"Year Six of Secretly Loving Eli, and We Were Still Just Friends." When I fell ill and was hospitalized, he poured more care and resources into helping me than anyone else. He accompanied me to my cousin's engagement party, and gifted the grandest present of them all. Everyone assumed it was only a matter of time before we got together. Finally, I gathered my courage and confessed. But the man barely glanced my way, just idly flicked his lighter open and chuckled: "I treat you like a bro, and you wanna date me?" "Don't mess around, Lila. Be good." A long silence. Then I nodded. "Okay." After that day, we didn't speak for months. When his call finally came two months later, he asked offhandedly: "What've you been up to? Missed seeing you around." I glanced at the aristocratically aloof man seated across from me and answered plainly: "Oh, just... arranged marriage meetings." The sound of a smartphone shattering blasted through the receiver.