Elise, dressed in overalls and a light blue baseball cap, fanned herself as she looked up at the blazing sun. She wondered to herself who had come up with the bright idea to go on a picnic under the scorching sun.
Braden rolled up his sleeves, eyeing her outfit from head to toe. "Afraid of the heat but wearing overalls?"
"I love this outfit! I'm not afraid of the heat," Elise replied, a bit sheepishly. Truth be told, she hadn't really considered how hot it would be when she left the house.
Luckily, she always carried sunscreen with her, or else the blazing sun would surely leave her with a sunburn.
"Is that so? Guess I was wrong. I thought I saw someone fanning themselves," Braden teased, clearly enjoying getting under her skin.
"Why is it Ruth who can't make it last minute and not you?" Elise muttered under her breath, but then her phone chimed twice. She glanced at the screen and burst into laughter.
Ruth had sent her a message: "I found an old photo of Braden making a grumpy face when he was a kid. Take a look."
Back then, Ruth had scribbled all over the walls at his house while Braden was too focused on his book to notice. By the time he realized what had happened, the wall was covered in a cZaynetic mess of colorful lines, impossible to decipher.
The worst part? That wall had been freshly painted less than a week before, and Braden's mom had dragged him over to scold him for it.
"Hahaha, I almost forgot about that!" Elise laughed uncontrollably, clutching her stomach as she lay back on her picnic mat.
Braden casually guessed, "Did Ruth send you something?"
"It's a pretty funny picture. Want to see it?"
"No thanks. Most of the stuff she sends is nonsense anyway."
"Are you sure you don't want to?" Elise sat up and sent the picture to Braden through social media.
Braden frowned, glaring at her. "You two can be really annoying sometimes."
"What's wrong? Afraid your image will be ruined?" Elise pretended to be calm. "Don't worry. Look at you—handsome and suave, with an indescribable charm in everything you do. Not to mention that mysterious vibe. Women love that."
"No need for the cheesy small talk," Braden said thoughtfully before opening the picnic basket and grabbing a sandwich. "Keep it up, and I might start thinking you have a crush on me."
Elise gave a nervous laugh. "The one crushing on you isn't me. It's more like… Mylee—"
"What?" Braden asked, confused.
Elise shook her head and lay back down on her picnic mat, about to take a nap when she suddenly heard another familiar voice.
"Braden?" Jakob called out, glancing at Elise lying on the mat. "What are you guys doing here?"
Elise sprang up from the mat and quickly sat upright, looking poised. "We came with our parents."
"Parents?" Jakob asked, intrigued.
"Our parents are good friends, so we've known each other since we were kids," Braden explained.
Elise nodded eagerly, afraid Jakob might suspect something else.
Jakob believed them without hesitation, smiling lightly. "I see."
Not long after, a woman's figure came running from a distance, heading straight toward Jakob. "Jakob, what are you doing? Everyone's waiting for you."
The woman had side-swept bangs and long, dark blue-black hair. As soon as she reached him, she hooked her arm through his, and they seemed quite familiar with each other.
Jakob didn't resist her touch; he simply waved goodbye to Braden and Elise.
Elise stared blankly at their retreating figures, tilting her head in confusion. "They seem pretty close, like a couple, but not quite."
Braden took a sip of his juice through a straw, casually replying, "No need to overthink other people's business. What's important right now is that you finish your sandwich. You brought enough to last till dinner."
Elise suspected he was teasing her, but when she saw that the picnic basket held four whole club sandwiches, she couldn't help but laugh sheepishly.
"You work so hard, eating a little more won't hurt." Elise feigned a sweet tone, clasping her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Braden, come on, help me out here."
She had made extra, thinking Ruth would be joining them.
"But this is the first time I've seen you make sandwiches. I thought your cooking skills were a disaster." Braden set down his grape juice and took a not-so-subtle jab at her.
"I may be a beginner, but to nail sandwiches on my first try? That means I've got a knack for cooking, okay? Plus, you're the first to taste it—you should feel honored!" Elise grabbed another sandwich and took a big bite, praising her own handiwork. "It's so good, I could open a shop."
Braden casually brought up, "So, you never cooked for Graham?"
"Not really. Work kept me busy, and I never thought about doing things like that." Elise took another bite but then paused.
If it weren't for Baden's reminder, she might not have realized that she had never cooked anything for Graham. They mostly ate out because it was easier, and their dates weren't as frequent as other couples—sometimes only once a month.
Was that why her parents hadn't been too fond of Graham? Had they already seen that she and Vargas weren't really a good match?
Only now did Elise realize that she had given more handmade gifts to Braden than she ever had to Graham. Vargas had been her boyfriend, yet her connection with him didn't run as deep as it did with Braden.
"It doesn't matter much to me whether my partner can cook, but I guess some people care about that a lot," Braden said absentmindedly as he scrolled through his phone, playing his favorite mobile game.
"Whatever, if you don't want to eat it, I'll just finish it myself." Elise clutched the picnic basket to her chest, unsure why she felt a sudden pang of disappointment.
Without a word, Braden snatched the basket from her and grabbed another sandwich. "I didn't say I wasn't eating. Look at it this way—I'm saving on dinner."
Elise stared at him, watching as he ate the sandwich without a hint of emotion. The subtle disappointment that had crept up on her suddenly vanished.
Though he loved to tease her, there was always a quiet kindness that he showed her, now and then.
This was the kind of deep bond that could only come from being friends for so many years.
