Wandering Spirits

Chapter 19

Storm, with his tousled red hair in disarray and a determined expression, slid through the store doors as if he were on a secret mission. He maneuvered with light steps among the shelves, picking up a bag of chips here, a bottle of soda there - the usual distractions from his real errand. His clear blue eyes scanned the place, always on the lookout for familiar faces.

With a heart beating a little faster than usual, he crept closer to the target. The hygiene products were waiting for him, and it was as if every single package of pads and tampons emitted an imaginary flashing light just to expose him. He took a deep breath, made a decision, and reached out a hand. Packages were thrown into the basket at the same speed as his gaze moved - from left to right, up and down, double-checking that no observers would catch a glimpse of his little expedition.

"Only a few seconds left," he thought, feeling the adrenaline rush. With the basket full and the sensation of being unnoticed, he headed towards the checkout. It was easy to imagine how he must have looked, running between the shelves, a young man caught in his own comedic movie.

"Yes!" he quietly cheered to himself after finishing putting the items on the conveyor belt, and everything was safely packed in the bag. No one had stopped him, no one had pointed, no one had laughed. For him, this was a small victory, an achievement that filled him with childlike joy. He paid and left the store with an airy self-assurance that no one would have associated with the man's recent inner turmoil.

'There was no one who caught him this time!' A triumphant declaration whispered in his head as he smiled to himself on his way home. Storm's daily life may seem simple to an outsider, but these small challenges, these small victories, they were his and his alone.

The lock clicked into place behind him. He stood for a moment in the hallway with his back to the door, closed his eyes, and breathed in the scent of home. His head felt light as a balloon, his thoughts clear for the first time in a long while.

"Storm!" was heard from the sofa, and he opened his eyes again. Freja jumped up, arms outstretched towards the familiar plastic bag. With a quick movement, she picked out the necessary boxes and disappeared into the bathroom so fast that the bathroom door slammed against the walls after her.

He smiled as he collapsed onto the sofa, feeling how the soft cushions welcomed him like old friends. The apartment was peaceful now, an oasis in the city's constant noise. On the table lay a stack of board games, a legacy from earlier communal living. The board game nights had always been filled with laughter and competition, but now, he thought, they could also become a source of peace.

"Do you feel like playing something?" he heard himself say when Freja came back. She nodded eagerly and went straight to the candy bowl. The dinner remained untouched, but Storm let it slide. She deserved a little sweetness in life, and he didn't want to be the one to deprive her of that little extra.

"Should we try this?" he said, lifting up a box with a game he barely remembered the rules to. But it didn't matter. It wasn't about winning or losing, but about sharing a moment where the outside world didn't exist.

Storm studied her between the rounds. Her laughter when she got double sixes was music to him, and he couldn't help but feel grateful for this moment together. He let her win a few rounds, just to see the glow in her deep brown eyes burn even brighter.

Together, they created a bubble around themselves, a world where only the two of them existed, where the board game was their shared adventure land and the candy their feast. Storm knew that these small things, these moments, were what truly mattered. And as Freja laughed and ate, he felt an inner peace he hadn't felt in a long time.

He looked at the game in front of him with a mix of pride and laughter. He had built a hotel on the green square, and now he was ready to collect rent from Freja the next time she landed there. But he couldn't help but notice how the candy seemed to act as her personal sugar fuel. Every piece of chocolate seemed to send her into a new round of giggles.