"Okay! I'll tell her everything today!" Sandra hopped, batting her hands against her thighs. Glenda, slurping her green tea, watched her from across the table.
"You can't." Those words. Just enough to kill her enthusiasm. "Can't you just act optimistic for a second?"
"I'd like to pay homage to my pessimistic humor." She sipped her green tea. Sandra scrutinized her, wearing a disgusted face. "You'll surely kick the bucket with that humor."
"Still, I'll be glad." She went back to slurping her tea. Thoroughly pissed off, Sandra stormed out of the room.
***
Bugis MRT station.
Sandra paced across the station, glancing over her shoulder for someone she wouldn't dare name. A cake box sat in her hands, neatly packed. Her eyes kept drifting — until that figure finally walked in.
Kidlathea.
Sandra spun around immediately, facing the platform like she hadn't noticed Kidlathea at all.
"Hey. Sandra." Kidlathea greeted her with her usual soft, mesmerizing smile.
Sandra — oh, she's acting, alright. Played it dumbfounded, too.
"Hey. Kidlathea? What a coincidence!" Nope. It wasn't. You literally waited 45 minutes for her — just so you could board the same train.
That's no longer a coincidence! "Yes. Where are you heading to?"
"City Hall. And you?" As if you don't know at all. Stop playing already.
"Jurong East."
The announcement came from behind, interrupting them.
"The train approaching is for Jurong East. Please stand behind the yellow line."
They boarded the train together, settling in. Kidlathea noticed the cake box and asked, "Is your birthday today?"
Sandra flinched, glancing between her and the cake, laughing it off. "Oh, no — I just bought it on a whim."
She smiled. "Oh? People just casually bring cakes around?" No, Kidlathea. She bought it for you — she's just too scared to say so. Because if she did, wouldn't you figure out she was waiting for you this whole time? Not a coincidence at all, y'know.
Sandra laughed awkwardly. Yeah — what else was she supposed to say?
"Well, why are you heading to City Hall? For shopping?" Kidlathea asked.
"No, I'm switching to Orchard — my family lives there." Sandra said. At least one thing she'd said was true.
"Oh. You usually visit them?"
"Not usually. Whenever I miss my mom, I just hop on the train." Kidlathea smiled, nodding. "That's such a juvenile reason."
"My mom says the same thing." They laughed for a moment — until Sandra switched to question mode. Obviously, she had to know more about her... crush.
"So, why are you heading to Jurong East when your boyfriend lives in Bugis?"
"His parents live there, so I visit sometimes — family gatherings, ceremonies, religious stuff. That kind of thing."
As for Sandra — back when she and Jovan were together, he'd never once introduced her to his parents. That little detail stung a bit, but she pushed through it.
Sandra nodded. "Mm. So what's today's occasion?"
"Family dinner."
The announcement came.
"Next station, Raffles Place."
They both froze. Brows furrowed. A glance exchanged. They realized — no, *Sandra* realized.
"I missed City Hall?"
"Yes. You missed City Hall," Kidlathea said. "You should get off here — otherwise you'll be stuck with detours." But wasn't that exactly what Sandra had been planning all morning, fashion event deadline be damned?
She was thrilled she'd missed her stop. Genuinely thrilled. The only difference? She's just really, really good at acting.
The announcement came again.
"The doors are closing."
Ding dong.
"Next station, Tanjong Pagar."
Kidlathea looked thoroughly amused, staring blankly into Sandra's soul. "Hey, why didn't you get off? Don't you wanna go home?"
"It's fine — I can just ride from Jurong East." That was exactly the plan, Sandra.
So yes — Sandra rode all the way from Bugis to Jurong East, blowing past every stop she actually needed. Two thumbs up for detours — girl just can't give up on her crush, y'know.
The mission to spill the tea — failed.
But the mission to spend time with her crush — done.
👏👏👏
***
Silvanus Residency.
Her mom, Mrs. Silvanus, stood outside, leaning against the doorframe, staring straight into Sandra's soul. She was about to hear the explanation her daughter had definitely prepared. Absolutely.
"Why does your commute from Bugis to Orchard take a whole hour?" Mrs. Silvanus asked, brow raised.
"Traffic." Yeah, you might want to work on that, Sandra. You're terrible at lying.
"You take the MRT." Mrs. Silvanus — exactly. That's the point.
"...emotional traffic."
"..." Mrs. Silvanus was just as speechless as her husband standing beside her. Nothing major — just the whole family collectively facepalming.
***
(Next Few Days)
Morning — Couture House.
Glenda's brows arched as she scrolled through Sandra's commute records. Right on cue, Sandra strolled into the office like she owned the place and flopped onto the couch — her all-time favorite napping spot.
"Hey, Old Woman."
"Don't call me that."
"Anyway — why do you leave Bugis at 8 PM and arrive in Orchard at 9 PM?"
"Train delays." Liar.
"Every day?"
"Singapore is unpredictable." Another lie!
"..."
Nope — just classic Sandra. She thinks she's a genius, but there's nothing going on up there. Completely hollow. Glenda had already pieced together half the story from Sandra's own excuses — the rest of it was waiting back at that MRT station.
"Go straight to Orchard today."
"I know. I know."
***
Bugis MRT station. (Yes, again.)
This time, she came armed with coffee. Today was the day — she was finally going to give it to her. She boarded the train and— action!
"Wow, what a coincidence — same train again!" she said, walking up to Kidlathea. But Kidlathea just crossed her arms.
"You literally waited for me at Bugis." Bam!
"Singapore is a small country."
"You bought me coffee." Another Bam!
"Hospitality."
Sandra is *literally* excuse-coded, man. No matter what angle you come at her acting from, she just slaps on another excuse like extra foundation, y'know. Doesn't even bother with concealer — just layer two, layer three, done. You can't even decode the logic behind it.
"Wait... doesn't your family live in Orchard?"
"Yeah."
"Then why are you getting off at Jurong East every time?"
"...the MRT map is very confusing."
"For a week?"
"It's a complicated map."
Naturally, all Kidlathea could do was facepalm. She might be a little slow to catch on to what's going on in Sandra's head — but she's not naive. She'll figure it out soon enough.
Sandra's phone buzzed. She checked it — a message from her dad.
Dad: "You're coming to Orchard, right?"
Sandra: "Yep, on my way."
(35 minutes later)
Well — that's not exactly how it went. Standing at Jurong East MRT station, she waved off her crush. Her phone buzzed again.
Dad: "Where are you?"
Sandra: "Jurong East."
Dad: "..."
Dad: "Your destination is in the opposite direction."
Sandra: "I can explain."
Dad: "This better be a very pretty explanation."
***
Wednesday.
Bugis MRT station.
This time — 6 AM. What is she even doing here at this hour?
Must be wondering, right? Let me help you. The thing is — the stalker she'd hired to keep tabs on Kidlathea had informed her that Kidlathea would be boarding the train to Jurong East today.
Which meant Kidlathea wouldn't be coming through Bugis station tonight. And Sandra couldn't miss a chance to stay close to her crush, right?
It made sense. At least, to a pining lover. A completely random station staff member walked up and stood beside her.
"Good morning! Did you tell her yet?" the staff member asked. Sandra shot them a look, scanning them up and down.
"Tell who what?"
"The Filipino girl." Bam!
"HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HER?!"
"Ma'am, you've been running the Bugis–Jurong East Romance Express for a fortnight."
Sandra facepalmed in embarrassment. Right on cue, Kidlathea walked in. The staff member smirked mischievously between the two of them, nudging Sandra with a raised brow.
"Good luck." The staff member mouthed before walking on.
"Sandra?" Kidlathea looked at her, openly amused. Sandra raised her brows like she had no idea who this person even was. "Oh, Kidlathea? Wow, didn't expect to see you again."
Oh yeah, sure, Sandra. "I didn't either," Kidlathea said. "Missing your mom again?"
"You know how it is." Sandra shrugged. As the train pulled in, the announcement played overhead. They boarded together, settling in side by side.
All Sandra needed was one more minute with her crush. The topic didn't matter — she was going to spend the whole ride staring at Kidlathea anyway. Mesmerized. As always.
"Sometimes I wish I could introduce you to my boyfriend." Kidlathea pouted, blinking up at Sandra. Sandra, meanwhile, was thrilled that wish hadn't come true. I mean — who wants to meet their ex again?
"Some other time." Sandra said, poking her cheek. Kidlathea laughed softly, leaning her head on Sandra's shoulder. "When?"
"Someday." Sandra whispered, patting her head. Though — she'd never actually wish for that day to come.
As the announcement played: "Next station, Jurong East."
They both got off. As usual, Sandra saw her off, smiling and waving like always. Kidlathea did the same, glancing back over her shoulder, smile brightening as she walked off.
Somewhere in the distance, Glenda watched them like a spy decoding the prime rumored couple of Bugis MRT station.
"So that's why the Orchard trip kept taking an hour..."
Gotcha!
Sandra turned around. Startled, she froze the second she spotted Glenda — staring straight into her soul, slurping her green tea. Seriously, how much green tea can one woman drink?
"Hi." Glenda sounded flat.
"H— hi."
"This is Orchard, right?" Ouch — that one landed straight in Sandra's gut. "I mean, I'm new here, I don't really know the area. You commute here every day, so you're definitely not wrong, right?"
"Please. Stop."
Glenda narrowed her eyes, glaring at Sandra like she wanted to personally extract that one remaining brain cell from her skull.
"What are you doing here?" Sandra asked.
"I overslept."
"..." Sandra was completely gone, soul departed. She let out a long breath, facepalming.
"Whatever. Let's head to Bugis."
"You're a complete idiot, Sandra."
"Do I have to be an idiot just to head to Bugis?"
"Exactly. And you are!"
"Look in a mirror first!"
And that cringeworthy argument carried on — through Bugis station, all the way to Couture House. Classic Glenda-and-Sandra chaos, through and through.
Y'know.