The moment Cixi entered the cafe, Lily lifted her hand and waved at her from behind the counter, completely forgetting the customers waiting in front of her for a few seconds. One man cleared his throat impatiently, but Lily barely noticed him because the sight of Cixi walking in with that usual tired smile on her face made something tighten inside her chest. After everything Silviya had told her yesterday, Lily had spent the entire night tossing and turning from one side of the bed to the other, unable to sleep properly. Every small thing about Cixi had looked different in her mind. The way she never talked about college, the way she always changed the subject when someone asked about her past, the way she sometimes became too quiet when men raised their voices near the counter.
All of it had returned to Lily in the dark, and by morning she had already decided that whether Silviya was telling the truth or lying through her teeth, Cixi needed someone beside her.
