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The little bell above the door jingled as Katie shoved her way into the tiny Żabka convenience store, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting everything in a pale greenish glow that somehow made the argument between her and Ewroon feel even sharper.
“You’re unbelievable,” she snapped, stalking past the shelves of chips and drinks.
Behind her, Ewroon let the door swing shut harder than necessary. “I’m unbelievable? You were literally about to leave again.”
“Because you were being annoying!”
“You always say that when you don’t wanna talk about stuff.”
Katie spun around so fast her ponytail whipped across her shoulder. “Maybe because every conversation with you turns into some weird guilt trip!”
For a second neither of them spoke. The silence sat heavy between the aisles.
Ewroon looked frustrated, jaw tight, dark eyes locked on her like he physically couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. Katie hated that look. Hated how it always made her chest ache.
Because no matter how toxic they got, no matter how many times they swore they were done with each other, somehow they always circled back.
Like gravity.
Like magnets.
Like something pulling their souls together whether they liked it or not.
Katie huffed and turned away again. “I’m leaving.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
She grabbed the door handle and yanked.
Nothing happened.
Katie blinked.
She pulled harder.
Still nothing.
“…Ewroon.”
He frowned and walked over. “What?”
“The door’s locked.”
“That’s impossible.”
“You literally locked it.”
“I didn’t—”
Then his expression changed.
Katie narrowed her eyes immediately. “What did you do?”
“…Maybe I locked it earlier.”
“EWROON.”
“And maybe,” he continued cautiously, “the keys are back at the Polish cave.”
Katie stared at him in disbelief.
“You LOCKED us in here?!”
“I didn’t mean to!”
“You absolutely meant to!”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay maybe a little.”
Her mouth fell open.
“I just didn’t want you leaving while we were arguing,” he admitted.
Katie threw her hands into the air dramatically. “You are INSANE.”
“And yet you keep coming back.”
That shut her up for half a second.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
She glared at him instead.
“You’re actually impossible.”
“And you’re dramatic.”
“Oh my god.”
Ewroon snorted softly despite himself, and Katie hated that the sound immediately weakened her anger.
The store suddenly felt smaller than before.
Tiny.
Warm.
Too close.
She sighed dramatically and slid down against one of the shelves until she was sitting on the floor beside stacks of bottled soda.
“Well,” she muttered, “guess we live here now.”
Ewroon sat beside her a moment later, their shoulders brushing.
Neither of them moved away.
After a while Katie mumbled, “Would’ve been better if we got trapped in my KFC instead.”
Ewroon turned slowly. “Excuse me?”
“At least there’d be better food.”
“You’re saying Żabka food sucks?”
“I’m saying your store sucks.”
“My store is amazing.”
Katie laughed. “You literally sell suspicious hot dogs that have probably existed since 2018.”
“They’re GOOD.”
“They’re terrifying.”
“You just don’t appreciate Polish culture.”
“You’re taking this personally.”
“Because you insulted Żabka.”
Katie groaned loudly. “You cannot be serious.”
“I am serious.”
“Oh my god, this is exactly why arguing with you is exhausting.”
His expression shifted slightly at that.
“Then stop arguing with me.”
Something about the way he said it made her chest tighten again.
Quieter.
More vulnerable.
Katie looked away first.
“…I didn’t mean your store sucked.”
“Yeah you did.”
“Okay maybe a little.”
He rolled his eyes.
Katie hesitated before scooting a tiny bit closer to him.
“Don’t be mad.”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“Ewroon.”
“What?”
Katie reached over carefully and grabbed his hand.
The irritation on his face visibly faltered.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
He looked down at their hands for a long moment.
Katie’s fingers tightened around his instinctively.
“Please, forgive me?”
“You’re so dramatic.”
“But are you forgiving me?”
“…Maybe.”
Katie leaned closer immediately. “Please?”
He tried to hold onto his annoyed expression, but it was impossible when she looked at him like that.
“Fine,” he muttered finally.
The second he said it, Katie grinned in relief.
Then both of them suddenly realized she was still holding his hand.
For a while.
A long while.
Katie immediately let go like she’d touched fire.
Both of them looked away at the exact same time.
The tips of Ewroon’s ears turned pink.
Katie pulled her knees to her chest, trying to hide the fact her face was burning too.
“That was weird,” she mumbled.
“Yeah.”
“…Really weird.”
“Very weird.”
Neither of them sounded convincing.
Hours seemed to crawl by after that.
They wandered around the tiny store restlessly, argued over snacks, made fun of expired products, and nearly started another fight over whether pineapple belonged on pizza.
Eventually Ewroon disappeared into the back storage room.
Katie followed after him curiously.
“What are you doing?”
“I found something.”
He emerged carrying a stack of dusty board games triumphantly.
Katie blinked. “Monopoly?”
“There’s also chess but you’d probably lose immediately.”
“Rude.”
“It’s true.”
Katie grabbed Monopoly from the stack. “You’re about to regret underestimating me.”
An hour later Ewroon was staring at the board in complete disbelief.
“You cheated.”
“I literally did not.”
“There’s no way you won this fast.”
Katie was laughing so hard she nearly fell sideways against the counter. “You’re just bad at Monopoly.”
“I refuse to believe that.”
“You landed on my hotels six times.”
“That sounds fake.”
“It’s not my fault you’re unlucky.”
Ewroon groaned dramatically and dropped his head back against the wall.
Katie couldn’t stop smiling.
Something about seeing him pout over losing Monopoly was weirdly adorable.
Then suddenly Ewroon stood up and walked toward her.
Katie blinked. “What are you—”
Before she could finish, he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
The hug nearly knocked the breath from her lungs.
“There,” he mumbled into her hair. “Congratulations.”
Katie froze for half a second before slowly hugging him back.
The warmth of him settled around her instantly.
Safe.
Familiar.
Dangerously addictive.
“You’re clingy,” she teased softly.
“You like it.”
“…Maybe.”
He squeezed her tighter at that.
By the time nighttime rolled around, the store had gone quiet except for the low hum of refrigerators and distant traffic outside.
Katie was exhausted.
They’d ended up sitting on the floor behind the counter with a pile of blankets Ewroon somehow found in storage.
At some point, without either of them really noticing how, Katie ended up curled against his side.
Then closer.
Then practically in his lap.
Now her head rested against his chest while his arm stayed wrapped securely around her waist.
Neither of them commented on it.
Ewroon looked down at her quietly.
Katie’s eyes were already half closed with sleep.
“You comfy?” he murmured.
“Mhm.”
“You were threatening to kill me earlier.”
“I still might.”
He laughed softly under his breath.
Katie listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her cheek.
For the first time all day, neither of them were fighting.
No yelling.
No jealousy.
No toxic pushing and pulling.
Just this.
Warmth.
Quiet.
Each other.
Ewroon brushed a few strands of hair away from her face carefully before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
Katie’s breath caught slightly.
“Goodnight, Katie,” he whispered.
Her arms tightened around him instinctively.
“Goodnight.”
A few minutes later, still tangled together in the middle of the tiny Żabka store, they both fell asleep.