CHAPTET|19
1237 Words
Aiden's POV
I had just reached for another pack of cereal when a loud crash came behind me. Glass, plastic, and metal hit the floor together.
The kind of sound that makes an entire room stop. I turned immediately and people nearby were already looking in the same direction.
A full display near the next row had fallen bottles rolled across the floor, boxes scattered and right in the middle of it stood Amarahh.
Now she was half down, one knee bent awkwardly, one hand trying to catch herself against the shelf beside her.
For a second she looked completely frozen. Her breathing looked wrong from where I stood.
Fast, uneven and her eyes were not focused on the broken display.
They were searching the supermarket as she expected danger to appear from somewhere else.
I dropped what I was holding and moved fast. By the time I reached her, a small crowd had already started gathering.
People always gather quickly when there is noise, some whisper immediately.
A woman near the next aisle shook her head. "That entire stand fell."
A man beside her added, "Those imported bottles are expensive."
Another voice came from behind. "Someone will pay for that."
I ignored all of them. "Amarahh."
She looked up at me like she had only just remembered where she was. Her face had gone pale, her hands were shaking badly.
"I am sorry.” She said immediately, almost breathless. "I am very sorry."
I crouched slightly. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head too quickly. "I…no... I just-"
Her voice failed. I noticed a bottle had broken near her foot.
I reached for her arm. "Stand up slowly."
She obeyed, though her body still looked unsteady. The moment she stood fully, she looked past me again, scanning the crowd.
That fear in her eyes stayed there; not embarrassment, not simple shock, fear.
Strong enough that even now she looked like she was trying to locate someone.
"What happened?" I asked quietly.
But before she answered, two supermarket staff arrived. One man first, then a woman carrying a tablet.
The male staff member looked at the floor and sighed sharply, bent briefly to inspect the broken products.
"This entire row is damaged."
Amarahh immediately lowered her head. "I am sorry I did not mean-"
The woman interrupted before she finished looking at the fallen display and then directly at Amarahh.
"Madam, this was not a staff issue. You knocked it over."
"I am sorry." Amarahh repeated.
"I understand, but damaged goods must be paid for."
A few people nearby kept whispering. Someone quietly said, "That looks costly."
Another added, "Those imported drinks alone..."
Amarahh looked down at the broken bottles like the number had already frightened her before hearing it.
The man checked quickly and spoke after calculating. "This section includes imported bottles, packaged jars, and shelf damage."
He looked at the tablet. "The total is eight thousand four hundred dollars."
I even paused briefly.
Amarahh lifted her head sharply. "What?"
Her voice almost disappeared after that single word. "I cannot—"
She stopped herself. Of course, she could not.
Even the look on her face said she already knew that amount belonged to a world far from hers.
The woman crossed her arms. "It is store policy."
Amarahh looked close to panic again. "I did not do it on purpose."
"We understand, but the products are still damaged."
The crowd had not fully dispersed, which only made the moment worse. I took my card out before the discussion could continue.
"I will pay."
Both staff looked at me properly, then recognition came quickly once they saw who stood there.
The tone changed immediately:“Oh...sir-"
"Process it," I said.
The cashier straightened quickly. "Yes, sir."
Amarahh turned to me immediately. "No."
I looked at her. "It is done."
"I cannot allow-"
"You are not allowing anything."
Her eyes filled with fresh shame. "I caused it."
"And we are standing in public. Enough."
The staff quickly moved to process payment within minutes, and the card machine returned.
I completed it without another word. The man apologized for the inconvenience, suddenly polite enough to almost overdo it.
The crowd slowly dispersed now that there was nothing left to watch as workers began lifting fallen goods.
Amarahh stood beside me looking unable to settle herself. "I am sorry." She whispered again.
Then again as we moved away and again when we reached the next row.
By the time we reached checkout, she had apologized enough that even my patience with repetition started thinning.
"I heard you for the first time."
"I should not have caused that."
"What happened?"
The question came directly now because I had watched her face before the crash that had not looked like ordinary clumsiness.
She hesitated too long, then answered too carefully. "I lost balance."
"No."
Her eyes lifted briefly.
"You looked frightened before the shelf fell."
She looked away immediately. "It was nothing."
That answer was false and obvious. I studied her face and the colour had not fully returned.
Even now her fingers still tightened around the shopping bag. "What did you see?"
"Nothing important."
Again, too fast a lie, clearly, but I also knew when pushing someone only closed them further.
So I let the silence sit then waved it off. "Fine."
We walked back toward the car without more questions.
During the drive to the hotel she kept apologizing quietly, though less often now.
"I will repay you."
I almost laughed at that, but did not. "Forget it."
"I mean it."
"You fainted last week from not eating properly, focus on surviving first."
That made her go quiet. The rest of the ride passed without much speech. When we reached the hotel entrance, night had already settled properly.
Hotel lights reflected across the entrance floor. The staff moved luggage for other guests and the driver took the shopping bags first.
I stepped out and Amarahh followed carefully behind.
We had barely reached the lobby entrance when a familiar sharp voice cut through the space.
"Aiden."
Vanessa.
She walked toward us fast enough that something was clearly wrong. She looked tense, no usual calm in her expression.
Her eyes moved once to Amarahh before returning to me. "My bracelet is missing."
I frowned immediately. "What bracelet?"
"My emerald bracelet."
She lifted her wrist and the empty space there was obvious. "The one I wore this evening."
"I removed it before dinner."
"When?"
"In the suite."
She looked angry now. "I checked everywhere."
A small pause then her eyes shifted again, this time fully toward Amarahh. Too directly and too deliberately, I noticed Amarahh still beside me.
Vanessa spoke again, voice colder now. "It is not there."
I understood the direction of her thought before she said more.
"Who entered the room?" I asked.
"You tell me."
Then she answered herself. "The children, me, staff... and her."
Amarahh's fingers tightened instantly around the bag she held. "I did not touch anything," she said quietly.
Vanessa did not even look at her while replying. "I have not asked yet."
That silence in the lobby became uncomfortable immediately even the nearby hotel staff noticed something tense was happening.
Vanessa faced me again. "Call the police."
The words landed hard enough that even I looked at her twice.
"It is an expensive piece, Aiden."
Her voice stayed sharp. "And I want it found tonight."
- Writer
