The music pounded, but Bibxy couldn't hear it.
All she could see was Soya's retreating back, swallowed by the neon shadows.
Her chest tightened. "Soya—wait!"
She shoved past swaying bodies, ignoring the startled looks and muttered complaints. By the time she burst outside, the night air slapped her with its chill. The street was nearly empty. Soya's figure was already halfway down the block, curls bouncing as she marched away.
Bibxy ran after her. "Please—just let me explain!"
Soya stopped so abruptly Bibxy almost collided with her. She turned, and the look in her eyes wasn't just hurt — it was something sharper, something wary.
"Explain what?" Soya's voice trembled, but not from cold. "That you've been sneaking around with Josh? That you kissed him right in front of me?"
Bibxy's breath clouded in the air. "It wasn't like that—"
"Oh, save it." Soya's gaze darted over Bibxy's face, as if searching for something. "You've been… different lately. Not just distracted. You're… changing."
Bibxy froze. "What do you mean?"
Soya swallowed, then shook her head. "Forget it. Just—stay away from me for a while. You don't know what you're playing with."
Before Bibxy could speak, Soya turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Bibxy stood there, shivering, fighting the lump in her throat.
"Bibxy?"
She turned to see Sleek approaching, his brows furrowed in concern. "I saw you with Josh… are you okay?"
Something in his voice — steady, warm — broke the dam inside her. Without thinking, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Sleek stiffened for half a second, then held her, letting her cry quietly against his shoulder.
"I… I don't know what's happening to me," she whispered.
"It's okay," he murmured. "You don't have to explain right now."
When she finally pulled away, her eyes were red but steadier. Then she told sleek she would like him to return to the party to get her a glass of water and sleek left .
That was when Josh stepped out of the party, hands in his hoodie pocket. His gaze moved from her to Sleek, unreadable.
"We need to talk," Josh said.
Bibxy shook her head. "Josh… about earlier — that kiss was a mistake. My heart belongs to someone else."
Something flickered in his eyes — hurt, maybe, or something darker — but he didn't argue. He only nodded once, sharp, and turned back into the night.
Bibxy's chest ached as she watched him go, torn between truths she understood and memories she couldn't yet name.