Charlotte stayed in Elijah's room after he left. She had a terrifying dream where Elijah's actions replayed in her room. It felt like she was back in her room while Elijah was doing something. She was even more scared when she woke up in the position he had left her in earlier while trying to wake her up. Perhaps it was because she was lying next to Elijah and she didn't realize that he had already carried her into the house and placed her inside the car. She glanced at the clock, it was already six in the morning.

She stood up and looked at what she was wearing. She hadn't changed clothes, so she wondered why she was still lying in Elijah's bed, especially since he didn't like dirt or changing clothes.

Surely, the bedsheet, blanket, and pillowcases would be changed later.

She went to the bathroom to look for an unused toothbrush. She opened the cabinet above and found one. She took it out of the plastic wrapping brushed her teeth and washed her face. Then she went out with a wet face. She couldn't find a towel inside. Didn't Elijah wash his face? Why wasn't there even a tissue?

She went out with her face still wet, thinking it would dry eventually, so why bother looking for a towel?

She went downstairs to the kitchen to make coffee. She paused at the door when she saw Elijah looking at his phone. He glanced at her briefly, then returned his gaze to his phone screen.

She quietly went inside while he was still busy. She even tried to mix the coffee quietly, although it was difficult. She paused. Why was she doing this? Whatever, if Elijah gets annoyed by the sound of a spoon, it'll take a long time.

"You're taking too long to mix your coffee. Is that a whole pitcher? No wonder you're having a hard time mixing it."

She glanced at Elijah, but he wasn't looking at her, he suddenly turned to see what she was doing.

"It's already cold from stirring so much, drink it while it's still hot."

Elijah said so much, but she was the one drinking the coffee, even if it was already cold.

When she finished, she put the spoon she used in the sink and sat opposite Elijah, with a narrow table between them.

"You're leaving now, right?" She nodded. "What time will you be back?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't know."

"Give me the exact time you'll be back because I need to go to my company, I have something to check there."

"I don't know."

"You should be back before 5 pm if you don't want to give a time."

She turned her head, her face wrinkled. "I'll be back, even if I don't give a time."

He looked into her eyes. "You don't know what could happen outside, Charlotte. You can't come home late."

"I always come home late even before we got married, at my mom's house."

"In my house, if you're not coming from school, you can't come home late."

"What if my friends and I have plans and it gets late?"

He leaned back in his chair. "I'll pick you up, but don't come home with your friends."

"Why?!" She asked, annoyed.

"Are all your friends female?"

She shook her head. "There are guys too."

"So, just follow what I want so we don't argue. So we can treat each other nicely."

"You're not forbidding me from what I want, are you?"

"As long as you're okay with it and you'll follow what I want, you can do what you want. But just don't come home late, and if you do, I'll just pick you up. But if you're afraid of people finding out you're already married, just tell them that I'm your brother's friend and Christian is busy, so I'm the one picking you up."

She stared at Elijah as he spoke while looking at the screen of his phone. If nothing bad happened, Elijah would be okay to be a friend or even a brother, given their age gap. She was eighteen, while Elijah was 27 years old, the same age as her brother.

She lowered her gaze to his lips, they were red as if he had lip balm with color on them. Her eyes squinted.

"Do you like using lip tint?"

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Like... lip balm, lipstick... stuff like that." She said while moving her hands and raising her eyebrows slightly.

She saw his eyes widen. "Are you saying I'm using women's products on my lips?"

"W-Well, I just noticed?"

"Tsk... My lips are naturally red. Why, are yours dark that's why you're admiring mine?"

Her eyes widened, while her mouth hung open. "Hey! My lips aren't dark!"

He stared at her lips for a long time, so she covered them with her hand to remove his gaze from her lips, it was taking too long.

"Okay, it's fine, but because you're drinking coffee, that's why they're not very red."

"You're also drinking coffee."

"I don't know, but maybe even if I drink it, they won't darken."

It's unfair, if you think about it, Elijah's lips are prettier than hers.

He took her half-filled cup of coffee. "You have creamer in your coffee." He drank from her cup, paused, and looked at her.

"Why?"

"The taste of your blend is familiar."

"Huh?"

"Do you prepare it every time the maids give us coffee in your parent's house?"

She nodded. "Yes, it's me, the maids just serve it to you."

"You have a future in coffee blending, the taste never changes no matter how many times you brew it, it's always the same."

"I've estimated the amount to use, that's why."

"You're studying engineering, right?"

"Yes."

"This one's probably cold now, here."

He stared at the cup for a long time, then drank it all and left nothing behind when he placed it in front of her.

She didn't react and just looked at Elijah.

"Sorry, I finished it. My saliva might be in there, maybe you don't want that, it would be a waste if you just throw it away."

"N-No... I'll still drink it even if you drink from the cup."

His eyebrows raised. "Really? Just make a new one if you still want coffee."

"No need, maybe later."

He stood up. "Do you want to come with me? I'll drop you off at your friend's."

"I'll just commute."

"Okay, please just wash my cup, include it with the cups and spoons you'll wash, so the maids won't have to do it." He left while she looked at his cup, Elijah didn't make that cup earlier. Her cup was empty when she arrived in the kitchen.

She stood up and took the two cups to wash, she didn't have clothes either. She might just borrow something from Elijah that fits her.