"Kate, I'm back!"
It was past 8 p.m. when Luca returned to Apartment 76.
The living room was brightly lit, with soft music playing from the TV speakers, creating a peaceful atmosphere.
"Mr. Kelly, Kate is in the studio!" Gina stood up and said.
"Oh, thank you, Gina. Go ahead and keep watching TV."
Luca switched his shoes and quietly walked into the studio.
"Ugh, why is this so hard to write? It feels like every word is wrong!"
At the computer desk, Kate had her hands tangled in her hair, frustrated. She had clearly run her hands through her blonde, wavy hair multiple times, turning it into a messy nest.
Luca smiled softly as he quietly approached her from behind. On the computer screen, he noticed a Word document open.
At the top of the document was the title, "Twilight Saga, Book Two—New Moon."
Beneath the title, there was just the first chapter heading: "Party." And below that, the rest of the page was blank.
Kate scratched her head as if she had just remembered something, then opened another document.
This one was over 10,000 words long, full of detailed outlines and summaries for each chapter of the second book.
"The first chapter is about Bella having a nightmare, where she dreams she's become an old woman—wrinkled, gray, and worn out—while Edward, beside her, remains 17, youthful, handsome, and smooth-skinned like jelly. Then she wakes up scared… How should I write a dream sequence?"
Kate rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a while. Then, she returned to the other document and began typing a few lines slowly with her long fingers.
"Early morning, Bella woke up from her dream. Yawning, she stretched and sat in front of the mirror.
Suddenly, she was startled. In the mirror, she saw the reflection of an old woman.
Her hair was gray and her skin sagged, covered with wrinkles. Her eyes drooped, resembling pieces of worn cloth, and her lips were dry, her mouth full of cracks like parched earth.
Bella blinked, and something terrifying happened: the old woman in the mirror blinked too, and the 'pieces of cloth' under her eyes even swayed.
Bella couldn't resist touching her cheek, only to realize the figure in the mirror was copying her exact movement. An old, shriveled arm, marked with brown spots, reached out.
Bella looked down and, to her horror, discovered that the arm was hers.
Ahhh!!
Bella screamed.
Then, the dream ended abruptly!"
Kate stopped typing and silently read over the passage.
"No, no, something's off," she muttered. She scratched her head again. "Oh, damn, I forgot Edward! That forever-17 vampire should be in the dream too! Damn it, I have to rewrite it again!"
She slammed her fist onto the desk in frustration. "Luca, that jerk! Why did he come up with this scene? He's definitely doing this to make things harder for me! When he gets back, I'm totally going to twist his ear and pinch his face."
Luca, standing behind her, flinched as he felt his ears and cheeks start to burn.
"...and then I'll pull his hair and slam him on the floor!"
Kate raised her arm and swung it backward forcefully.
Thud! Her left elbow hit Luca precisely between his legs.
"Oof~"
Luca let out a muffled groan, clutching his crotch as he slowly sank to the floor.
Hearing the noise, Kate turned around in surprise. "Oh! Luca, when did you get here?"
Luca crouched on the ground, unable to answer.
"Wow, Luca, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale? Why are you sweating so much?"
Kate looked worried as she grabbed some tissues to wipe the sweat from his forehead. She yelled toward the living room, "Gina! Call an ambulance! Luca's having an emergency!"
"No! No need!" Luca bit his lip and waved Gina off. "No, I just... cramped my leg."
"A cramp?" Kate noticed where he was holding himself and suddenly realized what had happened. She touched her right elbow and smirked.
"Uh, Luca, did I, um... hit you there?"
Kate asked, stifling a laugh.
"No, no, I just have a stomachache," he replied hastily.
"Wasn't it a leg cramp?"
". . . Never mind!"
After a few more seconds, the pain began to subside.
Luca wiped the sweat from his forehead and slowly stood up. This was one unlucky disaster.
If only he were a little smaller, he thought, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Size does have its downsides.
"Luca, are you really okay? You're still pale—like a vampire," Kate said as she dabbed his forehead with the tissue.
"I'm fine now." Luca pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his legs protectively.
"So, Kate, are you getting started on the writing?"
"Yes," Kate shrugged and then shot him an annoyed look. "It's your fault! Why did you insist on giving me co-author credit? Now I'm pulling my hair out! Look, I'm going bald!"
She ran her fingers through her messy hair, which released a light fragrance into the air. She held out her hand, revealing... nothing.
The moment was a bit awkward.
Luca forced a smile, pretending not to notice.
"Kate, I read what you wrote earlier, and it's really good—better than what I wrote at first! I'm sure that soon you'll be able to write your own outline and novel."
"Really? But my writing feels so much worse than yours," Kate said, doubtful.
Luca shook his head gently. "Don't compare yourself to me. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday. As long as today's writing is better than yesterday's, that's progress."
"But I've written nothing all day," Kate pouted.
"It's okay, Kate. From now on, don't worry about the outline, plot, or even the writing style. Just write down whatever comes to mind. How does that sound?"
"Hmm... I can try that," Kate agreed, nodding. Then she waved her hand dismissively. "Okay, I get it. You may leave now!"
"Sure, Your Majesty!" Luca smiled and gave a mock bow.
"Wait!" Kate suddenly turned back to him. "Luca, didn't you go on a date with Britney today? Why are you back so early?"
"Early? It's almost 9 p.m.," Luca pointed at his watch. "You should rest, too."
"No way! Didn't you and Britney... you know, sleep together?"
"Of course not. We're just friends."
"Friends? Oh, Luca, how many 'friends' have you slept with over the years? Let me count. At least—"
"Stop!" Luca covered his ears and, still aching, ran back to the bedroom.
He sighed as he lay down on the bed and pulled out his phone. He considered calling Lima, realizing it was about 1 a.m. in London.
After a moment's thought, he typed out a short message explaining Britney's visit that day, to prevent any misunderstandings when the news broke.
Ding! Before the message could settle, his phone rang.
"Lima, why are you still awake so late? Oh, you just woke up? I think I hear the sound of a game. Was that a 'Double Kill'?"
Beep! The call ended before he could finish his question.
Luca sighed and sent another text: "Sweetie, try to get some rest. I'll play games with you when you get back."
"I miss you so much. I can't sleep!" came the reply.
Silly girl~ Luca sighed softly and called her back, prepared for a long conversation.