Elijah returned from settling the bill, his demeanor casual but purposeful. “The weather’s clear tonight,” he said, his voice even. “There’s Jade Lake near the night market.
We could take a look at the night view.”
Elizabeth’s mind flickered to the last time they had done this—gazing at the seaside under the stars. That night, she had fallen asleep during the drive, only to be awoken at dawn to a sight that took her breath away.
The sun, a molten gold orb, rose from the horizon, merging sea and sky in a seamless expanse of warmth and light.
Those moments, she realized, must have been ones he shared countless times with Sandra, woven into the fabric of his habits. Repeated with her. Perfected with her.
What moved Elizabeth might have been routine for him, echoes of a love he had given someone else.
Elizabeth brushed past him without meeting his gaze and walked towards the car.
Her voice was cool, sharp. “I have a script to write and lines to memorize for tomorrow. I don’t have your kind of leisure, Mr. James.”
Elijah followed without a word, his own expression hardening.
His strides were deliberate, closing the distance between them before she could move away.
His gaze dropped briefly to her lips before his hand reached out. Gently, yet uninvited, he wiped the corner of her mouth, lingering a second too long.
“You just finished eating the shrimp I peeled for you,” he said, his tone low and magnetic, though his words carried an edge.
“And now you’re turning your back on me? You’re really like a pet biting the hand that feeds it.”
