"She called in sick today," said Jane.

Kim slumped her shoulders, sighing. She can't take her eyes away from Pie's empty table. "Do you think she's okay now?"

"I don't know. She just said she's not in the mood to go to work today."

"Have you told her about what we've talked last night?"

"Nope, not yet. It's your job now to tell her that, not me, ‘honey’," said Jane, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh..." Kim scratched her nape, feeling shy and guilty.

"Do it today or else I'll kill you for making my friend cry, okay?"

"I will, I will. I don't have plans of prolonging this either. After last night all I wanted to do is just to straighten up things with her."

"But I think you've got to be a little tough. Expect that she would resent you at first, or maybe push you away. It's a normal defense mechanism of a person who's hurt," said Jane.

Kim puffed her cheeks and blew air from . "You're right. I'll take note of that." She glanced at her wristwatch and noticed that it's only after lunch. "I'll go to her house later. I should go back to work now," she said, walking away.

"Kim..."

"Yeah?"

Jane got up from her chair. "This is the first time I'd seen Pie really got swept off her feet, so please, please take care of her, okay? I'm entrusting her to you because I know she'll be in safe hands."

Kim smiled. "Thanks, Jane. I promise that I will take care of her."

"You better be, or else..." Jane didn't finish her sentence but she made a throat cut signal with her hand.

Kim chuckled. "I'll remember that."

---

Kim pulled her car over onto the side of the road in front of Pie's house. She rolled down her window about halfway to better see if someone's inside.

I wonder if she's home. Should I ring the doorbell? But what if her mom sees me?

Kim grabbed her phone instead. She exhaled before dialing Pie's number.

Brrr... brrr... brrr...

It took few more rings before someone answered. "Hello?"

Kim heard small sniffs on the line. "Uh, Pie?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Uh, are you at home? You didn't come to work today."

"I was not feeling well."

"Oh. So... you're just home?"

"Yeah, why?"

Kim felt a little nervous knowing that Pie is just a few meters away from her. "Is your mom in there too?"

"Nope, she's still at work. Why do you keep on asking me things?"

"I-I'm right here in front of your house..."

"What?"

Before Kim could respond she heard Pie move, as if getting up from a chair or bed, then the sound of her footsteps followed. Eventually, Kim saw her peeking through the window. Kim fully rolled down her window and waved a hand.

"What are you doing here?"

"Uh, visiting you?"

"I don't need visitors now, Kim."

Seeing Pie through the window made Kim realize how much she missed this little tyrant. "I came here to talk to you..."

"Is there anything else to talk about?"

"There is, Pie. There's a lot, especially after what happened last night."

"Go home, Kim. I'm not in the mood to talk to you yet," said Pie, walking away from the window.

Kim panicked when Pie disappeared from her sight, afraid that the latter will end the call right away. "But, Pie, please, just let me explain things to you. I'll be waiting for you down here, okay?"

"I said I'm not in the mood to talk about it yet. I don't even want to see your face now."

Kim massaged her aching head with her right hand. "But I need to talk to you, just one last time. If you don't want to talk to me ever again I promise I won't bug you after this."

There was no response.

"Just this once, Pie..."

Another dead air.

Kim’s now starting to lose hope. "Please, honey... please...?"

There was another long silence on the line before Pie finally sighed.

"Give me fifteen minutes," said Pie, then ending the call right away.

Kim slumped back on her chair, relieved. Pie's stubbornness somehow made her doubt what Jane told her last night. Is Pie really that mad to treat her that way?

Waiting inside her car made her feel uneasy. Kim’s nervous. This is the first time they are going to talk alone after that fateful Friday dialogue where she almost thought everything's over. Truth is she really wants to make up with Pie now but she's not prepared what to say yet. And Pie's in her monster mood today which might make things more challenging.

After fifteen minutes she received a message from Pie:

Let's talk inside.

Right after she read the message, she heard a clanging gate being opened. Pie didn't wait for her; instead, she went back inside the house after opening the gate.

Is she serious about this?

With hesitation, Kim went out of her car and walked towards the house. She closed the gate behind her and inhaled first before walking through the front door.

Kim’s eyes surveyed the area before taking another step to completely let herself in. The curtains were all drawn, making it a little darker inside. Pie was nowhere to be seen.

Kim took a few more steps until she reached the living room where she saw the picture frames on the shelves. It was Pie's pictures from her childhood to her college years. There's another picture of a young Pie with a man — whom Kim assumed to be her dad — then there's their family picture.

Kim smiled. So cute.

"Make yourself comfortable."

Kim turned around and saw Pie holding a glass of orange juice. "Oh. Hey."

Pie's wearing a blue t-shirt and denim shorts. Her brownish wavy hair is hanging down loose just passed her shoulders. Kim can't help but marvel at the beauty in front of her; so simple yet so sophisticated.

But Kim noticed something when she looked at Pie's face.

Her eyes are swollen. So, she really was crying?

"Here." Pie handled the glass. "Let's talk over there."

"Thanks." Kim took it and followed Pie. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about this outside?"

"My mom's going home late today so we have the house for ourselves," Pie answered without looking back. They eventually reached the couch area and Pie pointed to one of the sofas. "Have a seat."

Kim sat down and settled her orange juice at the coffee table in front. To her dismay, Pie sat across her.

"So, what brings you here?" Pie started immediately.

Kim glanced first at the empty space on her left. "Uh... d-don't you want to sit beside me first?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I just don't want to."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Mmm, no."

"Then can I sit beside you instead?" asked Kim, smiling, hoping it would work.

"No way," Pie scowled. "Can't we talk just like this?"

"We can, but we didn't have a good outcome the last time we talked like this. Maybe we should sit beside each other now for good measures?" said Kim, flashing out the most charming smile she could do.

Pie snorted and looked away.

"Oh, c'mon, Pie. I came here because I was worried about you and this is how you'll entertain me, your VISITOR?"

"Why exactly do you want me to sit beside you?" asked Pie, more irritated this time.

"Because I missed you, okay? If you're not mad at me then why don't you sit here?" said Kim, tapping a hand on her side. "Besides, I deserve better hospitality, right?"

"Ugh..." Pie rolled her eyes. She got up eventually and sat beside Kim, making sure that there is ample space in between them. "Happy now?"

"Of course." Kim took a sip at her orange juice first before turning to Pie. "But what's with this?" she asked, staring at the space in between them.

"I'm not avoiding you I just want some space for myself here."

"Jeez. Why are you acting like you don't want to see me?"

"Because I really don't want to see you. I don't even want to talk to you."

"Hah, you don't want to talk to me but then you still let me in your house and prepared me an orange juice? Is that it?" said Kim, raising the glass and drinking from it.

Pie grunted once again and rubbed her face with her hands in irritation.

Kim chuckled as she puts down her juice. "Hey, you're being grumpy again..." she said, touching Pie's arm.

"Don't touch me," said Pie, pulling her arm. "I swear I'm gonna move back there if you touch me again."

"Okay, okay. I'll behave," said Kim, raising her hands in surrender. "Why don't you want to talk to me? Have I done something wrong?"

Pie shrugged in response and looked away.

Kim realized that she should take it in a different approach. "Hey, why don't we play a game instead?"

Pie shot her a glare. "Game? I thought you wanted to talk?"

"Well, you said you don't want to talk to me, right?"

"Ugh... I don't have time for this, Kim..."

"Well, this isn't just the ordinary game. Remember your game we played in the resort before, the 'answer a question with a question'?"

Pie raised an eyebrow. "You're not serious about this, are you?"

"I am. Unless you're afraid you'd lose then we can cancel it."

"You wish," Pie scoffed. "Let me remind you that you were the one who lost the last time, remember?"

"I just don't want to embarrass you, honey," Kim snickered. "So, what, are you game or not? Same consequences, okay?"

Pie glared at her again, eventually giving in. "Fine. You start this time."

"With pleasure, with pleasure!" said Kim, rubbing her palms again. She turned her body away for a second and looked up the ceiling while thinking about what to ask. "Hmm, seriously, are you mad at me?"

Pie brought her feet up to the sofa and supported her head with her left hand. "Do I have any reason to be mad at you?"

"Mmmm, but why did you leave the party early last night?"

"I told you, I was not feeling well, right? I wasn't at work today, remember?"

Kim nodded. "By not feeling well, does it mean you're physically sick or emotionally?

"What are you trying to point out, Kim?"

"You saw it, right?"

"Saw what?"

"The kiss?"

"Yeah, so?"

Kim felt Pie suddenly getting uncomfortable. "I was wondering, does that have anything to do with you leaving the party early?"

Pie scoffed and looked away. "Where did you get that notion?"

"Hasn't your friend Jane told you that she confronted me about it last night?"

Pie's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment. "A-are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"W-what exactly did she say to you?"

"Is it true that you cried?'"

Pie massaged her temples with her hands. She then glanced at Kim quick before saying, "If so, then what?"

"Why were you crying?"

"Can we please not talk about this, Kim?"

"Don't you think this is the perfect time to talk about it?"

"Are you..." Pie paused, tilting her head to Kim, "are you just doing this because Jane asked you to?"

"Can't the reason be because I just want to clear things up with you?"

Pie narrowed her eyes. "What do you want to tell me exactly?"

"Would you believe me if I say that what you saw last night was a fake kiss?"

"Huh? Is there even a thing such as a fake kiss?"

"Yeah, they do it in movies, right?" said Kim, pointing at the spot where Yam kissed her.

"Are you trying to tell me that you faked kissing each other?"

Kim nodded. "Were you really affected with it?"

"Why are you still asking me that if Jane had told you everything?"

"Then tell me, why were you jealous, huh?" asked Kim, nudging Pie.

Instead of answering, Pie stared at Kim without saying anything. Somehow, it made Kim feel uncomfortable. That eye contact made her feel all the pain that Pie has been bottling inside. Those swollen eyes gave her an idea what the girl in front of her went through last night.

"Why are you doing this to me, Kim?" asked Pie. "Why do you keep on making me feel special for one second, then treat me like a total stranger for another second, and now making me feel again like I mean everything to you?"

The mood has changed. Kim felt nervous. She can't read what's on Pie's mind. She's not even sure if this talk will end well or not.

"I wasn't happy avoiding you before, okay? Is having Mike around not enough reason for me to stay away from you?" asked Kim.

"You were jealous of Mike? Then what were you doing with Yam?"

"She was trying to be a good friend to me, she wanted to make you jealous; don't you still get it?"

Pie swallowed something in . "So, you’re not together?"

Kim shook her head. "Did you seriously think I'd forget you that easy?"

Pie she slumped back on the chair and started fiddling with her own fingers. She glanced at Kim and took a deep breath. "I guess there's no point in denying it now, right?"

"I went here because I want to fix this, to fix us, don’t you believe me?"

Pie sighed. "There's no turning back after this so before it's too late, tell me now, are you... are you really serious about me?"

Kim knows that this talk is either a make or a break. She should let all her cards out now. Kim scooted closer, filling the empty space between them.

"What do you want me to do to prove that I am?" asked Kim, brushing Pie's hair behind her ear with a hand.

Pie looked like she’s trying her best not to cry. She slowly turned to Kim with those sweet puppy eyes. "Could please make sure you'll stay by my side always?"

Kim melted at that. She couldn't fight her feelings anymore. She leaned forward to kiss Pie's temple. "I would," she assured, "but on one condition… would you be officially mine?"

Pie, who’s almost about to cry, wasn't able to hold off a smile after hearing that. "What took you so long to ask?"

Feeling relieved, Kim anchored her arms around Pie's waist and guided the latter's head to her neck. "Weren't you the one who took so long to realize it?" she said, kissing the top of Pie's head.

Feeling embarrassed, Pie slapped Kim's arm. "I hate you... I hate you..."

Kim laughed at that. "Oh, I love you too."

"You're so mean. You made my cry last night," Pie whined like a little child while rubbing an eye.

"I know, I know... I'm sorry, honey, I'm so sorry..." said Kim, rubbing a hand on Pie's arm. "So, does this mean we're officially together now?"

Pie pulled herself back to look at Kim's face. "It only means that you should stop flirting with other girls in the office, capiche?"

"Oh, c'mon, Pie, you're the only girl in the office that I've flirted with..."

Pie glared at her. "Make me cry again like last night, I promise you'll be flirting in hell after."

"Oooh, my baby is scary, huh..."

"Baby your face," Pie scoffed, leaning back against Kim's neck.

"Hey, you're forgetting something..."

"What?"

"You lost, honey..."

Pie pulled back once again, bringing her fingers to her lips. "Oh. I guess I forgot that one. So, what's the consequence?"

"A dinner out tonight would be fine."

"Oh, is that it? That's easy."

"Not just tonight, but tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, and the day after that day, and the mmm-mmmm-mmmmm..." Kim's voice muffled after Pie covered with both hands.

"I'd love to," said Pie, removing her hands after Kim shut up.

Kim stared at Pie for long while gently brushing the tiny hair off the latter’s face. Kim leaned over to plant another kiss on the Pie’s forehead.

"I love you."

Pie closed her eyes at the touch. "I love you too."