POV: Lily Navarro

By the time the clock hit noon, Lily had redrawn the same character’s left eyebrow six times.

Her brain was foggy. Her hand stiff. Her heart? Somewhere between don’t mess this up and I want to go home.

She glanced up.

Matteo hadn’t moved in over an hour. He sketched like a machine—silent, focused, untouchable. The only thing that changed was the slight tension in his brow, like whatever he was drawing was fighting him back.

He hadn’t said a single word to her.

No welcome. No “nice to meet you.” Not even a glance since that first, soul-piercing look earlier.

She sighed and leaned back, stretching her arms. Her stomach growled at the exact same time her phone buzzed.

Petsa de Peligro Crew 💸🍜

Mae: “How’s the new job, imported princess??”
Lavenia: “Did you meet any hot German men yet?”
Jona: “Or are you too jetlagged to thirst 😭”

Lily smiled, heart softening immediately.

Lily: “I’m surrounded by serious art people who eat deadlines for breakfast.”
Lily: “And I think my desk mate hates me.”
Lily: “But yes, he’s hot. Like, stupidly.”

Mae: “GIRLLLLL 👀👀👀”
Lavenia: “Jetlag HEALED.”

She giggled and was about to reply when a soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

“Lily, right?”

She looked up to see a girl about her age, maybe a little older, with short, copper hair, a freckled nose, and an armful of snack wrappers. Her smile was warm, slightly mischievous.

“I’m Freya,” the girl said. “Character animation. We’ve been admiring your work from afar. Wanna join us for lunch?”

Lily blinked. “Oh! I—um, sure!”

Freya’s eyes twinkled. “C’mon, new girl. Let’s initiate you properly.”

The studio's breakroom was a sleek mix of modern and cozy—muted tones, a long table, vending machines, and a smell that made Lily’s stomach somersault. Not because it was good, but because it wasn’t home.

Three other people were already inside, clustered around the table. A guy with a man-bun and a sketchpad full of robots. A girl with round glasses and a rainbow scarf. Another guy who looked like he walked straight out of a fashion week photo—leather jacket, combat boots, and perfect posture.

Freya motioned around. “This is Nico, Lena, and Felix. Everyone, this is Lily.”

Lily smiled and waved nervously. “Hi.”

Felix gave her a once-over and raised a brow. “The Lily?”

“She’s real!” Nico grinned. “We were beginning to think Julian invented you to guilt us into working harder.”

“I exist,” Lily laughed shyly.

Lena smiled. “We’ve seen your boards. You have amazing timing and expression. It’s nice to finally put a face to the files.”

Compliments. Real ones. Lily’s chest warmed… and tightened.

“Thanks,” she said, a little too softly.

She pulled out her packed snack—a reheated rice meal from the plane she hadn’t finished. It was lukewarm and slightly dry now, but familiar. Still smelled like home.

“Is that… rice?” Felix asked curiously.

“Yeah,” Lily said with a small smile. “Plane leftovers.”

“You eat rice for lunch?” Lena asked, not unkindly, just genuinely surprised.

“In the Philippines, we eat rice for every meal,” Lily said. “Breakfast, lunch, dinner, even snacks sometimes.”

Freya tilted her head. “I’ve always wanted to go there. I hear the beaches are insane.”

“They are,” Lily replied, trying to smile. “And the food is better than this.”

She stabbed her rice with the plastic fork and chewed slowly.

Everyone else had sandwiches. Salads. Sparkling water.

No soy sauce. No garlic. No home.

She missed the sound of her mother reheating adobo in the kitchen. The smell of sinangag in the morning. The laughter at the table. The gentle scolding. The shared silence.

Here, everyone talked in English but laughed in German.

She felt small. Strange. Like a background character in someone else’s story.

“Do you miss it?” Freya asked, her voice softer now. “Home?”

Lily’s throat tightened.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Across the room, the breakroom door opened.

Matteo stepped in.

He didn’t look at anyone. Just walked to the coffee machine with the same quiet intensity he used while drawing. He pressed a button. Waited. Then turned.

His eyes met hers.

Only for a second.

But it was enough.

Lily blinked. Looked down. Pretended to wipe rice from her lips.

She felt him glance away.

When she dared to look back, he was gone.

Back at her desk, Lily sat in silence for a long moment.

The studio felt colder now.
Her food sat forgotten.
And somewhere in the middle of her chest, her heart whispered a truth she hadn’t been ready to admit:

This is going to be harder than I thought.