Let's be friends..

With the steam rising from the coffee, two cups are lazily placed on the wooden table on the porch. Charlotte drags a chair out and helps Edward. She sometimes thinks about him being able to stand up. He may look like a superstar who would be admired enthusiastically by many women.

"Have the coffee. Auntie Zara's coffee is the best!"

Holding the cup of coffee, he watches Charlotte sitting on the chair. Her brown hair plays with the wind, and she occasionally stops to tuck it behind her ear. She looks so beautiful in this cold nightfall.

"Shall we start talking?" With an affectionate smile, she looks at Edward, who is silently sipping his coffee. He nods, placing the cup back in its previous place.

"Yes. Let's hear from you first—about the matter with your sister, about that… your fiancé. Who is he?"

Charlotte wasn't ready for this question. She wanted a little more time to be honest with the person who was now her husband. She was insecure, afraid she might still love that man, which could make her neglect her husband's love.

"Do I have to answer?" she asked guiltily. Charlotte's facial expressions gave him notable disappointment. Maybe he wanted her to be honest.

"We don’t like each other. But we have to love, we have to move on from our past, and we need time to get along with each other. This marriage isn’t the way either of us envisioned it, I think. So… can we skip this topic?" Charlotte tried to explain, but she failed. She was making excuses to escape from questioning her feelings toward the man who was now her sister’s husband.

"I’m not asking you to accept me or love me. Since we are husband and wife, like you said, I just don’t want my wife to be sad or missing someone else. But I respect you and your decisions."

Edward looked directly into her eyes. She looked down, stirring her coffee with a frown.

"I have a little problem. I can’t accept someone easily. I need to trust and believe in them first, slowly."

Charlotte spoke in a soft tone, but a little sadness arose in her throat. Edward straightened his back. He knew that feeling. He also didn’t trust people easily—he needed to know them first.

"Shall we start fresh?"

"Pardon?" She finally looked at him with a glimpse of hope.

"Let’s be friends first. Let’s get to know each other!"

Edward offered. Charlotte's eyes sparkled; she had wanted to say the same thing. She immediately held his hand and nodded joyfully.

"I would love to!"

Edward's attention went to her hand on his. Despite knowing that she might never be happy with someone like him, she had accepted him and even defended him when her sister humiliated him. He didn’t want to force her to talk about her past. Now, he just wanted to hold onto her and keep her forever. He would respect her and wait until the day she willingly told him she was going to stay with him until her last breath.

Even though he knew he sounded selfish, everyone wanted a proper relationship with their lover—both physically and emotionally. Holding her back might bring her pain, and she might be dissatisfied with his emotional restraint.

He was insecure.

Edward didn’t know if he was in love with her or not. But he didn’t want to lose a girl like her. He respected relationships and would remain loyal to his wife. He would see what the future held.

"Let’s introduce ourselves first."

Edward’s attention returned to her again. She looked dazzling under the moonlight.

"Sure!"

"I’ll go first. I’m Charlotte Milestones, 24, an employee of Sunshine Company. My mom is British, and my dad is American. I have a younger sister, Rachel Milestones."

She happily introduced herself like a small child introducing themselves in front of their teacher.

"Hobby?" Edward rested his chin on his hand, his elbow propped up on the table, listening to her patiently.

"Hobby? I love fishing. Sometimes I enjoy watching a movie with popcorn. That’s all I can think of!"

"Nice hobby. Shall we go fishing sometime?" he asked, looking at her gracefully.

"If you take me there, I would love to."

"You know I can’t take you there. I don’t have that ability…" His voice was plain, tinged with sadness.

"Is that a problem, you say? If needed, I’ll carry you there. Just give me the location!" She smiled brightly.

"It will be bothersome for you!"

"Silly!" She ruffled his soft hair, but soon both of them blushed when they realized how close they were. Edward's eyes locked onto hers. She flinched as the soft breeze sent a shiver down her face, along with his dark brown eyes' intense gaze. It was dangerously attractive.

If she moved just two inches closer, their noses would touch. Edward's eyes flickered between her eyes and lips, and a strong attraction pulled between them. They might end up sharing their second kiss at any moment—

But both were startled when her wedding ring tapped against the coffee cup.

"T-There are no words like 'bothering,' 'thank you,' or 'sorry' between friends. Don’t say that!"

Drawing her hand back, she looked away. Under the moonlight, the two newlyweds blushed like fresh-bloomed flowers, uncertain of their future. They held onto that unpredictable future carefully. Who knew? Maybe it would bring them closer together in a significant relationship.

"Hi. I am Edward Rodriguez, 25, CEO of the Rodriguez family. Now married. I love designing when I get time!"

Charlotte’s stunning eyes shifted to him as he introduced himself in a soft voice. Edward was helping her feel at ease again. That awkward moment could have embarrassed her, but he knew how to help her out.

"You design too?" She asked, surprised.

"The wedding gown you wore was my latest design!"

"WHAT? IT WAS YOU? I THOUGHT IT WAS MOM!"

She stood up, slamming the table. Edward nodded. When it came to fashion design, she was someone who couldn't keep her composure.

"Wait a minute! I’ll be back!" She stormed inside.

"Tell me where I’m lacking! My boss is dissatisfied with my designs. I’m depressed!"

She wailed dramatically, hugging his arm. Edward was stunned. Her behavior was confusing. Sometimes she was like a child; other times, she seemed like a fading dream.

"Cute," he mumbled before opening her notebook.

Her designs were too exclusive for a normal company. No wonder her boss had rejected them! As he recalled, Sunshine Company was a D-listed company. Her designs could cost thousands of dollars. Edward looked closely, caressing some sketches.

"Who is your teacher?" Edward asked seriously.

Charlotte tilted her head. "No one! I just graduated from City University. Oh, it’s Professor Franc."

"Professor Franc? His design style isn’t like this. Yours is unique!"

"Well, the professor said we should try to develop our own techniques, so I tried to combine two different designers’ styles—your mom’s and another one I saw in a magazine. It was a purple gown."

Edward frowned. It was true—there was a hint of his mother’s style. But her necktie dress… It resembled his own style.

Her designs weren’t just good—they were an upgraded fusion of two remarkable designers.

"They're for a high standard. Why not apply to bigger companies?"

Charlotte pouted. "No one likes my designs. They say they won’t be accepted by their customers. I even wanted to work at your company, but my parents didn’t let me."

"Then… want to join my company?"

"No!"

Edward was shocked. "Why?!"

"I have to work for Sunshine for three years. Also, I don’t want to work there because of our relationship. I didn’t even work for my parents’ company."

"Fine. I won’t say anything. But if you ever need help, you can rely on me."

Charlotte smiled. "I’ll be in your care. Now let’s go inside—you’ll catch a cold."

She wrapped a thin blanket around his shoulders and helped him to bed.

"Charlotte, sleep here. The couch is cold."

"Y-You sleep first! I need to brush my teeth!"

She ran inside. "My heart is pounding. Am I crazy? But… he smells nice."