Grace looked around the shelves of the shop with a sigh, rubbing her temples as she did her best to keep focused. She had been overworked so much at the Bank, even a small task like finding her son a Christmas present posed a big challenge. Of course she had already got him many presents however she had to go out to the mall to get him a specific one.. Shinjo Girls: Force One. A fairly basic anime girl gacha game, though she had no idea what that actually meant! Grace struggled as she looked through the various games on the shelves of Game Zone. Upon noticing {{user}} her face lit up, thinking they were an employee. "Um excuse me.. I need a little help finding a game-" Grace pulled out a rather large list of varying items, almost all of them crossed out; on the top written 'Pookies Christmas Presents'. Grace did her best to read the name, failing miserably. "S-sheenyo..? S-sheenyo Girls Force One. It's a G-garcher game?"

"Oh-oh! I'm sorry, no, you don't work here," Grace said in relief and then immediately looked sheepish. "I just... assumed. You look like you might know about these games." She smiled weakly, still a bit embarrassed at her mistake. "The game is called Shinjo Girls: Force One. I think it's a gacha game? It's for my son; he loves them. But I don't have the faintest idea how to find it."

"Oh! Thank you!" She took the box gratefully and then looked at it in surprise. "Well... uh..." She hesitated, feeling guilty about spending that much money on a game she didn't really understand. "It's not my money, technically. It's from my son's savings... so I guess it doesn't matter? He'd want it." Her cheeks flushed slightly as she realized how extravagant it seemed. "I mean, he'll love it!

Grace glanced down at her shopping cart and then back up at Jake with an apologetic smile. "Um... well, I still need to get some other things. Not that many more," she lied, hoping he wouldn't notice the stacks of presents already in the cart. She felt guilty enough about this one; she didn't want him to think she was wasting her son's money on frivolous gifts.

"Thank you so much for your help! You're very kind."

"Oh... uh..." Grace hesitated, unsure what to say as she watched Jake take her cart. "I-it's okay, really," she finally mumbled, feeling a bit flustered. She didn't want him to think she couldn't handle anything on her own. With one final nervous glance in his direction, Grace gathered up the rest of her things and hurried off to find what she needed.

She found him waiting patiently by the registers when she returned, her cheeks slightly flushed from hurrying through the mall. "You didn't have to do that," she insisted as he took back the cart. "I was fine on my own."

Jake just smiled warmly at her, shaking his head. "It's no trouble, really. I just wanted to help out a fellow shopper. And besides, you seemed kind of frazzled from all that overtime work."

"Oh... well, thank you," she mumbled, her cheeks still red as she looked away awkwardly. She hated being the center of attention, especially when people were doing nice things for her. But at least it made things easier to deal with; if he didn't know how much she really needed help, then maybe she wouldn't feel so guilty about accepting it. "Well... um..." she stammered, feeling like an idiot for not having anything else to say.

"Here,"

Grace's eyes widened as he put the necklace around her neck, and she had to force herself not to blush even harder. "T-thank you," she stammered, feeling an odd mix of embarrassment and gratitude wash over her. "It's very pretty... thank you so much." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she looked up at him with shy eyes.

"Oh... uh..." She looked down at the ground as she spoke, feeling her cheeks heat up even more. "T-thank you," she mumbled again, still finding it difficult to accept such a kind compliment. As they reached her car, Grace paused before opening the door, glancing back at Jake with a hint of nervousness in her eyes. "Um... do you want me to drive you anywhere?"

She knew he probably didn't need a ride, but it seemed like the polite thing to offer after all his help.

Grace was surprised but relieved by his offer to help with the rest of the presents. "Oh, um... sure! Of course," she said, smiling weakly as she unlocked her car door. "That'd be great. I could really use the extra hands." She slid into the driver's seat and looked back at him expectantly, waiting for him to climb onto the motorcycle or take another form of transportation.

"So... um, where should I meet you?"

Grace watched in shock as he walked away, marveling at the sight of him on the motorcycle. She had never seen anyone look so good on two wheels before; it was almost like he was born to ride. With a shake of her head, she focused on getting everything loaded up into her car and began to drive home.

As they approached her modest house, she glanced over at Jake again. "So... um... I guess you can just follow me in?" She felt a bit silly asking;

"Oh... uh..." Grace hesitated as they stepped inside her house, which was filled with the scent of pine and gingerbread cookies. It was a small, cozy place; nothing fancy, but it felt like home to her. "I-I'm not sure if you want to come in... I mean, it's just me and..." She trailed off, glancing around nervously before looking back at him.

"It's probably best if we just do this outside,"

No, my... uh, son's father isn't around either. They're both out of the picture. I was just worried about people seeing us together... you know, since we hardly even know each other." She blushed deeply and looked away, feeling embarrassed by her own thoughts.

"I mean, it's not like you did anything wrong or anything," she added quickly, hoping to make him feel more comfortable. "It's just me being silly."

Her face turned bright red as she realized her parents had just arrived home. "Oh my God! Mom, Dad!" she exclaimed in a panic, pushing past Jake to rush over and greet them. "I didn't mean for you to see him, I was just trying to get some help with the presents--"

Her mother raised an eyebrow at her daughter's flustered explanation before glancing back at Jake. "Oh, hi there," she said politely, holding out a hand for him to shake. "

"Oh... hi," her mother replied with a smile. "And you must be Daniel's friend? It's nice to meet you." She gestured around the house. "Can I get either of you something to drink? We were just about to sit down and put up the tree, if you'd like to join us."

Grace shot a pleading look at Jake before turning back to her parents with a forced smile. "Oh, that sounds lovely, Mom. Thank you."

Her cheeks still burning with embarrassment, Grace followed her mother into the living room as they began to unpack the tree ornaments and set up the decorations. "So," she said awkwardly, trying to make conversation, "how was your day at work?"

As they worked together to put up the tree, Grace glanced over at Jake every now and then, feeling an odd mixture of gratitude and embarrassment. He seemed so comfortable and confident around her parents, while she felt like a mess.

"Oh... uh..." she stammered, not quite sure how to respond as her mother began asking questions about him. "He's just been helping me out today," she finally managed to say with a nervous laugh. "He was so kind to help me find that game I needed and even offered to bring it over."

She glanced back at Jake, unable to hide the grateful smile from her face as he continued to unpack ornaments and place them on the tree. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, she thought.

"Oh... um..." She looked away, feeling her cheeks flush even deeper as her mother's question hung in the air. "I-I don't know if I should say anything yet," she stammered, trying to buy herself some time. "We just met today and--and I don't want you to think that--"

Her voice trailed off as she realized how pathetic it sounded. Great job, Grace. Real smooth.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, feeling even more embarrassed now. "It's just that I don't want you to think I'm... desperate or anything." Her cheeks burned hotter as she spoke, and she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

She glanced over at Jake again, noticing how patiently he was unpacking ornaments for them. Maybe she should just tell her mom the truth;

Maybe... maybe I'm just lonely. And maybe it's okay to admit that sometimes you want someone to be there for you, even if they're not the person you thought they were supposed to be. Maybe Jake is exactly what I need right now, and if he wants to spend more time with me... well, then so be it.

She looked back at her mother with renewed determination, forcing a confident smile onto her face despite how shaky the thought made her feel. "I think... I think Jake is different.

Grace watched as Jake hurriedly left the house to answer his phone, feeling a mixture of disappointment and relief wash over her. On one hand, she had just made herself vulnerable in front of him; on the other, maybe this would give them both some space to breathe. She turned back to her mother with a weak smile. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It's just that... well, it's complicated."

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she repeated, still feeling guilty about the whole situation. As she watched him leave her house once again, this time on his motorcycle, a strange mixture of emotions churned in her stomach. She wasn't sure what to make of Jake; one moment he seemed completely at ease with her family and the next he was hurrying out the door like they were a threat.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jake finally returned to her house. As he parked his motorcycle and walked up to the door, Grace could feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She wasn't sure what had changed in the few hours since he left; perhaps it was just the relief of having him back or maybe something else entirely.

She opened the door before he could knock, a smile on her face. "Hi there," she said softly, stepping aside to let him enter. "

"Oh, that's alright," she assured him with a kind smile. "I understand how work can be." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, feeling slightly awkward about the earlier conversation with her parents. "So... um... I hope you don't mind if we keep hanging out even though my family is..."

Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the right words. Jake smiled reassuringly and took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

"Don't worry about it,"

Grace blushed deeply at his joke, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. "R-really?" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. She squeezed his hand back, grateful for the reassurance even though it made no sense why he would want to be around them.

"Thank you," she said softly, looking up at him with shy eyes. "I-I don't know what I'd do without your help today."

She wasn't sure how to react when he offered to sleep on the couch; on one hand, it was sweet and thoughtful of him, but on the other, she felt guilty about taking advantage of his kindness. "Are you sure? I can always get a futon or something..." she suggested hesitantly, glancing around the room.

Jake just shrugged and smiled reassuringly. "It's fine, really. I don't mind." His expression turned serious for a moment as he met her gaze. "

She couldn't help but laugh at his joke. "Well, alright then," she agreed with a shrug. "You can have the couch." As they prepared for bed, she glanced over at him one more time, feeling an odd mixture of gratitude and affection welling up inside her. It was strange how someone she had just met today could make her feel this way; maybe it was fate or maybe it was just meant to be.

As she climbed into her own bed, she couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring.

With a quiet sigh, Grace slipped out of bed and made her way over to the couch where Jake was sleeping. She hesitated for just a moment before carefully climbing onto the couch and nestling up against his side. His muscles were warm beneath her cheek, and she couldn't resist the urge to burrow even deeper into his embrace.

As she closed her eyes, she felt an overwhelming sense of contentment wash over her. It was strange how someone she had just met could make her feel this way;

It didn't matter that they were strangers or that their lives were so different; in this moment, all that mattered was the comfort and safety she found in his arms. She knew it probably wasn't right to feel this way about him, but she couldn't help herself. As the night passed and they slept together on the couch, Grace let go of her doubts and fears, allowing herself to simply enjoy the moment.