I was painting in the studio with my headphones on.

Casper sat beside me, quietly keeping me company.

I had previously thought about having Luxor by my side while I painted, but he coldly dismissed the idea, saying.

"You're not a baby. Why would I sit with you? It's a waste of my time."

The quiet atmosphere was shattered by the sound of my phone's notifications. It was a call from Luxor.

"Where are you? I've sent you so many messages. When are you coming back?"

Luxor's series of messages left me with a headache. In the past, I would have been overjoyed about it.

"What would you like to eat tonight? A new French restaurant has opened. Would you like to try it?"

"Stella, Sherry dropped the cherry blossom model you gave me. Where did you buy it from? I'll go and get another one."

...

Just an afternoon without checking my phone, and Luxor had sent me more messages than he had in all the years we've been together.

It used to be me initiating conversations, and his responses would be limited to [Oh] if he was interested or [Busy, don't text me] if he wasn't.

When did he change his mind?

When evening fell, I reluctantly said goodbye to Casper and headed home.

When I turned on the lights, I saw Luxor sitting on the couch, staring blankly at his phone.

[Where were you? Why haven't you come back?]

I glanced at the message I had just received a moment ago.

"I went to the studio with Casper. What's wrong?"

I took off my coat and went into the bathroom to freshen up.

He stood at the doorway, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Stella, is it still Casper? I've already apologized for the car accident. As for today, I'll be more careful in the future. If you have any thoughts, we can sit down and talk about it."

"Communication is essential in a relationship. Silent treatments don't solve problems."

It turned out he wasn't unaware that a relationship requires effort from both parties.

But he had stubbornly used a silent treatment to silence me before.

I wiped my hands dry and looked up at him.

"Luxor, you can check your phone. How many times have you replied to me?"

He turned away in embarrassment, then persisted in asking me.

"Is it because of Sherry? I can explain it to you."

"No, I haven't misunderstood anything. Besides, you and she are just neighbors. You grew up together, so it's only right to take care of her a bit more."

I didn't want to dwell on this matter any longer. I pointed at the cherry blossom model on the table.

"Just throw it away. It was meant for display. It's worthless now that it's broken. There's no need to keep it."

The cherry blossom model was similar to my love for Luxor. Once it was broken, there was no need to mend it.

In the past, when I quarreled with Luxor, I wanted to let go of him. But while taking a look at the cherry blossom model he made for me, I was still reluctant to do so.

Luxor Joel, whom I used to love so much, was no longer around. Instead, he belonged to Sherry.

Luxor pursed his lips, and a trace of guilt appeared in his eyes.

"This weekend is my last stop on the tour, right here in the capital. Do you want to come? I've reserved a VIP seat for you."

I was sorting out today's drafts.

I didn't even raise my head, and my voice was slightly cold.

"No."

Luxor was a somewhat renowned pianist in the industry, and I had once been determined to follow in his footsteps.

I even learned the violin for two years just to impress him. And I proudly showcased my violin skills in front of him.

After hearing this, he frowned with disgust.

"What kind of crap is this? It's sounds awful."

I stubbornly believed that as long as I put my heart into it, I would eventually gain his approval.

He never let me attend his performances, fearing that it would impact his career if people knew we were a couple.

Once, I secretly bought an ordinary ticket at a high price from a scalper and traveled a long distance just to give him a surprise.

However, his face immediately darkened and he pretended not to know me.

He even told others that I was a crazy fan and that I was driven away by the staff.

Later, I found out that Luxor would always invite Sherry to his performances and openly flirt with her backstage.

Now, he was actively inviting me to his tour and had even arranged a VIP seat for me.

If it were in the past, I would have been overjoyed and ecstatic.

Luxor seemed surprised by my refusal and stood there, lost in thought.

After a while, he seemed to have made up his mind.

"Stella, are you really not going? I wanted to publicly announce our relationship."

I had often dreamed that one day he would openly announce our relationship on stage under the spotlight.

But now that my dream was coming true, I felt no excitement or joy.

"You're still rising in your career. Maybe it's not the right time to make our relationship public."

I refused.

Upon hearing this, Luxor seemed unable to contain himself and growled.

"Well, go or not, as you like!"

Since we've been together, I have never refused him.

Let alone repeatedly rejecting him tonight.

He was humble enough, but I still didn't follow his mind.

He slammed the door as he left, and I calmly finished organizing my drawings, pondering how to discuss a collaboration with Casper tomorrow.

The next morning, Luxor sat in the living room with his eyes lowered, smoking.

I couldn't tell if he hadn't slept all night or if he had just woken up early.

"Are you planning to go to the art studio today? Your leg isn't convenient, I can take you."

Seeing me stand up, he stood up awkwardly.

"No, I'm going to discuss the studio cooperation with Casper."

"I don't need you to take me there. It wouldn't look good if someone saw us," I replied.

Luxor's house was quite far from where I worked. When I first moved in, I used to ask him to drive me in the morning.

He said that he was a celebrity and it was inconvenient. He would call a taxi for me.

After demanding for a few times, he often couldn't get up, so I stopped forcing him.

I know that's all an excuse. I've seen him drive a cayenne and hang his exclusive license plate to see Sherry off fair and square many times.

"It's okay. If someone sees, I'll make an official announcement."

I packed up the documents and held my bag in one hand and the cane in the other.

"Don't bother. I've already arranged for a ride with an Uber driver. I'll go down by myself."

He remained silent and took the bag from my hand.

"I'll send you down."

I wanted to refuse, but seeing his gloomy face, I fell silent.

It wasn't worth arguing over such trivial matters when we were about to part ways.

It was not worth it.

The driver, seeing my limp and cane, kindly got out of the car to open the door for me.

"Is this your boyfriend? He's so considerate."

I smiled.

"He's just a warm-hearted roommate."

Luxor froze in place, looking at me with disbelief in his eyes.

It was him who had said that we should make it clear to others that we were just roommates.

I had a relaxed conversation with Casper throughout the studio visit.

We settled on the collaboration, signed the contract, and when Casper invited me to dinner, I politely declined and returned to the studio alone.

I had been immersed in the studio for the competition, spending nights in the resting room.

It had been a while since I last painted, and it took me some time to regain my touch.

Time flew by as I was engrossed in my art, paying little attention to the outside world.

During lunch with Casper one day, he showed me a video on his phone.

"Is this Luxor?"

Comments were sometimes scrolling across the video.

[Wow, they are so sweet together. Childhood sweethearts, a musical couple.]

[It's said that this pianist once boldly claimed that he would publicly announce his partner after ten years.]

[Now at the final stop of his concert tour, they openly show their affection. I admire them.]

Out of curiosity, I took a look at the screen.

Luxor, dressed in a suit, finished his last piece, and Sherry, in a white princess gown, embraced him with tears of joy, holding a bouquet of flowers.

Under the spotlight, they looked perfect together.

I looked down at my clothes, stained with paint.

My colorful world is much cooler than your stage.

Sherry updated her Instagram story right on time.

[You will always come back to me.]

I smiled and deleted Sherry from my contacts and blocked her.

Late at night, I received a call from him.

"It's so late. Why aren't you home yet?"