.1.

It’s been five minutes since Haru was standing infront of a huge oak door with music blasting on the other side as she deeply contemplated if she should go in and waste her energy to socialize with people whom she doesn’t even know of or just go back to the comfort of her apartment and binge-watch on Netflix.

Haru took another two minutes before making her final decision, but the minute she walked in, she wished she could’ve chosen the latter instead.

The hallway was already crowded that she had to carefully navigate her way towards the other end without getting crushed. She squished herself in between sweaty party-goers, lifting both of her arm to her side as a barricade when someone accidentally nudged her with their arm. “Excuse me.” Her voice grew louder but it came out more of a whisper when the music went higher by the minute. She felt a wave of relief when she saw the glass door headed to the garden.

She took a huge deep breath, fixing her baggy denim jacket closer to her body as a cold breeze brushed against her. She surveyed her surroundings, scanning their faces one by one if anyone looks familiar to her so that she could try to have a conversation with them to make it look like she didn’t came alone. She saw a few of them from her high school, but she realized that they would find it creepy if she suddenly approached them and she barely knew any of them. She looked around once again, hoping she can catch sight of the only person she was close with.

As if on cue, a girl in red silk dress and black stiletto heels with a red cup on hand rushed towards her, almost spilling her beer. It was Ina. “You finally came. I thought you wouldn’t come.” She quickly pulled her into a hug as she tried not to get her hands tangled on her already messed up curls. “I missed you,” she said, hugging her longer that she expected it to be. She wanted to say the same the thing but the words somehow got stuck on . Instead, Haru reached for her shoulder and gave it a light pat.

Ina was her bestfriend back in high school. She would always come over at her place since her parents weren’t around that much. They hang out a lot even during the summer.  They knew each other’s secret. They were so close to the point that people often mistaken them as sisters. They were so inseparable at that time.

But she thought that nothing ever lasts, even the ones who are closest to you.

“Yeah, but I’ll just be quick, I have to get up early tomorrow morning.” She immediately pulled away as she looked at her like she offended her in some way. “What? But you just got here and we have to catch up. I haven’t talked to you in three years.”

She wanted to tell her that it’s been five years.

Five years since she stopped being the person who I knew back then. But she can’t, it felt like she didn’t have the right to do that anymore.

“Sure, okay.” She said even though she knew Ina wasn’t interested to know what happened to her for the past five years. “I want to know how are you and Lucas? How’s your work, your family?” Ina looked so excited that Haru can’t help but to feel disappointed that this was all an act of hers, to make it look like she cared about her.

“Well, I assure you that it wasn’t much of an adventure for the past few years.” She kept a tight smile, trying not to look awkward or sound offensive.  “Really now? I’m sure – “

“Ina! Let’s play beer pong.” A girl dressed in a tight mini black dress emerged from the crowd as she walked near us, trying to keep her balance. Her hair was all over the place, her face was blushing red from her cheeks until the shells of her ears and she was giggling too much. It looked like she was already done for the night.

She remembered h