MK was smiling when she got back.
Not the kind of smile she wore for others—the polite one, the practiced one—but the dangerous kind. The kind that came from hope. From belief. From the reckless certainty that maybe, just maybe, she could win Shriya back.
She dropped her bag near the door and practically floated into the living room, where Jesse sat curled up on the couch, knees tucked to her chest, phone forgotten in her hand.
Jesse was always the listener. The constant. The steady ground MK returned to when her emotions went too far ahead of her reason.
But today, something was different.
Jesse looked… distant.
MK noticed halfway through her excited narration, her voice slowing as she studied her friend's face.
"You're quiet," she said at last. "What's up?"
Jesse blinked, forcing a small smile. "It's nothing. Continue. Then what happened?"
MK narrowed her eyes slightly. They had been friends for over a decade. She knew every version of Jesse's silences—the tired one, the angry one, the heartbroken one.
"Jesse," MK said gently, "we've been friends for more than ten years. I know you as well as you know me. So unless you don't want us to be friends anymore… tell me."
Jesse sighed, the sound heavy. "Fine. It's Ashley."
MK straightened. "Ashley? Didn't you two make up?"
"We did," Jesse said. She stood and walked toward the window, resting her forehead lightly against the glass. "But MK… the distance between us is too big."
MK joined her, standing close. "What do you mean?"
"My life is here," Jesse said quietly. "Everything I love is here."
She paused.
"Except her."
Her reflection in the glass looked smaller than usual.
"And her life is there—abroad. And it would be too much to ask her to give up everything just to come be with me."
MK crossed her arms, thinking. "You can still visit each other."
"That's not enough," Jesse replied. "Even if we visit, that's once a month at best. And that's only if nothing comes up."
MK frowned. "So what are you planning? You guys like each other. You always have."
"That's the problem," Jesse said softly.
She turned from the window. "We like each other. But do we love each other?"
MK answered without hesitation. "You're happy with her. You like being with her. That sounds like love to me."
Jesse studied her carefully, then raised an eyebrow.
"MK… if Shriya lived abroad, would you hesitate to move?"
The question landed harder than Jesse intended.
MK fell silent.
She thought of the prison walls. The cold floors. The way she had followed Shriya even into confinement without a second thought.
"My case is different," MK said finally.
"How is it different?"
MK opened her mouth. Closed it.
"Well… I—uh—"
She couldn't say it out loud. Because saying she would move meant admitting that what she felt for Shriya was deeper than anything Jesse had with Ashley. And she didn't want to wound her friend with that truth.
Jesse watched her struggle and nodded slowly.
"See? That's my point. I've seen love between you and Shriya."
She swallowed.
"It's not the same."
MK touched Jesse's arm. "Love isn't identical for everyone. People are different. The way they love is different too."
Jesse nodded, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere. Maybe she wasn't truly in love with Ashley. Maybe she was just drawn to her beauty, her charm, her warmth. And after watching MK fight so fiercely for someone, she had wanted something that felt just as intense—even if it hurt.
"You're right," Jesse sighed.
Before MK could respond, her phone buzzed.
Ben.
She picked it up. "Hey, Ben."
"MK! Are you free today? We're having a get-together with my colleagues. Thought you might want to join."
MK paused. "Will everyone be there?"
"Yeah."
"Everyone?" MK pressed.
"Yes, everyone," Ben laughed. "They're friendly. You'll get along with them."
He thought she was nervous.
She wasn't.
"Sure," MK said. "Can I bring a friend?"
"Of course."
MK turned to Jesse with a grin. "Come on. We've got a get-together to crash."
Jesse smirked. "Does he know you're using him?"
MK hesitated, then shook her head.
"No. But he's my only ticket to seeing Shriya."
Jesse shrugged. "Fair enough."
---
Shriya sat at the long table with her colleagues, laughing at something Kai had said.
She had finally blended in with them. Their rhythm. Their jokes. Their chaos.
But lately, her luck had run out.
Not in life.
In avoiding MK.
Ever since that day they had bumped into each other, MK had started appearing everywhere. In hallways. Near exits. By lockers. With Ben.
There was nowhere to run.
Just yesterday, someone had offered Shriya a ride home—and fate, cruel and playful, had placed MK in the passenger seat.
MK had smiled like it was coincidence.
It had been.
But it felt like destiny teasing them both.
While Shriya suffocated in MK's presence, MK had been over the moon. She had faked sleeping in the car and leaned her head onto Shriya's shoulder.
Shriya hadn't moved.
She hadn't known whether to push her away… or let her stay.
Now, sitting at the table, Shriya laughed at a joke—then froze mid-laugh.
I'm losing it, she thought. Is she a ghost?
Because right there, standing near the entrance, was MK.
With Jesse.
And when MK saw her, she smiled—just a little wider.
"What are you doing here?" Shriya blurted.
The room went silent.
Ben stepped in quickly. "I invited them."
He approached the group, gesturing. "Guys, this is Peter, Grace, Kai, Shriya..."
Then he turned to MK and Jesse.
"And this is MK. And her friend—"
"Jesse," MK said.
They took seats at the far corner. MK sat beside Ben. Jesse sat beside Shriya—the familiarity offering safety neither of them wanted to admit they needed.
Conversation resumed slowly.
Then Jesse voiced what had been nagging her.
"None of you drink alcohol?"
The room erupted in laughter.
Jesse blinked. "Did I say something funny?"
Shriya smiled slightly. "We work mostly on weekends. You wouldn't want to jump off a plane with a hangover. But if you want something stronger, feel free—we didn't know you were coming."
Her eyes flicked to MK as she said the last part.
MK met her gaze.