If she was tricked the first time, maybe that was understandable; but to be fooled twice, well, that would make her a complete fool.
Elise didn't feel even a hint of a heart flutter; she only grew to despise him more, as he repeated the same joke.
She angrily wiped away her tears and warned him sharply, "You're getting more and more annoying. Stop following me!"
Elise grabbed her bag and left swiftly, disappearing from Baden's sight. As she walked, she searched for his number on her phone and threw him onto her blacklist.
She reminded herself to pull that number out of the trash after a week, but if she forgot, so be it—she had no intention of contacting him again anytime soon.
Braden watched her leave, part of him wanting to call her back, yet he questioned why he even should. She was impossible to appease when angry. But more bewildering than that was what he had just said.
He couldn't understand why he had said what he did.
------
A few days later, the weekend arrived. Under a clear blue sky, the sun blazed, and its heat radiated into the room. Even so, it couldn't break Elise's determination to stay tangled up in her bed.
But sweet dreams are always bound to shatter; the more she wanted to laze around in bed all day, the more someone seemed intent on not letting her indulge in that fantasy.
Sitting on the sofa, Elise had just washed her face. Her hair was still a bit messy, and she looked every bit like a ghost that had crawled out of a grave.
In contrast, Ruth beside her looked much more put together, wearing a light blue plaid maxi dress, with her bangs pinned back by a sunflower hairclip. She wore an earthy-toned makeup look and sipped on her coffee, which had taken thirty minutes of waiting in line.
"I heard you and my brother had a fight," Ruth said, looking almost delighted. "Finally fought, huh?"
Elise gathered her long hair, securing it with a large clip. She'd thought she could catch up on sleep over the weekend—she hadn't even set an alarm to make sure of it!
"Did you come here just to ask about something so trivial?" Elise huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not the one who upset you—that was Braden. Remember who your enemy is, don't mix it up with me!" Ruth grinned, ignoring her irritation.
She'd rarely seen them argue growing up; in fact, there was hardly any memory of such a scene. Now that it was happening, it felt refreshingly new to her!
They say that arguing only makes feelings grow stronger; maybe after this little tiff, they'd realize they were meant for each other.
"Of course I remember—I even blocked his number," Elise replied, leaning back on the couch, blinking as if she were about to slip back into sleep.
"That bad? Was the fight really that serious?" Ruth rubbed her temples, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Of course it was serious! First, he says he likes me, then turns around and tells me he was kidding. How is that not serious?" Elise's eyes flared as if she could burn Ruth to ashes.
Ruth swallowed a tapioca pearl, almost feeling herself turning into a pile of ash under her friend's glare.
After a moment's thought, Ruth said, "Maybe he was actually telling the truth, but then told you it was a joke so you wouldn't feel awkward."
"Where on earth did you come up with such a strange theory?" Elise scoffed, clearly not buying it. "Anyway, I blocked him, so don't mention him to me for a few days."
"Alright, alright. How about we go have some afternoon tea to lift your spirits?" Ruth finally got to the real reason she'd come over.
Checking up on Elise and her spat with Braden was secondary. The main mission was afternoon tea and a slice of rich, fluffy cake.
Elise glanced down at her rumpled pajamas. "Alright, wait for me a sec. I'll go change."
"Don't forget to fix your hair," Ruth reminded helpfully.
"Got it!" Elise said as she got up and strode toward her room.
The laughter Ruth had been holding back finally spilled out as Elise disappeared. Was she really just mad at Braden because of his lie?
Rather than anger over the deception, wasn't she more upset because he had brushed it off as just a joke?
Once she was all dressed up, Elise wore a beige lace puff-sleeve blouse, curve-hugging jeans, and a pair of black flats. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, and she sported shell earrings, ensuring she no longer looked like a ghost before heading out for their afternoon tea adventure with Ruth.
The two strolled side by side through the department store, searching for a dessert shop that offered both cake and ice cream. After a few minutes, they finally spotted one that met their criteria.
As Ruth held the menu and prepared to sit down, her gaze immediately caught sight of a woman with long, wavy hair.
"That's Mylee." Elise whispered the name first, leaning in close to Ruth.
Ruth nodded absently, then turned to look away. "Yeah, it's definitely her..."
Elise felt puzzled. Ruth's expression looked like she'd seen someone she disliked, yet Mylee had once been in the running to become her future sister-in-law, hadn't she?
Though, of course, it had all just been in jest.
"Since we ran into her here, I'll go say hello." With that, Elise started toward Mylee.
After all, they were work partners. Ignoring her now might lead to awkward encounters at the office and could even come across as rude.
Caught off guard, Ruth quickly snapped back. "No need. Let's just decide what to eat, finish up, and head out."
"Why?" Elise couldn't understand the need to avoid her.
"Because..." Ruth twisted her fingers together, debating whether to reveal the secret.
"Hi!" Mylee's gaze had already spotted them, and she called out warmly, "Ruth, Elise, what a coincidence running into you here!"
Ruth felt a chill down her spine, like she'd been caught doing something wrong, and forced a smile. "Yeah, what a coincidence."
"Yeah, it's been a while." Mylee smiled sweetly at her. "A really long time. I almost thought you'd forgotten me...forgotten about that thing."
