A few days later, Braden was sent by Gunnar to negotiate a contract, heading south for a week-long business trip.
With Braden away, Elise stayed at her family home for the week, but sleeping alone felt strange after sharing a bed with him. Ruth, ever the thoughtful friend, decided to keep her company and stayed over as her "temporary roommate."
"I'm so excited! When your baby's born, I'll officially be an aunt. Just thinking about it makes me all emotional—finally sold my brother off!" Ruth laughed, sprawled comfortably on the couch, hugging her pudding cup. "I'm so excited! When your baby's born, I'll officially be an aunt. Just thinking about it makes me all emotional—finally sold my brother off!" Ruth laughed, sprawled comfortably on the couch, hugging her pudding cup.
"No crying allowed," Elise teased. "Besides, you still haven't found your 'other half with the perfect name.' So no tears yet."
"Oh, don't even bring that up! Finding someone with the 'right name' isn't exactly easy," Ruth scoffed.
Elise racked her brain, and only one friend came to mind who fit the bill. Though she remembered that someone was currently pursuing him, and she wasn't sure how he felt about it. Setting him up with Ruth might be a bit awkward.
"So, if there was someone, would you give romance a try?" Elise asked, her gaze earnest. She genuinely wanted to help Ruth find someone.
"If it could cure my 'no crying' issue, maybe I would," Ruth joked. "But eating is still more important. Honestly, I think life would have way fewer reasons to cry without dating. I mean, look at you—you were a mess a while back, crying all the time. Good thing you and my brother still made it through."
"Speaking of him, it's only been a week, but I'm so not used to it. He usually reads to me before bed," Elise said, handing Ruth a photo she'd sneakily taken of Braden.
The phone screen showed Braden on the couch, a storybook covering his face as he slept.
"No showing off!" Ruth teased, then got back to the main topic. "So, how are things at work? Wasn't there some weirdo at my brother's company who kept bugging you? Is he still around?"
"Tyree? Since we announced our marriage, he's stopped. He's acting normal now, but I feel uneasy. He was such a creep, and now, all of a sudden, he's normal? Doesn't feel genuine." Elise put her phone away, sharing the recent changes with Tyree.
"We've had our fair share of weirdos at our company too. Some would name female game characters after female colleagues, and there were those who'd pretend to hand over files just to graze your hand. Super creepy." Ruth scooped a spoonful of pudding into her mouth.
Elise paused. "Wait, you've experienced that too?"
"Oh, I've dealt with them. I'm no pushover—I just kicked him right away," Ruth said, pride shining in her smile. "But I was nice about it. I happened to be wearing flats that day, and I pretended I was doing some leg stretches, you know, 'senior exercises,' and accidentally kicked upward. I remember his pained look as I calmly explained I was just used to doing my stretches."
"That's so you," Elise said, clicking her tongue in amazement, lying back on the other end of the couch, her eyes on the comedy show playing on TV.
Ruth's expression grew thoughtful, her gaze steady. "Of course, you've got to protect yourself… so you won't get hurt."
"Is there something on your mind?" Elise sensed a hint of something unusual.
Was it just her imagination? She wasn't entirely sure. Was it just her imagination? Elise felt like Ruth seemed less innocent than usual, almost as if she had… seen through something.
There was an indescribable air of maturity about her, something that didn't quite fit Ruth's usual demeanor.
"Nope, nothing on my mind." Ruth countered, "But are you guys really waiting to have the wedding until after the baby is born?"
Elise nodded and explained slowly, "Yes, we've already done the bridal photos, but with work being so busy right now, I didn't feel right handing off my responsibilities. Now that there's a baby on the way, we decided to wait until after the birth for the wedding."
Ruth took another big scoop of pudding, smiling contentedly. "That's fine by me. At least I can keep eating pudding for another six months without worrying about dieting."
"Speaking of which, I should ask Braden if any of his friends have names with the character for 'water' in them," Elise said, giving her a teasing look.
"Even if you find someone, it doesn't mean he'll be a good match! What if he's as annoying as my brother? I'm not about to give up my big tubs of pudding." Ruth mumbled. "And… when I first found out about this requirement, I felt it was too awkward and kind of superstitious, so I never told my brother. Besides my mom and me, you're the only one who knows."
"Is that so…? But, when you finally meet the right person, you'll see how wonderful it is to love and be loved." Elise sat up, gently trying to persuade her about the joys of romance.
"It's because I've felt it before that I don't want to…." Ruth spoke softly, lowering her voice.
Elise didn't catch it. "Hmm? What did you just say, Ruth?"
"Haha, I said the pudding isn't enough—I'm going to grab a second tub." Ruth finished the last bite of pudding and walked into the kitchen with the empty container.
Elise furrowed her brows, wondering what Ruth had actually said. She had a feeling it wasn't really about pudding.
The phone rang, breaking Elise's thoughts. She swiped to answer and started a video call with Braden.
"I thought you'd be asleep by now." Braden sat at his desk, opening his laptop as he started the video call with her.
"No, I was just chatting with Ruth.She asked if Tyree's still bothering me and mentioned she's dealt with similar stuff. We even got onto the topic of groomsmen. Do any of your friends have names that have, like, a water theme?" Elise smiled sweetly at the camera, her chin resting on a pillow.
"Water theme? Do you mean names that sound like water or have a water-related meaning?"
Elise nodded enthusiastically, practically shouting, "Yes, exactly!"
After thinking for a moment, Braden replied, "No, I don't think so."
"Oh, that's too bad," Elise said, a little disappointed. She'd thought with all his friends, there'd be someone who met Ruth's requirements.
"Too bad?" Braden raised an eyebrow, seriously considering the meaning behind her words.
"It's a long story, but how's the business trip? Anything interesting happen?" Elise quickly changed the subject. After all, Ruth hadn't told him, so she obviously wanted to keep it a secret.
"Nothing interesting, really. The only thing that feels off is not having you here." Braden paused, his gaze filled with love and longing. "I just miss you."
"I miss you too... but I'm a little tired. Let's chat tomorrow." Elise held her phone, pouting her red lips as if to kiss him.
"Wait until I get home to give you a real kiss, and... take you out for a date on my day off," Braden laughed, clearly entertained by her playful act.
"Then I better go to sleep soon, so I can look forward to it in my dreams," Elise waved goodbye to Braden on the other end of the screen, saying goodnight.
