Leaning against the door, he looked at me with a complicated, unreadable expression.
"Yasmine, I've already apologized for the accident. Regarding today's cake, I'll be more mindful going forward. If you have other concerns, let's sit down and talk them out."
"Relationships thrive on communication, and a cold war won't solve anything."
It dawned on me that he understood effort was needed, yet stubbornly chose a cold war to force my compromise.
I dried my hands, scrutinizing him carefully.
"Chandler, check your phone and see how many times you've actually responded to me."
He turned away embarrassed, then stubbornly asked after a while...
"Is this about Lily? I can explain."
"No, I don't care anymore. Besides, you and she are childhood sweethearts and senior siblings. It's only right you take care of her."
Not wanting to argue further, I gestured toward the withered lemon tree on the balcony.
"It's already dead. There's no saving it. Besides, the lemons were bitter and astringent, not worth keeping."
That lemon tree was like my love.
Once it tried producing many thin-skinned, watery lemons. I soaked and gave them to Chandler.
He was eating oranges fed by Lily, with a look of disgust.