In the past, Claudia would have made an effort to find a topic to alleviate the tension between them.

But now, she felt no urge to speak first.

What was the point of all that talking?

They were merely a pretend couple.

With no outsiders present, it was fine to remain silent. The stillness wouldn't affect her, as long as she didn't feel uncomfortable.

“What did you buy today?" Bennett's voice broke the silence.

Claudia had been about to play a game on her phone to pass the time when she heard Bennett's question.

Her hands trembled and accidentally clicked on a voice message from Aurora. "What's wrong with Bennett? Just now, a woman downstairs asked me for his phone number and said that he had been waiting there since eight o'clock in the evening!"

Panicked friend..."

Claudia closed the page and stammered, “I'm sorry, my

Her voice trailed off as she realized something was amiss with the message.

“Had you already arrived there at eight o'clock and started to wait downstairs for me?"

Bennett calmly wiped the condensation from his hands with a tissue, a result of the steam from the noodles.

“Yes, it's not easy to get a taxi on Sunday night."

His tone was matter-of-fact, just as when he had asked her about midnight snacks earlier.

Claudia's mind reeled. "But, but you didn't tell me!"

He had been there at eight o'clock, yet she hadn't gone downstairs until half past nine.

Had he really waited for her for an hour and a half?

"You didn't reply to my message. Maybe your phone was out of power at that time," he reasoned.

She was left speechless.

Why was Bennett convincing himself of that?

She had been at her best friend's house. Her phone couldn't have run out of power!

She simply hadn't wanted to reply to his message.

A wave of regret washed over Claudia. She had never felt so remorseful toward him in her life, and she found herself at a loss for words.