Unbreakable Duty

Whispers and Crashes

The bass thumped through the bar, pulsing like a second heartbeat beneath their feet. Neon lights danced across the walls, catching in the shine of cocktail glasses and swaying bodies. Singapore's nightlife was in full swing, and the rooftop was packed with both locals and tourists, laughing, drinking, and flirting.

Bow, however, was none of those things.

She sat stiffly on a barstool, stirring her mocktail with an unnecessary amount of aggression, eyes darting from her phone to the door and back. The DJ transitioned to a beat-heavy remix, but it did nothing to ease her anxiety.

Tan leaned lazily against the bar beside her, sipping something far too expensive and pretending to enjoy the moment.

"Bow, you're twitching like a chihuahua. Relax," Tan said, not even looking up.

"I can't!" Bow hissed. "Rossami hasn't texted for twenty-three minutes. That's more than enough time for Earn to do something dramatic. Or worse, for Lada to say something stupid and ruin everything."

Dao, seated across from them, tilted his head with a small frown. "I thought the plan was to give them space to talk and let Ross do her thing?"

"That was the plan," Bow muttered, slamming her straw into her drink like it owed her money. "But the backup plan was Rossami giving us updates in real time. Not silence! Do you know what Fahlada's like when she gets emotional? She's a wall. Or worse, a well-dressed wall. Earn could be bratty and dramatic, and then poof! No talk happened!"

Tan finally gave her a side glance. "They're two grown women. Let them talk."

"Have you ever talked to Fahlada after she's had an emotional breakdown? No? Exactly," Bow snapped. "She either shuts down or becomes so noble it's infuriating."

Dao tried to stifle a laugh. "I thought you were the one who said this trip would help you 'touch grass' and chill out."

"I didn't mean this kind of grass!" Bow stood abruptly, signaling for her tab. "I'm going back to the villa. I can't take this anymore."

Tan groaned. "Bow..."

"You coming or not?" Bow spun toward them, impatient. "Because if Earn starts crying or Fahlada pulls her disappearing act again, don't say I didn't warn you."

Dao exchanged a look with Tan, then downed the last of his drink. "Well. I did want to get out of here."

Tan sighed, paid the tab, and followed as Bow stormed toward the elevator.

"Can't believe we left the dramatic sapphics alone and thought they'd talk like normal people," Bow muttered as the doors closed.

==========

Rossami sat in silence on the edge of her bed, her fingers anxiously tugging at the hem of her oversized shirt. From down the hall, she had heard the quiet click of a door closing.