What the Screen Never Knew

Back then, every time Elias went on a business trip, if he missed either a good morning kiss or a goodnight kiss, I clung to him until he made it up to me.Sometimes, I honestly felt like a loan shark. If Elias missed one kiss, he had to repay it ten times over.The first time I said that out loud, the man almost laughed from irritation.“Nancy,” he said, sounding half amused and half exasperated, “do you not think you are being a little unreasonable?”I blinked innocently, unaware of the problem. Then I cupped his face with both hands and kissed him over and over, completely satisfied.Moments like that happened often. Eventually, Elias got used to it.He stopped showing obvious resistance.However, when I remembered the way he subtly dodged my kiss the night before, my chest tightened. He probably never wanted any of it in the first place.I waved my hands in panic and quickly said, “No need.”After speaking, I lowered my head again and quietly added, with little confidence,

As I heard that, the tips of my ears grew warm.It was such a normal sentence. Coming from Elias, with that cool and pleasant voice of his, it somehow sounded teasing.Memories rushed through my mind without warning. I remembered countless nights spent sleeping in each other’s arms.Elias hated wearing a shirt to bed. The heat from his bare chest always seeped through my back while his chin rested lightly on the top of my head.All of it had happened because I pushed for it.Every night, I insisted on making Elias hold me from behind while we slept.He probably did not like that either.Guilt rose quietly in my chest.Before I could answer, Elias reached out and grabbed one of my hands.I reacted like I had been shocked and immediately pulled away.When I met the darkened look in his eyes, I steadied myself, pressed my lips together, and softly refused.“No need. I think sleeping alone is pretty nice. I want some personal space too.”Elias looked at me for a while before he

My mind felt completely tangled.The moment I heard the word breakup, I instinctively avoided Elias’s gaze. I turned and ran back to the bedroom.For some reason, I suddenly remembered the scratches on the back of Elias’s hand when he washed my underwear earlier.A few tiny marks. They looked like they had been left by a cat.We had used up all the bandages at home last time.After thinking about it, I decided to go buy some. At the same time, I needed space to calm down.Deep down, I still felt like Elias was not the kind of person the comments made him out to be.My luck was terrible.On the way back, a heavy storm started without warning. A passing car splashed muddy water all over me.In the chaos, someone bumped into me, and I fell hard onto the ground, scraping my knee badly.I forced the tears back into my eyes.I held the box of bandages tightly against my chest, gritted my teeth, and ran home through the pain.As I kept running, an umbrella suddenly appeared above

“It is me. Elias. The thief already ran away.”I was still scared and stayed cautious. “How do I know you are really Elias?”The person outside sounded like he was grinding his teeth.“Nancy, you have been running away from home for exactly seven days, eleven hours, and thirty‑nine minutes. Is that enough proof for you?”Silently, I calculated the time in my head.Then I finally let him in.Elias looked terrible. His expression was dark as storm clouds.After he glanced around my apartment once, his mood worsened.“You are seriously living in a place like this? And as for the breakup, I do not agree. Come back with me.”I shook my head and took two steps backward, putting distance between us. “No.”“You would rather spend every night scared out of your mind than stay at my place?”I blinked, and a tear rolled down my face.It was only a reflexive tear from being frightened earlier. With reddened eyes, I nodded pitifully.“Yes.”The moment Elias saw me crying, panic flashed

After spending only one night on that bed, my entire body felt sore. My back ached, my waist hurt, and every movement felt uncomfortable.While Elias made breakfast, I slipped my arms around his lean waist from behind and mumbled awkwardly, “Um… can we move back today?”The man thought about it for a second and nodded thoughtfully.“Good point. The big bed at the villa gives me more room to work with.”Me: …The silence felt heavy.When we arrived at the villa, a fluffy calico kitten came wobbling toward me, meowing nonstop.It looked only three or four months old.Delighted, I scooped the kitten into my arms. Then I suddenly remembered the scratches on the back of Elias’s hand. “You prepared this?”Elias sounded ridiculously proud of himself. “Got it from Yoana. It is the baby of that big orange cat you always feed.”My nose stung slightly. “However, do you not hate cats?”Elias answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “However, you like them.”I looked at