Are you alright?

"You might not be a great person, but you were right about one thing."

Noreen Gilmore looked up, her gaze meeting his with a cool detachment.

"You're definitely not right for me."

With that, she quickly averted her eyes, showing no interest in letting her gaze linger on him for even a moment.

She turned and walked away.

Seth Harcourt didn't say another word, simply standing where he was, watching her leave.

It was only after a long while that he finally lit a cigarette.

As the smoke swirled around him, he seemed to grow grimmer and colder, slowly melting into the encroaching darkness.

After her shower, Noreen noticed a missed video call from Claire Chase.

She casually towel-dried her hair before picking up her phone to call her back.

Claire answered instantly. "All done?"

"Yeah, I was just in the shower."

"Did you have a good time today?" Claire asked, referring to the celebratory dinner for her mentorship.

She had wanted to take the day off to congratulate Noreen, but the film crew wouldn't let her go.

"Some parts were good, some weren't."

When Claire pressed for details, Noreen told her about Seth and Bianca Lowell.

"Those two psychos, seriously!" Claire didn't waste a second before laying into them. "And what gives that jerk Seth the right to talk to you like that?"

"I can't be bothered with him," Noreen said.

"Exactly! Don't even give him the time of day!"

"There's something else... Dylan Wilder confessed his feelings to me."

Claire immediately perked up. "Really? He finally said it? I was worried he'd hold it in forever! The man has patience!"

Noreen had told Claire about the email before, so Claire knew Dylan had been in love with Noreen for eight years.

"I was also a little surprised he decided to cross that line."

Actually, Dylan had told her last time that he had something to say after InnoCore went public.

She had guessed it was a confession.

But she hadn't expected him to do it so soon.

She had no idea what prompted it.

"So, what are you thinking?" Claire was more interested in Noreen's feelings.

Noreen didn't hide anything. "Honestly, I'm not ready."

Claire disagreed. "When it comes to feelings, is anyone ever really 'ready'? You know how the song goes, 'love hits you like a hurricane...'."

"Stop right there." Noreen quickly cut off the aspiring singer, afraid that if she got started, she could go on all night without ever hitting a single right note

Listening to her sing was pure torture.

"For me, a relationship is optional."

Right now she felt that love wasn't a necessity. Work already filled her life completely, and she simply didn't have the energy to spend getting to know someone, going on dates, and deepening a connection.

Besides, even the best relationships had their conflicts.

She had even less energy for arguing, explaining, and making up...

It all just seemed like too much trouble.

"Just give it a try," Claire urged, understanding her friend's hesitation but still wanting to persuade her "What if you two are a perfect match? What if this is your destiny? What if you actually fall for him?"

"Just because you don't feel anything now doesn't mean you won't later, right? Can't feelings be cultivated over time?"

"The idea that feelings can be cultivated is a fallacy. If time and love were all it took

to make someone fall for you, then any two people could fall in love."

Claire looked to the heavens, exasperated. "Honey, you have a classic case of post- traumatic relationship disorder."

At the mention of this, Claire couldn't help but mentally drag the culprit, Seth, out for another round of condemnation.

"Alright, alright, I'll give it a try," Noreen finally decided.

She would think of it as giving herself a chance.

"Wait a second, I thought there were a few guys lined up for you," Claire suddenly remembered Noreen's other admirers.