who: @kaixwinter
where: asteroid arcade
The masquerade had not been kind to Emily and Kai’s friendship. The events that had unfolded still haunted her, especially the fact that she had punched him. She couldn't believe she'd done it, but part of her still felt like he deserved it. The way he treated Asher—someone who’d always had his back—was beyond frustrating. And the secret that had been kept for twenty years, the one he’d spilled, had caused a rift between her and Sam, her favorite cousin. The more she thought about it, the more it gnawed at her, each passing day only making her more upset.
She hadn’t heard from him in a while. The silence between them stung, and it only made her more angry, more confused. He’d always been someone she could count on, but lately, it felt like he was slipping further away. After much back and forth, she finally texted him, suggesting they meet up at the arcade—where they'd spent so many hours as kids, back when things were simpler. She had dragged him there, often more than he wanted to go, but now it felt like a place that might hold answers.
Standing outside the arcade, arms crossed, she waited for him to show. When she finally saw him walking toward her, a mix of emotions hit her. Part of her wanted to feel relief, to feel like maybe this was the first step toward fixing things, but there was a bitter edge that wouldn’t go away. She pushed herself off the building and stood her ground, her expression hardening.
"We need to talk," she said flatly, her gaze fixed on him. She paused, letting the weight of the silence sit between them. "Asher told me you went to his place and talked to him. I thought I made it clear to leave him alone." Her voice wavered with a mix of frustration and hurt, but there was also a sadness there. Why hadn’t he come to her first? Why was he keeping things from her? It stung more than she cared to admit.
