"I'm sorry Ryujin, I think we should break up."
The moment those words left Lia's lips, it felt as if Ryujin was suddenly underwater.
Lia's face displayed an agonizing look, but the feeling of drowning numbed away the ache in Ryujin's heart.
"Okay. " Was the only word she could say with an indifferent face, while sinking deeper and deeper inside.
It was obvious that Lia already made up her mind, so Ryujin didn't bother. Her own lifeline gave up on her, the one person who kept her from drowning from self doubt. So she left herself sink, letting Lia drift away.
"Take care of yourself." Lia looks back at her before walking out the door.
The first time Ryujin saw Lia was at a high school party. Lia was the new girl, entering the room wearing a red dress her hair pulled back in ponytail.
Ryujin couldn't take her eyes off her.
So she mustered up her courage and went up to Lia.
As they locked eyes, the electricity between them is palpable. They started talking. Surprisingly they hit it off right away. They talked for hours.
Even though they had different backgrounds they felt an immediate connection.
Ryujin had always been a bit happy go lucky. She was considered the black sheep of her family, always rebelling from her parents. Lia was the complete opposite. She was a straight A student and came from a wealthy family. Her parents pampered her, and she was used to being self reserved.
But somehow, Ryujin and Lia just clicked. They became friends quickly and then started dating. They were completely different people, but for some reason, it just worked. They balanced each other out.
They spent all their time together, talking, sharing ideas, and planning their future.
They were both ambitious and dreamed of making a great difference in the world.
They were head over heels in love with each other and were inseparable.
However, things changed when they went to college. They both pursued different majors, Lia took a business course while Ryujin was forced to take computer engineering. They started hanging out with different groups of people. Their priorities drifted them apart and stopped talking as much.
This made Ryujin insecure and doubt her future with Lia, plus the burden of her parent's expectations.
Ryujin's rebellious side started to come out again. She started staying out late and go drinking. Lia tried to be understanding, but Ryujin was getting harder to reach,
she just couldn't handle watching Ryujin destroy herself. So, Lia ended things with her.
The once perfect couple who couldn't get their hands off each other, now couldn't hold a single eye contact.
Years passed, and they both found success in their chosen fields.
But by some stroke of fate, they were both working at the same company.
The first time Lia saw Ryujin again was across a crowded room at the company town hall event. She felt a jolt of electricity and knew that the years had not changed how she felt about her. She tried to catch her eye, but she was deep in conversation with a group of colleagues. Later that night, she found herself standing next to Ryujin the bar.
Lia tried to strike up a conversation, but what should she say?
Hi? How's life? Are you seeing someone?
