After work, Grace Li drove Ryan and the box of seafood home first to prepare the ingredients. The rest of their colleagues caught a ride with Mike to a nearby grocery store to buy additional groceries.
Aiden Thompson had only moved in a few days ago, and his personal belongings weren't fully unpacked yet. If no one went snooping around his room, it was easy to overlook that he lived there.
Grace Li tied on an apron and took charge of cooking. She opted for a simple steamed preparation to preserve the fresh flavor of the seafood Ryan's family had sent. Alongside it, she made a mix of Chinese and American fusion dishes—like chicken wings marinated with Chinese-style sauces before roasting and a vegetable salad with a hint of Chinese five-spice. Since it was the Lantern Festival, she had also prepared two packs of tangyuan from a Chinatown supermarket.
Just as she finished cooking, there was a knock at the door. It had to be Aiden Thompson.
Mike, who was closest to the door, opened it. Seeing Aiden, he grinned. "Perfect timing, man. Food's ready, just waiting for you to dig in."
Aiden walked in, still holding his briefcase. He set it down on the entryway table. Since there were extra guests tonight, Grace Li had told everyone to keep their shoes on to avoid the hassle of taking them off and putting them back on.
Even though this was technically his home, Aiden had to play the role of a guest in front of his colleagues.
The place was buzzing with energy as everyone gathered around the four-person dining table, eyeing the spread eagerly, waiting for the go-ahead to eat.
Grace Li, still in her apron, brought out another dish and said, "No need to wait, dig in!"
With that, everyone grabbed their chopsticks without hesitation.
Between the chairs from the dining set and a couple of extra ones from her bedroom, Grace only had five seats total. That meant two people had to stand.
As one of the 'hosts,' Aiden instinctively stood aside, holding his plate. When Grace came out of the kitchen, Mike quickly stood up and offered his seat. "Grace, you've been working so hard—come sit and eat."
Grace waved him off. "It's fine, I can just stand and eat."
"No way! You must be exhausted. Sit down already." The others chimed in, insisting she take a seat.
Seeing their enthusiasm, she finally sat down. Watching everyone enjoy the meal, she asked, "How's the food? Hope it suits your taste."
Olivia, her mouth full of crab leg, gave a thumbs-up. "Grace, this is amazing! Didn't know Chinese food could be this good."
Ryan, looking utterly satisfied, nodded as he chewed. "So good. Best seafood feast I've ever had. Grace, you could totally open a restaurant."
Noticing Aiden wasn't taking much besides a bowl of tangyuan, Ryan nudged him. "Hey, Aiden, don't hold back. Eat more seafood—make yourself at home."
Aiden smirked. "You focus on your own food."
Grace overheard them and had to bite back a laugh. She avoided looking at Aiden, afraid she'd crack up.
Olivia suddenly started praising again. "Grace, not only are you a great cook, but you're also amazing at your job, and you're gorgeous. Whoever marries you must have saved the entire galaxy in their past life."
Ryan nodded eagerly. "Yeah, seriously. You're perfect. No flaws at all."
Grace blushed. "Alright, alright, enough with the flattery. Just eat."
"We mean it!"
Their team had always been more like friends than just coworkers. They ate, laughed, and chatted, making the atmosphere feel extra warm and lively.
Ryan stepped away to use the restroom. When he came back, he suddenly asked, "Boss, be honest. Are you dating someone?"
Grace's heart skipped a beat. "What? Where did that come from?"
"I saw two toothbrushes and a razor in the bathroom. Looks like a guy is living here."
Grace coughed lightly and replied calmly, "That's my cousin's. He's job-hunting in New York and crashing at my place for a few days."
"Wait, didn't you say your cousin lives in L.A.?" Ryan looked confused.
Grace hesitated for a second.
Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Ryan, how do you know her cousin is in L.A.?"
"When she moved, I hit it off with her cousin and added him on WeChat. He's been posting from L.A. lately."
Grace hadn't expected her cover story to get busted so fast. She had no choice but to double down. "That's another cousin. He came to New York for work at the start of the year and needed a place to stay."
Ryan scratched his head. "Oh, got it. I thought you finally got a boyfriend."
Another colleague chimed in, "If the boss were dating someone, she'd tell us."
Olivia nodded. "Exactly. Plus, she works late all the time—she doesn't seem like someone in a relationship."
Grace just smiled and said nothing.
After dinner, Olivia noticed they could see the Times Square light show from the balcony and excitedly called everyone over.
The seven of them lined up along the railing, looking out at the dazzling lights. The apartment wasn't super close to Times Square, but the clear night made for a great view.
"Damn, Grace, your place is awesome. This view is better than being in the crowd!" Olivia marveled.
"Yeah, I bet the property value here is gonna skyrocket."
"For sure, especially since they're adding a new subway line soon."
Ryan looked up at the sky. "It's the Lantern Festival, right? Where's the moon?"
Olivia burst out laughing. "Ryan, you dummy, it's behind us!"
Grace listened to their playful banter with a smile. It was nice to have everyone gathered like this.
Suddenly, she felt warmth on her hand. Aiden had quietly slipped his hand into hers. Startled, she glanced at him.
Aiden, pretending nothing was happening, kept his eyes on the light show. Noticing her glance, he turned to her with a playful glint in his eye. She tried to pull her hand away, silently signaling him to behave, worried their coworkers would notice.
But instead of letting go, Aiden intertwined his fingers with hers and casually said, "Yeah, the view here's pretty nice."
With everyone focused on the lights, no one noticed the two of them holding hands at the edge of the group.
By 9:30 PM, people started heading out.
Ryan called out, "Aiden, let's go. Time to head home."
Aiden, still in the kitchen, looked slightly annoyed. "I'll take out the trash first."
There were two big bags of garbage. Ryan stepped in, ever helpful. "I'll carry one."
"No need. You go ahead."
"Come on, man. I was gonna split a cab with you to save some cash."
Aiden paused, then quickly said, "I don't live in Brooklyn anymore."
"What? When did you move? Where to?"
"After the New Year. I'm staying somewhere close by now."
"Alright then." Ryan grabbed Aiden's arm, pulling him toward the door. "Hurry up, let's go. Let the boss rest."
So, Aiden was dragged outside.
Inside the elevator, each holding a trash bag, Ryan mused, "I swear, the boss is hiding something."
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"I'm telling you, she's definitely dating someone."
Aiden's heart skipped a beat, but he kept his expression neutral, even smirking. "Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?"
"I saw the stuff in her bathroom. She totally made up that cousin excuse."
Aiden asked casually, "Who do you think it is?"
Ryan thought for a second. "That guy I set her up with at my birthday party?"
Aiden didn't hesitate. "No way."
"How do you know?"
"Just a guess."
After taking out the trash, Aiden turned back. "I forgot my briefcase. You go ahead."
Ryan didn't question it. "Alright, see you."
Aiden went back upstairs, re-entering the apartment just as Grace finished mopping the floor.
Aiden Thompson kicked off his shoes and slipped on his slippers before walking over to Grace Li.
Grace looked at him with a smile. "How'd you get away from Ryan?"
Aiden pointed to his laptop bag by the entryway. "Told him I forgot my bag."
"You're pretty slick."
Aiden glanced around. "Anything else left to clean up?"
After dinner, everyone had pitched in to clear the table and wash the dishes, so most of the cleanup was already done. The only thing left had been mopping the floor, and Grace had just finished that too.
"Nope, all set." She carried the mop out to the balcony to let it dry.
Aiden followed her outside. As soon as she put the mop down, he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Hm? What's up?" Grace asked.
Resting his chin on her shoulder, Aiden said, "That whole crowd finally left. Now I can actually hug my girlfriend properly."
Grace let him hold her as she thought back to everything that had happened that night. "Tonight was... eventful."
"Oh?" Aiden teased. "So you like a little excitement?"
Grace's face warmed. "That's not what I meant."
Aiden smirked. "Then what did you mean?"
Grace thought for a moment, then grinned. "Okay, fine, I got nothing."
Aiden chuckled softly. "Grace."
"Yeah?"
"I must've done something really right to deserve you."
Grace remembered what Olivia had said earlier and grinned. "So, what are you? Superman?"
"Could be Spider-Man."
They shared a smile and stood quietly on the balcony, enjoying the night. Grace looked up and realized the moon had already risen, big and full, casting a soft silver glow over everything. It made the whole night feel almost unreal.