The wind blows the leaves, and the low hum of cicadas at night stirs up a restlessness that cannot be suppressed.
Oliver Bloom took a deep breath and, after a moment, said in a slightly hoarse voice, "This really does sound like the words of a drunk."
He seized upon a loophole in Elise Don's words, hoping to avoid it.
This clear intent to refuse severely bruised Elise Don. She hung her head low, her earlobes blushing furiously, as if scorched by alcohol, seeming so close that one might catch a whiff of aged wine.
She was silent for a long time, then looked up with eyes full of mist.
"Are you rejecting me?"
Oliver remained silent.
Elise couldn't bear his silence. Clenching her teeth, and in the quiet where she couldn't receive an answer, she looked down to rummage through her bag for her car keys. In her frantic search, the small miscellaneous items got tossed around, spilling out two objects.
It was lipstick and a packet of tissues, along with an eye mask.
