Chapter 42

Grace Li had just moved into her new home. For Lunar New Year, she planned to take time off to celebrate. She would spend New Year's Eve and the first day at home, then visit her parents for a couple of days.

Aiden Thompson had planned a short trip—a three-day, two-night getaway to a coastal town in Rhode Island. It was their first trip together as a couple, and they had only been officially dating for a month.

Aiden booked the flights, and when Grace found out, she was surprised. She had assumed they would split the costs from the start.

Their flight was in the morning, and by the time they arrived at the town, it was early afternoon. They went straight to check in at their accommodations.

Aiden had booked a charming bed-and-breakfast, a beautifully restored wooden house with a garden full of colorful flowers—a tourist attraction in itself. He reserved two adjacent rooms.

The rooms had a cozy farmhouse aesthetic—simple yet elegant, making them feel especially welcoming.

During peak season, a place like this would cost at least $500 to $600 per night, and Aiden had covered it all. Grace figured he probably wouldn't ask her to split the cost, but she didn't want to let him pay for everything either. She needed to find a way to contribute without making it awkward.

She wasn't experienced in this—this was her first serious relationship.

So she did what any modern person would do—she looked it up online: How do couples split travel expenses without causing tension?

There were various responses. Some couples opened a joint travel fund, some tallied up expenses and split them evenly, while others took turns covering different parts of the trip.

After scrolling through several answers, Grace felt none of them quite fit their situation.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Aiden standing there, a warm smile on his face.

"The view here is incredible. Let's take a walk to the beach and find a place for dinner. After that, we can check out the waterfront at night."

He had everything planned out.

Grace nodded. "Sounds great."

Aiden checked his watch. "Take your time to rest. We'll head out in an hour."

"Oh, before you go," Grace said, reaching for his hand and pulling him inside.

Aiden looked at their joined hands, his smile deepening. "What's up?"

She let go and grabbed her phone. "I don't think it's fair for you to cover everything on this trip. I was thinking we could use my travel rewards credit card for some of the expenses. I've accumulated a lot of points, and it should cover most of the hotel cost. What do you think?"

Aiden raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "Grace, that's really thoughtful of you. Actually, I have an airline membership, so I got a discount on the flights. We should definitely take advantage of those perks. But if you'd rather split the total cost, that works for me too."

She considered it and nodded. "Yeah, splitting it sounds fair."

Aiden did a quick calculation. The whole trip was around $2,000. Grace transferred him $1,000 without hesitation.

He knew her well, even though they hadn't been together for long. She was independent and didn't like feeling indebted to anyone. She wouldn't enjoy the trip if she thought she was taking advantage of him. The best way to let her fully relax wasn't to cover everything himself—it was to respect her choices and make sure she felt comfortable.

The town had a sizable Chinese community, and a local festival was taking place for Lunar New Year. Red lanterns adorned the streets, and a lion dance performance was happening in the town square.

While watching the performance, a young British boy ran up excitedly. "What's this? It looks so cool!"

Grace smiled and crouched down. "This is a lion dance. We do this during Chinese New Year to welcome good fortune and chase away bad luck."

The boy's eyes widened. "Wow! Can I try?"

Aiden pointed to a group of volunteers nearby. "See those big kids over there? They're helping kids join in. You can ask them."

The boy beamed and ran off, leaving Grace and Aiden sharing an amused glance.

For years, Grace had been too busy with work, constantly traveling for business. Every trip had a purpose—meetings, reports, deadlines. She never had time to truly enjoy the places she visited.

But this time, it was different. This trip was just for fun.

Even though this town wasn't a major tourist spot, the streets were lively. Grace quickly got into the festive spirit, snapping pictures, dragging Aiden through the crowd, stopping by souvenir shops.

She looked nothing like the sharp, no-nonsense investment director who scrutinized every report and contract in her office.

Aiden had seen different sides of her before, but each one fascinated him.

Exploring a new town meant trying local food. Grace bought several snacks along the way, eventually stopping at a stand selling New England clam chowder—one of the region's specialties.

She bought two cups, the warm soup steaming in the cool night air, perfect for keeping their hands warm.

After taking a sip, she turned to Aiden. "This is really good. Try it."

"Sure."

She handed him her cup, expecting him to take it by the handle. Instead, he drank directly from the same spot she had just sipped from.

She blinked. "I drank from there."

Aiden grinned. "We've kissed, remember?"

He was referring to their brief, barely-there kiss—not exactly a full-fledged one.

Grace instinctively glanced around. There were people everywhere, and occasionally, some cast glances their way—probably because Aiden was objectively good-looking.

Lowering her voice, she said, "We're in public."

"Relax. No one here knows us." Aiden shrugged. "Besides, this is nothing. In New York, you see couples making out on the streets all the time. Just enjoy the moment."

She chuckled.

Aiden held out his cup. "Try mine."

Grace hesitated for a second before sipping from the exact spot he had drunk from.

Aiden watched her. "Good?"

She licked her lips and smiled. "Delicious."

By the time they strolled back to the bed-and-breakfast, it was already 10 PM.

The weather was still pleasant during the day, averaging around 50°F, but the temperature had dropped sharply at night—now it was down to 39°F. Neither of them had dressed for the chilly evening.

Without a word, Aiden slipped off his jacket and draped it over Grace's shoulders.

The coat was oversized on her, nearly reaching her calves.

He was left in just a fitted gray turtleneck. Grace frowned. "Aren't you cold?"

"I run warm."

She gave him a skeptical look. "That's what guys always say right before they catch a cold."

Aiden smirked. "I have a solution for that."

"What solution?"

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Having you as my personal heater."

She laughed but didn't pull away. Instead, she slipped her arms around his waist, holding him just as tightly.

Walking under the streetlights, their shadows overlapped on the pavement.

"You know," Grace mused, "I used to think couples walking like this were moving too slow and being overly clingy."

"And now?"

"Now I think I just didn't get it."

Aiden chuckled, his warm laughter filling the quiet night air. They strolled back to their rooms, wrapped in warmth—both from the coat and each other—looking forward to many more trips together.