Soulbound

OFF THE CLOCK

Finally, the weekend came.

It was the day of the housewarming party. Abby and Alia had just stepped out of their apartment building, planning to head to the store to pick out a nice gift for their new neighbors.

Just as they reached the sidewalk, they saw Tyrone walking out of the big house across the street. Instead of his sharp office suit, he was wearing simple, comfortable clothes—a soft hoodie and sweatpants.

"Good morning, ladies!" Tyrone called out with a bright wave, flashing his usual cheerful smile as he jogged across the street toward them.

"Morning!" Abby greeted happily. "Are you getting busy for the party later?"

"Just doing some last-minute prep," Tyrone chuckled, adjusting his sleeves. "Daico is inside setting up the food, and Aidan is... well, being Aidan."

As the two of them chatted easily, Alia watched them quietly. She couldn't help but notice how quickly Abby and Tyrone had gotten comfortable with each other. It was surprising, but she decided not to say anything about it out loud. Relationships in their office world could be tricky, and she didn't want to make things awkward or change the fun mood.

"We're actually on our way to the store to get you guys a housewarming gift," Abby added, giving Tyrone a friendly nudge. "Is there anything specific you need?"

"Oh, you really don't have to!" Tyrone laughed, his eyes twinkling. "Your presence is more than enough. But if you're offering... maybe bring some sweet snacks?"

Alia smiled small, feeling a little less nervous about the evening ahead.

While Abby and Tyrone were busy chatting, Alia took a quick glance past Tyrone into the open front door of the big house. She was curious. What did a strict, powerful executive director like Aidan wear on a normal weekend?

She kept looking, trying to spot him, but saw nothing until heavy footsteps splashed near the entryway.

Aidan walked out of the house—and he was dripping wet from head to toe. His hair was plastered to his forehead, his shirt completely soaked, and walking right behind him was a big, equally wet Golden Retriever shaking water off its golden fur.

Tyrone, Abby, and Alia all froze, staring in total shock. How often would anyone ever see the cool, untouchable Director Aidan looking like a drowned cat? It was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.

Aidan's face flushed red with deep embarrassment. He quickly wiped water from his eyes and glared at the dog.

"Tyrone, can you please get this dog under control?" Aidan grumbled, looking thoroughly defeated.

"Oh my gosh!" Abby gasped. "What happened?!"

"A pipe in the downstairs bathroom burst while we were giving the dog a bath," Tyrone explained, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "We sealed it temporarily, but water went everywhere. We really need a real plumber to fix it today, or we won't have water for the party tonight."

Seeing her boss so flustered and helpless made Alia forget her own awkwardness.

"Let us help," Alia offered right away, stepping forward with Abby. "My uncle is a local plumber and lives just five minutes away. I can call him to fix it right now!"

While Alia's uncle was busy in the bathroom fixing the broken pipe, Abby and Alia sat on the porch floor with heavy towels, gently wiping down the wet Golden Retriever.

"Where did he come from?" Alia asked Tyrone, rubbing the dog's soft ears. "He wasn't with you guys when you moved in."

"We think he's a lost dog," Tyrone replied, kneeling down to pat the dog's back. "He showed up at our porch last night, completely soaked from the rain. We'll try to find his owner, but for now, he's staying with us."

Just then, footsteps echoed down the stairs. Aidan walked into the living room, wearing clean, simple weekend clothes—a dark fitted shirt and casual pants. He looked much more relaxed, though his hair was still slightly damp. He was holding his car keys in his hand.

"Are you going somewhere, boss?" Tyrone asked.

"I'm going to the grocery store," Aidan said, tossing the keys slightly in his hand. "We need extra groceries and supplies for tonight."

Hearing that, Abby gave Alia a subtle nudge with her elbow.

"Alia can go with you, Director Aidan!" Abby piped up with a bright, innocent smile. "She needs to buy a few things for our apartment anyway. I'll stay here and help Tyrone finish cleaning up."

Alia turned her head sharply toward Abby, her eyes wide with shock. She opened her mouth to refuse, but looking around at the cluttered living room and the dripping towels, she knew they really did need all the help they could get.

Before Alia could even think of a polite excuse, Aidan tossed a reusable shopping bag straight into her lap.

"Let's go then," Aidan said, turning toward the front door. He paused for a second and looked back at her. "And don't call me Director outside office hours."

Meanwhile, back at the house, Tyrone stood in the kitchen watching Daico effortlessly set out rows of catered trays, snacks, and chilled beverages.

Tyrone smirked to himself, leaning against the counter with a quiet chuckle.

He hadn't said a single word to Aidan in the driveway, but the truth was, every bit of the food and groceries for the party had already been completely taken care of. Daico had ordered everything early that morning, and Aidan knew it.

In fact, when Aidan woke up today, he hadn't cared even a little bit about throwing a housewarming party. He had grumbled about the noise, the human food, and the hassle. But the second he saw Alia standing out on the porch in her casual weekend clothes, his whole mood had instantly shifted. Suddenly, going to the grocery store to buy "party supplies" with her was the most urgent mission of the day.

"He really thinks he's being subtle, doesn't he?" Tyrone said, watching Daico neatly arrange the fruit platter.

Daico didn't even look up from the counter, his expression completely blank. "He spent three hundred years following the ledger without a single complaint. Now he's driving a mortal to the supermarket for potato chips."

"Hey, cut the boss some slack," Tyrone laughed, tossing an apple into the air and catching it. "The ledger gave her thirty days, but I give him less than a week before he forgets he's a Grim Reaper entirely."

Inside the sleek black car, the quiet hum of the engine filled the air as Aidan navigated through the neighborhood streets toward the nearby Grocery store.

Alia adjusted her seatbelt slightly, sneaking a quick side glance at him. He kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, one hand casually resting on the top of the steering wheel. Seeing him in simple weekend clothes instead of his tailored suits made him look surprisingly approachable, though he still carried that quiet, powerful presence that always seemed to fill the room.

"So," Alia started, breaking the silence as she held the reusable shopping bag in her lap. "Are you really going to let us buy everything? You know Abby and I brought our wallets to pay for our share."

Aidan didn't take his eyes off the street, but his brow twitched slightly. "I am driving, and I invited the neighborhood. You are a guest. I have no intention of letting you pay for my party."

"Technically, Abby invited herself and the rest of us," Alia chuckled softly, her shoulders relaxing. "She can be pretty unstoppable when she gets an idea in her head."

"She is... energetic," Aidan remarked, his low voice carrying a faint hint of amusement. "Tyrone seems to match her pace quite well."

"They really do," Alia agreed with a smile. "They sound like they've known each other for years, even though they just met."

Aidan paused for a second as he slowed the car down at a red light. He glanced over at her, his dark eyes taking in the soft, relaxed expression on her face. For three hundred years, he had only seen mortals in their final moments—panicked, exhausted, or weeping. But sitting right next to him now, free from the heavy shadow of death that had almost claimed her two nights ago, Alia looked remarkably light and alive.

"And you?" Aidan asked quietly, turning his gaze back to the windshield as the light turned green. "Are you always this quiet around new people?"

Alia blinked, taken aback by the gentle question. She smoothed down the edge of her jacket and offered a small, thoughtful smile. "I guess I just take a little time to get used to things. The last few years at work were... pretty overwhelming, so I got used to keeping to myself."

She looked out the window as the busy storefronts blurred past.

"To be honest," she added softly, "this is the first weekend in a really long time where I haven't felt like my chest was tightly squeezed by stress. It feels nice."

Aidan felt a subtle prickle of satisfaction deep in his chest. He tightened his grip slightly on the wheel, his voice steady and low.

"Then make sure it stays that way today," Aidan said, pulling the car smoothly into the grocery store parking lot. "No work, no Cindy, and no stress."

Alia looked over at him, surprised by the directness in his voice. "Easier said than done when you work in marketing," she said with a small, wry chuckle, though the warmth in her eyes betrayed how touched she was by his words.

Aidan parked the car in an open spot near the store entrance and turned off the ignition. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he turned slightly in his seat to face her.

"Marketing or not, today is your day off," he stated, his tone carrying the quiet authority of someone used to enforcing absolute rules. "Consider it a command from your executive director."

Alia couldn't help the light laugh that escaped her lips. "Yes, boss," she teasingly replied, stepping out of the car.

They walked into the bright, air-conditioned supermarket together. Aidan grabbed a wide metal shopping cart, pushing it smoothly through the automatic sliding doors.

As they turned down the first aisle, Alia pulled out her phone to check a quick mental list. "Okay, so Tyrone said we need snacks, fruits, and drinks. Let's start with the snack aisle."

They strolled down the colorful rows of bags and boxes. Alia reached for a large bag of butter popcorn and a couple of packs of tortilla chips, dropping them into the cart. She turned to see Aidan staring intently at a shelf stacked high with various brands of potato chips, his dark eyebrows knitted together in serious concentration.

"Is something wrong?" Alia asked, amused by how intensely he was treating a simple snack choice.

"There are seventeen different varieties of barbecue," Aidan said, his voice completely flat, yet full of genuine perplexity. "Is there a functional difference between 'Smokey' and 'Sweet & Spicy', or is this merely a tactic to confuse consumers?"

Alia let out a soft burst of laughter, the sound echoing lightly down the quiet aisle. "It's just personal preference! Here, this one is the best," she said, picking up a bright red bag of sweet barbecue chips and placing it right into his hands. "Trust me."

Aidan looked down at the colorful bag in his hands, then up at Alia's bright, laughing face. The light catching her eyes made them sparkle, free from the heavy dark circles that had shadowed them at her office desk just two nights ago.

A quiet, unfamiliar warmth settled in his chest. For three hundred years, his life had been defined by strict black-and-white ledger entries, rigid deadlines, and the silent cold of taking souls. Yet here he stood in a mundane grocery store, learning about potato chips from a mortal girl whose short, extended life felt brighter than anything he had experienced in centuries.

"Very well," Aidan said softly, placing the bag neatly into the cart beside her choices. "I will trust your judgment."

Alia smiled, turning toward the fruit section. "Come on, let's go pick out some fresh strawberries and grapes before Abby texts us asking where we are."

Aidan pushed the cart beside her, a faint, rare smile lingering on his lips as he followed her down the aisle.

When they got back to the house, they found everything completely settled in. Stepping through the front door, Alia was surprised to see two familiar faces already sitting comfortably on the sofa—Frank and Georgina. The two were eating snacks, laughing, and chatting happily with Abby.

The moment Frank and Georgina caught sight of Aidan walking in, they both instinctively straightened up and scrambled to their feet, their eyes wide with corporate instinct.

Aidan gently gestured for them to sit back down, setting the shopping bags onto the counter.

"Please, stay seated," Aidan said, his voice calm and relaxed. "I'm not your boss outside of office hours, so please, just be casual."

Tyrone immediately chimed in with a wide grin, resting an arm on the back of the couch. "That's right! In this house, he's just Aidan. Don't be shy—feel free to drop the titles and just call him Aidan."

Frank and Georgina shared an uncertain glance, visibly shocked to hear their usually distant Executive Director speaking so casually.

"Well... if you say so, Mr.—I mean, Aidan," Frank said with a polite, slightly nervous laugh as he sat back down.

"It's true!" Abby added with a chuckle, handing Alia a glass of juice. "We've already banned all work talk for the night. Right, Alia?"

Alia smiled, feeling the lingering tension in her chest completely vanish. Looking around the cozy, bustling living room—from Frank and Georgina relaxing on the couch, to Tyrone laughing with Abby, and Aidan standing calmly beside her—she couldn't remember the last time a weekend had felt this light and easy.

Their housewarming and welcome party was in full swing. They decided to grill barbecue out in the yard while drinking some alcohol.

Abby, Georgina, Tyrone, and Frank were already out on the grass, dancing wild and loose to the upbeat music. They all looked like they were well on their way to getting drunk. Alia sat nearby, watching them and laughing.

Spotting her from across the yard, Abby and Frank grinned at each other. They rushed over, grabbed Alia by both hands, and pulled her right into the middle of their dance circle.

Alia didn't resist. A little tipsy herself, she started dancing along with Abby, her cheeks flushed red and her clear, happy laughter ringing out over the music.

Over by the smoking grill, Aidan and Daico were flipping skewers of meat. Aidan paused for a second, his dark eyes turning toward the circle. He watched Alia twirl around, completely free and full of joy.

Without even realizing it, a soft smile spread across his face.

She looks cute, he thought to himself.

Daico caught the rare look on his boss's face and slowly turned his head to glance at Tyrone. Tyrone, who was still dancing with a cup in his hand, caught Aidan's smile too.

They know that catching feelings wasn't their goal to begin with but this looks like a total epic romantic drama, the two especially Tyrone is enjoying this one.

While everyone was busy dancing, the dog suddenly burst out of his cage. He ran straight toward Tyrone, tackling him around the knees and sending him falling right onto the grass.

As Tyrone went down, the drink in his hand flew into the air and splashed all over the person standing closest to him—Alia.

Everyone froze in total shock, the upbeat music suddenly feeling very loud in the quiet yard.

"Oh no! Alia, I'm so sorry!" Tyrone groaned from the ground, the big golden dog happily licking his face.

Abby quickly hurried over to inspect the wet patch on Alia's top. "Do you want me to run back to our apartment and get you a fresh shirt?" she asked, looking worried.

"No, it's totally fine," Alia said with a small chuckle, shaking off the stray drops. "It's just a small spill. I just need to wipe it off."

"I have an extra towel upstairs in my room," Aidan offered, stepping over from the grill and handing his barbecue tongs to Daico. "Come on, I'll show you where it is."

Alia walked into Aidan's room and glanced around with quiet curiosity. His room was neat, simple, and surprisingly cozy, with clean lines and a faint, comforting scent of cedarwood and fresh rain.

While Alia was busy scanning his room, Aidan went straight to his dark wooden cabinet. He opened it up and pulled out a fresh, folded towel. After a brief pause, he opened another section of the cabinet and took out a crisp, light-colored button-up polo—one that still had the soft creases of being brand new and never worn.

He walked back over to her and handed both the towel and the shirt to Alia.

"Get changed in my bathroom," Aidan said softly, pointing to the door on the side of his room.

Alia didn't say anything to refuse. Looking down at her wet top, she simply agreed with a small nod, taking the soft towel and his oversized polo into her hands.

"Thank you, Aidan," she murmured, walking into the bathroom and gently closing the door behind her.

A few minutes later, a short scream echoed from inside the bathroom. Outside in the yard, the rest of the group was far too busy partying and dancing to notice. Only Aidan, who was still waiting in his room, heard the sudden noise.

Aidan rushed toward the bathroom door. He knocked twice hard. "Alia? Is everything alright?"

No one answered.

Fearing the worst, he twisted the handle and opened the door to get inside.

He found Alia standing under the shower, soaking wet and desperately trying to turn off the stuck valve. Water was pouring down all over her. Aidan stood stunned for a second—the oversized white polo she had put on was now drenched and clinging to her skin, becoming completely see-through.

Alia turned her head and looked up at him, her lips trembling.

"It's cold," Alia said softly, her voice shaking as she tried her best to hold back her tears.

This is so embarrassing, she thought, wrapping her arms around herself, her face burning with deep embarrassment.