It was the break of dawn.

I woke up sandwiched between Kelly and Er Jie, both breathing softly in sync.

Their warmth brought more comfort than any blanket could.

Kelly had my hand held tightly in her grip, even in such a deep sleep. With a soft sigh, I rested my head on her shoulder, careful not to wake her.

I hope I hadn’t made her worry.

As I closed my eyes, memories of what happened early in the night played in my mind.

I heard the door creak open, and stopped dead in my tracks. Was it Kelly coming after me?

“有人吗?” I recognised the voice instantly. It was Er Jie, her warm, familiar voice flowing through me.

I paused for a moment.

Then I ran down the six flights of stairs.

Before I knew it, I was enfolded in her arms.

“I missed you,” I sniffled.

“不哭啦, don’t cry,” Er Jie dropped all her luggage and flopped onto the couch, holding me even closer to her.

I was shaken by what I had almost done. If it wasn’t for her timely arrival, who knows, I may be dead by now. At this thought, I collapsed into a pile of ugly sobs.

Er Jie grabbed a tissue and gently wiped away all the tears.

“Jessi, are you alright?” I could hear the concern in her voice.

I shook my head.

“Let’s go up to talk, okay? It’s getting chilly here and I don’t want you catching a cold,” she said in almost a motherly tone.

I stood up.

“Let me carry you.” Without warning, she placed one arm around my waist and the other at the bend of my knees. 

A surprised laugh escaped my lips. “Er Jie! You are going to fall!”

“Nope.”

As if to prove her point, she lifted me off the ground, ignoring my squeals.

She wobbled forward a step or two and fell back onto the couch, both of us dissolving in laughter.

“你很搞笑” (you are so funny) I said, smiling through my tears.

“我很可爱” (im cute) she said, grinning back at me, resting her head on mine.

The atmosphere became light-hearted in an instant, and all the pain and fears no longer felt so real.

It’s alright.