Chapter 23: Painfully Straight

Elara had just finished her shower, steam still clinging faintly to her skin, leaving her cheeks with a soft flush. She wrapped herself cozily in her soft bunny-print nightwear, the sleeves hanging just a little too long so they brushed her knuckles. A matching bunny headband kept her damp hair pushed back, its floppy ears bobbing as she moved.

Humming to herself, she hopped onto her bed and sank into the pillows, hugging her favorite plushie like it was a treasure. The moment replayed in her head—Cassian’s hand casually passing her that black card, the dark slight tilt of his lips when she took it.

She reached for her nightstand, pulled the sleek black card from under her journal, and smiled. With deliberate care, she typed the number into her phone, hesitated for just a second, then hit “Save.”

A thought struck her—she could find him on WeChat. Her fingers worked quickly, searching for the number. There he was.

ID: CV

Profile Picture: A night shot—a solitary tree in the foreground, its branches reaching like ink strokes into a sky where the moon glowed impossibly large and bright.

She tilted her head, a small chuckle escaping. “CV? Really?” she muttered, but the tiny upward curl of her lips betrayed how much she liked the mystery. Without overthinking, she sent her opening: a string of cheerful yellow smiley faces, followed by a little animated bunny waving hello.

One minute. Two. Her toes curled into the blanket with a mix of anticipation and impatience.

Across town, Cassian had just stepped out of his own shower, a towel draped around his neck and hair dripping in inky strands. His suite was dark, shadows stretching across the minimalist, silent space. A soft buzz lit up the black screen of his phone on the bed.

He picked it up with one hand while his left lazily moved the towel over his damp hair. The lock screen showed a small preview: a waving bunny. His brows knitted in genuine confusion. Who would send him a cartoon animal at this hour?

He tapped the notification. The username: CherryBunny.

Clicking her profile was instinct, but the moment the screen loaded, his hand froze. The towel slipped from his damp hair, landing forgotten on his shoulder. He simply stared, the air leaving his lungs in a silent rush.

The profile photo filled his screen—Elara, in a blush-pink dress, winking playfully at the camera. She looked so full of life, so vibrant, that for a moment, his heart actually stuttered. It was as if a splash of color had suddenly bled into his monochrome world.

His thumb hovered over the screen, hesitant, as if touching her image might make it vanish. Finally, with a reverence he didn't even show to his most prized acquisitions, he double-tapped the photo.

A faint heart icon glowed red.

Only then did he find his breath again. He quietly saved the picture to his otherwise barren gallery. Clearing his throat, Cassian flicked back to the message request. He saw the wave of emojis. The bunny. And then, the little puppy-face emoji, all wide eyes and a pout.

A rare, soft smile tugged at his lips. He didn't even realize he was doing it. He tapped “Accept” with a lightness in his chest he hadn't felt in years.

Instantly, a new message appeared: another bunny emoji, this one animated and bouncing.

He sat down fully on the bed, his back pressing against the headboard. His usual cold mask was gone; there was a quiet, focused warmth in his eyes as he stared at the screen.

Ding~

CV: You are still awake.

He sent it with a sense of relief, glad she had reached out.

In her room, Elara scrambled to grab her phone, her heart doing a somersault.

Cherry Bunny: Yes yes I’m awake

Cassian’s gaze softened. He could almost hear her voice in those words. He typed back, genuinely curious about her night.

CV: Why?

Elara giggled into her plushie, her thumbs flying across the screen.

Cherry Bunny: I just had a shower.

Cassian's eyes moved to the towel discarded on his shoulder and a smile tugged his lips.

CV: Ok.

Elara stared at the screen, her thumbs hovering.

"Ok?" she whispered to her plushie. "Just... Ok?" No emoji, no exclamation point, not even a 'me too.' It was like hitting a tennis ball at a brick wall and having it just thud and drop to the ground. She couldn't tell if he was being a gentleman or if he was literally a robot.

Cassian looked at his phone,his expression earnest. He wanted to be honest with her,to let her in,even if he didn't quite know how to be playful or what to say. He just wanted to talk to her more.

His fingers pressed his keys unsure of what to say. He suddenly felt it was way easier to talk to her physically.

CV: So. Anything to ask?

Elara raised her brow in amusement and chuckled.

Cherry Bunny: Yh...What does CV stand for?

Cassian sat up.

CV: My name.

Elara looked at the straight reply and wasn't really surprised.

Cherry Bunny: If I didn’t know your name, I’d have thought it meant Curriculum Vitae.

She added a dramatic bunny rolling on its back laughing.

Cassian tilted his head, watching the cartoon rabbit. A quiet, amused huff escaped his nose.

CV: It is a standard identification.

He thought he was being clear and helpful.

Cherry Bunny: Oh.

Elara's lips twitched as his straightforward reply despite her effort to lighten things.

Cassian seeing she wasn't typing anything anymore,wanted to know what she was thinking.

CV: What could I have used.

Cherry Bunny: Iono…something more interesting.

He looked around his sterile, perfect room, his heart sinking just a little. He wanted to be interesting for her.

CV: Unnecessary.

She lay on her back, kicking her feet.

Cherry Bunny: Please don’t try to scare me. Is it really unnecessary or you don’t know?

CV: Know what?

He was leaning in now, genuinely trying to follow her lead.

Cherry Bunny: Hey! Don’t you have emojis on your phone?

She felt like she was chatting with an elderly person.

Cassian pulled the phone closer to his face, squinting at the tiny weird faced symbols. He was trying so hard to understand this world she lived in.

CV: I do not follow.

Cherry Bunny: Tell me you’re joking. How ancient are you?

The warm smile he'd been wearing slowly vanished. The word "ancient" hit him like a physical blow. He looked at his reflection in the darkened window. He had been so happy just a second ago, feeling like he was finally closing the distance between them, and now he felt like a relic.

The weight of his responsibilities, his past, and the years he'd spent alone suddenly felt heavy. He had been called boring,old and ancient by a lot of people and he didn't care. But,he didn't want to be "ancient" to her. He wanted to be the man she could lean on.

His fingers felt stiff as he typed, the warmth in his chest replaced by a dull ache of insecurity.

CV: Sleep. It is late.

Before she could respond, he switched to offline. He couldn't bear to see her call him old again.

Cherry Bunny: Hey!!! I was just teasing you!

But the message hung there with a single gray tick. He really went offline. Heat rose in her cheeks - embarrassment,regret, frustration. She had actually offended the Ice king.

She threw her phone to the side and kicked the air in pure annoyance.

"Stupid! Why did I call him old?"

—----

Across town, Cassian’s expression was no longer warm. It was deadly serious as he dialed a number. After three rings,a drowsy voice answered.

"Hello...?"

“Vincent.”

The sleep evaporated instantly from his secretary's tone. “Sir—? Is there a problem?”

“Yes, Vincent. There is.”

Vincent shot upright, already scrambling out of bed,his heart racing. "Okay,sir. I'll be at your place in ten minut—"

"Vincent,"Cassian cut in flatly ,his voice cold and commanding as he fought the feeling of being "outdated."

“What is an emoji?”

Silence.

Vincent blinked into the darkness. He checked the caller ID to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"... Excuse me?"

Cassian's jaw tightened,his voice dropping an octave.

"What.Is.An.Emoji?"

Vincent stared into the darkness of his room, his shoulders slumping with the most exhausted expression of known to man.

Vincent: ಠ_ಠ