The ceiling fan spun slow circles above Kara's bed, whispering heat into the restless night. She stared at the shadows on her walls, phone heavy in her hand. Sleep wouldn't come. Not when Willow's silence pressed against her chest like a stone.
Finally, she typed: Are you okay?
The reply came minutes later, three dots pulsing before fading, then returning.
Willow:I'm fine. Just… busy. Personal stuff. Family issues.
Kara:Can I see you? Just for a little?
Willow:Not now, babe. Maybe… I need some time. Two weeks, maybe. But we can still talk, call, whatever. Just… give me space, okay?
Kara pressed the phone to her chest, letting out a shaky breath. "Two weeks," she whispered. It wasn't what she wanted, but it was something. Enough to let her close her eyes and finally drift into sleep, convincing herself Willow was okay.
Two weeks blurred into calls and glowing screens. Sometimes they laughed over video calls, Kara propping her phone on her guitar case while Willow teased her about her messy room. Other nights, it was just sleepy voices, Willow sounding drained, Kara rambling about random things to fill the silence.
"You look tired," Kara said once, tracing the image of Willow's face on her phone screen.
Willow gave a small smile. "I am. Don't worry, it's just… life."
Kara wanted to press, to demand the truth, but she swallowed it down. If Willow said it was fine, then it had to be.
Instead, Kara poured herself into preparing for Bali. She printed every document twice, sealed them neatly into folders. Booked a small guesthouse near campus. Reserved a beat-up motorcycle that would be waiting for her on arrival. She made lists, then rewrote them, needing to see order on paper even when her heart was chaos.
Her parents noticed.
At breakfast one morning, her mom set down a bowl of soup in front of her. "You've grown up, Kara. I see it now. I was… wrong before, about you not being serious. I just wanted to protect you. But maybe I held too tight."
Kara's spoon froze. She looked up, and for the first time in a long while, her mom's eyes weren't sharp with criticism. They were soft, almost proud.
Her dad added quietly, "We trust you. Bali will be good for you."
Even Dean, though he barely spoke, didn't throw in his usual digs. He kept his distance, that wall still standing between them, but his silence felt different now. Less hostile, more… wary.
Kara spent most days with Alva, the two of them slipping into their familiar rhythm, coffee runs, late-night movies, sometimes just lying on the floor listening to music. The 2 weeks before her departure, Alec came back from Yogyakarta for the holidays.
"Perfect timing," Alva said, hugging him hard at the station. "Now you can help us send Kara off."
Their plan was simple: Mom would fly with Kara, staying in Bali for a week to help her settle in. Alec and Alva would drive them to the airport together. For the first time in years, Kara felt the shape of her family aligning, its not perfect, not smooth, but standing with her instead of against her.
Still, every night before bed, she stared at her phone. Willow's messages were shorter now, her laughter thinner. But Kara told herself it was fine. It had to be. She couldn't hold both things, between her future and her love, without one slipping away.
And Bali was already waiting.