To him, there wasn't any deeper meaning behind it. The flowers were simply a peace offering, a way to smooth things over with her. He hadn't thought much further than that.
As long as she forgave him, as long as she stopped being mad at him, then those flowers served their purpose.
"A beautiful love could also be interpreted as the love between good friends...," Braden replied casually. "No one said it has to mean romance, right?"
Elise paused, deep in thought. "But… if someone gave you these flowers, would you really think it was just a friend thing?"
"Not at all," he answered without hesitation.
"Then why did you give them to me?" Elise asked, more confused than ever.
"Remember one year, on your birthday, you wished I'd be like a friend to you for life?" he finally answered her question.
Hearing this, Elise froze, speechless for several seconds.
She feigned indifference, "I forgot all about that."
But she hadn't forgotten. She remembered it well. Strangely, she wished she hadn't.
Braden fell silent, his fingers stilling over the keyboard.
A flood of unnamed emotions washed over him. Should he be glad she might feel differently now? Or saddened that she'd never taken his words to heart?
But whatever he felt, he realized he was probably losing his mind.
"And why do you care so much about my wishes anyway…" she murmured, looking at the roses, remembering how sincere he'd seemed when he apologized.
She felt his sincerity, yet couldn't help wondering if he treated everyone with this same kindness.
If he did, then… did that mean she wasn't special?
"If I didn't care about you, I'd treat you like I treat Mylee," he said, recalling her unannounced confession, which still made him uncomfortable. "If I didn't care about you, I'd treat you like I treat Mylee," he said, recalling her unannounced confession, which still made him uncomfortable.
"Mylee?" Elise frowned, wondering why he'd bring her up out of nowhere.
Braden cleared his throat. "Well... it just felt more sincere this way." "No, I mean…" Braden cleared his throat. "I'm still at work. Let's drop it."
The call ended abruptly, leaving her with more questions. She opened his LINE message but wondered why she even needed his response.
Even if he ended up with Mylee someday, it shouldn't concern her.
But then, why did her heart feel so bitter?
------
On the other hand, after finally finishing work and arriving home, Braden sat on his couch, loosening his tie, yet still unable to calm his thoughts.
His mind kept replaying the conversation he'd had with Elise. He realized he was worried about what she might think of him now that she knew about Mylee's confession.
Would she… care?
They had grown up together, always there for each other like friends, like family. He'd always tried his best to play the "big brother" role. But today—or rather, a few days ago during that argument when she refused even the strawberry cake he'd given her—he realized that they could argue and maybe never speak again.
Thinking of the meaning behind those thirty-three roses, he couldn't help but wonder what he'd meant by giving them.
Did he really only see her as a friend?
But as if it sensed his frustration wasn't enough, his phone chimed with another message that only added to his annoyance.
A photo of a homemade bento appeared. He opened it in incognito mode, glanced at it, and then turned off his phone.
Even with just the picture, he had a pretty good idea of what Mylee was trying to do.
Suddenly, he remembered that picnic with Elise when she had made sandwiches just for him.
Unlike Mylee, she wasn't the best cook, but somehow that time, he'd felt genuinely happy eating her food.
Sometimes, thinking back, he'd get this bold urge to ask her when she might make him something like that again.
Thinking about it all, Braden couldn't help but feel it was all Nathaniel's fault—like he'd somehow cursed those roses.
Because of that, he was finally starting to... fall for her.
He finally realized he couldn't see her as a little sister anymore.
