"Thank you," Titus Zane picked up the wine gracefully, signaling to Nathan Moore with the gesture that was meant to be a courtesy, not expecting Nathan Moore to clink glasses with her. Looking at Titus Zane, Nathan’s obsidian eyes held emotions she’d never seen before, as dark as ink, yet filled with something else.
Titus Zane forced a slight smile and turned towards the bar, casually resting a hand on something and bringing the red wine to her lips, taking a leisurely sip.
Her face slightly tilted upwards, facing forward, the corners of her lips slightly raised, her expression willful and casual.
Nathan Moore sipped his red wine, his gaze hazy under the neon lights, looking at Titus Zane and speaking softly.
"You’ve become prettier than before."
Titus Zane was taken aback, turning to him with a slight frown on her beautiful brows.
After collecting her thoughts, she raised her hand to touch her cheek and smiled coyly, "Of course, it would have been a waste of money on fine-tuning if I had gotten uglier!"
Nathan Moore looked down at the red wine in his hand, his lips curving slightly, and said faintly, "You were quite pretty before, too."
Titus Zane’s eyes widened in surprise, incredulously staring at Nathan Moore, not knowing how to react.
"You, from before..." Nathan Moore caressed the wine glass, his thin lips pursed, hesitating before speaking.
"You looked very..." He furrowed his brows again, searching for the right words, pausing before continuing, "very ethereal, like a fairy in a legend that transcends the mortal world..."
"So what?" Titus Zane turned back to the bar, her lips pursed slightly in resignation, "I’m still entrenched in worldly concerns now." Making a living through schemes.
Nathan Moore lifted his eyes to look at her, the obsidian depths still holding an unreadable emotion.
"The current you is better than before, you seem more real."
Not as cold and distant as before, giving an ephemeral impression.
"Is that so?" Titus Zane sipped her red wine lightly, then placed the glass on the bar and reached for her purse in front of her, rummaging out a pack of women’s cigarettes and an exquisite lighter.
As she pulled one out, she asked faintly, "Want one?"
"No need, thank you." Nathan Moore’s gaze lingered on the pack of women’s cigarettes in Titus Zane’s hands, his lowered eyes hiding his emotions. Only after Titus Zane placed a cigarette between her lips and lit it did Nathan Moore ask softly.
"When did you learn?"
Titus Zane took a drag, turned her eyes to him, and exhaled slowly, the exquisite lighter still in her hand, "A few years now."
Nathan Moore knew that the "few years" Titus Zane was referring to must have been since she left. Before that, she always turned to alcohol to drown her sorrows, but she never touched such bad habits.
Once again dropping his gaze, his lips lifted into a faint smile, Nathan Moore’s voice was very low, as if he was muttering to himself.
"Try to smoke less in the future, it’s bad for your health and can make your skin rough. Women are better off not smoking."
Titus Zane turned her eyes to him, exhaling the smoke from her mouth, and the words slipped out without thinking.
"You care about me, huh."
Lifting his obsidian gaze, he stared blankly at Titus Zane, only to see her lips curve into a mocking yet slightly bitter smile.
"Nathan Moore," Titus Zane called his name, "Do you know, you’ve cast a shadow in my heart," Titus Zane laughed, the curve of her lips growing, but her enchanting eyes shone with a hint of moisture.
Nathan Moore felt a tightness in his chest, watching as she lowered her gaze and continued, "Really, I couldn’t get past it for so many years."