"By the way, Amara, did you know Keith before?" Cedric asked. "I never noticed you guys were so close."


    Amara shed a smile. "Keith and I have been friends since we were kids. He''s been super busy with the production, so we haven''t had much time to catch up."


    "Oh, childhood friends, huh?" Cedric nodded in understanding. "It''s kind of serendipitous that we ended up choosing Keith as the lead."


    They chatted idly as they made their way to the set''s exit, just in time to see Liliana and Finnian heading out as well.


    Liliana paused, giving Cedric a friendly wave. Cedric returned the gesture with a couple of words before Liliana turned her attention to Amara.


    "Heading out too, Ms. Sullivan? I heard you''ve been buried in the script all afternoon. Busy day?"


    Despite Liliana''s pleasant demeanor, Amara didn''t even nce her way, simply ignoring her. She addressed Cedric, "Mr. Zade, I''m off. See you tomorrow."


    With that, she strode past Liliana and Finnian without so much as a sideways nce, leaving Liliana standing there, biting her lip in dismay.


    "Finn, does Ms. Sullivan have something against me? I was just trying to be friendly, and shepletely ignored me."


    Finnian watched Amara''s silhouette gradually fade into the night before turning back to Liliana. He replied coolly, "She doesn''t want to engage, so just leave it be. It''s not worth worrying about."


    Liliana was slightly taken aback. He had a point; there was no reason to keep trying if Amara wasn''t interested. But it wasn''t the response Liliana had hoped for, and she nibbled on her lip again.


    Back at home, Amara called Keith, inviting him to midnight snack when he was done with his event.


    Keith had been busy all day with the shoot, and then got pulled into an event by his agent. It was past nine now, and he was on his way home, wondering what she would prepare.


    Amara said as she rummaged through her fridge. "I''ve got some meat and veggies here. I''ll whip up something simple. It''ste, so let''s not overdo it."


    "Sounds good," Keith replied with a chuckle. "Take your time. If you need help, I''ll join you in the kitchen when I get there."


    "Alright."


    After hanging up, Amara got to cooking. She set some rice to steam, and then quickly made some dishes. Just as she turned off the stove the doorbell rang. She took off her apron and hurried to answer it.


    Keith swapped his shoes for slippers and helped Amara bring the food to the dining table.


    Removing her mask, Amara uttered, "Just two easy dishes. You must be starving, so dig in."


    Keith couldn''t resist reaching over to gently pinch her cheek, captivated by her lovely face.


    "Hey!" Amara swatted his hand away. "What''s up with you?"


    "What? Aren''t we close enough for a little teasing Or are you nning to ditch me, huh? Are we breaking Keith teased, clutching a throw.


    pillow on the couch and preten


    to sulk with exaggerated whimpers.


    Amara rolled her eyes, tapping his head with a spoon. "Cut it out and eat." "Alright, alright. Food it is."


    Later that night, after wrapping up at the set, Finnian offered Liliana a ride home. When they reached her building, Liliana invited Finnian up. It waste, and with nothing pressing to attend to, Finnian epted, following her in.