Astraea's voice cut through the quiet night, and for a split second, Jax didn't believe it was real. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a mix of panic and utter disbelief. She had seen that face a hundred times on her computer screen—in company meetings, in profile pictures, on her phone—but seeing her here, in the flesh, was like her brain short-circuited and tried to reboot using dial-up.
The words died in her throat. This was the person she had spent a year pining over from a distance of miles, a person she had convinced herself was an unreachable fantasy, and she was standing right there.
It was Nina who came to the rescue. "We were just heading home," Nina said, her voice a little too bright, like she was auditioning for a toothpaste commercial. "It's good to see you, Astraea. I didn't know you were in town."
Astraea's expression softened, her gaze fixed on Jax. "Just for the project," she said, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "My boss wanted me to come personally to get our new office started. Looks like we're neighbors now, at least for a while." Her last words hung in the air, a fact so surreal that Jax could only stare, her mind completely blank.
Nina nudged Jax hard in the ribs. "Say something, Jaxy. Before she thinks you've spontaneously developed a severe facial paralysis."
Jax managed a weak nod. "Welcome," she croaked out, feeling the urge to dive into the nearest bush.
Over the next few weeks, Jax's world became a whirlwind of meetings and long hours. Her days, once a comfortable routine of pixels and lattes, were now consumed by the project with Astraea. Their long-distance rapport effortlessly transitioned into a natural, in-person rhythm. They'd spend their days in the quiet hum of the new provincial office, sharing designs and ideas with a synergy that made Jax's heart flutter. Their evenings often bled into personal time—a shared dinner in a quiet restaurant, a late-night coffee at Manchae, or a simple walk home where work conversation gave way to personal stories.
One night, as they wrapped up a long work session, Astraea paused, looking at Jax with an intensity that made her breath catch. "I have to admit," Astraea said, her voice low. "Working with you online was one thing. But getting to know you in person has completely changed my perspective on a lot of things." A warm, genuine smile lit up her face.
Jax's heart thudded against her ribs, a frantic, panicked rhythm that felt too loud in the quiet room. Her mind, usually so quick with a design idea or a snarky comeback, went completely blank. She could feel a blush creeping up her neck, a tell-tale sign of her complete lack of composure. She suddenly felt a nervous twitch in her hands and subtly hid them in her hoodie's pockets. She desperately searched for something witty or cool to say, but all that came out was a soft, barely audible, "Oh."
Astraea chuckled, a melodic sound that only made Jax's cheeks flush hotter. "Just 'oh'?" Astraea teased gently.
Jax shook her head, trying to clear the haze of her own awkwardness. She finally managed a small, genuine smile in return. "Sorry. I just... I didn't know what to say. That's a really nice thing to hear." In her head, a thousand frantic thoughts were screaming, What does that even mean? Is she being friendly? Is she hinting at something? Don't make it weird, don't make it weird! But the hopeful feeling that had bloomed in her chest was now a full-fledged, intoxicating ache.
Meanwhile, Nina, who had been a constant in Jax's life, began to pull away. Her usual post-work hangout sessions with Jax became rare. She would get off her shift at Manchae and immediately make plans with Jin, Candy, and Jimmy, a group she had recently grown closer to. Their laughter, once a shared comfort, now drifted from another table, feeling miles away.
Jax noticed. At first, she told herself it was just her imagination, but the quiet moments that were no longer punctuated by Nina's teasing began to gnaw on her. She started to miss being called "Jaxy" realizing her life was now dangerously low on casual insults. She would catch glimpses of Nina and Jin chatting animatedly, and a pang of something sharp and unfamiliar would twist in her gut. She told herself it was a sisterly feeling, a pang of missing her friend, but the feeling was more complicated than that. She missed the jokes. She missed the bickering. Most of all, she missed the uncanny way Nina could read her without a word.
As the weeks wore on, Jax became more successful at her work and closer to Astraea, but a constant sense of unease settled over her. She was happy, yes, but it felt incomplete. One rainy afternoon at Manchae, she saw Nina and Jin laughing over a coffee. Nina's eyes met hers for a brief second, and Jax felt a jolt. Nina's smile was gone in an instant, replaced by a flicker of hurt and something else Jax couldn't read.
That night, Jax couldn't sleep. The thought of Astraea and the other designer replayed in her mind, but this time, it didn't hurt. Instead, a new image surfaced—the sight of Nina's smile fading, her eyes filling with that unreadable emotion. She finally understood. It wasn't about Astraea. It had never been just about Astraea.
In a moment of clarity and panic, Jax grabbed her phone, her thumb hovering over Nina's contact. She had to talk to her. She had to fix this.
But as she was about to call, a new message popped up on her screen.
It was from Astraea.
"I have to be honest. This project wasn't a coincidence. My boss didn't want me to come here. I asked for it."