The days continued slipping by with quiet consistency.
Breakfast had become routine.
Alexander left his room at nearly the same time every morning.
Malissa usually arrived in the dining room a few minutes earlier.
A simple greeting.
Breakfast.
Coffee for him.
Tea or water for her.
Then they went their separate ways.
No awkwardness.
No unnecessary conversation.
Just a rhythm they had both settled into without ever discussing it.
Outside, the lockdown remained firmly in place.
Inside Evermere, life carried on.
Later that afternoon, Malissa sat at the desk in her room with her laptop open.
Her portfolio had already been sent to several companies over the past few days.
Today she had only intended to check her inbox before sending another application.
A new email sat at the top.
Her heartbeat lifted slightly.
She clicked it open.
«Thank you for your interest...»
Her eyes moved steadily across the screen.
By the time she reached the final line, she already knew.
They had chosen another applicant.
She remained still for a moment.
Not because the rejection shocked her.
Some part of her had expected it.
She closed the email.
Looked quietly out of the window.
Then released a slow breath.
"Well..."
A tiny smile tugged at her lips.
"One down."
There would be others.
She believed that.
Closing the laptop, she decided work could wait until tomorrow.
She had spent enough hours staring at screens.
A break sounded far more appealing.
After freshening up, she wandered downstairs and switched on the television.
There was a film she had bookmarked weeks ago but never found the time to watch.
It seemed as good a day as any.
She settled comfortably into one corner of the sofa, drawing a cushion onto her lap as the opening scenes began.
The story slowly pulled her in.
By the time the plot reached its halfway point, she had forgotten about the email entirely.
Upstairs, Alexander ended a video conference with the European division.
He closed the final report, removed his glasses for a brief moment and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
The meeting had lasted considerably longer than expected.
Leaving the study, he headed downstairs.
The quiet sound of dialogue drifted from the living room.
He glanced briefly towards the television before continuing into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, he returned carrying a mug of freshly brewed coffee.
The film was still playing.
One particular scene caught his attention.
Without much thought, he settled into the armchair opposite the sofa.
Not close enough to intrude.
Not far enough to leave.
His attention returned to the screen.
Several minutes passed.
Malissa remained completely absorbed in the film.
It was only when she reached for the glass of water resting on the coffee table that she noticed another presence in the room.
She turned.
"Oh."
Alexander looked up briefly.
"When did you get here?"
"Not long."
She nodded.
"Oh."
Neither of them said anything else.
The movie continued.
A tense conversation unfolded between the two main characters before the male lead suddenly made a reckless decision.
Malissa sighed.
"Why would he do that?"
Alexander answered without taking his eyes off the television.
"Poor judgement."
She looked at him.
"No."
"He was trying to protect her."
"He made it worse."
She frowned.
"You've only watched ten minutes."
"I've watched enough."
She stared at him for another second.
"No, you haven't."
Alexander lifted his mug.
"I have."
"You don't even know what happened before this."
"I know what he just did."
"And?"
"It was a poor decision."
Malissa shook her head.
"You're judging him without context."
"I'm judging the outcome."
She let out a quiet laugh of disbelief.
"That's unfair."
"It usually is."
She folded one leg beneath herself and turned slightly towards him.
"Alright."
"If you're going to criticise the poor man, at least let me explain."
Alexander gave a small nod, granting permission without actually saying so.
"The reason he did that was because of something that happened earlier."
"He promised her father he would keep her safe."
"He knew she wouldn't agree to leave."
"So he made the decision for her."
Alexander remained silent.
"He wasn't trying to control her."
"He genuinely believed it was the only way to protect her."
She continued explaining the scenes Alexander had missed.
The conversations.
The misunderstandings.
The reasons behind each decision.
Without realising it, her hands had begun moving as she spoke.
Her expressions shifted naturally with the story.
Every now and then she pointed towards the screen whenever another scene supported her argument.
"And that's why this moment matters."
She finally finished.
"If you hadn't missed the beginning, you would've understood."
The room fell quiet.
Only the voices from the television filled the silence.
Malissa looked towards Alexander.
Ready to defend the film a little more if necessary.
Instead...
She paused.
There it was.
A smile.
Small.
Unforced.
Barely there.
Not amusement.
Not mockery.
Simply a genuine reaction that softened his usually composed expression for the briefest moment.
It vanished almost immediately.
Alexander's attention returned to the television as though nothing unusual had happened.
He seemed completely unaware of it.
Malissa blinked.
Had she...
Actually seen that?
The rest of the film continued playing.
She watched it.
Or at least she tried to.
But every now and then her thoughts drifted back to the same unexpected image.
Alexander Marquez.
Smiling.
It was strange.
Not because the smile had transformed him.
Not because it changed the way she saw him overnight.
Simply because she had never imagined he smiled like that at all.
When the credits finally rolled, Alexander stood first.
He carried his empty mug back towards the kitchen.
"Good film."
She looked up.
A faint smile found her own lips.
"I told you."
He didn't answer.
By the time she reached the kitchen a few minutes later, the mug had already been rinsed and placed neatly beside the sink.
The house returned to its familiar quiet.
Later that night, as Malissa lay beneath the covers with the bedside lamp switched off, the rejection email crossed her mind once.
She would send more applications tomorrow.
Someone, somewhere, would eventually say yes.
But another thought quietly followed.
For reasons she couldn't quite explain...
The image that stayed with her most wasn't the email.
It wasn't even the film.
It was that fleeting smile she wasn't entirely sure had happened.
And somehow...
That made the day feel a little lighter.