Qinny woke up with the immediate certainty that something was wrong.

Not emotionally.

Physically.

Her head was pounding like someone had set up a construction site inside her skull. Her throat felt dry enough to file paperwork. One of her earrings was missing, and her dress was still on.

She stared at the ceiling.

Then memory hit.

Hard.

The club.

Brennen.

The kiss.

The other kiss.

Qinny sat bolt upright.

"Oh my God."

Her room spun in protest.

"OH MY GODDDD."

From across the room, Maya Herman, Qinny's roommate greeted her.

"Did you know that having a hangover is proof that your weekend was lit? But for real tho girly, you had way too much fun last night. Your boyfriend had to wake up my fine ass to carry you to the room, and-"

"-I made out with a stranger."

A pause.

Then Maya slowly lifted her head, pausing her cuticle care routine.

She rose from her chair, and sat herself on the side of Qinny's bed, wide-eyed.

"You WHAT??"

Qinny dragged both hands down her face.

"I made out with a stranger in a storage room because my boyfriend was cheating on me."

Maya blinked twice.

Then—

"That son of a- Okay, wait, that's actually kind of iconic, very queen behavior!"

"It is NOT iconic!"

"It's a LOT iconic. Like damn, who are you??"

Qinny pushed an amused Maya away, rolled off the bed and stumbled toward the mirror.

Then froze.

"You have got to be kidding me."

Her reflection looked like she had personally fought the night and lost.

Swollen eyes. Smudged mascara. Hair that had given up halfway through life.

"I look HORRID."

Maya sat up fully now, staring at her and pointed at Qinny's reflection.

"But SHE just snogged two man. Oof girly, I knew you were wild! Damn, I need to see more of drunk Qinny."

Qinny groaned, trying to fix her look.

Her phone buzzed.

Then buzzed again.

Then again.

Qinny stared at it like it might explode.

My Love ❤️
12 missed calls

My Love ❤️
Babee why aren't you answering my calls?? 🥺
Are you awake?? 🥺🥺
Pls reply, I'm worried about you 🥺🥺🥺

Qinny let out a hollow laugh.

"Worried."

Maya leaned over.

"Oh wow. The audacity is LOUD."

Qinny groaned, and opened the chat.

Typed:

Were you worried before or after you finished making out with her?

She stared at it, then deleted it.

Typed:

We need to talk.

Deleted that too. 

She stared at the empty text box for a second longer than necessary. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard again.

Nothing came out.

Not anger.

Not sadness.

Just... static.

Like her brain had short-circuited somewhere between seeing him kiss someone else and waking up in her own bed.

She didn't know which part hurt more.

The cheating, or the fact that a small, stupid part of her still wanted him to explain it.

She shakes her head, locked the phone, and threw it onto the bed.

Maya nods.

"As you should. Leave the guy begging for your attention. And you got some tea-spilling to do once you're done cleaning up yourself."

Qinny just waved her off and headed to the washroom.

________________________________________________________________________________

University Malaysia Sabah. 

A beautiful campus. But today, it was way too crowded.

At least to Qinny anyway.

By the time she reached campus, she had constructed herself into something passably human.

Oversized hoodie covering her long straight hair.

Eyes covered with black sunglasses.

Minimal speech.

Maximum resentment.

The business faculty building buzzed with first-week chaos. Students clustered in hallways comparing schedules, complaining about lecturers, pretending to have read emails.

Qinny moved through them like a celebrity avoiding scandal. Except celebrities at least knew what scandal they were running from. Qinny wasn't even sure what she was supposed to feel yet.

Humiliated?

Angry?

Heartbroken?

All of it sat somewhere in her chest, tangled and unfinished. Maya, who had insisted on walking with her for entertainment purposes, looked her over.

"You look like a divorced actress fleeing paparazzi."

"I feel worse."

"After the whole tea you just served, you deserve to feel that way girl. I wouldn't blame you at all."

"Gee thanks, i guess."

"But at least you snogged a potentially hot stranger, am I right??"

"Go away."

Maya laughed, "Text me if you need me, m'kay?"

Maya peeled off toward her own class.

Qinny checked the room number again and stepped into Lecture Hall B.

________________________________________________________________________________

Lecture Hall B.

New semester.

New seating.

New chaos.

A notice flashed on the projector:

MERGED CLASS: FINAL + SECOND-LAST SEMESTER

"Perfect," Qinny muttered. 

"More witnesses to my downfall."

She slid into a middle row seat, pulled her hoodie down slightly, and tried to disappear. The chair beside her moved.

Someone sat.

Qinny turned... and immediately wished she hadn't.

It's him.

Alive. Breathing. And Maya was wrong, this guy was not potentially good looking; he IS good-looking, especially in daylight.

He looked at her once.

Then sneezed violently.

Qinny blinked.

"You."

He wiped his nose with a tissue.

"Morning to you too. Oh by the way, you cried directly into my immune system."

She stared at him.

Then, against her will, laughed.

"You're blaming me for your flu?"

"I am blaming you for emotional exposure."

"That's not a real illness."

"It is now."

She turned away, trying to compose herself.

This was bad.

Because it wasn't just that he was there. It was that seeing him again made everything from last night feel... real. 

Not a drunken blur. 

Not a mistake she could pretend didn't happen, and that was somehow worse.

This was very bad.

Because he was funny.

And looking at him now, her eyes fell on those lips, remembering how it felt.

Just then, the lecture hall doors opened again, but Qinny didn't need to look.

She felt it.

Brennen's presence.

Warm. Familiar. Infuriating.

"Babe~!"

He walked toward her, smiling like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't shattered something fundamental last night.

"I was looking everywhere for you~," he said, leaning in.

Qinny subtly turned her head.

His kiss landed on her hair instead, but he didn't even notice the difference as if he was just acting autonomously. As if out of habit.

"But then I had to attend a sudden football club meeting."

"Right... Of course you did," she said calmly.

Behind Brennen, a beautiful yet familiar Chinese lady followed.

Laughing.

Looking perfectly fine.

Greeting everyone she passes by.

Like she hadn't been part of someone else's heartbreak.

Her eyes flickered to the stranger for half a second, who was already staring at the lady.

Then to Brennen. Brennen smiled, completely oblivious.

"Oh, right- Yris come here, introductions time!"

Qinny went still.

He pointed casually at the lady who stood by her boyfriend.

"Babe, this is Yris Tay Hui Yi, women's football team captain for our uni."

She says hi then places a hand on the stranger's shoulders.

"And this is my boyfie, Dorian Ocampo."

Silence.

Thick.

Heavy.

Almost funny.

Dorian leaned back slightly in his chair.

Expression unreadable.

"Nice to meet you, miss...?"

Qinny forced a smile.

"Qinnara. But Qinny is fine. And likewise, Dorian."

Their eyes met, and just for a second, something passed between them... 

A shared understanding.

A secret.

A problem.

Brennen then says "We'll be even better friends now that our partners know each other!"

"I've always wanted to do double dates, so much fun!" 

Yris chirped.

"Let's plan it, okay babe?" Brennen beams at Qinny, who just nodded in response.

Brennen smiled too much. Yris was a little too friendly, patting his arm like they were just really good friends.

Qinny looked up. Dorian met her gaze. Neither of them said anything.

They didn't need to.

________________________________________________________________________________

They were all seated now; Brennen, Qinny, Dorian, then Yris.

Though the lecturer has started speaking since God knows when, no one listened.

Well. Not really.

Qinny tried to focus on the lecture. She really did, but every word sounded distant. Like it was happening in a different room. Or a different life.

Then, something slid onto her desk.

She was surprised but then stared at the writing.

Your boyfriend says "babe" too much.

Her lips twitched.

She grabbed a pen.

Wrote back:

Your girlfriend laughs like a showgirl.

She pushed it back.

Dorian read it.

A small smirk.

Then wrote again.

He slid it to her.

Qinny opened it.

Meet after class. Library Level 2.

She stared at the words.

Her heart did something strange.

Then she wrote:

Why?

The reply came instantly.

Because they're going to ditch us. 

She frowns, then replies:

How do you know?

He shakes his head.

Trust me. They will.

Qinny looked up but Dorian was already facing forward like nothing had happened.

She stared straight ahead, her thoughts wandering. Whatever it is that Dorian is planning, she felt like they were about to do something bad.

Something reckless.

Something... exciting.