Lin had drunk quite a bit that night, but she was sober.
Bars weren't really her world—her appearance just made people assume otherwise. She could laugh here, play along, match the mood, and still go home at dawn to edit footage alone until morning.
Switching modes cost her nothing.
She had allowed herself a small expectation that night.
Not of an outcome, but of a possibility—
that alcohol might loosen Yeh, just a little.
Yeh was too restrained. So restrained it made people hesitate before getting close.
During the napkin game, Lin had already noticed Yeh's discomfort. It wasn't disgust, but a clear sense of boundary.
When she landed on "one," her eyes went to Yeh first.
Not deliberately—more like a reflex, a quiet check.
But she didn't choose Yeh. She understood Yeh's limits too well, and she wanted to protect them.
So she chose Jing.
Safe. Familiar. Impossible to misread.
When the cheering broke out, Lin looked immediately back at Yeh.
Yeh was smiling—polite, composed, flawless.
And yet Lin felt it. That smile didn't come from deep heart.
Later, when it was Yeh's turn, Lin assumed she would choose Fiona—the easiest, closest option.
Instead, Yeh lifted her glass and drank.
After that, Yeh stayed present in the games, but she no longer drifted near Lin. It wasn't distance—it was a deliberate return to place.
As if she were saying: Let's go back to where we're supposed to be.
When the night finally ended, Lin stood outside the bar, watching Yeh walk away.
She wanted to call out to her.
But she didn't know what to say.
That uncertainty—
was when she realized, that she might care more than she had thought.