Thanksgiving had passed, and the holiday season was just around the corner. Sitting at her desk, Elise noticed something unusual.
"Movie tickets?" Elise stared thoughtfully at the two tickets tucked under a magazine on her desk.
"These are movie tickets from Zayne. He gave everyone two so they can bring a friend," Evelyn explained as she doodled. "You could go with a friend. I don't have anything I want to watch, so I gave mine to my parents."
"So, I can't invite you?" Elise looked at her with pleading eyes.
For Elise, with Ruth out of here and Evelyn declining, she truly didn't know who else she could ask.
Evelyn paused, giving her a knowing look. "Don't you have a close friend? That guy, Braden?"
"No, no, no. I'm not that unlucky to only have one friend." Elise huffed in frustration.
She remembered how Ruth had said that half a pumpkin pie she ate was a blessing, wishing for a good outcome between her and Braden.
Who came up with that blessing? It was terrifying! Did it mean she'd have to endure his teasing for the rest of her life?
If it hadn't been for the strawberry cake, she never would have eaten that half of the pumpkin pie.
"Really? I see you guys going out together all the time, with tons of check-ins."
"You're definitely missing someone. His sister's with us too."
"I thought she was just there as a cover so people wouldn't realize you two were dating. Isn't that how secret relationships work?"
Elise stared at her in horror, the corners of her mouth twitching. "Are… are you serious?"
"I'm being totally serious. I just didn't want to ask directly. Don't you think you two are a perfect fit? Your families are close, you grew up together, and you know each other inside and out. Isn't it better to be with someone who gets you, listens to you, and sticks around? Slow and steady wins the race, you know. Fast love fades out fast and just leaves you feeling empty." Evelyn gave her two cents on Elise's love life.
Has Elise ever really found someone who's truly right for her in any of her relationships? Elise's relationships always ended with betrayal or a breakup. So why not choose someone who truly understood her and had been a close friend all along?
"More like a string of disasters..." Elise muttered, pouting.
She never should have eaten that pumpkin pie. Now she was already worried about her future.
Silently, she prayed. She was only twenty-four, for heaven's sake. Please, as long as her future didn't involve Braden, she'd do anything!
Evelyn scratched her cheek and tilted her head. "Did you just say something?"
"I said I really want to see a movie. Let's go together!" Elise lied smoothly.
"No way, I can't go messing up the potential for a blossoming romance."
"Please, I blocked him ages ago. There's no 'potential' for anything…" Elise smacked her forehead, realizing her mistake. "I mean, there's no chance of anything happening between us, and he's blocked. I don't want to deal with him."
"But remember that movie you really wanted to see? I think today's the last day it's showing, and it's going to be pulled tomorrow. Are you really not going to go see it?" Evelyn asked, pulling up the info on her phone and showing Elise.
"Really?" Elise stared at the screen, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' of surprise.
Oh my god, it really was the last day. Was this a joke? How had she not noticed?
She felt so miserable, she could almost cry…
At the end of the workday, Elise watched as a deep blue sedan pulled up beside her. She was now in a state of utter despair.
Her sadness ran deep—had it really come to this, where her only option was to ask Braden?
But what truly pained her wasn't the idea of seeing him; it was that she'd had to swallow her pride, unblock him, and politely ask if he'd like to go see a movie…
Oh, life—she'd never been so embarrassed.
But still, she opened the car door, slid into the passenger seat with a big, bright smile. If she looked cheerful enough, maybe it wouldn't be as awkward.
Braden parked in a spot and checked the movie's runtime. "Looks like we're cutting it close. If you're not too hungry, I can take you out for food after the movie."
"Huh?" His serious tone caught her off guard, leaving her face full of questions.
Was he really Braden? Maybe he was an imposter.
In her mind, the real Braden would say something more like…
Something like, "Oh? You actually unblocked me? I knew you couldn't live without me."
Ugh, just the thought made her irritated!
She clenched her teeth, her eyes practically sparking with annoyance.
Braden hadn't noticed Elise's strange reaction. He glanced at his phone, where Mylee, one of the screenwriters at work, had texted asking if he'd like to catch a movie sometime.
His response was quick, just three words.
"Of course not!"
After putting his phone away, Braden focused back on Elise.
She sat there, oddly silent, which he found a little strange. But then again, her moods were always unpredictable. If they weren't, would she even be Elise? Definitely not.
"Are you hungry, maybe?" he asked, watching her intently, trying to figure out what this peculiar woman was thinking.
Quiet, not chattering, not babbling on and on? This wasn't her at all.
"I'm not hungry! Come on, let's go see a movie." Elise finally voiced her thoughts, acting as if it was no big deal.
This way… he probably wouldn't say anything weird, right?
But not everything goes as planned, does it? Even if she hoped for it, it just wasn't that easy.
"Hey, just curious—how did I end up unblocked?" Braden asked, right on cue.
Elise felt a wave of embarrassment, wishing she could just bury her face in her jacket and escape into a different dimension.
Quietly, she questioned herself, "Elise, how could you betray your block list just for a movie…?"
"I would never block you! You know, maybe your other friends would, but never me! We've been through too much—how could I?" Elise said, abandoning her pride entirely.
To Braden, her words were hilariously terrifying. She really was a screenwriter—she could tell the most blatant lies without blinking.
"I thought so too. I mean, you really need me, don't you?" Braden replied, gripping the steering wheel, barely holding back a laugh.
Elise suddenly realized she was braver than she thought. That flattery had slipped from her lips with surprising ease—no blushing, no hesitation.
Wait, why was Braden playing along?
No, he wasn't going along with it. He was laughing at her.
Could she rewrite her own life story? Maybe give herself amnesia, so she'd forget this entire day!
No way—she couldn't give up so easily! She needed to think of some way to turn this around.
"Please! I just want to know why you invited me to eat half a pumpkin pie. I didn't realize you had such an agenda, like wanting to be with me," Elise shot back, feeling like her life might as well end right here if she were stuck with him.
"Who told you that?" Braden looked up, his deep brown eyes just as shocked as she was.
"Is that the point…?" Elise asked timidly, but the truth hit her anyway. "Wait—so you actually want to be with me!"
Braden didn't hold back. "That's scarier than the horror movie we're about to watch."
Scary? Elise thought about it seriously, her little brain working overtime, until she came to a conclusion.
He must mean that liking her was truly terrifying.
She wanted to hit him, but since he was about to drive, she gritted her teeth and let it go.
Hmph, she'd love to see who'd end up marrying him—as long as it wasn't her.
