Chương 79: Chapter 37 : Part 2 : The Little Habits

By the time the truck returned to the depot, the light was already beginning to fade between the buildings. Patrick parked the vehicle while Karim climbed down to open the rear doors. It had been a long day, but the team spent a few more minutes putting away the equipment. The moving blankets were folded, the straps were hung back on their hooks, and the dollies were returned to the wall of the warehouse. Aldric made one final check to ensure nothing had been left inside the truck before closing the doors.

Lucas was heading toward the locker room when he noticed a car parked on the other side of the gate. He immediately slowed down, looked at the driver through the windshield, then turned toward Aldric.

"Looks like someone's waiting for you." Aldric followed his gaze and recognized Emma at once. She was sitting behind the wheel with one hand resting on her phone, but she looked up at the same moment. As soon as she saw him, she smiled and raised a hand. Patrick came out of the warehouse with the job sheets tucked under one arm.

"Everything put away?"

"Yes," Aldric replied.

"Perfect. Have a good evening!" Lucas walked past him and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"See you tomorrow, Knight!" Karim, who was finishing up by closing one of the truck's compartments, simply gave a small wave.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Aldric replied. He collected his bag from the locker room and crossed the parking lot. Emma unlocked the passenger door as he approached. Aldric opened it, placed his bag at his feet, sat down beside her, and fastened his seat belt.

"Good evening," he said.

"Good evening. Did you have a good day?"

"Yes. We moved the contents of three homes." Emma started the car.

"Three? You didn't stop all day."

"We took a lunch break."

"Thankfully." She pulled out of the parking lot and joined the traffic. For the next few minutes, they moved slowly between the cars filling the street.

"And you?" he asked.

"Did your day go well?" Emma let out a quiet laugh.

"That depends on what you mean by 'well.'""Did a problem occur?"

"I had a client who wanted to visit six apartments in a single day. He rejected almost every neighborhood and insisted on having a terrace, two bedrooms, an elevator, and an unobstructed view for less than one thousand euros a month."

"That request seems unrealistic."

"It was."

"Why didn't you simply explain that his objective was impossible?"

"I did. Several times. But he thought I was deliberately keeping the best apartments for other clients."

"For what purpose?"

"Excellent question." Emma stopped at a red light and ran a hand across her forehead. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"After the fourth viewing, he asked if I could negotiate three hundred euros off the rent because he thought the kitchen was too small."

"Did the landlord agree?"

"I didn't even ask."

"That was probably the wiser decision."

"Then he wanted to visit the first apartment again because he'd forgotten what the bathroom looked like."

"He should have taken notes."

"That's exactly what I told him. Or to take pictures."

"You could also have advised him to make a list of his priorities before starting the viewings."

"You know you're starting to sound like a real estate agent? You can recognize an impossible request, organize priorities, and tell someone they need to adjust their expectations. That's already a large part of the job." The light turned green, and she pulled away.

"I prefer my current job."

"Why?"

"Furniture rarely complains." Emma burst out laughing.

"That's true. So, how did your day with Lucas go?"

"He asked whether I would rather fight a dragon or carry a Norman wardrobe up to the fourth floor."

"And what did you tell him?"

"That a dragon generally has an identifiable weakness, unlike a Norman wardrobe." Emma laughed even harder.

"And how did he react?"

"He said I was starting to develop a sense of humor."

"He might not be wrong."

"It was not a joke." That clarification only made her laugh harder. When she finally managed to catch her breath, she shook her head.

"I think that's exactly why it was funny."

"I still fail to understand that logic."

"Don't worry. A lot of people don't understand it either." They drove on for a few more minutes before Emma turned onto a different street from the one leading to her apartment.

"We're not going straight home?"

"I need to do a bit of grocery shopping. I was planning to cook something tonight, but my refrigerator is almost empty." She parked in front of a supermarket. Aldric got out of the car and picked up a shopping basket near the entrance before Emma even had a chance to ask. A few months earlier, a simple trip to a store had required lengthy explanations. Aldric had examined every aisle as though he were entering a royal storeroom, questioned the purpose of every package, and compared prices.

Today, he followed Emma straight to the produce section without slowing down.

"I need tomatoes," she said. Aldric examined the different varieties before selecting several.

"These ones are firmer. They'll keep better if you want to store them for several days." Emma picked up one of the tomatoes and turned it over in her hand.

"Since when do you know how to choose tomatoes?"

"Since I bought some that were too ripe and they became unusable before the end of the week."

"Experience is a merciless teacher."

"Indeed." They continued through the store. Emma added zucchini, onions, and a lettuce to the basket while Aldric checked the condition of each item. When they reached the pasta aisle, she hesitated between two packages.

"Which one do you prefer?" Aldric examined the cooking times.

"These require nine minutes. The others require eleven."

"That wasn't exactly my question."

"Their ingredients appear to be almost identical."

"So?"

"The first ones save us two minutes." Emma placed the package into the basket.

"Argument accepted." They then reached the pasta sauce aisle. Emma picked up a jar, quickly read the label, then put it back down.

"Too much sugar," Aldric observed. She turned toward him.

"You checked the label?"

"You explained that I should always check the ingredients before buying a prepared product."

"I did, but I didn't expect you to do it every single time."

"Why teach a method if it is not meant to be applied?" Emma smiled before choosing a different jar. The moment reminded her of their first grocery trip together. Back then, Aldric had asked why some fruits were sold all year round, why thirty different brands offered almost the same product, and how food could remain edible for several months. Now, he knew the layout of the store, compared prices, and even knew which brands Emma usually bought. They then passed the household supplies aisle.

Aldric picked up a package of trash bags without consulting Emma.

"You're almost out."

"How do you know that?"

"The last roll was almost empty when I came over on Tuesday."

"You really notice everything."

"Not everything."

"Almost everything." He placed the trash bags into the basket before continuing. Emma picked up some cheese, eggs, and a bottle of fruit juice. She checked the shopping list she had made before leaving home, then headed toward the checkout.

"We're missing butter. You said in the car that you wanted to cook. There was almost none left in your refrigerator."

"I completely forgot." They turned around and went back to the refrigerated section. Aldric found the butter and placed it in the basket. Emma watched him with a smile. A few months earlier, he still hadn't known why butter had to be kept cold. He had needed help telling cream apart from milk, gotten lost between the different aisles, and treated a shopping list like a mission briefing. Now, he was the one reminding her of what she had forgotten.

"What?" Aldric asked, noticing her expression.

"Nothing."

"You're smiling."

"I'm allowed to smile."

"I never disputed that." Emma shook her head before walking toward the checkout. They placed their groceries on the conveyor belt, and Aldric packed them into the bags, separating the fragile items from the heavier ones. He placed the eggs on top, balanced the weight between the two bags, then picked them both up before Emma could reach for them.

"I can carry one," she protested.

"I know."

"Then why are you carrying both?"

"Because they're light."

"For you, everything is light."

"Because they're already in my hands."

"You're impossible..." Emma burst out laughing as they left the supermarket.