"Tonight's nightscape feels a bit dull—the stars aren't peeking out, and even the moon looks slimmer, like a delicate crescent."
Elise stood on the balcony, swirling her wine glass. She glanced at Braden, who stood beside her, his gaze fixed on his phone screen. His fingers hadn't stopped typing, and she had no idea who he was texting.
"Rare time off, and you're still dealing with work? Doesn't it tire you out?" Elise asked, testing the waters.
Braden shifted his gaze from his phone to Elise and put his phone away. "It's not exactly work," he replied.
"A new love interest, perhaps?" Elise's eyes sparkled mischievously as they darted around. "A new girlfriend," she teased with a sly grin.
Braden shot her a glare, then broke into a grin. "You're talking about yourself?"
Of course! Everyone around them seemed to think the same way, as if they wouldn't rest until the two of them were paired off.
Elise was taken aback, quickly coughing to hide the tiny ripple of emotion inside her. She wanted to pretend she hadn't heard his joke, but her mind wandered back to that fake wedding.
That kiss that had landed on her cheek.
Thinking about it made Elise wave her free hand as if she could physically shoo the memory away.
Braden could never be the one. Absolutely not!
"I'd rather step in matcha pudding poop," Elise muttered, sticking to her ridiculous vow.
Braden wasn't one to be outdone. He waved his hand dismissively, pretending to be exasperated. "And I don't want Nathanael to end up as my dad."
"Good, at least we're on the same page about that." Elise brought the conversation back around, fixing him with a serious look. "So, you're really not seeing anyone?"
Baden's eyes darkened as he looked up at the sky, his tone heavy. "Honestly, I don't know. It's not like I have feelings for her, and she probably doesn't either. But something happened, and now it's complicated. We just pretend like everything's fine in front of everyone."
Elise guessed he was talking about Mylee, but she kept her promise to Ruth and didn't press any further, even though she knew the truth.
"Then I guess I can't help you with that." Elise decided to drop the subject, handing him her phone with the script she had been working on. "But I do want to ask your opinion. Do you really think Carson, the male lead I wrote, shouldn't be cool and silent?"
Braden took her phone, carefully reading through every word before thinking it over. "Why not? It's pretty good."
Elise felt better after hearing his response but still hesitated. "But it doesn't seem to fit Mylee's vision. Since you both work in the same company, you probably understand each other better. How do you think I should change it to meet her expectations?"
"You're the client, didn't I tell you that already? You don't need to worry too much about what she thinks." Braden looked puzzled as he lightly tapped her forehead with his finger. "You're really something else, you know that? Her opinion isn't more important than yours."
"I'm just afraid it might cause bad blood between us. She's talented, and there's a lot I can learn from her. Plus, we're partners, and there will be plenty of chances to work together in the future. If things go sour, it could be awkward for our bosses too." Elise downed the rest of her wine in one gulp and set the glass back on the coffee table.
Not to mention, she suspected Mylee had feelings for Braden. She wasn't sure yet, and it wasn't her place to say anything.
If they could get along, she definitely wouldn't choose to make things difficult.
"You've really grown up. I used to think you were still that silly little sister I always had to look out for," Braden praised her. "But as long as it doesn't break any moral or ethical rules, your company has the final say on how the story's written."
"Really?" Elise's eyes widened in surprise. His reassurance seemed to ease her worries about the direction of the script.
"Yeah, if she has any issues, I'll talk to her for you." Braden glanced down at his watch, noticing the hour hand pointing to twelve. "It's past midnight, a new day already. Do you remember what today is?"
Elise was confused. "What day?"
"A certain Missy gave me a photo frame as a gift, wishing our friendship would last forever. The picture? You forced me to rent a cap and gown for it—it's our college graduation photo," Braden teased with a smug grin.
"I'd totally forgotten about that day. I didn't even keep a copy of the photo," Elise's voice grew smaller as she turned her head away, feeling a bit guilty. "My ex thought it was an eyesore, so... I didn't keep it."
Braden laughed and mockingly sighed, "Such a shame. Whether I'm dating or not, I've kept that photo and frame in perfect condition. Even the tissue box you gave me—it's sitting safely in my car."
Guilt began to swell in Elise's chest. She never thought he'd keep those little handmade gifts, let alone in such good condition, never discarding any of them.
Compared to that, her ex hadn't cherished her in the same way at all.
That night, as she tossed and turned in bed, Elise couldn't stop replaying Baden's words on the balcony, and she began to think about things she probably shouldn't be thinking about.
There was once an innocent childhood memory—on one of her birthdays, she had made three wishes out loud. The third wish involved Braden, and after hearing it, he had quickly agreed to it.
For all these years, that wish had been carefully guarded, and neither of them had ever crossed the line.
