“I can’t believe it’s really you.” Recognition flashed in Zane’s eyes as he pointed to the vacant seat beside her. “Looks like this is where I’ll be sitting.”
“That’s right.” Hadley nodded warmly.
Given Zane’s presence beside her, Hadley decided not to switch seats with Chelsey, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. Tamara pressed her lips together, deciding it was better not to argue further. Thankfully, she could still keep Hadley in view with a simple turn of her head, though the arrangement wasn’t perfect.
“Take your seat.”
“Alright.”
Both of them settled in, one after the other. Breaking the silence, Zane turned to Hadley and asked, “Is this trip to Ciderbrook for business?”
Hadley gave a quick nod. “Yes, I’m there to help promote our latest TV drama.”
Although Zane wasn’t interested in television series himself, he knew about her new career and had done a bit of research. “Is it the show that’s pinned on your Twitter profile?”
Hadley’s eyebrows lifted in surprise as she confirmed, “That’s the one. I didn’t realize you kept up with that, Zane.”
“That’s right,” Zane replied, his tone carrying a hint of embarrassment as he mentioned his cousin as a convenient excuse. “Colleen told me about it and insisted I help promote it on my social media.”
“Colleen always comes through for her friends.” A genuine laugh escaped Hadley as she pulled out her phone. “Did you follow me on Twitter already? What’s your username, Zane? I’ll make sure to follow you back.”
She wore her hair down that day, each strand light and airy from a recent wash, with the faintest trace of herbal shampoo clinging to it. The gentle fragrance drifted near Zane, subtle enough to notice but never overwhelming.
“Sure.” Zane’s throat moved as he swallowed. He pulled out his phone, opened Twitter, and showed it to Hadley. “Here. That’s my account.”
“Let me see…” Hadley leaned in, her eyes scanning the screen. Once she saw the handle, she tapped follow. “Done.”
Without thinking, she began scrolling through his feed.
It was exactly what she expected.
The latest post was a retweet of her promo for the new TV drama. Further down, it was all legal commentary and posts about investments.
Her lips curled slightly. A soft smile escaped.
“What is it?” Zane noticed and asked with a grin. “Do I come off as boring?”
“No!” She shook her head quickly, eyes wide.
“You can say that.” Zane laughed. “It’s alright. I am kind of boring. And older. There’s probably a huge generation gap between us.”
“Really. It’s not that.” Hadley let out a soft chuckle. “I was just thinking—you probably don’t use social media that much either. And wait—generation gap? What generation gap?” She smiled and added, “Mine’s mostly work-related too. Just that my work happens to be acting.”
“Hmm…” Zane nodded, thoughtful. “When you put it that way, yeah. Kind of the same thing.”
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