Ina pulled the drawer open, shook out the pills, and set a glass of water in Jane's hand. Jane swallowed them with a grimace, which drew a faint smile from Ina. But the smile didn't hide the ache; she knew how much Jane hated those pills.

That's when they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Hey Jane." Rui was leaning on the doorway.

Jane stiffened, but she immediately composed herself, sat up straighter, adjusted her dress, and gave a warm smile. "Hello, Rui."

"Come on, let's go out," Ina urged, supporting her up. Jane caught her wrist.

"I just woke up, I will freshen up and join you guys. You go ahead."

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Ina hesitated. Jane shook her head. With a reluctant sigh, Ina followed Rui out.

__ __

Jane came out the door after a while, her clothes changed, hair combed into a loose braid, and a shawl draped over her shoulders. She could hear the distant voices of her friends talking.

She followed the sound of voices and found Avy mid-sentence.

"I should've come yesterday, but I only heard late," she was saying.

"Avy," Jane started, but was suddenly engulfed in a hug.

"It's been too long. How are you holding up?" Avy asked as she sat beside her, squeezing her hand. Jane smiled faintly. "Better now."

Her gaze drifted across the room and saw Ina lying on Rui's lap.  It startled Jane. Ina, usually guarded, only let herself unravel in front of Rui. It made sense; they'd basically grown up together.

Jane let herself slip into small talk with Avy and River as they discussed their old days of working together. 

"Those early days were brutal," Avy said, laughing softly. "But without Jane, we wouldn't have survived."

"You give me too much credit, Avy," Jane murmured.

"But it is true. We were stuck at a major point. Funds were getting depleted, and investors were at our throats. She organised a system internally which drastically changed our situation."

River listened quietly. He had lost touch with Jane, even though they had known each other since school. Seeing her again only under these circumstances left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I have some things to handle, so I should get going," Avy got up after a while. Ina and Rui were fast asleep, so River walked her to the door. But just as they opened the door, a familiar figure appeared.

"Avy? What are you doing here?" the man on the step asked.

"Shaun?" Avy blinked, equally startled. 

River's surprise faded quickly. River knew Rui and Jane worked with Shaun, so he had already put the pieces together. He knew the history well enough. "Come in, both of you," recalled them in, seeing their questioning gazes.

Shaun nodded and went inside. Avy was reluctant but still followed them inside.

"I came here with Rui. We were here to see Ina and Jane," Avy answered his question immediately. Shaun gave her a look, but turned back and gave a curt nod.

Shaun hesitated, clutching the bag in his hand. "You may not know this, but Sehuj, Jane, River, and I... we go way back," he answered her back as River nodded in acknowledgment. Avy let an 'Oh' sound and followed them. River, watching them, couldn't shake the feeling that something unspoken lingered between the two.

When they entered the living room, Shaun paused for a second in the living room. He froze, his gaze locked on Jane. Seeing his reluctance, River nudged him forward. Jane caught sight of them and was genuinely surprised. 

"Shaun?" she looked up with wide eyes, her voice cracking in shock before a fit of coughing overtook her. The bag slipped from Shaun's hand with a dull thud. He was at her side in an instant, kneeling, thrusting the glass of water toward her with trembling hands.

Jane took it, her breath uneven, but managed a small, grateful smile. "Thank you." 

Avy, who was following them, stood rooted to the spot, face unreadable. River noticed the flicker of something...shock? hurt? pass over her face, but it vanished before he could place it.

Hearing the commotion, Rui and Ina woke up. Seeing them wake up, River spoke up.

"Ina, you remember Shaun?" he prompted.

"Yes, Sehuj's friend," she recalled groggily.

"I'm sorry for dropping by without notice. I couldn't make it to the funeral, so I thought I could drop by today," Shaun politely responded, though guilt was heavy in each word.

"No issues," Ina murmured, though her eyes softened.

"How are you holding up, Ina? Even though Sehuj and I had not been in touch for a while, I was devastated to hear the news. You see, we were really close at one point in time," Shaun drawled on, solemnly. His face showed so much guilt and sadness as if he were on the verge of tears. Jane gently patted his back.

"It really is unfortunate for us all to meet in such a situation," River expressed his thoughts as Jane nodded. But seeing that Shaun was still kneeling on the floor without looking up, she tilted his chin gently. 

"Are you okay?" she asked gently. He shook his head as silent tears fell on his cheeks. Jane gently wrapped her arms around him as he accepted the embrace, and for a moment, the room fell silent, grief and comfort tangled in the embrace. No sounds were spoken, but the silence was louder than ever.

"You all must be devastated more than anything, and I'm making this all about me. I'm sorry." When Shaun finally pulled away, shame coloring his face.

River shook his head, steadying him with a hand on the shoulder. "You're not alone in this," he consoled him and handed him a glass of water. 

Avy, who had been rooted in the same spot with a complicated expression the whole time, moved at last, picking up the fallen bag. She handed it to Shaun, who gave her a brief nod before turning back to Jane.

"These are for you," he said, offering them to her. "Natural supplements. Nothing heavy."

Jane took the bag and peeked inside, brow furrowing. "These look expensive. I can't—"
"Don't say that," Shaun cut in gently. "Would you really refuse a gift from a friend?"

Shaun insisted without taking no for an answer. She faltered, then nodded, accepting the bag with a quiet, "Thank you."

Rui hadn't said a word for quite a while. But as Jane accepted the supplements, Ina noticed her hand tighten into a fist.

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

Author's note:

This chapter was especially hard for me to write, so I had to take an extra day to complete it. A lot of characters have been introduced, so I think it might be hard to keep up. But as the story progresses, I hope you will have a better grasp of them <3