. There was a tiny rice noodle joint near Williamsburg Market, where the rolls were thin, soft, and packed with fresh fillings. A few blocks away, a Chaoshan-style congee shop served the creamiest seafood porridge, rich and flavorful. And then, tucked away in a little alley, there was an old Jewish bakery that made the crispiest, chewiest bagels in town.
She made a quick stop at each place, grabbing their signature dishes to bring to Aiden.
Yesterday, she'd noticed his kitchen looked practically untouched. His fridge was packed with frozen meals and takeout boxes, the counters were spotless, and the only appliance that seemed well-used was the microwave.
When she arrived, Aiden's eyes widened at the food she brought.
"Damn," he said between bites. "You know all these places? I've lived here for years and never tried them."
Grace laughed. "Guess I'll have to take you out more."
"Well, now I know." He grinned.
As they ate, she casually asked, "You don't seriously eat takeout every day, do you?"
"Pretty much," Aiden admitted. "It's convenient."
Grace wanted to tell him it wasn't great for his health, but then she realized she wasn't much better—most of her workweek meals came from delivery apps too.
After a while, Aiden suddenly said, "Grace, come house hunting with me this weekend."
She raised an eyebrow. "You found a place?"
"Yeah. Spent the day scrolling through Zillow." He said it like it was no big deal. "Thinking about moving closer to you."
Grace blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're serious?"
Aiden set down his spoon, looking at her. "We have to act like regular coworkers at the office, and we live half an hour apart. How are we supposed to spend more time together like that?"
A crazy idea popped into Grace's head, but she hesitated. They hadn't been dating for long. Still, thinking about how expensive rent was in her area, she bit the bullet and said, "You do realize rent near me is crazy, right? For the same kind of place you have now, you'd be paying at least two or three grand more, plus parking fees and maintenance. So… why don't you just move in with me?"
Aiden froze for a second, then smirked. "You sure?"
Grace quickly added, "You'd have your own space. The guest room is empty, and it has a private bathroom. You wouldn't be in my way."
His smirk softened into a genuine smile. "If you're okay with it, I'm all in."
Grace let out a breath. "Alright. Moving day is this weekend."
Aiden held up his spoon with a grin. "Deal."