It was already 1 AM when they got back home. Grace Li took out her phone and noticed Aiden Thompson had already sent her the photos they took that night via WhatsApp.
Grace Li texted: "Make sure you text me when you get home."
Aiden Thompson replied: "Got it."
She carefully saved the pictures to her gallery, choosing two that had a great vibe, and shared them on Instagram with the caption: "Happy New Year."
When she came out of the shower, Grace Li noticed she had received a lot of messages on Instagram. She opened the app and saw Aiden Thompson had posted too.
His post also featured two photos, just the sparklers burning, with the same caption: "Happy New Year."
For some reason, Grace Li's heart skipped a beat. The timing of their posts felt like a sweet little exchange between a couple. Their mutual friends were bound to make assumptions.
Ryan commented on Aiden Thompson's post: "Aiden, were you two together for the NYE countdown?"
Mike quickly followed up: "Tsk tsk, there's definitely something going on here. 🤭"
Olivia joined in: "So? So? Were you really together for the countdown? 🎇"
Grace Li felt a sudden tightness in her chest when she saw the comments. Luckily, Aiden Thompson hadn't replied yet, so she quickly posted a comment.
Grace Li replied to Ryan: "You guys are just imagining things."
Olivia replied to Grace Li: "Boss, were you at Times Square too? I was there. Why didn't you come look for me?"
Grace Li replied to Olivia: "I was with a friend, so I didn't come find you."
Ryan commented again: "Guys, did you miss the most important thing? If the person Aiden spent New Year's with wasn't the boss, it could be some other girl! Or even another guy!"
Ryan immediately tagged Aiden Thompson in the work chat: "@Aiden Thompson Aiden, come clean. Are you dating someone?"
Aiden Thompson replied: "No."
Ryan clearly didn't believe it: "No one's buying that. Are you seriously telling me a grown man was playing with sparklers by himself?"
Aiden Thompson responded: "Why not?"
Olivia stepped in to lighten the mood: "Ryan, you're being ridiculous. Just because he posted a pic of sparklers doesn't mean anything. The boss posted one too. Why aren't you asking her?"
Grace Li sent a message in the group: "[sleepy emoji] If you guys really don't have anything better to do, maybe you could send some New Year's gifts via PayPal."
Ryan replied: "For gifts, the boss should take the lead."
Grace Li sent a PayPal link with a note: "Happy New Year! Here's a little something for the celebration."
Everyone immediately went crazy over the PayPal link in the chat, trying to grab it. In the end, there was only one left. Grace Li looked and saw that only Aiden Thompson hadn't grabbed it yet.
Grace Li messaged Aiden Thompson privately.
Grace Li: "Why didn't you grab the gift?"
Aiden Thompson: "Can I trade the gift for something else?"
Grace Li: "Oh? Like what?"
Aiden Thompson: "It's New Year's Day today, I don't feel like ordering takeout."
Grace Li smiled, remembering the big meal she had promised Aiden Thompson a few days ago. She typed: "I'll probably sleep in tomorrow and have a late breakfast. I'll go grocery shopping in the afternoon. Want to come over for dinner?"
Aiden Thompson: "Sure."
Grace Li wasn't sure exactly when she fell asleep, but the next day, she woke up to find it was already past 9 AM. She had meant to sleep in until noon, but ended up waking up at 9:30.
Grace Li applied a simple, everyday makeup look that emphasized a natural glow and contour, making her skin look radiant. Afterward, she had a quick American-style breakfast: toast with butter, a hot coffee, and a fruit salad. She then headed to the nearby grocery store. New York's supermarkets had an amazing variety of ingredients from all over the world, each offering a taste of different cultures. After picking up everything she needed, she returned home, and it was already noon. With no time to spare, she quickly boiled some pasta and topped it with ready-made marinara sauce – fast and easy.
In the afternoon, Grace Li took some time to tidy up her apartment. The last time Aiden Thompson had been over, it had been too rushed for her to clean up. But this time, she was determined to make everything perfect – subconsciously wanting to show him her best side.
Aiden Thompson arrived promptly at 5 PM, wearing a black trench coat that made him look sharp and put-together. He held a small, elegant gift bag in his long hand.
"Happy New Year," he said, smiling as he handed the gift bag to her.
Grace Li was a little surprised. She hadn't expected him to bring a gift. "You brought a gift too?"
Aiden Thompson smiled and explained, "I hope you like it. It's just a little something to celebrate the new year."
Grace Li took the gift, her lips curving into a smile as she whispered, "You're so sweet. I'm sure I'll love it."
She put the gift aside, turned towards the kitchen, and called back, "I'll start making dinner now, you can sit for a while."
Aiden Thompson followed her into the kitchen and asked, "Anything I can help with?"
"Could you wash the vegetables for me?"
"Sure."
Grace Li placed the veggies in a basket and quickly ran through the cleaning instructions. She then tied on an apron and began prepping the meal. She planned to make four dishes and a soup, mixing both American and Chinese flavors.
"This braised fish is a little modified – I reduced the soy sauce and added some lemon juice to brighten it up. Give it a try and let me know what you think. The chicken soup is slow-cooked American style, with a bunch of vegetables and spices, and I skimmed off the excess fat so it's light and healthy. The shrimp is cooked in a special sauce, and the stir-fried beef has tender beef slices with bell peppers. Finally, a simple stir-fried broccoli, light and nutritious," she explained as she worked.
They were both busy in the kitchen when suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Grace Li frowned slightly. She was about to turn off the heat on the fish when Aiden Thompson spoke up.
"Should I get the door?"
"Okay."
Aiden Thompson set down his basket of veggies, wiped his hands on a napkin, and quickly walked to the door, which rang again. He opened it to find Isabella Hsueh standing there, happily calling out, "Happy New Year!"
Isabella paused when she saw Aiden standing in the doorway, looking surprised. She'd seen photos of him before, and recognized him as the "young stud" Grace Li often talked about.
Aiden Thompson smiled politely, "Hello."
Isabella quickly snapped out of her shock and gave him a forced smile. "Hi, I'm Grace Li's good friend."
"She's cooking, come on in."
From the kitchen, Grace Li heard the familiar voice and poked her head out. "Isabella Hsueh, what are you doing here?"
Isabella walked into the kitchen, grinning, and explained, "I know we usually call first, but I thought I'd surprise you, like family, since it's the holidays and we're so close."
Grace Li saw her mischievous grin and quickly gave her a sharp look, signaling her not to say anything awkward.
Grace Li cleared her throat, "Why didn't you call first?"
"Wanted to give you a surprise!" Isabella glanced at the braised fish and asked, "You're already cooking? Got room for me?"
"Of course."
Isabella squinted with a grin, "Guess I'll stay then and not be shy."
Aiden Thompson adjusted his sleeves and slipped on his watch, heading to the door. "Grace Li, I'll run to the convenience store for drinks. What do you guys want?"
Grace Li thought for a moment and replied, "Some juice or apple cider vinegar would be great."
Isabella, unbothered, chimed in, "I'll take a beer or a cocktail."
"Okay."
Once Aiden Thompson left, Isabella immediately shifted into "gossip mode" and grilled Grace Li, "Come on, spill it. Did you two hook up?"
Grace Li quickly denied it, "No, I just invited him over for dinner."
"Sure, sure, just dinner, huh? You're having him over to eat alone, what's really going on?"
Grace Li sighed, explaining, "We're just friends and colleagues. Don't overthink it. I'm worried he might feel awkward later."
Isabella smirked, "He's coming over for dinner, that's basically a date, right?"
Grace Li said seriously, "Just treat him like any other friend."
Isabella nudged her playfully and teased, "Need me to help speed things up a little?"
"Stop, don't even think about it!" Grace Li panicked, "Just eat and don't say anything else. Otherwise, I'll have to face him at work tomorrow."
"All right, all right. I'll just be a quiet foodie, okay?"
Isabella looked at the spread and laughed, "You're making all this just for him? You've really got something going on, huh?"
Grace Li blushed and smiled, "Just shut up."