She stood by door as she saw them off, smile slowly fading as her friends- no, colleagues; they were just colleagues, disappeared on the corner after offering her their last waves of goodbye. They had fun, they said. They look forward to the next time they’d get to this with her again. But with the silence that welcomed her as she turned back to her now empty apartment, Jessica doubted that would happen. She barely pulled through the night and the loneliness that came after was just as tormenting as the number of times she had to smile and pretend that she was actually having fun.

Fun didn’t come naturally with them.

Fun never came naturally after THEM.

A smile formed on her lips just remembering how they used to spend her previous birthdays.

It disappeared as soon as it came.

With a sigh, she shook off the thoughts and started cleaning up. Reminiscing wouldn’t bring back what’s lost and though it’s not her favorite past time, cleaning would at least shorten the time she had to spend alone.  

The clanking of plates and silverwares and the gushing of water. Sounds of breaths inhaled, held and breathed out. Hopeful gazes on her phone and thin lips turned down into a frown. Soon, those lips were trembling, and though the birthday girl should be able to do everything she wanted, no matter how much Jessica wanted to, she wouldn’t let herself cry.

‘She will be here soon,’ she chanted on her mind. ‘She will be here. She will be here. She will be here. She will be-‘

Her eyes closed in instinct, eyebrows furrowed as she exhaled at the warmth of the arms that s around her waist. The weight that soon settled on her right shoulder never felt as calming and the familiarity of the lips that brushed on her cheeks almost felt like home.

 “I told you, Yuri-ah. You didn’t have to come by.” She said, feigning anger. She had to bite back the smile that threatened to form on her lips when the girl heed her no response and just started nuzzling on her hair instead. “I know how busy you are. You know I hate it when you-”

She turned to her side, intending to scold the stubborn woman more but the sight of tired eyes that stared back at her and the affection it held for her made her too flustered to speak. Jessica couldn't help but wonder when, like almost all the things of the past, that affection would start to fade.

The plate she was currently holding would’ve slipped if not for the gentle nudge of a nose on her neck.

“But I do. Tomorrow’s your birthday and I promised to grant you a wish; I need to be here with you.” Yuri mumbled sleepily against her neck. 

Just the feeling of Yuri’s breath against her skin made Jessica relax. She allowed herself to smile and she watched the exhausted girl lay her head completely on her shoulder and for those heavy eyes to stop fighting and finally succumb to sleep before she leaned in to kiss the top of the latter’s head.

“You already did.”

An adorable smile formed on the sleepy girl’s lips, too adorable that Jessica wanted nothing more than to kiss it away.

And she did.

Chaste and sweet.

Quick but long enough to make Jessica forget what she had lost.

“I wished for you.”

Maybe, it’d be just the two of them for now and that’s enough, for having Yuri by her side is never having less.

A/N: Happy Birthday, Sica. I love you.