HOURS EARLIER.
The bar was a dizzying blur of cheap beer and loud, forced camaraderie. Jax was deep into her second pint, the alcohol a necessary shield against the sudden shift in her world. The arrival of Jin, who had immediately proclaimed Nina his "very special girl, my exclusive date" , had not just killed her buzz; it had ignited a sharp, unfamiliar wave of anger and loss.
Jax, a natural introvert, would never seek out a drinking competition under normal circumstances, but the liquor had dissolved her shyness and replaced it with a desperate, reckless boldness.
She had subconsciously locked eyes with Jin, the annoyingly fit gym owner whose passive income made his part-time job at Virtualtask entirely unnecessary. who was far too confident and far too possessive over Nina. They settled into a silent, instinctive battle, fueled by Jax's protective fury and Jin's arrogant swagger.
To the outside observer, Jax and Jin were just two colleagues drinking at a party. Only they knew, through the haze of alcohol and raw emotion, that a silent, one-on-one drinking contest was on. Jax couldn't stand the way Jin's hand kept resting on Nina's shoulder , the way he treated her like a public "acquisition". Jax's designated "sisterly" duty to protect her friend was blurring into a fierce, unspoken need to simply
win against the person who was taking Nina away. So, she kept drinking, determined to be the last one standing in this ridiculous, secret duel.
Nina was quickly reaching her limit. The entire scene—Jin's dramatic proclamation , the suffocating feeling of being publicly owned , and the tense micro-expressions between Jax and Astraea —was too much. What should have been a fun social night felt like a suffocating emotional trap.
"I need air," Nina muttered, pushing away from the table. The sight of Jax and Jin silently slugging back beers as if participating in an Olympic sport of self-destruction only solidified her decision to escape.
She marched to the restroom, splashing cold water on her face. As she pulled out a towel, she was startled to see Astraea standing by the mirror, putting her phone away. Astraea had just concluded a serious-sounding phone call about "third-quarter synergy" and was regaining her composure.
"Nina, right?" Astraea asked, a practiced, polite smile on her lips. "I'm Astraea, a lead designer from the city office. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
"Nina," she confirmed, returning the smile with one that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Jax's best friend. Nice to meet you, too."
The air instantly grew thick with unspoken rivalry. Astraea didn't waste time with small talk. "Jax is very… fond of you," she stated, her voice smooth but carrying a subtle challenge. "She speaks of you constantly. You two seem very close. You must be quite the comfort to her."
Nina's resolve hardened. "We're family," she stressed, her eyes fixed on Astraea's reflection. "I've been dragging her out of trouble since she was a teenager. I know her better than anyone. I'm her default, her constant. That kind of bond doesn't just... happen." The subtext was clear: You're a new colleague; I'm her life.
Astraea's smile didn't waver, but her eyes narrowed slightly. "Of course. It's lovely that she has such a supportive... little sister to look out for her." She paused, letting the word sink in. "I, on the other hand, am here for her career. The future. Jax and I share a synergy that's quickly moving beyond the digital."
Before the tension could explode, the bathroom door opened and another colleague walked in. Astraea instantly reverted to her composed self. "Well, that's my cue," she said, offering a curt nod. "We should get back to the table, before the others drink the place dry."
When Nina returned to the table, Astraea right behind her, a dramatic scene awaited. Jin was completely
passed out, slumped dramatically in his chair, signaling Jax's win in their silent drinking contest.
But Jax, oblivious to Jin's defeat, was frozen in place with a wide, uninhibited grin on her face. Astraea had never seen this smile before. It was goofy and slightly slurred, yet undeniably genuine—a glimpse of the true, unburdened Jax. Jax was visibly
fluttered, a rare state for the usually stoic barista.
Jax, emboldened by the beer and the feeling of victory, slowly leaned across the table, closing the distance between her face and Astraea's. Astraea instinctively flinched, a flicker of genuine shock and a red flush creeping up her neck.
Jax brought her face inches from Astraea's, whispering with a slightly slurred confidence, "I think I've won."
For a fleeting second, Astraea's calculated composure shattered, replaced by a look of total vulnerability that Jax had never witnessed. But Astraea, Queen of the City Lights, was back in control instantly.
"You've had too much," Astraea said, her voice regaining its composure, though the slight tremble was noticeable. She gently touched Jax's arm. "You need water and a cab. I should take you home".
Nina, who had been focused on prodding Jin to see if he was still alive, looked up just as Astraea made her offer. The cool, skeptical look on Astraea's face, the touch on Jax's arm, and the underlying disdain were all Nina needed to see.
"No, I'll take her," Nina insisted, pulling Jax's arm away. "I know her house. I'll make sure she gets there safely".
The next twenty minutes played out exactly as before: Astraea conceded with a frustrated sigh , Nina managed to drag Jax back to her studio apartment , and the drunken confession—
"Don't get a boyfriend. I'll get you a cat" —and the near-kiss unfolded. The moment of truth was then immediately shattered by Astraea, ringing the doorbell with her perfect composure, holding electrolyte water and pain relievers.
Nina's shock quickly curdled into a mix of panic and pure, unadulterated fury. Standing face-to-face with the perfectly composed Astraea, a sharp sense of déjà vu hit her. It was the same feeling she'd had the moment Astraea first arrived in a sleepy town: a perfectly timed, beautiful person showing up to instantly ruin the mood. Astraea, the persistent mood-killer, had struck again.
Driven by spite and an inner twelve-year-old, Nina allowed her expression to go blank, narrowed her eyes in exaggerated concentration, and then, with a decisive thud, slammed the door shut.
Astraea, of course, was left holding the bag of electrolytes.
Nina waited three full seconds—a dramatic pause that felt like an hour—before yanking the door open again, plastering on a saccharine, apologetic grin.
"Oh, Sheesh, I am so sorry!" Nina chirped, leaning against the frame. "I thought I was hallucinating. You know, from the stress of dragging home a giant, drunken baby? But nope! You're real! Just… perfectly timed, as always."
Astraea's composure was legendary, but even her iron mask wavered. Her pale face gained a slight, furious pink flush that she struggled to contain. She squeezed the plastic bag so hard the ice inside crinkled. She tried for a wounded, innocent look, which only made her appear like a mildly constipated angel.
"It's quite alright, Nina," Astraea replied, her voice dangerously even. "Just a concerned friend, making sure Jax is safe."
"How wonderfully thoughtful," Nina deadpanned, finally stepping back. "Oh, please, come in. We need your highly-calculated opinion on whether the cat Jax is getting me should be a ginger menace or a sophisticated Siamese."
Minutes later, the three were seated around Jax's low Japanese-style table, which was now dominated by a single, pathetic bowl of instant noodles that Jax had managed to boil while half-sober. The alcohol had completely evaporated from Jax, leaving behind a husk of self-awareness. She was now fully reverted to her default state: introvert, awkward, and completely dumbstruck by Astraea's presence.
The air was so thick with unspoken tension it felt like a heavy, humid blanket. Jax stared at her bowl, Nina glared at Astraea, and Astraea, with calculated grace, attempted to eat one single, perfectly coiled noodle.
"So," Nina began, her spoon scraping loudly against the ceramic bowl. "It's, what, almost midnight? Don't you have a big presentation tomorrow, Astraea? Shouldn't you be tucked into your incredibly expensive, aesthetically pleasing bed?"
Astraea placed her spoon down with a soft clink that sounded like a gunshot in the tiny apartment. She met Nina's aggressive gaze with a look of cool pity.
"How adorable, Nina, that you still worry about weekend work schedules," Astraea said, her tone dripping with corporate sarcasm. "We in management actually have the entire two days off. But you, however, should probably get going. Wouldn't want your soon-to-be-exclusive partner Jin to panic. He might send out a search party, or worse, have to carry himself home."
Nina's eyes flashed. "Oh, I'll worry about my own ride, thanks. Unlike some people, I don't need to stalk my way into a friend's apartment at a wildly inappropriate hour just to prove a point."
"A point?" Astraea raised one immaculate eyebrow. "I brought electrolytes, Nina. That's not a point; that's responsible adult behavior. Something one clearly skips when attempting to take advantage of an intoxicated colleague."
"Excuse me? Advantage—"
The argument was spiraling, an ugly, personal catfight that had completely eclipsed the noodles. Jax, trapped between the two people she cared about most in the world, felt a sudden, desperate urge to make it stop. Her mind, panicked and blank, offered only one solution: repeat what worked (sort of) before.
Jax slammed her hands on the table, causing the ramen broth to slosh violently. Her voice was too loud, too desperate, and totally out of place.
"Okay! New plan! Who wants another round of shots? We can play cards!"
Silence. Both Nina and Astraea turned their furious glares onto Jax, who instantly regretted every decision she had ever made.
But the challenge had been issued. Neither woman—prideful, possessive, and utterly unwilling to back down—was going to let the other be the "sensible one."
Nina tossed her spoon onto the table. "Fine. But I'm choosing the liquor this time."
Astraea gave a thin, dangerous smile. "Excellent. I needed something to counteract the blandness of this evening."
Jax felt her stomach drop. She had tried to stop the fight by suggesting they drink, and now she had successfully secured a rematch.
The thick silence in the apartment was violently broken by the sharp, definitive clink of the three shot glasses hitting the wooden table. The low surface was now a silent, dangerous battlefield where the Furious Best Friend, the Calculating Rival, and the Terrified Mediator were about to ignite Round Two with nothing but clear liquor and pure spite.
To be continue...