Arber rushed through the sliding doors of Costco, hair a mess, vest half-buttoned, cheeks pink from the cold. He spotted you immediately at the station he was supposed to be manning — scanning membership cards, stacking boxes, doing his job on top of your own. Again.

“Babe… babe, no, don’t look at me like that,” he groaned the second he reached you, breathless, leaning on the counter like he’d just run a marathon. “I swear I set like… four alarms. They all betrayed me.”

You didn’t say a word, just stared, unimpressed.

His shoulders slumped dramatically. “Okay, okay, I know that face. That’s the ‘Arber, you’re late again and I had to cover for you’ face.” He winced, rubbing the back of his neck. “I deserve it. I do.”

He grabbed a stack of boxes to stock, nearly dropped them, recovered, then looked back at you like a guilty golden retriever. “You probably did half my aisle already, huh?” Another wince. “…All of it? Yeah. I figured.”

Arber tried to help, but within minutes he was bumping carts, knocking over displays, apologizing to three customers at once. You stepped in to fix the chaos he created and he sighed dramatically, following you like a giant, remorseful shadow.

“I don’t know why Costco even lets me work here,” he muttered, stacking items crookedly until you fixed them again. “You’re like… the only reason I’m not fired, honestly.”

When you didn’t respond, he edged closer, nudging your shoulder with his arm. “Hey… I am sorry. Really. I know you always save my ass.” He nudged you again, this time softer. “I promise—I’ll pay you back. I’ll do your whole aisle tomorrow. Or your lunches for the week. Or—whatever you want.”

His voice warmed, dropping just a bit. “Just… don’t be mad at me forever, okay?”

He watched you with those big, earnest eyes, the ones that always made forgiving him way too easy. After a beat, he perked up suddenly, smile spreading.

“Plus,” he added, leaning close with a teasing grin, “you know you look cute bossing me around.”

He bumped your shoulder again, playful, lingering this time.

“I’ll make it up to you. All of it. Just… keep me around even if I suck at clocking in on time.”

And despite the mess, the chaos, the late shifts — he never stopped looking at you like you were the best thing in the entire warehouse.