The elevator chimed softly as it reached the top floor. Leina's heart fluttered in her chest as she stepped out into the familiar scent of polished wood, coffee, and faint floral perfume.
She passed through the glass corridor, glancing around the office she.
"Good morning, Ma'am," a young receptionist greeted politely. "Do you have an appointment?"
Leina smiled warmly. "No appointment. I'm here to surprise someone."
The receptionist blinked in confusion. "And who might that be?"
"Caliste Winslow," Leina said softly, her lips curving with affection. "She's expecting me.. she just doesn't know it yet."
---
Inside her office, Caliste sat behind a mountain of reports, her pen gliding neatly across the pages. Her brows were slightly furrowed.. the same expression she always had when deeply focused. Her soft brown hair was tied in a low bun, and the sunlight through the blinds framed her face like gold silk.
She didn't hear the knock.
"Miss Winslow?" came a teasing voice from the door.
Caliste looked up ...and froze.
For a second, her mind couldn't process what her eyes saw. Then the pen fell from her hand with a soft click.
"Leina?" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
Leina leaned against the doorframe, grinning. "Surprise."
Caliste was already on her feet, crossing the room in seconds. She threw her arms around her best friend, laughing through tears she didn't expect to shed.
"You...! You didn't even message me! Five years, Leina! Five years!"
"I wanted to see your face," Leina laughed, hugging her tightly. "I missed you so much, Cali."
Caliste pulled back slightly, still holding her shoulders as if afraid she might disappear. "You look so different ...more confident, more… beautiful."
Leina smiled, brushing a tear from Caliste's cheek. "And you...you've changed too. Still the same graceful Caliste Winslow, just… sharper around the edges."
They both laughed softly, sinking onto the couch near the window. The city stretched beneath them, glittering under the noon sun.
For a few minutes, they simply talked ...catching up on little things. Leina spoke of her years abroad, of how she finally opened her own design line in Milan, free from her family's shadow. Caliste, in turn, spoke of her projects, of the growing company she now helped manage though she carefully avoided any mention of Lucian.
But Leina noticed.
She always did.
When Caliste's smile faltered for just a second. When her eyes softened with an emotion that wasn't quite named. When she glanced toward the window as if her thoughts wandered to someone else.
Leina leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. "You're working yourself to death again," she teased lightly. "You always hide behind your work when you're hurting."
Caliste's smile stiffened. "I'm not hiding."
Leina tilted her head, her gaze gentle but knowing. "Then tell me you're happy."
Silence.
Caliste looked down at her hands, clasped tightly together. "Happiness is… complicated," she murmured.
Leina reached over, squeezing her hand. "Then I'll stay. Until it's not."
Caliste's eyes lifted teary, but grateful. "Leina…"
"Don't even try to argue," Leina interrupted with a grin. "I've already moved into a hotel nearby. You can't get rid of me that easily."
Caliste laughed softly, shaking her head. "You never change."
"Of course not," Leina said. "I'm still the same stubborn woman who used to drag you out for late-night ice cream runs when you were sad."
They both laughed again, the sound light, almost healing.
As they sat together, it felt like time folded..five years dissolving into nothing but friendship and quiet understanding.
Then, a sudden knock interrupted the moment.
"Miss Winslow," said her assistant from outside. "Mr. Velmore just called. He asked to see you this afternoon."
Caliste froze for a second her pulse quickening at the sound of that name.
Leina noticed the flicker in her eyes, though she said nothing.
When the door closed again, Leina reached for her coffee and said casually, "So… Lucian Velmore, huh?"
Caliste's breath caught. "Leina…"
Her friend raised both hands in surrender, smiling knowingly. "Alright, alright. I'll wait until you're ready. But something tells me," she said softly, "that man still has his hold on you."
Caliste looked away, her heart pounding. Outside, the wind brushed gently against the window, carrying with it memories she tried so hard to forget.. and feelings she could no longer deny.
----
Leina stirred her iced coffee absentmindedly as she watched Caliste across the table. Her friend was lost in thought again, gazing at nothing in particular, her fork untouched since the meal began.
Leina sighed and leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "You've been zoning out since we sat down. Don't tell me work's already calling your brain back?"
Caliste blinked and forced a small smile. "No, just… thinking."
"About?"
Caliste didn't answer.
Leina's grin turned sly as she slid a glossy magazine across the table. The latest society issue — The Vellaria Chronicle — with a headline sprawled in elegant print:
> "Caelum Vellaria Announces His Intent to Pursue Caliste Winslow — The Woman Who Captured His Heart."
Below it was a candid photo of Caelum smiling at a charity gala, his arm slightly extended toward Caliste, who looked politely surprised in the frame.
Caliste's breath hitched when she saw it, her fingers tightening around her napkin.
"So," Leina began casually, sipping her drink. "Should I be congratulating my best friend for being the most talked-about woman in the city right now?"
Caliste glanced around the restaurant, her tone hushed. "Leina, not so loud."
Leina chuckled softly. "Relax. Half the people here already read this before their morning coffee. Don't worry — I'm not judging."
She leaned closer, her expression softening. "I just want to know the truth. What's the real score between you and Caelum Vellaria?"
Caliste stayed silent for a moment, eyes tracing the edge of her plate.
Leina tilted her head. "He's handsome, charming, and from what I remember, polite enough to pull out chairs for strangers. I actually ran into him this morning...literally..and I must say, the man makes quite an impression."
Caliste looked up, startled. "You met him?"
Leina grinned. "Yes. Tall, broad shoulders, that clean-cut confidence. And kind, too. If you ever decide to choose him, Cali, I'd fully support that."
Caliste's lips curved faintly, but her eyes clouded over with something deeper something heavier.
"Leina…" she started softly, her voice trembling just a little. "If only it were that simple."
Leina frowned slightly. "Then tell me. What's holding you back?"
Caliste set her fork down and clasped her hands together. The silence between them thickened, filled only by the faint hum of conversation from other tables.
"After everything that happened," Caliste said slowly, "I tried to move on. I tried to open my heart again...to forget the past, to forget him."
Her voice caught on the last word.
Leina didn't interrupt. She knew exactly who him was.
Caliste exhaled shakily. "But I can't. I've met people who are kind, respectful, even wonderful in every way… but when they look at me, I don't feel anything. Not the way I did with Lucian."
Her eyes glistened as she forced herself to meet Leina's gaze. "Even after all the pain, after all the silence between us… my heart still belongs to him. It always did."
Leina's teasing smile faded, replaced by quiet sympathy.
"You still love him," she murmured.
Caliste nodded, her voice almost a whisper. "Even if he doesn't want me anymore."
The confession hung in the air, raw and aching.
Leina reached across the table and gently took Caliste's hand. "You don't have to be ashamed of that," she said softly. "Love like that… it doesn't vanish just because it hurts."
Caliste looked down, trying to smile. "Maybe not. But it's the kind that burns everything in its path."
Leina gave a small, sad laugh. "Then maybe it's time someone saved you from the fire."
Caliste shook her head. "No one can. Not until Lucian lets me go… or I learn to stop waiting for him."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The sunlight shifted, glinting off Caliste's glass of water, and the soft music seemed to echo the ache in her heart.
Leina finally broke the silence. "Then let's promise each other one thing," she said, smiling gently. "No matter what happens ...Caelum, Lucian, all of it ..you'll choose yourself this time."
Caliste smiled faintly, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "I'll try."
Leina squeezed her hand. "That's all I need to hear."