"Morning." Uma greeted politely when she saw Charlize sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper in the morning.
"Morning." Charlize lifted her head from the newspaper and gave Uma a friendly smile.
Uma noticed Charlize's friendly smile. As a woman, she keenly sensed that the warmth and sincerity behind it were genuine, which was extremely unusual. Uma had met Charlize a few times before, but Charlize had never shown such friendliness. Uma had even thought Charlize was jealous of her because of Hugo, although she later dismissed that possibility. But today's attitude was something she had never seen before.
Uma wanted to figure out the reason, because women know women, and Charlize's change could not be without reason. But then Uma paused her curiosity—regardless of the reason, it was good that Charlize was showing kindness now. Uma knew that Hugo had a close relationship with Charlize and Alex, and she didn't want to be left out of Hugo's circle of friends. So, the current situation was indeed very pleasant.
"I'm really sorry about last night, for making you stay upstairs preparing a surprise just for me." Uma paused her steps slightly, expressing her apology in a friendly way.
Charlize put the newspaper down and looked politely at Uma. "Haha, it's nothing, it's just upstairs anyway."
In truth, Charlize still didn't particularly like Uma. It wasn't that Uma had done anything wrong, nor because things with Hugo were going well—it was simply a matter of the clash between women's vibes. She didn't dislike Uma, but that didn't mean they could peacefully coexist. However, after last night's events, Charlize understood that although Hugo and Uma might not be officially dating, they had certainly progressed beyond mere dating. So, she needed to fulfill her duties as a friend.
As a friend, especially a friend of the opposite sex, if one overly concerns oneself with another's romantic life, it's easy to provoke jealousy and unnecessary misunderstandings. Similarly, commenting inappropriately about a friend's girlfriend could trigger emotional "landmines," making everyone uncomfortable—leaving one in an awkward situation both ways and putting the friendship to the test.
Now, whether Hugo and Uma's relationship was in full bloom or just beginning, as long as it was progressing healthily, Charlize knew there was no need for her to say too much. Especially when Hugo hadn't asked for her opinion, showing appropriate friendliness and not interfering was the wisest choice.
So, Charlize set aside her dislike and showed Uma basic respect and proper friendliness.
Uma received Charlize's friendly attitude. She initially wanted to chat more but realized it was difficult, as their vibes still didn't match. Female friendships often worked this way. In the end, Uma just smiled and nodded at Charlize, then quickly headed to the kitchen to pour coffee. She then carried the coffee back to Hugo's room.
Charlize stared at the hallway leading to Hugo's room, dazed for about a second, then refocused and returned to her newspaper. When Kal came downstairs to call her, she quickly got up and prepared to head to the set—today, Charlize would not be late. She had gotten up early and had even had time to read the paper.
Uma didn't stay long either. She quickly began touching up her makeup and getting ready to leave. Hugo, hugging the blanket, lay on the bed pitifully. "Can't you stay a little longer?"
Uma looked back and saw Hugo's pitiful expression. His lips slightly downturned, his narrow peach-blossom eyes moist and innocent—it was hard not to feel tender. Uma sat back on the edge of the bed, gently nudging Hugo's nose with her finger. "I have to go home for Christmas, you know."
Hugo hugged the blanket and made two muffled sounds. "You could go tomorrow."
Seeing this man acting like a five-year-old child, Uma couldn't help but laugh softly. She leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Tickets to New York aren't that easy to get—it's Christmas." Uma's father was a professor at Columbia University, and her whole family lived in New York. She had come to Los Angeles to develop her acting career.
Hugo bit his lip, mumbling something about "I can drive" that Uma couldn't hear. Seeing his childish and adorable expression, she smiled broadly. "I'm not saying I won't come back. After Christmas, I'll return. This year, we can celebrate New Year's together."
Hugo then realized that 1992 was almost over, and his first year in Los Angeles was about to end. Thinking of this, he became a bit more serious, gently biting Uma's lips. "Stay home a few more days, spend time with your family."
"Weren't you going to tell me to come back earlier?" Uma laughed softly.
"I'll deal with you when you come back to see me," Hugo whispered softly.
"What about you? Not going home for Christmas?" Uma asked with a smile.
Hugo paused, then gave a vague reply: "My home isn't in New York, no rush." After saying that, he kissed Uma again, swallowing the rest of the words.
Soon they noticed their breaths becoming heavy. Uma hurriedly stopped Hugo. "We can't go any further, or I'll be late."
This time, Hugo didn't resist. He released his hold, letting Uma fix her clothes, then escorted her out. Looking at the empty hall, his eyes widened. The Christmas atmosphere had finally arrived in full force.
Over the next two days, Alex, Kal, and Joseph all went home one after another. Hugo's newly made friends, Neil and Pedro, also headed back. Los Angeles seemed to have turned into an empty city overnight, which reminded Hugo of what it felt like during the Lunar New Year in Shanghai years ago.
After some careful thought, Hugo decided to call his father once more. Although his plan to go home for Thanksgiving had been rejected, this was Christmas—maybe it would be different, right?
The phone rang twice before being picked up, and Adam's harsh, weathered voice came through: "Adam Lancaster, speaking."
"Hey, Dad, it's me, Hugo." Hugo tried to make his voice sound light. "How have you been lately? Everything okay?"
"Still alive." Adam answered impatiently after just one sentence. "What do you want? Hurry up. Last time you said your job's going well. Now what, another problem?"
At least he remembered what Hugo had said the last time. This gave Hugo a little confidence. "Oh, no, it's not about work…"
"So?" Adam interrupted rudely, but Hugo was used to it. That was just Adam's style. "Tomorrow's Christmas. I want to come see you."
"You want to come back? For what? There's nothing here." Adam's hoarse voice sounded like a bellows next to a furnace, rough and rattling.
Hearing this, Hugo felt a wave of helplessness. He was sure his father didn't want him to come, perhaps worried that even meeting in person would be awkward. If a phone call was this difficult, an actual meeting would probably be unbearable. "You're my father. I just want to spend Christmas with you. What's wrong with that?"
This time, Adam was silent, not responding immediately. Hugo could hear his heavy breathing clearly through the receiver. Just as Hugo was about to continue, Adam's voice came again: "You're an adult. You have the right to make your own decisions. You want to come back—how could I stop you? Of course not. I just think there's no need for you to come. It's completely meaningless."
Adam's way of speaking was infuriating. Hugo was normally calm, but whether it was Adam's harsh words or the role he'd placed himself in as a father, the conversation felt brutal. Hugo got angry. "What do you mean, meaningless? It's Christmas, Christmas!"
"Don't yell at me! I can hear you!" Adam roared back, making Hugo's ears ring. "Our family never celebrated Christmas. If you want holidays, you can celebrate like your mother—the Jewish holidays. Christmas? I'm not going to cook for you or get you gifts. So, what's the point?"
For the first time, Hugo heard Adam actively mention his mother—and something Hugo didn't know. His mother was Jewish? Or had Jewish ancestry?
Hugo didn't have time to think more and just followed Adam's words, replying, "So, according to you, we shouldn't see each other at all? Not for Thanksgiving, not for Christmas? So… what? Are you trying to cut ties with me?"
"Don't blame me for all this! Don't!" Adam's voice was full of anger. "You know this is all your choice. You chose to leave me, to leave home for that damn Los Angeles. You chose to become that… whatever actor, refusing to do real work. You refuse to come home, even during holidays, refusing to call. You know all this! So don't take a small achievement and snap at me. Don't be like your mother, weak and useless with empty big dreams, blaming others and accomplishing nothing—don't!"
Hugo felt crushed by Adam's barrage, struggling to breathe. But Adam wasn't finished: "So, if you want to come back, that's your freedom, but I won't go out of my way to entertain you. So, so… damn Christmas, damn hell!"
Click! … beep… beep… beep…
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