"Um... maybe we can catch up some other time. We're just about to eat," Ruth hedged, pulling Elise to a seat.
Elise didn't quite understand what had transpired between the two, but Mylee's half-smile gave her a somewhat eerie feeling.
Still, it wasn't her place to ask. Everyone had secrets, things they'd rather not share. Respecting that and not prying was how relationships lasted.
As she thought about it, the image of Braden holding a strawberry cake as a peace offering flashed in her mind. She waved the thought away—why did he keep appearing in her mind?
Right now, she really didn't want to see him. Even just remembering him felt like too much.
"I thought you'd ask me what happened," Ruth said, hiding half her face behind the menu, her eyes meeting Elise's.
She shook her head, replying as if it were obvious. "That's your business. Of course I wouldn't ask."
"It's not really a secret. She helped me get a ticket to a concert I really wanted to see, and she told me that if she ever needed a favor, she'd hope I could help her. I didn't think much of it and agreed." Ruth sighed. "Later, I found out she wanted me to help her go on a date with my brother. But he doesn't like her, so of course, it didn't work out. Since then, every time she sees me, she acts... odd."
Elise frowned, sipping her lemon water. "Doesn't she see him at work? Can't she just ask him out herself?"
"That person?" Ruth stared into her eyes for a few seconds before finally understanding. "You mean the fact that she works at the same company as my brother?"
"Yeah, aren't they coworkers? It should be easy to arrange something," Elise said, refusing even to mention his name. "Yeah, aren't they coworkers? It should be easy to arrange something," Elise said, refusing even to mention his name.
She was furious. The harsh words she threw at him that day weren't just for show. She meant it when she said she didn't want to see him for a week.
She hoped not to cross paths with him at work, and then maybe she'd cool down.
"They haven't even hung out outside of work. I told you that last time, remember? Are you still mad?"
"Of course I am! He went way too far this time!"
"True, thanks to you, I get to enjoy strawberry cake." Ruth half-joked, "I hope you keep getting mad at him in the future." "True, thanks to you, I get to enjoy strawberry cake." Ruth half-joked, "I hope you keep getting mad at him in the future."
Elise rolled her eyes. "There won't be a second time anytime soon because I'm not speaking to him for a while."
Ruth's eyes widened in disbelief. "That sure about it?"
"Absolutely!" Elise said decisively. This time, she wouldn't back down, no way!
------
If it took her a week to cool down, it'd probably take Elise over a month to get back to her usual self.
As soon as she saw Baden's figure in H Corporation's office, she knew today was ruined. Just as she'd predicted, she ended up running into him on about the sixth day.
Today's regular meeting for the collaboration is set, which means seeing each other is inevitable; there's no avoiding it for anyone.
It seemed sticking to her seven-day cooling-off promise would be a challenge.
"This is our newly developed voice pack, featuring character dialogues from Chapters One and Two. We plan to release another update next month, allowing players to engage even more realistically in the game," Braden said as he played the voice pack, which included the voices of the game's male and female leads, along with a few supporting characters.
Sitting in the audience, Elise wasn't as angry as she'd originally thought. Still, to teach Braden a lesson, she decided to pretend she was still mad, just so he'd learn not to mess with her again.
You have to hit a wall before you learn your lesson.
"So, Elise, any thoughts?" Mylee intentionally called her out, making sure she'd have to respond.
Since the meeting started, Mylee could tell Elise hadn't been paying much attention. Testing her seemed like a good idea – let everyone see just how unfocused she was.
Ideally, she'd get her fired, so there'd be no more chances for her to stick to Braden like glue.
"I think it sounds pretty good. A voice pack makes the game more immersive," Elise answered unexpectedly, leaving Mylee momentarily stunned.
Could she have miscalculated? She'd clearly seen Elise distracted, so how could she still know exactly what they were discussing?
"Yeah, these days, a lot of games include voice packs. If we can make players feel more involved, they're much more likely to stick around for the long run," Braden pointed his laser pointer at the screen.
"I think so too, especially since voice packs featuring female voices tend to attract players more easily," Zayne joined in, rarely offering his input.
"If there are no other opinions, we'll go ahead with the new voice pack and keep you updated," Braden turned to face Zayne. "Thank you for all your hard work recently. I hope you'll continue to bear with us moving forward."
"You've worked hard too!" Zayne said, patting him on the shoulder before calling out, "Meeting adjourned!"
As soon as she heard the word "adjourned," Elise was out of her seat, grabbing her laptop and heading out. True to form, Braden didn't bring up anything unrelated to work. But then, Mylee approached her.
"Elise, did you really think that voice pack idea was good?" Mylee asked with a friendly smile. "I was going to tell Braden if you had any issues with it." "Elise, did you really think that voice pack idea was good?" Mylee asked with a friendly smile. "I was going to tell Braden if you had any issues with it."
"No, I thought it was great," Elise replied, puzzled. She found the question odd.
But why did Mylee feel the need to specifically mention Baden's name, and with a hint of familiarity?
"Alright, if you say so." Mylee smiled, then casually linked her arm through Baden's.
At first, Braden wanted to pull his arm away, but then he thought about it—she was just an ordinary woman, a bit sensitive to face, and it wouldn't hurt to let her save a bit of it.
So, he let her hold on.
Watching this, Elise felt a slew of questions flood her mind. Clearly, Braden didn't like Mylee—why go along with her like that? Didn't he have his own opinion?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Her initially calm mood flared up again, although she hadn't realized it—a feeling she wouldn't typically have.
"Alright, we'll be off then. I'm glad we got some fresh ideas in today's meeting, and don't forget to eat!" Mylee's sudden concern left Elise a bit taken aback.
Whenever Mylee showed kindness, it never seemed to bode well.
Braden looked into Elise's eyes, but she just turned her head away, clearly unwilling to say a word to him.
He didn't push it and simply followed Mylee out.
Elise committed the sight of them leaving together to memory. If he ever told her he wasn't interested in Mylee, she'd be sure to bring this moment up and call him out on it.
With her arm linked through his, Mylee felt a certain sense of security.
Men really did like women who took the initiative and were sweet. See? Today was proof of that, wasn't it?
But as soon as they stepped through the lobby doors of H Corporation's Tower, Braden unexpectedly pulled his hand away.
Mylee froze, bewildered. "Braden, what are you…?"
"There were a lot of people back there, and I didn't want them to make a big deal of it. But that doesn't mean I support what you're doing," Braden said with a weight in his voice. "Besides, your ex has a new girlfriend now, so you don't need to worry about him bothering you. Given that, there's no need for us to keep up this charade, right? And it's not like he's going to show up here."
He had always found playing along with her exhausting, but as a colleague he'd worked with for years, he couldn't stand by and watch her struggle alone. He hadn't anticipated, though, that helping her out would throw so many things in his life off balance.
"Who said I was acting? That was just...just a friendly gesture, showing that our friendship is different from most people's," Mylee denied flatly, not feeling like she'd done anything wrong.
"Anyway, this is the last time I'm letting you hang onto me like this. No more, no next time—no matter how much time passes, I'm not going along with this anymore." It was the first time Braden spoke so harshly to her, surprising even himself.
Maybe it was because of Elise. When she said she'd ignore someone, she really meant it. And during this time, he realized he wasn't used to her sudden silence.
But she was still mad, what else could he say?
It hadn't even been a week, yet they saw each other today. So much for the "one-week cooling-off period," he thought sarcastically. Had he really treated her that poorly? Enough to be angry with him for so long over something like this?
He also knew she had blocked him, because he'd tried calling, only to go straight to voicemail every time. The message was clear enough.
He'd considered asking Ruth to put in a good word for him, maybe talk some sense into Elise. But those two friends seemed to be on the same page, sticking to each other's side.
He let out a long sigh inwardly. Was their friendship really that fragile?
As he was lost in his heavy thoughts, Mylee spoke up. "Is it really that big of a deal for friends to hold hands? If it were someone else, would you still be reacting this way?"
"It's the same, no matter who it is," Braden said, rubbing his furrowed brow, his irritation building, ready to burst.
How could something so simple turn this complicated? He just couldn't understand.
"Are you sure it's the same for everyone?" Mylee clearly didn't think so.
"Yes," Braden replied, holding back the surge of anger rising within him.
"If it were Elise, you wouldn't be saying that." Mylee hugged him from behind, dropping her reserve. "Do you really not understand me at all?"
Braden brushed her hands off him. "Can you stop this? Just be normal. I don't get what you're trying to do—this isn't like you at all."
"What's not normal about me? Is it so wrong?" Mylee shouted hysterically, "I just like you—is that so bad?"
