"Elaya, what now?"
Ava crossed one leg over the other. With a confused expression, she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and raised an eyebrow while looking at Elaya.
"Allah knows best. We've gotta work hard for this case. Let's move to Seoul tomorrow." Elaya sighed, letting her head fall back a little. Her hands were in her pockets, her eyes fixed on the cappuccino on the table. She pushed both hands against the table to stand up, and Ava did the same. Elaya picked up her brown coat from the chair and her phone from the table as they walked out of the café after paying the shopkeeper.
"Let's drive to my house till then," Ava said, sliding her hands into her black leather jacket while following the unusually quiet Elaya, who hadn't spoken much for the past half hour. Elaya simply nodded. Ava sighed and gently held her hand. "Why are you running from this, Elaya? Should we hand this case to someone else? I know Kavia was murdered during this case too… I miss her."
Ava let go of Elaya's hand. They both stopped walking. Elaya turned, pulled Ava into a sudden hug—her heartbeat thundering in her chest. "I miss her too… But we need to solve this before he murders more people." Elaya pulled away from the hug and forced a smile. Ava nodded.
They slowly made their way to the parking area, where Ava's Mercedes was parked in the far left corner.
Bowing slightly to the gatekeeper, they walked toward the car. Elaya sneezed twice, and Ava chuckled lightly while unlocking the door. "Looks like the gatekeeper was wearing perfume."
Elaya laughed a little. "Oh yeah, my allergies."
Ava opened the door for Elaya and bowed dramatically. "My Majesty, please get inside."
Elaya smiled, placing one leg inside, and mumbled, "You never miss a chance to make me smile."
Ava flipped her dark brown hair. "Yes, I know."
She turned on the music—"Closer to You"—and started the car. "Your favorite song, Elaya."
Elaya nodded, staring outside the window as Ava reversed and headed toward the highway.
Ava kept glancing at her, noticing how distant she looked, lost in her thoughts.
Eventually, Ava sighed and turned toward lane number 7, where her house was located. She parked the car, but Elaya was still staring blankly outside. Ava placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go inside. We need to discuss our roles for tomorrow."
Elaya nodded, and they both went inside.
"I'll bring some snacks. Sit on the sofa," ava suggested, removing her jacket and heading to the kitchen. Elaya quietly sat on the sofa, letting her head fall back. Her eyes roamed the ceiling before she whispered, "Either I catch that psychopath, or I will never touch this work again." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes.
Ava returned, placing snacks on the table before sitting beside her.
"We will find him, don't worry," Ava assured with a small smile, sipping orange juice. "Now let's decide our roles for tomorrow."
Elaya adjusted herself, picked up a chocolate from the table, and started opening the wrapper. "I'll act as a mute girl selling flowers."
"Good idea," Ava said, poking her tongue inside her cheek. "As we heard, he was mostly spotted in lane number 7 on Highway 18 of Seoul. Acting mute will make you look pitiful, so no one will suspect who you really are , maybe we will catch him or her soon . But the chances are still low. We don't even know if it's a 'he' or 'she.' We're just assuming."
Elaya sighed. "We can at least try. Maybe we'll get a trace of him."
She popped the chocolate into her mouth and drifted back into her thoughts.
After hours of discussion, both of them finally finished packing their bags and suitcase.
"Elaya, keep a tracker with you so if at any time you're unable to speak on a call or if anything bad happens, I can trace you," Ava said while forcing the last piece of clothing into her suitcase. She looked toward Elaya, who was brushing her hair in front of the dressing table.
"Sure," Elaya replied quietly.
Ava stood up and forced a faint smile. She squeezed Elaya's shoulders gently and rested her head on them. Looking at their reflection in the mirror, Ava kissed Elaya's cheek. "My life is sacrificed on you, my love. Don't worry this much. My heart burns seeing you like this."
"My heart is burning too, ava . Kavia was so close to us… especially to me. For ten years," Elaya whispered, suppressing her tears. A droplet slipped from her grey eyes, and Ava quickly wiped it away. She held Elaya's shoulders and made her stand up.
"I will cancel the mission then. Just say it," Ava said nervously as she hugged Elaya tightly. They cried silently in each other's arms.
"I… can't let… anyone suffer more…" Elaya whispered, barely audible, but her mind and heart were crashing like a roller coaster.
The clock struck 10 p.m. Ava's head rested on Elaya's lap as they both tried to sleep. Elaya hummed softly while running her fingers through Ava's hair. Ava lay there with closed eyes, exhausted.
The night was still. Elaya was lost somewhere deep in her thoughts. Solving this case was suffocating her—she had already lost her best friend of ten years to this mission. And now her mind was clouded with fear—fear of losing Ava too. She didn't want that. But Ava would never let her face this alone.
Elaya and Ava both worked for an agency obligated to solve murder mysteries that threatened multiple countries. When a case crossed national borders, Agency AHAD took charge. Not many people knew about the agency; it had remained secret for over thirty years.