Not appreciating the tone in Uriel’s voice, Brandon frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Uriel rolled his eyes. He had been eavesdropping on the entire thing, hoping to interfere in some spicy story if there was any.
But he was very disappointed at the silence that played out, and when Elaine began to speak, he could tell she was trying to break the ice between her and Brandon.
Whatever happened between them, she must have been at fault, seeing as she took the responsibility to try and apologize.
"It’s common courtesy to hear people out when they apologize. Even if you feel it’s not needed, that’s you! Some people have to apologize for themselves also, to feel less guilty," Uriel explained.
Brandon, who was in the motion of wiping his hands with a napkin, froze for a moment, the guilt that once strayed at the edges of his mind taking deeper root.
Reflecting back to a few minutes ago... maybe he really did come off as harsh and dismissive.
Thinking back on this, he stood still in silent reflection...
Uriel leaned on the frame of the door and continued. "I don’t know what happened between you two, but dismissing it would not only keep eating you up, it would do the same to her..."
Brandon’s eyes flashed with complicated lights. "You don’t understand. It’s not that serious or that important. It shouldn’t matter."
Uriel shook his head. "If it didn’t matter, it wouldn’t be so obvious that I would notice it. And if this goes on, the awkwardness between you two will draw a rift sooner or later..."
Walking forward, Uriel rested a hand on Brandon’s shoulder. "You know denial and avoidance won’t make whatever happened go away."
Brandon remained reflective for a moment. Thinking it through again, he couldn’t help but agree with Uriel.
A girl like Elaine barging in on a naked guy, to him, might be nothing but a memory he just wanted to forget. But to her?
That might even be the first time she ever saw a man naked. Not only that, she might be plagued with severe guilt, as she would interpret the situation to be severe.
Because she would interpret it the same as if it happened the other way.
’Sigh... maybe I shouldn’t have shut her off like that...’ he thought.
If not for Uriel, he honestly might have just left things as they were. And who knew how bad their relationship might deteriorate, not to add the fact that it would affect their team as a whole.
He personally wouldn’t want that. For some reason, he felt fond of Elaine, viewing her in a different lens than he did the others.
So her seeing him in that situation was a reality he really, really didn’t want to confront.
’Sigh... I have to man up, I guess,’ he concluded inwardly. Then he looked up at Uriel suspiciously, his gaze narrowed as he scanned his friend from top to bottom.
Stepping backwards, feeling uncomfortable under Brandon’s scanning gaze, Uriel asked, "What?"
Arms crossed, Brandon held his chin with his thumb and index finger. He replied, "Nothing... I was just wondering since when the mighty Emperor stiff face got so emotionally intelligent."
Hearing that old embarrassing name, Uriel hardly reacted. In fact, he taunted back, "Who said this emperor couldn’t excel in high EQ?"
Brandon’s eyes widened. "Tsk tsk tsk, we have to add thick skin to the list of new traits."
Uriel shrugged and adjusted his glasses. "Well, at least it shows I could handle girls more than you."
Brandon gasped, hands on his chest. He leaned backwards in exaggerated shock. "Oh no, you didn’t go there..."
Uriel eyed him in disappointment, adding more. He wagged his finger at Brandon in warning. "Continue like this and you’ll die single."
Brandon scoffed at those words. "Me? Single? Those two words in the same sentence is an error."
"Trying to shame me in a game I’ve long maxed my skills in?" Brandon sensed a challenge. "Tell you what, why don’t we make a bet about who among us will get a girlfriend first."
Uriel scanned him for a few seconds and smiled. "You know what? Even if you have the home advantage, I’ll take you up on that, because I bet you’re just that dense."
Brandon grinned. "Good. Now don’t cry when daddy gets with mummy. You know I’m a player; you just can’t win."
"Mhm... we’ll see..." Uriel nodded nonchalantly as he walked over to the sink to wash his hands.
Brandon was done with his chores and was about to leave, but something still curious about Uriel’s words made him ask, "Oh, and what do you mean by me having a home advantage?"
Uriel, scrubbing his hands underneath the cold rush of running water, just shook his head, wearing a smile. He didn’t answer the question and merely reaffirmed his statement. "As I said, you are dense."
"Tch... whatever." Brandon scoffed, clicking his tongue. He left, leaving Uriel all to himself.
Feeling the cold pour of water, a figure resurfaced in Uriel’s mind. He had stared at her eyes filled with admiration in a kitchen like this too, but he never had the courage to say anything.
Back then, he just wasn’t ready... he simply wasn’t completely out of his shell. He hadn’t gotten himself in order, didn’t even know what or who he was completely.
And even now he still didn’t fully understand himself. But he was ready to explore this new part of him with her.
He wouldn’t be seeing her for a long time, but when next he did, he couldn’t hesitate. Even if he would be offending a friend, she was in his heart, and he couldn’t deny that...
"I’m not going to lose this bet..." he smiled as he whispered in silent confidence.
...
Meanwhile in Elaine’s room...
The poor lass lay on the bed, her head buried in her pillows, hurt by Brandon’s cold words and plagued by the feeling of being rejected.
She was new to all this... all her life she was taught and trained to excel, to be that boss lady, to lead.
She boasted of many experiences, from facing devilds to battling aliens. Yet when it came to matters of the heart, she was as clueless as she was fragile.
She lifted her head, feeling a pang in her chest... she had never felt like this before. Not damaged physically, yet feeling so hurt.
Letting out a heavy, unsteady breath, her mind drifted in a cloud of thoughts of what could have been.
Getting up, she prepared herself for a bath, eyes lost, her mind even more absent... so much so she missed the three echoes of a knock behind her.
It wasn’t that her senses were dull, but her will was so unsteady she didn’t perceive her senses. No matter how powerful one was, they would never be above being absent-minded.
She had gotten rid of her garment, leaving her with only her bright blue undergarment and a beautifully embroidered bra. She headed for the shower room.
When suddenly she felt a flow of wind where it wasn’t meant to be. This slight sensation bringing her back to reality, she quickly whipped her head towards the door...
And two gazes met...