The weekend came faster than I expected. I sat on my bed, already dressed and ready to start the day, while Jaca lay fast asleep.
Today was the day I finally decided to get my life together or at least my room. Since resumption, I hadn't had the time to properly unbox and settle in, and I was tired of living out of half-open bags and messy piles.
I started with the heap of clothes dumped on a chair in one corner of the room. One by one, I folded them neatly, placing them into my wardrobe. It felt oddly satisfying, like I was slowly regaining control of everything.
Just as I was arranging the last stack, my phone buzzed.
I picked it up, and of course, it was Vic.
A small smile tugged at my lips as I read his message.
"Hi beautiful."
I shook my head, amused.
"What now?" I mumbled to myself, still smiling as I typed back.
hey, what's up
Almost immediately, my phone buzzed again.
And just like that, we slipped into one of our usual back-and-forth conversations:
I smiled. He was unbelievable.
With a sudden burst of energy, I dropped what I was doing and rushed to my wardrobe, digging through my clothes in search of something, anything nice enough to wear.
"Jeez, what's all this racket about?" Jaca yawned, stretching lazily on her bed before sitting upright, rubbing her eyes.
The moment I heard her voice, I turned to her, a hint of desperation slipping into mine.
"Can I borrow your clothes?"
She blinked at me, clearly surprised. "What for?"
"I'm going to Candy's," I blurted.
"Uh-huh… with who?"
"Can you just please... no questions asked?"
She sighed, pushing herself off the bed and walking over to her wardrobe. "Fine."
Standing in front of her neatly arranged clothes, she slid through the hangers one by one, examining each dress carefully as if weighing its worth for a place like Candy's.
Then I got a text from Vic saying Krin would be joining us.
My expression changed instantly. I rolled my eyes and tossed my phone aside.
"Really?"
I sighed, walking over to my locker. "You know what, I'll just do casual," I muttered, pulling out a pair of blue jeans and a black cropped top.
"Why?" Jaca asked, pausing mid-step to look at me with a teasing smile. "He cancelled?"
I smirked, shaking my head as I shut my locker. "Nah. I just realised it's too early in the day to be all dressed up."
"Hmmm… okay," she said, dragging it out like she didn't believe me, but she didn't push it. Then, without further questions, she headed toward the bathroom.
About an hour later, I arrived at Candy's, and they were both waiting outside for me.
The moment I saw them, I frowned, folding my arms. "Thought you wanted to hang out. How come he tagged along?"
"Hey, Peige," Vic was the first to greet me, like my question didn't even exist. I waved slightly, trying to hide how unimpressed I was.
We stepped inside Candy's, and surprisingly, it wasn't as packed as it usually was. Most nights, the place was loud and overflowing, students, older crowds, music spilling into every corner.
Candy's was one of the fancy restaurants near my school, known for its signature cocktails and night parties that always seemed to go a little too late.
The ambiance was quietly captivating. Warm lights softened the edges of the room, reflecting off polished tables and glassware. The music was low, almost like it was breathing in the background rather than playing.
We went over to pick a table, weaving through the soft hum of conversation and clinking glasses, until Vic finally stopped near a corner booth that sat half-hidden from the rest of the room.
"Here," he said, sliding into the seat like he'd already claimed it in another life.
Krin followed more slowly, like he was in no rush to agree with anything Vic decided. Of course.
I hesitated for half a second before sitting down opposite them, glancing around at the dozens of empty tables nearby.
Seriously?
Out of all the places we could've picked, it had to be this one, the one tucked just enough into the corner to feel intentional. The kind of spot people either avoided… or chose for a reason.
I slid into the seat across from Vic, making sure I was directly facing him. If I looked even slightly annoyed, good. That was the point.
But of course, Vic was completely oblivious.
What type of a guy is this anyway?
I nudged his leg under the table, not hard, just enough to get his attention, then quickly raised my hand to shield my face from Krin's view.
"What's he doing here?" I mouthed, subtly pointing in Krin's direction.
Vic blinked, finally catching on. His brows lifted slightly like he was about to say something.
But before he could, a waitress stepped up to the table, her presence cutting cleanly through the moment.
"Good evening," she said with a polite smile, glancing between us "What can I get you all to drink?"
Vic didn't even look up from the menu. "We'll take the signature cocktail."
The waitress nodded, scribbling quickly into her notepad.
Up close, I noticed the sharp line of her cheekbones, the kind that made her look effortlessly pretty without trying. Her blonde hair was pulled into a neat low bun, not a strand out of place, well, almost. Her blue eyes caught the light every time she glanced up, and there was a faint blush creeping across her cheeks as she wrote.
But she wasn't looking at Vic.
"Your drinks will be ready in a minute," she said, her voice softer now. Her eyes lingered just a second too long.
At first, I assumed it was Vic. He has that effect of course but when he finally looked up, his expression mirrored mine, slightly confused, then slowly realizing.
We both glanced at each other. Then, almost in sync, our eyes shifted to Krin.
Of course.
He was the one she'd been stealing glances at.
And the funny part?
He didn't seem to notice.
The waitress tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her movements suddenly a little more self-conscious, before turning and walking away to prepare our order.
I leaned back in my seat, folding my arms again, watching her walk away for a second before nudging Krin lightly.
"Someone has a crush."
"What... what?" Krin blinked, completely lost. "Who?"
I tilted my head toward the waitress. "Her."
He followed my gaze, then let out a short laugh like I'd just said something ridiculous. "No."
"Yeah," Vic added calmly, "She's into you."
Krin shook his head, unconvinced but before he could argue, she came back. This time with a tray.
She set the cocktails down carefully, one after the other, her movements slightly more careful than before. Like she was suddenly aware of every little thing she did.
"Here you go," she said softly and turned to leave but hesitated. Then turned back.
"Hi," she said, giving a small, shy wave directly at Krin.
He didn't even notice at first. He was already sipping his drink like he hadn't had water in days before I nudged his leg under the table.
"...oh. Uh… hi," he said quickly, looking up.
"Um… I'm Felisha," she added, her voice a little shaky now.
"I'm... Ab… I mean, Krin," he replied, stumbling over his own name, eyes fixed on her like he wasn't sure what was happening.
"You're really handsome," she blurted, cheeks flushing deeper.
Then, before she could lose the courage, she pulled out a small piece of paper and a pen from her apron and held it out.
"Can I get your number?"
Krin froze. He looked at her, clearly surprised. You can tell by how he stared at her in disbelief then slowly, he turned to me.
I stared right back, trying not to laugh, silently urging him to just take the paper.
He turned back to her, clearly overwhelmed. "I'm sorry, I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm actually..."
"Interested," Vic cut in smoothly, because... why not?
I snatched the paper from her hand before Krin could protest and quickly scribbled down his number.
"He'd love for you to call. Or text," I said, handing it back.
Felisha giggled, clutching the paper like it was something fragile and precious before walking away, practically glowing.
The second she was gone, Krin turned to us, his expression sharp.
"What was that?"
"Well," Vic shrugged, "that's a start. She's clearly into you."
"Are you both serious right now?" Krin ran a hand through his hair, visibly stressed. "You're forgetting something very important."
"And that is?" I asked, already knowing where this was going.
"I'm a woman," he said, lowering his voice like that made it less dramatic. "I can't date another woman. I'm not into that. I had a husband and three kids!"
"Mum, mum, mum" I hummed, waving a hand dismissively. "That was your past life."
He stared at me like I'd lost my mind.
"Now?" I continued, leaning forward slightly, a smirk tugging at my lips. "You're a young, extremely handsome guy which, by the way, I might've fallen for under different circumstances."
"What?" both of them said at once.
I rolled my eyes. "The point is you're a guy now. You might as well embrace it."
I leaned back again, sighing lightly. "Still weird though… how reincarnated souls keep all their memories."
"I've been thinking the same thing," Vic added, taking another sip of his drink before casually throwing an arm around Krin's shoulder.
"Don't worry buddy," he said. "I'll teach you everything you need to know."
Krin looked like he deeply regretted ever leaving the house.
We spent a while at Candy's just talking, gisting, mostly. The tension from earlier faded into something easier. Vic turned out to be a surprisingly decent company other than slyly stealing our food during lunch.
By the time evening crept in and the main crowd started flooding the place, we decided to leave.
Outside, the sun was already sinking, casting long shadows across the street. We agreed to walk back to the dormitory.
For a while, it was quiet. Just the sound of our footsteps and distant traffic.
Then we saw am unusal gathering near a narrow street alley. We all slowed down instinctively, exchanging quick, curious glances.
"What's happening over there?" Krin asked, his tone cautious.
"Let's check it out," Vic said, already moving towards the crowd.
We followed, slipping through the small crowd until we reached the front and there it was, a body.
A young boy, probably still in high school. The first thing I noticed was his shirt, a pizza delivery uniform. Slightly oversized on his small frame.
His eyes were gone. My breath hitched sharply as I took a step back, my stomach twisting. There were claw marks all over his body, deep and uneven, like something had torn into him without restraint. His face… I couldn't even fully look at it.
A cold wave ran through me, it quickly reminded me of those girls I had encounter at the restroom on my first day at school.
"Jason…" Vic muttered under his breath.
Yeah, it didn't need explaining.
A few minutes later, sirens cut through the noise as the police arrived, along with the Bossa Nova team. The crowd shifted, people murmuring, some stepping back, others trying to get a better look.
My chest tightened.
"We gotta go," Vic said quietly, urgency slipping into his voice as he grabbed both me and Krin and left before the Bossa Nova girls could spot us.