After a moment, Elise tried to pull away, but he showed no intention of letting her go.
"You should lie down." Elise coaxed him gently. "You've had too much to drink, you need to rest."
Baden's gaze was filled with melancholy. He didn't respond, still treating her as if she belonged to him, unwilling to release her no matter what she said.
"You should really sleep. That way, you won't feel so awful in the morning."
"If I fall asleep, are you going to leave…?"
Elise didn't know how to respond because, deep down, that was exactly what she'd intended.
"Is that really it…?" His voice was weak, an overwhelming sense of helplessness rising within him, almost swallowing him whole.
Was this dream destined to end eventually?
"If you promise to rest, then I won't leave." She relented, gently stroking his face. "I'll stay with you, I promise, I won't leave."
"You once promised you'd never leave me…" He gripped her hand tightly, a hint of bitter complaint in his voice. "But you still left…"
"I never truly wanted to leave you…" She continued to soothe him, trying to give him a sense of security. "I'll lie with you. We can sleep together, alright?"
"Alright…" Braden nodded, loosening his tight embrace, releasing his hold on her.
He watched as she sat on the bed, pulling the blanket over herself. When their eyes met, she gave him a gentle smile.
"Come on, lie down." She held her hand out to him, beckoning softly. "I'm waiting for you."
Obediently, he followed her lead, moving toward her from the other side of the bed, wrapping his arms around her soft body from behind.
"If I close my eyes, you won't disappear… right?" His voice betrayed his lingering uncertainty, his swelling anxiety.
"I won't," she assured him, her hands covering his arms reassuringly.
Her voice and touch were like a calming antidote, soothing his fears and easing his heart.
The exhaustion from sleepless nights, that drunken spell in the private room, and the tears of heartbreak just moments ago—all of it finally took its toll, and he quickly drifted off to sleep.
Listening to his steady breathing, she thought of the way he had openly broken down before her. Her eyes grew warm, and tears rolled down, one by one, slipping onto his arm.
She felt an ache in her heart, a pang of regret. How had she been so cold, so heartless to him? After everything that had happened, she hadn't even thought to talk it out, just insisted on leaving.
She promised herself that by morning, she would tell him everything in her heart.
------
The faint sunlight slowly brightened the sky, blending with the retreating darkness. The morning breeze was cool, brushing against his face with a soft chill.
Braden, who hadn't slept this well in ages, had nearly made it through the night uninterrupted. He felt something on his arm, like a weight, but also like a head resting on it.
He opened his eyes, the scene before him feeling oddly familiar, yet strangely distant.
Was he still dreaming? Was she… the one he'd been longing for?
In his haze, he thought he might have said something, asking her to stay. She seemed to go along with it, without any real intention.
He wondered if perhaps she stayed out of pity, nothing more.
She might not… truly want to be here.
He told himself to stop thinking about it. The more he dwelled on it, the more it would hurt. He didn't want to lose control in front of her, nor did he want to force her to stay.
Braden was still deep in thought when Elise, resting her head on his arm, woke up.
"Does your head hurt? Should I make you another cup of honey water? I think yesterday's cup probably isn't drinkable anymore." Elise sat up, her voice gentle with concern, her sharp edges softened.
"Was it you who brought me back?" Braden ignored her concern, responding with something completely unrelated.
Elise froze for a moment but masked it with a smile. "It was late, so I figured I'd bring you back."
"I see." His response was distant, without a hint of emotion. "Thanks."
Baden's aloofness caught Elise off guard. He was like a different person from the heartbroken man he'd been when he was drunk last night.
Even so, his raw sorrow from yesterday—the way he'd cried, so unlike him—strengthened her resolve to have a real conversation with him. She didn't want him left on the outside, passively accepting their separation.
"I have something to tell you. Actually, that day, I…" Elise had barely started when Baden's phone rang at the most inconvenient moment.
Braden didn't seem interested in letting her continue. He picked up the call, listened briefly, and hung up.
"Sorry, I have to go. There's an issue at the office." Braden glanced at her with an indifferent expression, his tone more detached than usual. "Let's talk another day if there's anything else."
"So, about yesterday…" Elise began, heart pounding as she tried to communicate with him, but he immediately shut down the conversation.
"I don't really remember, and nothing I say when I'm drinking counts. Don't take it to heart," he said, cutting off any hope she had. "I really need to leave, so if you want to stay here, go ahead. Just make sure you close the door on your way out."
"…" She was silent for a few seconds before deciding to respect his wishes. "Then I'll go too…"
Elise slipped out of bed like a thief, hurrying to leave Baden's cold, distant gaze.
After she left, Braden finally let his guard down. He slumped onto the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands as a burning helplessness filled him, painful and unrelenting.
Though his memory was a little hazy, he mostly remembered what he'd done the previous night once he was sober.
But he no longer had the courage to face the same answer.
He was afraid, truly afraid, that she would once again remind him that she wanted to leave him, that she had no intention of marrying him.
He understood now, truly understood, and he stopped hoping. Based on her staying just to pacify him last night, he knew that he didn't truly hold a place in her heart.
"Did you stay just to comfort me? If you truly cared about me, then why… why would you leave me like this…" he spoke into the empty air, while the faint scent of white tea flowers lingered in every corner of the room.
It seemed he was the only one left clinging to anything.
------
Elise returned home, looking exhausted. She was grateful to have the day off, relieved to avoid work and all the cZaynes, at least for a little while.
She recalled facing Braden just now. Initially, she'd wanted to confess everything to him, but she realized he didn't actually need her to say anything.
Because she wasn't that important to him anymore, or at least, that's what he'd made very clear.
