Sometimes she came after work.

Sometimes late at night.

Sometimes for no reason at all except hearing Ananya say:

 “Your usual bubble tea?”

And strangely…

that became the favorite part of her day.

—---------

Weeks passed gently.

Like pages turning softly.

The friendship between them grew naturally into something deeper without either girl daring to name it yet.

They shared:

* midnight street food

* music playlists

* long walks beside Bangkok rivers

* silent conversations through eye contact

And somehow…

loneliness slowly stopped living inside them.

—-----

One evening, the café became unusually crowded.

Ananya rushed between tables carrying coffee orders while apologizing politely to impatient customers.

Ploy sat quietly near the window waiting for her.

Watching her.

Always watching her.

There was something beautiful about the way Ananya cared for people.

The way she smiled even when exhausted.

The way she listened fully when someone spoke.

It felt rare.

Real.

Then suddenly—

A woman entered the café energetically.

Tall.

Stylish.

Confident.

“Ananyaaa!”

Before Ploy could react, the woman hugged Ananya tightly across the counter.

Ananya laughed loudly.

“Oh my god, Meenakshi!”

Ploy’s fingers slowly tightened around her cup.

Who was that?

The woman continued talking rapidly in Tamil while holding Ananya’s hand dramatically.

Both girls laughed together naturally.

Comfortably.

Too comfortably.

For the first time since meeting Ananya—

something unpleasant crawled quietly into Ploy’s chest.

Jealousy.

She hated it immediately.

Why should this bother her?

Ananya had her own life.

Her own friends.

Her own world outside Ploy.

So why did it suddenly feel difficult to breathe properly?

Ploy looked away toward the rain outside.

But her ears still listened unconsciously.

Meenakshi leaned closer teasingly.

“You never smile this much in video calls.”

Ananya laughed.

“I’m working. Stop embarrassing me.”

“Ohhh… so Bangkok changed you?”

Ploy’s jaw tightened slightly.

Bangkok changed you.

For some reason, that sentence irritated her deeply.

A few minutes later, Ananya finally walked toward Ploy carrying her drink.

“Sorry,” she said softly. “Today is chaotic.”

Ploy forced a small smile.

“She seems important.”

Ananya blinked.

“Who?”

“That girl.”

“Oh—Meenakshi?”

Ananya smiled immediately.

“She’s my college friend from India. She’s visiting Bangkok for work.”

Ploy nodded slowly.

Trying to look unaffected.

Failing completely.

“She’s pretty.”

Ananya laughed lightly.

“Very dramatic too.”

Something sharp twisted inside Ploy’s chest hearing the warmth in Ananya’s voice.

Without realizing it, her answers became shorter.

Colder.

Ananya noticed immediately.

“Hey…”

No response.

“Ploy.”

“Hm?”

“Are you upset?”

“No.”

Lie.

Obvious lie.

Ananya studied her quietly.

Then suddenly sat opposite her.

“You’re jealous.”

Ploy nearly choked on her drink.

“What?!”

Ananya tried not to laugh.

“You are.”

“I am not.”

“You became quiet after seeing her.”

“I’m always quiet.”

“Not with me.”

That sentence landed softly between them.

Ploy looked away immediately.

Dangerous territory.

Very dangerous.

Ananya leaned slightly closer.

“Why are you jealous?”

“I said I’m not.”

“Then look at me and say it.”

Ploy finally lifted her eyes.

Big mistake.

Because Ananya was already looking at her too gently.

Too warmly.

The café noise around them slowly faded into background silence.

Ploy swallowed nervously.

“I just…”

Her voice weakened unexpectedly.

“I didn’t like seeing someone else make you smile like that.”

Silence.

Ananya’s heartbeat stumbled.

Neither moved.

Neither breathed properly.

Outside, Bangkok rain fell heavily against the windows again.

Finally, Ananya spoke softly.

“Why?”

Ploy laughed nervously.

“I don’t know.”

But she did know.

And that terrified her.

Ananya’s voice lowered carefully.

“Maybe…”

Ploy looked up slowly.

“Maybe you love me.”

The world stopped.

Not dramatically.

Quietly.

Like a candle trembling before going out.

Ploy stared at her in complete silence.

No teasing.

No laughter.

Only fear.

Because hearing the truth aloud made it real.

And real things could destroy lives.

Ploy stood up suddenly.

“I should go.”

Ananya rose immediately.

“Ploy—”

“I’ll see you later.”

Her voice cracked slightly.

That hurt Ananya more than shouting would have.

Ploy grabbed her bag quickly and walked into the rain before tears could betray her.

—

That night, Bangkok felt unbearably cold.

Ploy sat alone inside her apartment balcony staring at city lights through blurred eyes.

Love?

No.

Impossible.

Dangerous.

Wrong.

Then why did hearing Ananya say it feel less frightening…

than losing her?

Her phone vibrated suddenly.

Message from Ananya.

Ploy stared at the screen for almost a minute before opening it.

Ananya:

Did I scare you today?

Ploy:

No.

Ananya:

That’s a lie.

Ploy:

Maybe a little.

Ananya:

I’m sorry.

Ploy:

Don’t apologize for being honest.

Ananya:

Then answer honestly too.

Ploy:

…

Ananya:

Ploy.

Ploy:

What if I really do love you?

Ananya:

Then I think…

my heart would be very happy.

Ploy covered her mouth immediately as tears filled her eyes.

Not painful tears.

Not fully happy tears either.

Just the overwhelming feeling of finally being seen by someone.

For the first time in years…

she no longer felt emotionally invisible.

And somewhere else in Bangkok—

Ananya stared at her phone smiling softly through nervous tears.

Because deep inside, she already knew:

This was no longer friendship anymore.

Love had quietly entered both their hearts.

And neither of them knew how deeply it would change their lives.