44. Realizing

Adro's forehead wrinkled. He moved from his working chair to the edge of his bed, facing Elvis directly. "Why did you say that? What's wrong with me?"

Wiping his tears, Elvis continued, "Let me guess. The girl named Grace, she's your friend, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is." Adro nodded.

Elvis burst into harder laughter, holding his cramping stomach. "Oh my God, Neptune! I didn't expect a grown man like you to play such childish games. Fake brother and sister, yet treating each other like husband and wife? Haha! This is insane! Even high school kids will find it cringeworthy!"

Elvis' words sent a wave of heat over Adro's face. He cleared his throat to manage the unexpected surge of embarrassment. "What do you mean by treating each other like husband and wife? I've never considered Grace to be my wife. If I had a real sister, I would treat her just like I treat Grace."

"Well, maybe you're right," Elvis said, folding his arms across his chest. "But I have a younger sister whom I care for deeply, and I don't act like you. Listen, Adro, I've never seen a brother make a face like yours when talking to his sister, especially over the phone. It's like you're deeply in love."

Wide-eyed, Adro was momentarily stunned. Deeply in love? With Grace?

Raising his head to meet Elvis' gaze again, Adro asked, "Like you said, we haven't known each other for 24 hours, but you're boldly assessing my face and thoughts."

"Well, I'm just telling you what I see and think." Elvis shrugged before unfolding his arms. "I'm not boasting, but I've traveled to various places and have hundreds of male and female friends. I've never seen a brother act like you, especially over the phone. You're like a person who's fallen madly in love."

Another sensation of heat stabbed Adro's heart as he reflexively clutched his chest. The image of Grace sitting alone at home and looking lost in thought made him want to return to comfort her and bring back her smile. He missed her.

'Wait,' Adro interrupted his imagination. 'Miss? I miss Grace even though we haven't been apart for a whole day?'

"Elvis,"

"What now?" Elvis lowered his phone, looking at Adro with exhaustion in his eyes.

"Have you ever missed someone?"

"Of course! What kind of question is that?" Elvis replied.

"Can you explain what it feels like to miss someone?"

"You are crazy, you know that?" Elvis stared at him in disbelief. And he took a deep breath and still answered, "How do I describe it? It might be different for everyone, but for me, I keep thinking about that person, wanting to meet her, and worrying about that person. The point is, I'll have restless feelings because of that person."

A smirk appeared on Elvis's face. "Why? Are you missing your fake little sister?"

Clamping his jaw for a second, Adro responded, "I keep thinking about her current condition, but I'm not sure if that means I miss her or because of something else I can't figure out. Thinking back, I've never missed anyone like this before."

"Then you're just a strange man; that's it," Elvis replied. "Okay. Enough with the nonsense. Instead of torturing yourself any longer, why don't you date that girl? If she already has a boyfriend, you can snatch her, right? Isn't the world of men about competition? Show her that you're better than her boyfriend."

"She doesn't have a boyfriend," Adro replied.

Elvis chuckled. "Even better! So, what are you waiting for? You can ask her out after this and bring her to bed. No woman can resist faces like ours."

Elvis' words boiled Adro's blood. He sprung up from his seat and approached Elvis, who was still lying on the bed. "Watch your words. Grace isn't that kind of woman, and I won't ruin her!"

Seeing Adro's eyes, which seemed ready to kill him, Elvis placed his hands in front of his face as a protective gesture. "Are... are you going to hit me?"

"If you insult Grace again, I won't hesitate to do that, no matter the consequences," Adro answered, both fists clenched.

"Haha... all right, all right," Elvis laughed sarcastically while putting his hands down. "Psycho! Go back to your spot, and don't ask me anything again, you crazy lunatic!"

Realizing his sudden anger, Adro took a deep breath and exhaled it long before returning to his bed and lying down.

'Do I really like Grace?'

He had realized for quite some time that he liked her. However, he thought it was just friendly affection. He enjoyed being friends with her and spending time with her, similar to how he enjoyed being with his other friends and Damian.

But was the affection he felt now more significant than that? Whatever it was, one thing was clear: he had never felt like this, not even towards Joselyn.

***

The water continued to flow down, soaking the gentle hands under the tap even though they were already clean from soap suds.

Grace kept pondering Adro's question from two days ago. Honestly, she was uncomfortable when he asked whether she was still being bullied on campus. Not because she thought Adro was intruding on her affairs, but because she needed to accept that being bullied was a normal part of her campus life.

Even if it was just taunts and mockery, it is still called bullying, isn't it? Grace was often verbally humiliated by those people. She had grown accustomed to receiving it, avoiding it, and feeling afraid. It was pathetic, and she had a feeling that Adro knew about it all.

Suddenly, a chat notification chimed from her phone, making Grace realize that she had been washing her hands for too long. After drying her hands, she checked the chat group and found that it was from Bella.

'Grace! I might be a lunatic. But the guy in this post looks exactly like Adro!' -Bella

"Hmm?" Grace opened the link to the social media post from Sky Talent Agency that Bella shared.

'New Faces of the ST Agency Family! Stay tuned for their debut, coming soon!'