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For the next week, I worked at full speed, throwing myself into the BA app task. I did thorough research on similar apps, analyzed user reviews, and noted what people praised and what they disliked. I also combed through forums for interface designers, arming myself with as much insight as possible, along with everything I already knew from my own past interest in the field.

Then, I started redesigning the app’s interface. Unfortunately, that meant staying late after hours. Winter had probably noticed that I had stopped showing up by the elevators at our usual time—the time when we often ended up waiting together in silence. A comfortable silence. A quiet awareness of each other’s presence.

Three days in, something interesting happened. It was fifteen minutes past the time I usually left, but I still had a lot of work to do. That’s when I saw Winter walk slowly down the hallway, passing by the door to our office.

Our eyes met for a brief moment. He saw me sitting there, still working, but he didn’t say anything. It seemed like he had come to check on me.

Well, he found me in full-on employee mode.

Even more interesting… did he miss those short instances when we’d see each other in the hallway? Or was he just wondering whether I was even showing up for work, whether I had bailed on DevApp completely?

This week, there was also a little shift in my relationship with… Skye! A few times when I was sitting alone in the cafeteria, he came over and sat with me. We just chatted a bit—nothing major—but it honestly made me content. Building even the smallest connection with Winter’s family didn’t seem like a bad idea, especially when I thought about the long run.

By the end of the week, I was ready. I told Manager Lorens that I had finished my proposal project, and he reviewed it. I could see that he was surprised by how much I had managed to accomplish. He must have assumed that the lazy son of the CEO wouldn’t be capable of producing anything worthy of his time.

He requested a few minor adjustments, and after I made them, he said we could take my work to Winter for review.

A wave of stress hit me instantly. I went back to my desk, trying to collect myself. About thirty minutes later, Lorens told me it was time, Winter was waiting for us.

I followed him down the hall, feeling my throat tighten.

Winter was alone in his office. When we entered, he didn’t stand up. He didn’t even look at me. Here we were again…

Manager Lorens told Winter that he had sent over the links to my designs.

Winter’s office had a projector system that displayed whatever was on his screen onto the opposite wall. After a moment, he turned it on, and my mock-up appeared, projected large in front of us.

Lorens glanced at me. "Sariel, why don’t you walk Winter through your changes and proposals?"

I cleared my throat, focusing on staying professional. I explained each area I had modified, justifying my decisions with examples from my additional research, which I had neatly organized into a separate tab. I asked Winter to switch between the pages as I spoke, and he did, following along as I highlighted various elements of the app. I made sure he could see that every change had been carefully considered, that this wasn’t just me making arbitrary tweaks, but rather thoughtful, data-backed improvements.

The whole time I spoke, the room was silent.

Lorens seemed pleased, almost preening, probably because this reflected well on him, too. His department had unexpectedly been given the chance to work on a high-profile app, something usually reserved for Manager Durden’s team. Durden had always gotten the bigger projects because he was more combative in convincing upper management to give them to his team.

When I finished my presentation, Winter didn’t respond right away. He simply clicked through the different views of the app, scanning them in silence.

"Have you looked at the latest D-Project app for college alumni?" Winter asked curtly.

I felt a surge of excitement. "Yeah, I have, but I saw a lot of complaints about it, so I didn’t really want to use it as inspiration."

Winter looked at me, our eyes met, and a pleasant shiver ran through my body. A strange feeling, like maybe he found it enjoyable too. He stayed silent for a moment, as if lost in thought, like he was wrestling with something inside himself.

"It looks interesting. I appreciate the effort you put into your research and your dedication. But of course, this still has to go through Werner. He’ll decide whether we implement your changes."

Disappointment swept through me as I realized that my project not only had to pass through Manager Lorens and Winter, but also through Werner, and maybe even my father, before it could take its final form. That was corporate life for you. Everything had to be seen, approved, and signed off by everyone.

I was pretty sure Werner wouldn’t be thrilled about some random guy with no experience coming in out of nowhere and making changes to his app. After all, he was the one who originally designed the whole thing.

"I understand," I said. "I just hope he won’t be offended by how much I changed the interface."

Was that the faintest hint of a smile at the corner of Winter’s lips?

Well, this wasn’t as big of a deal for him as it was for me. Maybe he even found it amusing. Or he wanted to see the boss’s son get crushed by the ruthless Werner.

"We’ll see how it goes," Winter said. "I’ll let you guys know in a few days. I don’t think it’s worth scheduling a whole meeting, I’ll probably just talk to him privately."

In a way, I appreciated that. If Werner had been invited to a meeting, he would have felt obligated to criticize my project, if only to prove he was still needed and the better expert. These kinds of psychological games played out in every corporation.

"That’s all," Winter said. For a fraction of a second, his eyes met mine again. But he was calm, his heartbeat steady.

Well, back to making icons for me.

I left the room feeling a sense of dejection. The interaction had been so brief… and I’d been way too stressed to focus on whatever interesting energy had been flowing between me and Winter.

The rest of the day, I was in a bit of a sour mood. I wanted him to say something nice, I had worked so hard. But maybe I needed to stop thinking like a little kid waiting for praise. I had to be patient.

***

That night at dinner, I got some unexpected news.

My family sat down at the table, and—miracle of miracles—I was actually acknowledged as part of the conversation. My brother turned to me and muttered, "Have you heard? Our dear cousin Damien found his True Mate."

I raised an eyebrow. "You’re serious? When?"

"Two months ago or something like that. He’s not making a big deal out of it. You know how Damien is, a total nerd, not exactly the social butterfly type. But… I thought Blue would’ve told you. Damien’s mate… it’s the guy who saved Blue’s life."

I was speechless.

"Wait, that purple alpha?"

"Yep. Well, Damien is a rose omega. That’s the only TM option for them."

I sat there, staring at him. My parents stayed silent, focused on eating, neither of them said a word.

But it still didn’t register for me. Vren continued,

"This guy works for a matchmaking agency. He sometimes helps out with security too. He was the one who single-handedly saved Blue. He turned into a monster, with spikes and stuff, and protected Blue with his body as a shield when the bomb went off."

"I mean, I knew that part, some purple alpha saved him in a rather spectacular way, but I didn’t know it was Damien’s True Mate," I mumbled, still in shock.

My father’s brow furrowed.

"Honestly, I’m not surprised Damien hasn’t bragged about it, he probably asked Blue to keep it quiet. That guy has a record. Domestic violence. He was accused of rape and gave his ex-husband everything he had, his savings, his apartment. So clearly, there was something there, if he were innocent, he wouldn’t have settled."

"Damien’s True Mate is a criminal?!"

Vren leaned in confidentially. "But listen! That’s not even the most shocking part!"

"What could possibly be more shocking than this?!"

That’s when my father, in a sour tone, dropped the bombshell:

"That he is Winter’s biological brother."

What, what, what?

I sat there, my mouth hanging open so long that my dad finally scolded me, "Close your mouth, Sariel. You look silly."

"I—I can’t believe this. What the fuck is going on? How is he—how is that his brother?!"

Father sighed. "He is. I actually heard it directly from Winter. He told me Storm’s kind of cut off from the family. Being a purple alpha, he has that… temper. Winter swears his brother wasn’t guilty, but since he was scared of getting Red Line Agency involved, he took a plea deal and gave his ex everything he had."

Vren still had this ‘gossip-of-the-century’ look on his face.

"But who knows the truth. No wonder this news hasn’t spread through the whole family yet!"

"I’m really curious, why didn’t Blue tell me? It’s not like the secret concerns him or what," I muttered.

Vren shrugged. "No idea."

My mind was working in overdrive. "Last I heard, Blue was curious about one of those marriage contract open fairs, but he says nothing came of it. He kinda ceased contact with me after that, which is strange."

"A fair? I don’t know anything about that." My brother shrugged. "But! I did hear he has a new personal bodyguard. Someone who follows him around everywhere, that’s all I picked up. Though I doubt he found him at the fair," he added with a dumb little smirk.

I spent the rest of dinner sulking, still trying to wrap my head around why Blue hadn’t told me about Winter’s brother or the fact that he had a new bodyguard.

But then I connected the dots, he had actually mentioned that it was the guy who worked at the matchmaking agency who had told him to attend the fair.

If it was the same guy, then knowing his criminal past would only make me more adamant Blue shouldn't take advice from someone like that.

That theory was a bit of a stretch, but honestly, it did sound a lot like Blue. He probably didn’t want me to go crazy over the fact that a convicted criminal was inviting him to the fair…

After dinner, I decided to call Blue and break the weird silence that had settled between us over the past month.

He picked up, though only after a long pause.

Right off the bat, I spat out bitterly, "Hey, Blue, you hear the latest gossip? Damien found his True Mate, and, funny enough, it’s my boss’s brother. I guess I’m the last one to know."

Blue sighed. "I thought you knew about that ages ago. It’s not exactly a secret."

"If it’s not a secret, then you could have told me instead of me finding out from Vren like it’s some scandalous tabloid news."

"I don’t have time for arguments, Sariel. I’ve got a lot on my plate."

"You always have a lot on your plate, especially since you went to that damn fair where the criminal in question had invited you!"

"The guy saved my life, Sariel! And Damien asked me for discretion. He knew damn well how our family would judge Storm. And look, he was right!"

Silence. I didn’t bother to comment on it.

"I heard you got a new bodyguard," I said, abruptly changing the topic. Though, for some reason, it didn’t feel like I had changed it at all. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

"I did. And I think he’s trustworthy."

"You sound incredibly na?ve, not like the usual you."

"Sariel, what the hell is up with you lately? You’re acting all irritated, what’s your problem?"

To be fair, Blue had a point.

My mind had been a mess recently. Maybe I should’ve said something about it. So I blurted out,

"Do you think certain families are naturally more compatible with each other than others?"

"I don’t get what you mean."

"For example, if one person from a family finds their True Mate in another family, does that make it more likely that other members of those two families will have higher compatibility?"

Blue sighed.

"Yeah, that’s actually a pretty common phenomenon. If one brother marries into another family, and both of them have siblings, then those siblings usually have at least Low or Half Mate compatibility. Often higher. It’s a natural occurrence. It can even extend to cousins sometimes." He coughed lightly.

I went quiet, mulling that over in my mind. "That’s… interesting."

"You got a theory or something?"

"Nah, I was just thinking," I muttered.

A long pause. Then—"Is this about Winter?"

"It’s about nothing. I have to go."

"Sariel, wait!"

There was something in Blue’s voice, maybe guilt? Was he blaming himself for the distance that had formed between us over the past month?

"What?"

"Listen, I’m flying out to Japan right after the holidays. You should come stay with me for a few days—like, around New Year’s. I’ve got a lot going on right now, but I should be able to dig myself out of it by then. Things should be clearer."

"Yeah, okay." I softened. "Sorry if I’ve been in a shitty mood lately, but, well… you know. Life."

"Yeah. Life. Same here."

***

The next week brought colder December weather, wind, rain. Even living in a southern state, I still felt the drop in temperature as an annoying inconvenience. I was definitely a warm-weather person.

On Monday, Manager Lorens and I were summoned to Winter’s office.

We walked in, and, as usual, Winter didn’t even look at me.

A small, already familiar disappointment flickered inside me, but oh well. He kept his distance from me so… deliberately. And to be honest, he had his reasons. Even a moment of rational thinking told me that whatever was happening between us… would be hard to pull off. But the stupid little part of me still longed for it.

Once we sat down, Winter opened my mock-up and projected it onto the wall.

"I talked to Werner. He was impressed by how well you executed this."

I froze. What?

That was not the reaction I’d expected. I had assumed he’d see me as competition.

"He said you came up with some incredibly creative solutions for the interface, he was amazed by your fresh approach to UX design, and asked only for a few small adjustments," Winter continued. "He also mentioned that if any small tasks come up, he’ll pass them your way. He’s overloaded with work."

Bewildered, I listened, nodding slightly.

As he spoke, Winter avoided looking me in the eye, directing his words more toward the room than to me personally.

Then he began listing the adjustments Werner had suggested, and I quickly started jotting them down on my tablet.

"Next time, you'll be speaking with Werner directly," Winter said. "I don't need to be involved. I know you two will do a fantastic job together."

And just like that, another disappointment. So now I wouldn’t even be seeing him anymore…

"Now, onto the next matter," he added. "Werner is busy with the ByteBites project. But right after the holidays, we have a scheduled presentation with our Japanese clients for the preliminary version of the BA project. So I’ll be flying to Japan. Normally, I’d take Werner with me, since we have a rule that we never attend client meetings alone. But since he can’t, this time, I thought I’d take you instead—"

He quickly lifted his head and pinned me with his gaze.

"Of course," I blurted out, cutting him off before he could even finish.

There was a brief pause, during which Winter definitely acknowledged my enthusiasm.

On Manager Lorens' round face, I caught a glimpse of amusement.

"Good to see you're not nervous about it," he muttered with a half-smile.

"Why would I be? I’ve already familiarized myself with the project’s interface and key concepts. I think I’ll manage just fine."

"I like your confidence."

Manager Lorens glanced at his phone.

"Can I leave you two alone? I have an important call."

"Of course, no problem."

As soon as he stepped out, I felt the slight quickening of Winter’s heartbeat. Interesting.

I decided to address this unexpected trip news directly.

"I have to admit, I’m surprised. I’ve only been working here for three months, and I’m already getting an opportunity like this?"

Winter’s lips curled into a slightly bitter smile.

"Let’s not kid ourselves, you’re the CEO’s son. Your career path will naturally progress faster than everyone else’s. Giving you opportunities for growth is in the company’s best interest."

I tensed slightly, feeling awkward.

"I don’t want that! I’d rather earn every step myself," I said stiffly, swallowing hard.

"That’s an admirable mindset, but be realistic. One day, your father wants you to inherit this company. That’s why it’s good for you to start getting familiar with client meetings and negotiations early on. When I suggested taking you along, your father was very enthusiastic about the idea. He’s on board with this."

His tone was so formal, it felt like I was speaking to a bureaucrat. I stared at my hands for a moment.

"Unfortunately, my father hopes I will be a good future heir of DevApp."

Winter raised a single brow. "Is that a problem?"

I scoffed slightly, mirroring his expression.

"I think it’s unfair. Why me? Why not you? You’re far more capable, far more dedicated to this company, and far more deserving. That’s how things should work."

I immediately sensed Winter’s slight surprise. It was like something shifted in his energy, he furrowed his brows, thinking deeply for a moment.

Then, avoiding my gaze, he said, almost… softly?!

"Sariel, I assure you, I wouldn’t have suggested taking you if I didn’t see potential in you. I was shocked that you worked so hard, and the mock-up you created… Some of Werner’s designs are not that detailed, that well-researched, so inventive. I can see how creative your mind is. I think you should continue growing in this field, if you enjoy it. Your father mentioned that you struggled for a long time with your plans for the future, since your interests are somewhat interdisciplinary. And with fields like that, the early stages are never easy. It requires a lot of self-learning, and you clearly did it… Also, you have a knack for it. Which is even better. It would be a great waste of your potential to keep doing silly icons."

Now our eyes met. God, that pleasant shiver down my back, it was blissful. I stayed silent, almost hypnotized, as I immersed myself in his silver irises. I could remain like this forever. Looking at him was… intoxicating.

The scene felt like a painting, the light from the window cast a soft aura around him, a delicate silvery glow, like the sky outside. His hair shimmered with the softness of silk. His skin was pale as alabaster, his lips resembled peony petals.

He didn’t look thirty-four. If I didn’t know his age, I’d have guessed twenty-six, maybe.

Slowly, I stood up.

Winter blinked, slightly startled, as I leisurely walked over to the window and looked outside. Moving around so freely in my director’s office could definitely be seen as a form of arrogance, or even outright audacity.

But, interestingly enough, he also stood up and walked over to the window.

Now we were both staring down at the city below. A light drizzle fell once again. A thin layer of mist clung to the skyscrapers at this height.

"Did you always want to be a programmer?" I wasn’t sure why I asked. Maybe because I wanted to extend our time together. Maybe because I genuinely wanted to know him better.

Winter’s light eyes remained fixed on the city skyline.

"No. I wanted to study music. I come from a family of musicians, we all played instruments. But something happened that changed everything. My older brother ran away from home… with a much older man."

"I'm sorry. That had to be hard for your parents."

His voice remained calm, but there was a heaviness behind it.

"Yes. After that, a shadow fell over our house. The jam sessions that used to be a regular thing just… stopped. My father and Dad couldn’t bring themselves to organize them anymore. And for a year or two after River left, not much music was played in our home. I’d always been good at math, and eventually, I realized, I didn’t have the heart for music anymore either. So I chose a different path, one that felt more secure."

I stayed silent for a moment before asking, "What did you play?"

"A few instruments. But my favorites were bass and piano."

"Sounds so cool. I wish I could hear you play."

Winter didn’t respond.

"Musical and mathematical talents often go hand in hand," I murmured, casting him a brief glance, trying to picture him slapping a bass.

"That’s true. A few of my brothers are programmers, Skye and Rain. And one cousin, Nathaniel. Two are musicians by profession. And the other two… well, they do something else."

"Do you like programming?"

Winter let out a sound, almost like he was exhaling sharply.

"Yes, I do. I’ve always had a mathematical mind. Since I’m a director, I have less time for it, but I still do some coding here and there, just to stay connected to our products. To know everything I need to when talking to clients."

"Like I said. It should be you running this company someday."

"I still think that honor will go to you," Winter replied in a tone that sounded like he was suppressing a bitter grimace.

"We could always get married. Then you could be CEO."

Yep. I said that. Winter shot me a quick glance, as if trying to gauge whether I was joking or not.

To keep things from getting awkward, I smiled briefly. His eyes flickered to my lips. Interesting.

"Hilarious," he muttered. "That would just make your father very eager to chop me into tiny pieces and not only kick me out of this company but off this planet."

"Funny how you say that like the only problem here is my father and not, you know… whether you'd actually want that." I narrowed my eyes slightly.

Winter’s gaze snapped back to my face for a split second before shifting to the distant horizon again.

Silence settled between us.

And then I whispered, "You feel it too, don’t you? There’s something between us."

I could hear his heartbeat, pounding like a drum.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum!

"I can hear your heart, you know," I said. "It’s beating as fast as mine."

Winter suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.

"I’ve always thought it was unfair how you alphas have such an advantage over betas."

Interesting. He still hadn’t reacted to my words, not even to dismiss them. As if what I were saying was completely normal. As if there really was something humming in the air between us.

"Can I smell you?"

Yep, I was dragging us into madness, into impossibility. But what stunned me was how little resistance I felt from him. As if, on some level, he was accepting all of this.

"Another thing I’ll never understand about alphas," he muttered. "How much you rely on scent."

"I don’t know about others. But I definitely do. Your skin is so pale, like alabaster. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I just leaned in and breathed you in."

Winter stayed silent, still gazing out at the city.

And then, unexpectedly, he said, "Don’t play games with me, Sariel."

Silence.

He turned to face me, and I tensed. He was keeping his expression neutral, but I could still feel his annoyance.

"I know you’ve heard about my stance on hiring alphas. And now, you’re doing exactly what’s always bothered me about them, bringing a mating game into a space where there is absolutely no place for it. And there is zero chance, none, that anything is going to come out of your little provocation."

Boom. Just like that, all the excitement, the thrill of the moment, gone.

Winter had just laid it all out.

Yes, there was a part of me that had always known this was impossible. But… another part of me was a rebel.

"I want you," I confessed, and it sounded surprisingly calm and firm. "I’m attracted to you."

"You need to stop, Sariel."

"Or maybe I won’t. And maybe you don’t really want me to stop, either."

A pause. Our eyes were locked, trapped in this tense connection.

And then, a flicker of bitterness appeared in his.

"Is this revenge? Is that what this is?" His voice was sharp now. "You want to ruin me for how I treated you? You tell your father: ‘Look, Winter’s getting turned on by your son. What a professional. He’s just a predator, preying on his employees. Sexual harassment suit!’"

I moved fast. My hand shot out, fingers closing around the back of his neck.

"Stop, Winter…" I whispered, my voice raspy.

Winter flinched slightly but didn’t pull away.

Didn’t step back.

Instinct.

Betas and omegas often reacted this way to an alpha’s touch at the nape, with a natural submission.

"You’re getting ahead of yourself, Winter," I murmured. "That’s not what this is. There’s no revenge. There’s no hidden agenda. Relax. Everything I feel deep down is right there on the surface."

My fingers brushed against his hot skin, tangled briefly in his thick ponytail.

"And I’m glad you admitted I turn you on…"

Then, acting on some strange impulse, I hooked my fingers around his hair tie and pulled it off in one smooth motion.

Winter’s white hair tumbled around his face, soft and silken.

Now, he really did look like an elven prince.

And it took my breath away.

"Oh, Winter, Winter…" My voice was low, intense. "You’re beautiful. Perfect. Fascinating. Irresistible. I’m drawn to you. Can’t you see?"

I slowly pulled my hand back and, right in front of his eyes, slipped his hair tie onto my wrist with a casual motion, turning it into a simple bracelet.

We kept staring at each other, locked in this strange, persistent eye contact.

And then—

A knock at the door.

Winter jolted slightly, tucking his hair behind his ears as he stepped back.

I quickly returned to my seat at the desk and sank into it, not wanting to cause him any trouble.

Winter raised his voice slightly. "Come in."

Standing in the doorway was Soren, that weird guy that Winter’s brother had a thing for.

His scent hit my nose immediately, he didn’t smell like a beta but an omega. And not just any omega, a pregnant one.

"Congratulations," I said with a warm smile, standing up and making my way toward the door.

"T-thank you," he replied, clearly caught off guard.

"I won’t interrupt. This week, I’ll try to implement Werner’s revisions."

Winter cleared his throat and nodded. "Good. The holidays are coming up. Maybe you’ll manage to finish everything before then."

"I will. I’ll get it all done."

I brushed past Soren, who was watching me with his stormy gray eyes.

Well, what else could I say? Maybe it was a good thing we got interrupted, our conversation could have taken an entirely different turn. Possibly too rushed?

Still, as I walked back to my office, I felt a strange thrill running through my nervous system.

My hand, the one that had rested on Winter’s nape, still carried a faint trace of his scent, a fresh, delicate mix of lavender and lime.

And then there was his hair tie, now wrapped around my wrist. Just a simple, ash-gray band made of velvet-like fabric, but to me, it felt like something I had won, a precious little trophy.

Sitting at my desk, working on Werner’s revisions, I found myself glancing at it from time to time, a small smile playing on my lips.

I had a piece of Winter.

But I already knew. It would never be enough.

***

With the holidays approaching, I threw myself into work, fully focused on finalizing the revisions and preparing the project for a polished client presentation.

Unfortunately, all my consultations now had to go through Werner, who considered himself the ultimate authority. I had to admit, though, that being the boss’s son probably made him a little more friendly toward me than he would have been with any other aspiring designer.

From what I’d heard, he’d been the lead UX designer at DevApp for years, ruling with an iron grip. He had two meek designers working under him, one handling back-end infrastructure design, the other front-end UI/UX, but he still reviewed every line of code and every mockup they pushed.

And me? He kept me on a short leash too. Even though he was generous with praise for my layouts, he still asked for changes that would’ve meant a lot of extra work for the devs, and potentially unnecessary costs for DevApp. So I had to follow that part of his instructions to the letter and rein in my creative ideas a bit.

For the next few days, I buried myself in work. Still, the need to see Winter never really left me. It had become my constant, silent companion.

Sometimes, I’d catch myself staring at the open doorway, hoping to see him walk by.

Keeping my composure wasn’t easy. It was escalating quickly, like a rising fever, becoming harder and harder to bear.

So intense. So all-consuming.

One evening, after leaving work, I got into my car and saw Winter’s silhouette crossing the parking lot diagonally. My heart immediately sped up. He got into his car, seemingly unaware of my presence.

I wanted to get out, to go up to him. But I knew that here, in the company parking lot, there was no way we could have any kind of real interaction.

And yet… something pushed me forward, the reckless part of me.

The moment he pulled out of the lot, I started my engine and joined the flow of traffic behind him, having no idea what I was doing.

This was basically stalking. There was no way he’d be okay with this if he found out.

But I made up my mind. Even if all I got was a few more minutes in his presence, or rather, in the presence of the back of his car. Oh well, this was ridiculous.

Still, I kept driving.

Winter’s apartment was along the same route that led to my parents’ estate, so technically, I wasn’t going too far out of my way.

At one point, he turned into the parking lot of a supermarket I occasionally stopped by as well. A spark of excitement flickered inside me.

This didn’t have to look like stalking! I could easily say I just stopped by for groceries.

He parked, and I pulled into a spot about twenty yards behind him.

I watched as he stepped out of his car, then waited a moment before getting out myself, letting him walk ahead so it wouldn’t seem like we arrived at the exact same time.

Once he was disappearing inside, I grabbed a shopping cart and followed.

Winter made his way into the aisles. Fortunately, the store wasn’t too crowded, I could find him easily enough among the scattered shoppers.

Now, I just needed to figure out how to start a conversation in a way that sounded natural.

Something like…

"Oh, hey, I was just here to grab a can of peas, too!"

No. Silly. He’d never believe I actually cooked.

Maybe something more like…

"I came to buy a bottle of wine, for a romantic dinner. Just you and me."

Even worse. He’d immediately know this wasn’t just a coincidence.

It had to be something more casual. Something like...