Not long after, Clarissa came out of the room, dragging a small suitcase behind her. From the size of it, she clearly didn't bring much.
Elian walked over with Plumie curled up in his arms.
Clarissa took one look and couldn't help but shake her head-what a little attention hog.
Just seeing Elian's face was apparently enough; Plumie was already rubbing up against him, purring contentedly and settling in like that spot had always belonged to them.
Well, at least she didn't have to worry about how Plumie would adjust to the new place.
"That's all you brought?" Elian asked.
Clarissa nodded, then tossed the question back at him. "Didn't pack many clothes. I figured a high-flying finance guy like you probably has a well-stocked closet."
He gave a half-smirk. "Heh, someone's got high hopes. Are you sure my fashion sense is good enough for you, rising star of the violin world?"
Clarissa rolled her eyes. Classic Elian-still couldn't take any teasing without firing back.
"You carry the cat bag," she said plainly, taking Plumie from him and placing it into its carrier.
Elian threw the strap over his shoulder without a fuss and casually grabbed her suitcase too.
"Let's roll, Mrs. Langley."
He packed the luggage in the trunk while Clarissa had already settled into the passenger seat up front, sitting like the perfect model of well-behaved.
Elian got in after her but didn't start the car right away.
Instead, he just looked at her, eyes steady and warm, like he had all the time in the world.
Clarissa started to feel awkward under his gaze. She turned to look out the window, even checked if her outfit looked off somehow.
Everything seemed in order, and yet he was still staring.
"What are you looking at?" she finally asked, voice stiff as she shifted uncomfortably.
"Just thinking," Elian said lazily, a small smile playing on his lips.
Thinking? Don't tell her he was already regretting the marriage?
"Thinking about what?"
He gave a low chuckle, eyes narrowing a little as he teased, "You planning to get me pulled over? No seatbelt means a ticket-and I'm too pretty for traffic school."
Oh, crap.
Clarissa instantly wanted to disappear. She quickly reached for the seatbelt, but no matter how she tugged, it wouldn't click.
Elian sighed, leaned over, adjusted the strap, then-click-snapped it into place.
Clarissa swore all her life's most embarrassing moments had chosen today to make an appearance.
Whenever she was around Elian, it was like she couldn't avoid making a fool of herself.
Still lost in thought, her forehead was suddenly flicked.
Elian sighed, mock-disappointed.
"Clarissa, after all these years, has your brain really not caught up? Or did all the growth just... shift south?"
His eyes dipped pointedly-only to be met with a palm smacking over them.
"Elian!" she snapped. "Don't be such a perv!"
Her cheeks flushed red with frustration, cheeks almost glowing.
Now she was the one second-guessing their marriage-not Elian.
Why on earth did she agree to marry him anyway?!
Just thinking about spending more time like this made her head throb.
Elian didn't seem offended though-he merely curved his lips into a smug smile, clearly enjoying himself.
"Well, look who's finally acting like her old self again. And just so you know, once you're married, it's not called being a perv anymore. It's called having fun. Get it?"
Clarissa blinked, glancing at him.
His fingers rested casually on the steering wheel, and with a couple buttons undone at the collar, he gave off an effortlessly masculine vibe.
Maybe she'd never actually looked at him properly before.
Their time together had always been filled with arguments or tangled up in things related to Sebastian.
He and Sebastian never got along. They clashed all the time. Even before she started crushing on Sebastian, those two fought constantly.
She used to apologize to people on Sebastian's behalf almost out of habit.
Now that she had completely cut ties with him and could see more clearly, she realized-Elian actually looked better than Sebastian in some ways.
There was an arrogant edge to him for sure, always walking around like he owned the place. But somehow, it wasn't irritating up close.
Though honestly, if he could just tone down the sarcasm, he'd probably be even more likable.
She couldn't help wondering-why had she been so hung up on Sebastian back then?
That one comment from Elian, asking if she was being her "old self," had her suddenly struggling to recall who that even was.
"Elian, what was I like before?"
She stared at the red light blinking outside the window, her voice quiet.
Elian turned to look at her. His usually pale face now had a faint blush spreading across it.
His lashes fluttered just the slightest bit, like soft wings in motion.
For a moment, he spaced out-until she nudged him.
"Green light."
Only then did he snap out of it, easing his foot off the brake.
"What were you zoning out about?" Clarissa asked, half-suspicious.
Was he daydreaming about some other girl or what?
"I was thinking about you," he replied casually.
Her heart skipped a beat-until he followed it up with, "You asked what you used to be like."
"I'd say... you used to be kind of slow. A little clueless. Not great at telling right from wrong. And yeah-just a tad too proud for your own good."
Clarissa puffed up her cheeks and locked eyes with him. "Wanna try that again?"
That tone? Pure "I dare you to keep talking."
Elian laughed, reaching over to ruffle her hair.
"Oh, come on. Even 'To be or not to be' took you two hours-don't tell me that's genius behavior. You showed up to your PE exam in ballet flats-explain that. And when Sebastian decked me for calling him out, you actually apologized to him. How's that not a little... morally confused?"
He laid it out, one by one, like he had receipts for days.
Clarissa thought about it for a second. Okay... maybe he had a point.
Hard to argue with the truth, even if it stung a little.
All that debating champ title from college? Totally wasted.
Seeing her at a loss for words, Elian paused, wondering if maybe he'd gone a bit too far.
So he added, "But hey, your violin game? Honestly amazing. Every time you pick it up, you've got this proud vibe going on-like a black swan."
"Huh?" Clarissa blinked. "Why a black swan? Why not a white one?"
Elian gave a light chuckle.
"Maybe because white swans are everywhere. Black swans? Way rarer."
And well, you're one of a kind.
Clarissa didn't really dwell on it.
As the car turned into Skyreach Manor, she looked out the window, surprised. "You live here?"
Elian drove into the underground parking, made a turn, and finally parked. He stepped out and went around to the trunk to grab their stuff.
With one hand holding the cat carrier and the other a suitcase, he raised an eyebrow at her. "Lock the car, will you?"
"Uh? Oh, sure. Where's the key?"
"Left pocket of my pants."
Clarissa's eyes dipped down-awkward, yeah, but hey, they're married now. A week from now, they'd probably be doing stuff way beyond this. Thinking that made it feel less weird.
She reached into his pocket, fished around a little, found the key, locked the car, then trailed behind him.
Inside the elevator, Elian said, "23rd floor."
Clarissa quietly pressed the button. Skyreach had one-unit-per-floor setups, and the high-floor layouts offered killer views of the river and the massive bridge nearby. Just imagining it made her a little giddy.
Ding.
The elevator slid open.
Elian walked ahead, scanned his fingerprint, keyed in a code, then looked back. "Come here. Time for yours."
Clarissa hesitated, wondering which finger to use.
Without a word, Elian grabbed her hand and helped her press three fingers onto the scanner.
Done with that, he bent down and grabbed a pair of disposable slippers from the shoe cabinet. "No ladies' shoes yet-we'll make a run to the store later."
Clarissa nodded, smiling slightly. "That's fine."
She kicked off her shoes quickly, slipped into the disposable slippers, and tiptoed over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view stole her breath. Maybe this whole marriage thing wasn't that bad after all.
"Elian, your place is seriously gorgeous."
Of course, she meant the view-not the black and white minimalist tones everywhere inside.
At some point, Elian had stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her.
Clarissa froze a little, but didn't pull away. Like he said-she had to get used to it.
His breath brushed against her ear.
And then, in a calm voice, he said, "Clarissa, it's our home. Not just mine."
Only then did it hit her-he was correcting the way she'd been calling it "your place."
Still facing the window, her cheeks tinged with pink, she murmured, "Got it."