Saturday in Los Angeles, the sunlight was as constant as ever.
When Landon woke up in Elisha's apartment bed, the girl beside him was sleeping soundly. Her long blonde hair was scattered across the pillow, and her eyelashes cast fine shadows in the morning light.
He rose quietly, without disturbing her, and walked out onto the cramped balcony of the small apartment.
The morning breeze hit him, carrying the scent of the city waking up.
Landon performed a few sets of simple stretches and the opening movements of the Eight Trigram Palm. Qi circulated through his body, bringing a familiar warmth and vitality.
He felt clearly that he was full of energy, his senses sharp, without any of the fatigue that should follow a night of indulgence.
This feeling was both addictive and slightly unsettling.
When he returned indoors, Elisha was already awake. She was curled up at the edge of the bed, hugging her knees as she watched him, her eyes filled with attachment, satisfaction, and a faint, imperceptible worry.
She had that same expression in the bar last night—wanting to get close, yet afraid that asking for too much would make him retreat.
Landon had found it somewhat amusing and felt a bit softened at the time. Last night, he showed rare patience and tenderness, leading her meticulously and exercising deliberate restraint, letting Elisha drift in long-lasting pleasure until she finally fell asleep peacefully, as if floating on warm clouds.
As for him, he had stared at the ceiling counting'sheep' for who knows how long before finally managing to fall asleep in the latter half of the night.
Now, meeting her expectant and cautious gaze, Landon walked over and ruffled her hair.
Throughout the rest of the morning, time flowed slowly in the private space of the apartment, yet it also seemed accelerated by some kind of burning rhythm.
Clothes were scattered once again, breaths intertwined, and sunlight filtered through the blinds, cutting alternating stripes of light and shadow across the floor that shifted quietly as the sun rose higher.
From her initial active response to her later inability to endure, Elisha eventually ended up like a sandcastle washed clean by the waves, slumped on the messy sheets, unable to even move a fingertip.
Landon, however, felt refreshed, as if he had just finished a perfectly timed morning workout.
He took a shower, got dressed, and returned to the bedside.
Elisha just looked at him with misty eyes, without making a scene, without questioning him, and not even trying to make him stay.
She just watched quietly, her gaze reminding Landon of a moth—knowing the flame is dangerous, yet still hopelessly attracted to the warmth and light, throwing itself into it without looking back.
She knew Landon had a girlfriend, knew this relationship was like a castle built on quicksand, but she chose not to think about 'later'.
At least within the crew of '24 hours', in the present moment, she wanted to possess this burning intimacy.
What about later? It was just like Mia's light yet sharp retort at the time:'So what?'
Landon leaned down, left a light kiss on her sweat-dampened forehead, and then turned to leave the apartment.
The sound of the door closing gently was exceptionally clear in the silent room.
Driving back to the villa in Sherman Oaks, the three days of vacancy had left the house filled with a cold, uninhabited air.
Landon pushed open all the windows, letting the afternoon breeze and sunlight pour in to dispel that invisible loneliness.
He called to schedule a housekeeping service and then walked straight into the master bedroom's bathroom.
Warm water washed over his body. He checked carefully; his skin was smooth, without any hickeys or scratch marks left behind.
Looking at himself in the mirror through the rising steam, Landon's heart was surprisingly calm.
A sense of betrayal? There was some, but it was covered by a more realistic train of thought.
He hadn't betrayed Tracy or Rachel—at least not in the context he had redefined for himself.
They were the anchors of his life and emotions, the relationships he wanted to take seriously.
But in the massive vanity fair and vortex of desire that is Hollywood, temptation is everywhere, and it's often packaged exquisitely and alluringly.
He hadn't resisted like a saint, so, after the fact, indulging in useless regret and self-condemnation was meaningless.
That was just a sign of weakness.
He began to consciously view life with the more common, more 'pragmatic' attitude of this circle.
This wasn't an overnight transformation, but something gradually formed through choice after choice and self-persuasion after self-persuasion.
Certain moral shackles brought from traditional Eastern culture were being quietly replaced by Hollywood's survival rules.
Since he couldn't change this environment, he would actively adjust his posture to adapt to it.
Landon didn't know if this change was good or bad. It might be a form of degradation, an assimilation;
Or it might just be a necessary survival strategy, a way to protect his core self in a complex environment.
He thought of the legendary figures from the Hollywood Golden Age, thought of Marlon Brando—that brilliant yet chaotic and contradictory superstar.
In some aspects, such as the extreme pursuit of performance and the aloof attitude toward commercial rules, perhaps there was something to learn;
But in terms of coldness toward others and irresponsibility in private life, that was definitely not the person he wanted to become.
His path, in the end, had to be found by his own fumbling.
After showering and changing into clean, comfortable clothes, the housekeeping staff arrived right on time.
Landon left the house in their care and drove his Ford Pathfinder toward Los Angeles International Airport.
Tracy and Rachel's flight was about to land.
Airports are always synonymous with busyness and waiting.
Landon stood at the arrival gate, watching the flow of people. Beneath that layer of calm in his heart, a faint, imperceptible tension quietly surfaced.
Three days isn't long, but it's enough for many things to happen, and enough for some hidden things to ferment.
When Tracy and Rachel's figures finally appeared in his line of sight, Landon's heart settled.
Tracy was still in her neat travel attire, her face showing a slight weariness after the long flight, but her gaze remained clear and sharp.
Rachel, on the other hand, seemed much more excited, looking all around. The moment she saw Landon, her eyes lit up instantly, and she waved vigorously across the crowd.
"Landon!" Rachel practically lunged over, giving him a solid hug and tilting her face up for a kiss.
Landon smiled and kissed her, his gaze turning to Tracy, who was walking over a step behind.
Tracy came close, looked him over, and then also tilted her head slightly.
Landon took the hint and pressed a soft but lingering kiss onto her lips.
The familiar scent and warmth instantly diluted the traces belonging to someone else that had been left in his life over these three days.
"Was the trip smooth?" Landon took the small suitcase from Tracy's hand.
"It was okay, it's just that it's been raining in New York." Tracy rubbed her brow. "Rachel's audition went well. She felt good about it herself, and the feedback from the director's side was positive too."
"Really? That's great!" Landon looked at Rachel, who was clinging to his arm with a 'hurry up and praise me' expression.
"It's mainly because the techniques Tracy taught me were so useful!" Rachel said excitedly,
"And, we also went to see a few advertisers together. The way Tracy negotiates is so cool!"
The three of them walked toward the parking lot.
Along the way, Rachel chattered like a happy little bird, describing the audition details in depth, her observations of New York, and the industry tricks she had learned from Tracy.
Tracy occasionally added a few words in a steady, professional tone.
The car was filled with Rachel's crisp voice and the warm atmosphere of a reunion.
However, Landon noticed that despite the obvious excitement on both their faces, they never mentioned the 'good news' Tracy had brought up in her text—the one she said could only be told after they returned.
Tracy even gave him a look and shook her head slightly, indicating not to talk about it yet.
Landon's heart skipped a beat for some reason. What could it be? A new advertising contract?
Or expectations worth imagining for the night?