Arianna paused, confused. "No wonder what?"

"Nothing," Maxwell said, neatly organizing the snacks on the coffee table and packing them into a bag. "Take these for the road. You can share them with your coworkers."

Arianna toyed with the tassels on her decorative pillow, watching him fuss over the preparations. He was reciting reminders one after another, nattering on like a worried father.

Her throat tightened, a sudden warmth stinging her eyes. She took a few steadying breaths to suppress the rising emotion.

Maxwell stepped out to grab a tote bag, packing the snacks and a set of pressure-relief earplugs inside before placing it atop her white suitcase. He continued his litany. "This carry-on size doesn't need to be checked; you can bring it right onto the plane."

"The overhead bins are a bit high, so make sure to ask a male coworker or a flight attendant to help you..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

Arianna, who had been listening intently, looked up at him, her face tilted in curiosity. "Help me, and then what?"

"Then," Maxwell mused for a few seconds, "that's it."

Arianna: "..."

"Thank you," she said, looking up at him with a soft smile. "Maxwell, thank you for being so good to me. Truly."

"Am I good to you?"

Arianna nodded firmly. "Yes. Exceptional."

"Then..." Maxwell stared down at her upturned face, his gaze intense. "Will you miss me?"

Arianna blinked. "Huh?"

The question was a complete curveball, coming out of nowhere. She was still reeling from the shift in conversation.

Maxwell repeated the question with infinite patience. "You'll be away for a long time on this business trip. Will you miss me?"

She didn't understand why he was asking, but Arianna gave it serious thought. "I will."

This time, it was Maxwell who froze.

"You will?"

He stared at her without blinking, his gaze stripped bare of all pretense. His dark, obsidian eyes held a fervor that bordered on fanaticism—deep, murky, and impossible to articulate. It was like standing in the eye of a hurricane, where the slightest misstep would see her swept away into the dark.

Under that scorching intensity, Arianna faltered, offering a cautious, "Maybe... I suppose so."

"Maybe?" Maxwell whispered.

His expression flickered into something strange, yet his voice remained tender. He curled his lips into a satisfied, if slightly fragile, smile. "That’s enough."

If there was even a sliver of a chance, that was enough. After all, there was a time when he wouldn't have dared to hope for even that much.

Maxwell’s fingers twitched, then, after a moment’s hesitation, he reached out to ruffle her hair. As if making a solemn vow, he said, "I'll miss you, too."

"Get some sleep. You have a flight in the morning."

"Arianna. Goodnight."

***

The night was heavy, the moonlight washing over the villa’s garden like a thin, ethereal shroud. A crescent moon hung from the treetops, and as the breeze stirred, the reflection on the koi pond fractured and vanished.

In the second-floor bedroom, the window stood wide open. A lone figure leaned against the frame, his shadow stretched long and desolate across the floor.

The man rested his elbows on the sill, staring out into the dark, his focus entirely absent. A cigarette hung from his lips, the ember glowing like a dying star in the silence. Wisps of thin smoke drifted around his cool, sharp features. His dark eyes remained shuttered, hiding unreadable, murky emotions.

After a moment, as if struck by a thought, he crushed the half-spent cigarette in an ashtray, retreated into the room, and picked up his phone to make a call.

Miles away, Arianna was already in bed, letting the haze of sleep wash over her. A small nightlight cast a soft, warm glow across the room. Before she finally drifted off, she propped herself up on an elbow, her gaze lingering on the wall nearby.

There, tucked neatly against the wall, sat her white suitcase. Resting on top of it were the snacks and earplugs Maxwell had prepared—he’d specifically placed them there to ensure she wouldn't forget them.

Arianna stared at them for a long time. Her heart felt as if it were being wrapped in something incredibly soft, a heavy, achingly sweet pressure building in her chest. A complex, indescribable emotion surged within her.

***

The next afternoon, Arianna headed to the airport with her team. The company was feeling generous, springing for private town cars to drive them directly to the terminal, saving them the usual airport headache.

Upon arriving at the terminal, Arianna spotted a familiar face.

"Cole? What are you doing here?"

Cole Parker turned around, feigning total surprise. "Oh? Ms. Stone? What are you doing here? What a coincidence, running into you at the airport!"

Arianna: "..."

Cole was acting strange today. She didn't dwell on it, though, and answered honestly, "I'm heading to Riverside for a business trip with my colleagues."

"No way? Me too! I'm headed to Riverside as well!"

Arianna gave him a simple, innocent smile. "What a coincidence."

"Tell me about it," Cole said, leaning in to glance at her ticket. "12A?!"

He feigned shock. "That’s wild! My seat is 13A. It’s right behind you!"

Arianna checked his ticket, and sure enough, he wasn't lying. Was it really that coincidental? It felt almost too convenient.

Arianna: "Well, let's head to the gate together then."

To her surprise, Cole scrambled to decline, acting as if she’d suggested something perilous. "No, no, you go ahead with your colleagues. Don't worry about me, I'll manage just fine."

Maxwell had given him strict orders yesterday: ensure Ms. Stone gets to Riverside safely, and under no circumstances should he cause her any unnecessary trouble. In short, he was a "chaperone." That was how Cole interpreted it, anyway.

Seeing his resistance, Arianna didn't press. "Fine then. See you on the plane."

"Right."

Once on the flight, Cole helped lift Arianna’s suitcase into the overhead bin. To show her appreciation, Arianna pulled out a large bag of snacks and turned back to offer them to him. "Do you want some snacks? Anything you like?"

Cole froze. "N-no, thank you."

"It's alright," Arianna insisted, holding the bag out. "Just take some, don't be shy."

Cole didn't dare. "No, really. I'm not hungry."

Arianna: "..."

Seeing Arianna keep turning around to talk to the man behind her, Miranda, her manager who was sitting next to her, asked, "You two know each other?"

Arianna nodded. "Yeah, we're friends."

Miranda was a gentle woman who often bonded with her staff. She looked over at Cole, curious. "Is he your...?"

Cole’s internal alarm bells went off. He remembered Maxwell’s instructions and scrambled for a cover story.

Arianna spoke first. "He's my friend."

"Ah, friends," Miranda smiled. "No wonder. You seem like you have a great relationship."

Arianna hummed in agreement.

Miranda thought it was amusing. "Still, what a coincidence, right? Him sitting right behind you? Did you guys plan this?"

"No," Arianna said with a soft smile. "It really is just a coincidence."

***

After landing, Cole watched from a distance as Arianna exited the terminal and climbed into the company-provided town car. Only then did he return to the check-in counter to wait for his flight back to London.

About an hour later, Cole called Maxwell to report in.

"Don't worry, sir. Ms. Stone has made it into the car safely with her colleagues."

"Hmm," Maxwell set aside his documents. "How is she getting along with her team?"

"Seems fine. Everyone looks friendly enough, but I can't say for sure."

"Understood. You can head back now."

Mentioning her colleagues reminded Cole of the exchange at the airport. He added, "Her coworker asked her who I was."

"Oh?"

"And Ms. Stone said I was her friend."

Perhaps worried it wasn't enough to pique his boss's interest, Cole unwittingly doubled down. "A very close friend, she said."

Maxwell: "..."

The silence on the other end was absolute. Cole took the phone away from his ear to make sure the call hadn't dropped. The connection was still live; the timer was ticking away.

"A friend?" Maxwell said, his voice dangerously casual. "And what am I to her?"

Cole was stunned. "Why, you're her husband, sir. Her husband in the eyes of the law."

But none of that seemed to soothe Maxwell.

"How are you just 'friends'? 'Close friends'? How long have you even known each other?"

Cole: "..."

*You haven't known her very long yourself, have you?* Cole thought to himself. *Aren't you two married?*

After a long pause, Maxwell said coolly, "She was just saying it off the cuff. Don't take it too seriously."

Cole was skeptical. "Is that so? But..."

"Yes," Maxwell cut him off. "She used to call stray cats her 'friends.' In her eyes, even the flowers and the trees are her good friends."

Cole: "............"