Chapter 5: First Kiss, Last Name
1065 Words
The night air was crisp and still, wrapped in salt and the hush of crashing waves below. Emily stood alone on the viewing deck of the resort, arms crossed loosely as she stared out into the dark ocean. It was late—far too late for her to be awake—but sleep didn’t come easily, not with her thoughts so loud.
She breathed in the cold air, hoping it would clear her head.
Footsteps.
She turned slightly.
Isaac.
He walked toward her, his presence unhurried but deliberate. He didn’t say anything at first, just stood beside her, close but not quite touching, eyes fixed on the horizon.
“I don’t usually come out here,” he said quietly. “She loved the night sky.”
Emily didn’t have to ask who he meant.
She nodded gently, saying nothing. The stars above seemed indifferent to pain and memory. Maybe that’s why people liked them.
“She used to drag me out to places like this,” he added. “Said stargazing made her feel small—in a good way.”
Emily glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He sounded distant, gentler than usual. Unarmored.
“You must have loved her very much,” she said softly.
Isaac turned to her.
And before she could think or react, he leaned in.
His lips brushed hers—tentative, warm, real.
And then, in a breath she almost didn’t catch:
“…Vivian.”
She blinked.
The name hung in the air like an echo she couldn’t unhear.
He didn’t notice, not at first. But her eyes had already dropped, her heart already steadied its pace.
When he pulled back, Emily offered a faint smile—small, polite, almost unreadable.
“I should go in,” she said, barely above a whisper.
“Emily…” he started, maybe to explain, maybe not.
But she shook her head lightly, not in dismissal—just finality.
He didn’t follow her as she turned and walked away.
Her steps were quiet, measured. She didn’t cry. She didn’t confront. She didn’t ask.
She never did.
Inside, her hands trembled just slightly as she reached for her room key. Her reflection in the mirror looked the same as always—composed, neutral.
But deep down, something had shifted.
He wasn’t hers.
And that was enough of a reminder to stay where she always belonged—on the outside.
***
Monday morning came like a slap of cold water.
Emily stepped into ZhiGuang Tech’s office building with the same ponytail, the same glasses, the same signature quiet nods.
But something about her was different.
Not that anyone said anything. No one ever did.
Jayden Wu was the first to glance up from his desk, his usual joke halfway to his lips—only to fall silent. Ryan Lin stopped typing mid-sentence, while Caleb Han peeked over his monitor and muttered, “She’s early…”
No one mentioned the retreat.
No one mentioned the kiss.
Or the name.
Emily sat at her desk and opened her laptop like usual. Her fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard, her eyes focused, determinedly blank.
But even she could feel it—the silence wasn’t peaceful anymore. It was thick. Brittle. Like old glass.
A haunting echo of something that almost happened… but didn’t.
She hadn’t told anyone what occurred on the viewing deck. And she wouldn’t.
Not because she was noble or kind or strong—but because silence was safer. If no one knew, no one could ask. If no one asked, she wouldn’t have to lie with a smile.
“Emily, are you okay?” Jayden finally dared to ask, popping his head over their cubicle wall like a curious meerkat.
“Hmm?” She didn’t look up. “Yeah. Just didn’t sleep much.”
That was true. And vague. The perfect deflection.
He nodded slowly, sensing the line he couldn’t cross. “Cool. Just checking.”
By mid-morning, the tension had normalized into the usual buzz of work. Noah sent her a code review, and she responded in half the time he expected. The girl might’ve been emotionally off—but her brain remained a machine.
Around lunch, Daniel Cheng Xiang entered the office with his usual charm. “Hello, geniuses!” he greeted with a grin.
Emily blinked, startled. “Ge?”
“Surprise inspection,” he teased, walking past the boys and heading straight to Isaac’s office with a box in hand. “And a very important invitation.”
Caleb watched him. “Isn’t that Emily’s cousin?”
“Yup,” Ryan answered. “And her boss’s buddy. What a tangled web.”
Inside Isaac’s office, Daniel dropped the invitation on the table. “You’re coming to the wedding, right?”
Isaac raised an eyebrow. “You’re inviting me?”
“Don’t act so surprised,” Daniel smirked. “Claire wants everyone important there. You, especially.”
Isaac stared at the silver-gilded envelope for a moment before nodding once. “I’ll be there.”
“Good,” Daniel smiled. “And don’t bring a plus one. It’ll give my cousin a chance to breathe.”
Isaac looked up at that.
Daniel smiled wider. “I see things, you know. But I won’t meddle—yet.”
When Daniel left the office, Emily was walking toward the pantry. Their eyes met.
He gave her a subtle wink. “You’ll like the dress I chose for you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re doing that again?”
“Matching aesthetics matter in weddings,” he shrugged. “You’re maid of honor, Em. Don’t pretend you didn’t know.”
She groaned under her breath. “Remind me again why I agreed to this?”
“Because you love Claire. And you owe me bubble tea.”
He walked off, whistling.
Back at her desk, Emily sat down with a sigh.
A wedding.
Of all things.
Of all people.
She knew Isaac would be there. And she knew she'd have to smile, look perfect, and pretend that she didn’t remember the taste of that kiss.
Or the name that wasn’t hers.
She glanced across the office.
Isaac’s door remained closed.
He hadn’t spoken to her all day.
Maybe that was for the best.
But in her chest, something twisted—quiet and unrelenting. A ghost she couldn’t name.
One she wished she hadn’t awakened.
- Writer
