Chapter 176.

Two days later:

Morning settled quietly over the penthouse.

Emilia came downstairs beside Adrian, wrapped in a loose white robe. She was still half asleep.

Adrian looked much more awake.

He had one hand in the pocket of his trousers, the other resting loosely around Emilia’s hand as they descended the stairs.

They had spent most of the morning upstairs.

Not doing anything particularly important.

Just talking, eating breakfast in bed, falling asleep again, waking up, and talking some more.

It was the kind of laziness Emilia had never associated with Adrian before. The man had once seemed incapable of sitting still without having a plan.

Now, apparently, he could spend half an hour lying beside her while she told him stories that had absolutely no point.

She liked that version of him.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Emilia noticed someone in the kitchen.

Christian.

He stood behind the island in a dark T-shirt and loose gray sweatpants, his sleeves pushed up as he poured freshly squeezed orange juice into a glass.

Emilia slowed.

She hadn’t crossed paths with him since the video call. After that night, Christian had simply disappeared from the penthouse.

Emilia had asked Adrian about him and Kylie the following morning.

Adrian had told her he knew almost nothing.

Which, considering Adrian knew almost everything about everyone, was saying something.

Christian looked up, and their eyes met. He gave her a small nod. "Morning."

"Morning." Emilia responded. She glanced at Adrian.

Adrian gave her the smallest nod to go ahead.

She understood. He wasn’t going to interfere. Emilia leaned toward him and kissed his cheek.

"I’ll be right back."

Adrian’s hand briefly squeezed hers. "Take your time."

She walked toward the kitchen.

Christian returned his attention to the orange juice.

Emilia stopped on the other side of the island. "What are you doing?"

Christian lifted the glass slightly. "Juice."

"I can see that."

"Then we’re both doing well this morning."

She smiled faintly.

Christian reached for another orange. "I’m making fresh juice. I figured you both might want some."

Emilia watched him cut another orange.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable exactly. But it wasn’t normal either.

Christian had always filled silence without thinking. Today, he seemed almost careful with it.

Emilia leaned against the counter. "Christian."

"Hm?"

"What happened?"

His hand stopped briefly. He avoided her gaze. "With what?"

"You know what."

He resumed cutting the orange.

"I probably know about six things you’re talking about."

Emilia studied him. "The call."

Christian’s expression changed slightly.

Emilia had spent enough time around him through Adrian to know when his humor was real and when it was simply armor.

He put another orange beneath the juicer.

"You noticed."

"I have eyes."

"Unfortunately."

She smiled. Her expression softened.

"Christian."

He sighed.

The juicer started again.

For several seconds, the only sound in the kitchen was the machine extracting juice from the orange.

When he turned it off, he looked at her.

"I knew her once."

Emilia frowned slightly. "Kylie?"

He nodded. "We kept meeting accidentally."

He poured the juice into another container. "Different places. Different circumstances. Somehow, we’d keep running into each other."

Emilia stayed quiet.

Christian wiped his fingers with a towel. "And eventually, I stupidly told her that I liked her."

Emilia’s eyebrows lifted. She blinked in disbelief. "You told Kylie?"

"Apparently." He gave her a look. "I was there."

Christian looked down at the counter. "I forgot she was an avoidant."

Emilia’s expression softened. "And you pushed."

"I did."

He nodded slowly. "Not intentionally. I just..." He paused, then exhaled. "I liked being around her."

Emilia didn’t interrupt.

Christian continued quietly. "She made things feel easy. Then suddenly they weren’t." He looked toward the window. "And I ended up ruining even our little friendship."

He looked directly at Emilia. "Like Taylor Swift said, ruin the friendship better than to ask it all your life. I did just that. And now, I’m the one ruined." He chuckled. "It works differently for everyone."

Emilia’s eyes widened. "You listen to Taylor Swift?"

Christian stared at her for a second before breaking into a grin. "Wait. Adrian didn’t tell you he’s an OG listener?"

Emilia blinked. "You don’t mean it."

"Oh, I mean it." Christian laughed. "He probably feels too grown to admit it. He introduced me to Taylor Swift."

"No way!"

"Yes way."

Emilia’s entire face lit up. "You know You Belong With Me?"

Christian raised a brow. "Do I know it?"

They looked at each other for half a second.

Then, together, they gave each other an inviting look, and started. "You’re on the phone with your girlfriend—"

"—she’s upset, she’s going off about something that you said—"

They both stopped and burst out laughing.

Christian lifted his hand.

Emilia immediately slapped hers against his.

They dissolved into louder laughter.

"Oh my God," Emilia wheezed. "I actually like you more now."

Christian placed a hand over his heart. "Finally. I’ve been waiting for this moment."

They laughed for a few seconds again. Christian was the first to stop laughing. His smile faded as quickly as it had appeared.

Christian gave a small shrug. "I ruined the friendship." There was no humor in his face. "I pushed too hard."

Emilia folded her arms loosely. "Because you liked her?"

"Because I wanted an answer."

"And she didn’t give you one."

"No." He looked down. "She gave me distance instead."

Emilia was quiet.

Christian picked up the container of juice. "I should’ve understood what that meant."

"Maybe she didn’t know what she wanted either."

"Maybe."

He didn’t argue.

That somehow made Emilia feel worse.

She watched him pour the remaining juice into a third glass. "Did something happen between you two?"

Christian’s hand paused. "Yes." He smiled faintly.

Then the expression disappeared.

"There was something between us." He said it carefully. "Nothing official."

Emilia nodded. "Okay."

"We were friends." He paused. "Not really friends, but cloee to that. And then we weren’t very good at being just friends."

Emilia’s eyes softened.

She didn’t need the details.

Christian placed three glasses of juice inside the refrigerator. "The juice needs to cool."

Emilia blinked. "You put it in the fridge?"

"Yes."

"Why didn’t you just add ice?"

Christian stared at her. "I don’t want to dilute it."

She nodded seriously.

He closed the refrigerator. "Ice kills my hard work."

He leaned back against the counter.

Emilia glanced toward the refrigerator. "How long?"

"Ten minutes."

Emilia let out a sift exhale. Christian have her a light smile.

The silence returned.

Emilia looked down at her hands. "She cares about you."

Christian’s expression became still. "You don’t know that."

"I know Kylie." Emilia’s face softened. "It’s true."

Christian swallowed. "That’s what makes it difficult."

Emilia didn’t respond immediately. Then she asked softly, "Do you still like her?"

He looked at the refrigerator. The answer came after a long pause. "Yes."

Emilia’s heart sank slightly. "Does she know?"

"I think she does."

"Does she know you aren’t angry with her?"

Christian laughed quietly. "She’s probably convinced I’m angry."

"Are you?"

"No." He shook his head. "I’m angry at myself."

Emilia looked at him.

"For thinking I could make something happen just because I wanted it badly enough."

The refrigerator hummed softly behind them.

Emilia finally said, "You know she loves you."

Christian looked at her sharply.

Emilia immediately corrected herself. "Not like that."

His shoulders relaxed slightly.

"She loves you as a person."

He looked away again. "She does."

Christian’s expression changed. "Emilia."

She stopped.

He looked at her carefully. "Don’t ask me to chase her. And don’t try to convince her against what she really wants. Which is me staying away."

Emilia’s lips parted. "I wasn’t."

"She’s already running."

Emilia’s smile disappeared.

Christian continued quietly. "I don’t want to make her run faster."

For a moment, Emilia didn’t know what to say.

Then the refrigerator chimed again. Christian opened it. He took out the three glasses, and handed one to Emilia.

She accepted it.

Christian handed another glass to Adrian, who had quietly walked into the kitchen.

Adrian looked at the juice, then at Christian.

"Thank you."

Christian nodded. He picked up the final glass for himself.

Emilia took a sip.

The juice was cold, fresh, and sweet.

She looked at Christian over the rim of her glass. He wasn’t looking at her anymore. His eyes were fixed somewhere beyond the windows.

Emilia knew there was much more to the story. She also knew Christian wasn’t ready to tell her.

So she didn’t ask again.

Sometimes people didn’t need someone to pull the truth out of them.

Sometimes they just needed someone to sit beside them while they figured out what to do with it.