He is a Shining Star

I was painting in the studio with my headphones on.

Casper sat beside me, quietly keeping me company.

I had previously thought about having Luxor by my side while I painted, but he coldly dismissed the idea, saying.

"You're not a baby. Why would I sit with you? It's a waste of my time."

The quiet atmosphere was shattered by the sound of my phone's notifications. It was a call from Luxor.

"Where are you? I've sent you so many messages. When are you coming back?"

Luxor's series of messages left me with a headache. In the past, I would have been overjoyed about it.

"What would you like to eat tonight? A new French restaurant has opened. Would you like to try it?"

"Stella, Sherry dropped the cherry blossom model you gave me. Where did you buy it from? I'll go and get another one."

...

Just an afternoon without checking my phone, and Luxor had sent me more messages than he had in all the years we've been together.

It used to be me initiating conversations, and his responses would be limited to [Oh] if he was interested or [Busy, don't text me] if he wasn't.

When did he change his mind?

When evening fell, I reluctantly said goodbye to Casper and headed home.

When I turned on the lights, I saw Luxor sitting on the couch, staring blankly at his phone.

[Where were you? Why haven't you come back?]

I glanced at the message I had just received a moment ago.

"I went to the studio with Casper. What's wrong?"

I took off my coat and went into the bathroom to freshen up.

He stood at the doorway, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Stella, is it still Casper? I've already apologized for the car accident. As for today, I'll be more careful in the future. If you have any thoughts, we can sit down and talk about it."

"Communication is essential in a relationship. Silent treatments don't solve problems."

It turned out he wasn't unaware that a relationship requires effort from both parties.

But he had stubbornly used a silent treatment to silence me before.

I wiped my hands dry and looked up at him.

"Luxor, you can check your phone. How many times have you replied to me?"

He turned away in embarrassment, then persisted in asking me.

"Is it because of Sherry? I can explain it to you."

"No, I haven't misunderstood anything. Besides, you and she are just neighbors. You grew up together, so it's only right to take care of her a bit more."

I didn't want to dwell on this matter any longer. I pointed at the cherry blossom model on the table.

"Just throw it away. It was meant for display. It's worthless now that it's broken. There's no need to keep it."

The cherry blossom model was similar to my love for Luxor. Once it was broken, there was no need to mend it.

In the past, when I quarreled with Luxor, I wanted to let go of him. But while taking a look at the cherry blossom model he made for me, I was still reluctant to do so.

Luxor Joel, whom I used to love so much, was no longer around. Instead, he belonged to Sherry.

Luxor pursed his lips, and a trace of guilt appeared in his eyes.

"This weekend is my last stop on the tour, right here in the capital. Do you want to come? I've reserved a VIP seat for you."

I was sorting out today's drafts.

I didn't even raise my head, and my voice was slightly cold.

"No."

Luxor was a somewhat renowned pianist in the industry, and I had once been determined to follow in his footsteps.

I even learned the violin for two years just to impress him. And I proudly showcased my violin skills in front of him.

After hearing this, he frowned with disgust.

"What kind of crap is this? It's sounds awful."

I stubbornly believed that as long as I put my heart into it, I would eventually gain his approval.

He never let me attend his performances, fearing that it would impact his career if people knew we were a couple.

Once, I secretly bought an ordinary ticket at a high price from a scalper and traveled a long distance just to give him a surprise.

However, his face immediately darkened and he pretended not to know me.

He even told others that I was a crazy fan and that I was driven away by the staff.

Later, I found out that Luxor would always invite Sherry to his performances and openly flirt with her backstage.

Now, he was actively inviting me to his tour and had even arranged a VIP seat for me.

If it were in the past, I would have been overjoyed and ecstatic.

Luxor seemed surprised by my refusal and stood there, lost in thought.

After a while, he seemed to have made up his mind.

"Stella, are you really not going? I wanted to publicly announce our relationship."

I had often dreamed that one day he would openly announce our relationship on stage under the spotlight.

But now that my dream was coming true, I felt no excitement or joy.

"You're still rising in your career. Maybe it's not the right time to make our relationship public."

I refused.

Upon hearing this, Luxor seemed unable to contain himself and growled.

"Well, go or not, as you like!"

Since we've been together, I have never refused him.

Let alone repeatedly rejecting him tonight.

He was humble enough, but I still didn't follow his mind.

He slammed the door as he left, and I calmly finished organizing my drawings, pondering how to discuss a collaboration with Casper tomorrow.