Andrew happened to arrive with Frank at Veron's condo that evening.
"Are you picking Faith up?" he asked.
Frank simply nodded.
"Those two hardly ever spend time together, even if they work side by side," Andrew muttered, shaking his head.
"Yeah, my bad. Veron might get mad at me," Frank chuckled.
Andrew laughed at his friend's comment as he rang the doorbell. He waited for his girlfriend to open up, but after the third press, no one came to the door.
"Odd," he frowned.
"Do you have a spare key?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, luckily, I brought it with me."
Andrew searched his pockets and unlocked the door. As soon as they stepped inside, laughter echoed from the living room. The two men exchanged glances and walked in—only to find Veron and Faith sitting on the floor with cans scattered around them.
"Gosh, they're drinking again," Andrew sighed.
"Andrew!" Veron called out, clearly drunk. He shook his head at her. "You were taking forever, so we started drinking."
"Veron…" he muttered as she suddenly threw her arms around him.
"Frank's here to take Faith home," Andrew reminded her, steadying her by the shoulders.
"Aw, but I hardly see Faith! You're already taking her?" She pouted, then looked at Frank.
"You're a bad influence on her," Frank said dryly.
"Zean," Mariely whined when she saw Frank, "I want to cuddle now." Mariely threw a hug to Frank.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll give you all the cuddles later. But first, let's get you settled down," Frank said, guiding Mariely to the couch.
How many cans did she even drink? he thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Mariely stood up unsteadily. "I feel like throwing up," she groaned. Frank rushed to support her.
"Faith, let's drink more! Throw up but never give up!" Veron teased, laughing.
Andrew could only shake his head. He hadn't expected the two women to get this drunk again. He went to the kitchen to make some hot coffee, but when he returned, he noticed Veron stumbling toward the sink to vomit. Frank was already helping Mariely.
"My head hurts," Mariely complained, holding her temples.
"Andrew, you never told me these two drink themselves silly whenever they're together," Frank sighed, exasperated.
Andrew watched as Veron slumped back into the living room. "Andrew, make me food, please. I suddenly feel hungry."
"What do you want to eat?" he asked.
"You," she grinned cheekily.
He only shook his head, refusing to entertain her drunken teasing.
"Veron's really bold," Frank commented.
"She's just drunk—ignore her."
They carried the girls into the bedroom. Andrew picked Veron up, and Mariely was half-carried by Frank. Soon, the two women were fast asleep side by side, looking peaceful despite the chaos earlier.
In the quiet that followed, Andrew and Frank stayed in the kitchen to cook something for themselves.
"You and Faith… do you, you know…?" Andrew suddenly asked.
Frank looked at him, expression blank. "That's private."
Andrew laughed. "Wow. Since when did you start being like that? You used to hang out with different girls all the time when we talked."
Frank sighed. "That was before. I've had enough of that life. Now, I just want those things with Faith. Just her. The same way you are with Veron, right?"
Andrew chuckled. "Fair enough."
Frank then asked, "How's your wedding plan? I can help if you want."
"No need, Veron and I are managing. It's going smoothly," Andrew replied while chopping vegetables.
Frank nodded.
"By the way, I talked to the person helping us with that bastard. No signs of him bothering Faith again."
"Good. Just make sure he never tries anything against my fiancée," Frank said firmly.
"You're really protective of her," Andrew noted.
Frank didn't answer, just focused on the stove.
Frank tried again. "So… have you two planned to start a family?"
"I hope we can," Andrew admitted with a faint smile.
"Try again, maybe tonight," Frank teased.
"Idiot. You'll just get jealous," Andrew shot back.
"Nope, not jealous."
Andrew laughed, shaking his head. "I'm really hoping Veron will conceive soon. We've planned for it."
"Maybe you're not putting in enough effort," Frank smirked.
Andrew rolled his eyes.
"What if Faith gets pregnant?" he asked back.
Frank looked serious now. "I'd accept it. Actually, I'm already planning for that. She's the only woman I've ever wanted to build a family with."
Andrew grinned. "Love really hit you hard, huh? The guy who once never even let women stay over at his condo is now suddenly a one-woman man. Crazy how love changes people."
Frank smiled quietly. "She's my other half. I've been searching for her all along, not knowing she was already there for me, long ago."
Andrew chuckled. "If you weren't such an idiot in high school, you two might already be married by now. Probably even before Nathan."
Frank shook his head, smiling faintly.
"Look at Nathan and Nadia—they already have three kids, all little troublemakers," Andrew said with a laugh.
"Yeah, they're happy now. Their relationship's been tested by time. Maybe Faith and I are being tested too, to prepare us for what's ahead."
"True. Faith's one strong woman," Andrew agreed.
"I know," Frank said softly.
By then, their food was ready. They cleaned up the mess from earlier, gathering empty cans and wiping the table.
"Good thing Faith only drinks with Veron, and only here in the condo," Frank muttered.
Andrew laughed. "Yeah, I just let them be—as long as they do it here and nowhere else."
A drowsy voice called from the bedroom. "Andrew, is there food?" Veron had woken up, looking like a child.
"Yeah, I'll get it ready," Andrew said. She followed him like a sleepy little girl.
"Is Faith awake too?" he asked Veron.
Veron nodded as Faith appeared, rubbing her eyes. He gently served her some soup, and the two men sat down with their girlfriends for a quiet late-night meal.
"It's too late for you two to go home," Andrew said to Frank. "Why don't you just stay the night?"
"We'll crash here. Don't worry, we won't disturb you," Frank grinned.
Andrew elbowed him playfully, giving him a look. Frank only chuckled.
After eating, Veron and Faith soon fell asleep again. This time, Faith curled against Frank in the living room while Andrew tucked Veron in bed. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and lay down beside her, finally getting some rest after the long night.