MK's eyes met Shriya's.
Nothing stopped.
Nothing froze.
Time didn't shatter into silence like it does in movies — it drifted, slow and heavy, as if the world itself had leaned back to give them space. For a few quiet seconds, everything else faded: the room, the noise, the past mistakes. There was only the distance between their faces and the history carried in their eyes.
"Wow…" MK whispered at last. "You're even more beautiful than I remember."
Shriya smiled — not the guarded smile she wore for the world, but the soft one that only ever belonged to MK. She didn't answer. She didn't need to.
MK lifted her hand slowly, as if afraid the moment might vanish if she moved too fast. Her fingers rested gently at the back of Shriya's neck.
"Can I?" she asked, swallowing hard.
Shriya nodded.
MK leaned in.
The kiss wasn't rushed.
It wasn't desperate.
It wasn't born from fear of losing her again.
It was slow — like tasting something sweet and letting the flavor stay, like breathing in a memory you never want to forget. Shriya closed her eyes and let herself fall into it, just for that moment, just for that heartbeat.
When they finally pulled apart, neither of them was out of breath. They simply stood there, foreheads almost touching, smiles quiet and real.
Then Shriya's phone buzzed.
Again.
And again.
"Sorry… I have to take this," she said reluctantly.
MK nodded and rested her head against Shriya's chest as Shriya sat down. Shriya wrapped an arm around her instinctively, holding her close. Anyone watching them would have envied the way they fit together — like something broken that had finally found its missing piece.
"Hello… yes," Shriya answered, distracted.
MK smiled. She knew Shriya wasn't hearing a word from the other end.
"What—oh damn," Shriya suddenly said. "I forgot. I'm late. My shift already started."
She stood quickly. "Customers are complaining. I have to go."
She leaned in to give MK a quick goodbye kiss — but MK caught her, pulling her closer, deepening it just enough to make Shriya hesitate.
Then MK pulled back gently.
"Shrii… you have to go."
Shriya bit her lower lip, fighting a smile.
"You're the worst," she said softly. "I love you."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
They both froze.
"You… do?" MK whispered, stunned.
Shriya blinked. "What?"
She hadn't meant to say it. She wasn't ready to admit it out loud — not yet.
"I'll see you later," she said quickly, already stepping back. "Later."
And then she was gone.
---
Shriya smiled the entire day.
Her coworkers noticed — they always did. She wasn't cold by nature, just calm, composed. But today her smile was bright, open, impossible to miss.
A message from MK lit up her phone in the afternoon.
I'll be at M Kent Paradise tonight.
---
MK arrived first.
She took a cab instead of her car — secretly hoping Shriya would offer to take her home later.
You're getting smarter every day, she thought with a grin.
Jesse dropped into the seat across from her.
"You didn't tell me you were leaving early yesterday. I thought you got kidnapped."
"Sorry," MK laughed. "Something urgent came up."
"Spill."
"Please… let me keep this one."
"Did you kill someone?"
"No!"
"I'm just checking if this secret could land you in jail."
"Definitely not."
"Then spill."
MK sighed. "Fine. Don't judge me."
She closed her eyes. "I… kind of drugged myself to get Shriya's attention."
A voice spoke behind them.
"What?"
Jesse froze.
Shriya stood there — flowers in her hands.
They slipped from her fingers and hit the floor.
MK's heart dropped into her stomach.
"Oh no… no, no, no—" MK rushed after her as Shriya turned away. "Shrii, wait—please—"
---
MK ran straight and bumped into a group of drunk men.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, trying to move past.
The leader shoved her back.
Before she could react, his hand cracked across her face.
The sound echoed.
Shriya turned just in time to see the slap.
Something dark flickered in her eyes — rage.
Instinct.
At the edge of the room, Gavin muttered, "Call an ambulance."
"Why?" someone asked.
"They just messed with the wrong person."
The drunk man sneered at MK. "Kneel and apologize."
Gavin shook his head. "And now he's finished."
Vincent swung again.
But his fist never landed.
A hand caught it mid-air.
MK felt arms wrap around her, pulling her back against a familiar chest.
Shriya.
Before anyone could blink, Vincent was on the floor.
Shriya moved like she had done this before — precise, controlled, relentless. She disarmed, disoriented, and dropped every man who stepped forward. Not wild violence. Training.
The room fell into stunned silence.vincent was in the worst condition with broken bones .
She walked straight back to MK.
The warrior vanished.
"Are you okay?" Shriya asked softly, touching MK's cheek.
MK didn't answer.
She buried her face against Shriya's shoulder.
Shriya wrapped her arms around her, holding her tight as the adrenaline faded.