"Okay," Gel answered in almost a whisper after hearing what her cousin Dylan said.
"Are you sure?" Dylan had arrived early at Clark's apartment to have a serious conversation with her. He had decided not to reveal the real reason for his visit the night before because he knew it would affect her condition if she didn't get enough rest. So, he came back the next morning to tell her the truth.
"Yeah, we both know this is inevitable, cuz. Even if I say I don't want to now, I'll still have to face it sooner or later. And we both know this is long overdue. That's why I'll do it now—just to get it over with. After my pregnancy, I'll completely lose all connection with them anyway. So, it's better to face it now. I'm tired of overthinking."
"Gel, we all know the connection you had with them before was special. But that doesn't mean you can't be friends with them again, right? Especially Kitty—she's not just your best friend. She's like a sister to you."
"I know… but so much has happened. I don't know if she still wants to be my friend," Gel said hesitantly.
"Of course, she does! She wouldn't be this worried if your friendship didn't still matter to her."
The place was quiet. Only the two of them were in the apartment because Clark had to leave to attend to some scheduled patients. But he had told them he would come back immediately to accompany Angela and Dylan when they met with Darius, Kitty, and Lance—who had requested to talk to Gel.
Dylan had already arranged the meeting time. Since Gel didn't want to go out, they would be the ones to visit the apartment. Clark knew about this and left quickly so he could finish his tasks early. Ever since learning about Angela's condition, he had limited his patient intake. He would head home right after his appointments, though his line remained open in case his assistant or a patient needed him.
Kitty and Lance would be the first to talk with Gel, since the conversation with Darius would be more emotionally intense.
Meanwhile, Kitty and Lance were doing their best to act normally around Darius, pretending nothing had happened. They didn't want him to notice the tension between them and Elle the night before—especially since Darius had no idea Elle was actually in San Francisco and not in New York as she had told him. Elle had asked for a day or two before facing Darius, so they kept silent. As far as Darius knew, Elle was still in New York.
They also knew Darius had stopped liking seafood ever since everything happened with Angela, so they were confident he wouldn't end up anywhere near where Elle was staying.
But they could tell something was on his mind—because in just a few minutes, he would be facing Angela.
***
"Gel!"
"Kitty!"
The two women exclaimed at the same time, nearly in tears as their eyes met. Without wasting any words, they immediately embraced, crying on each other's shoulders.
It was as if nearly a decade hadn't passed. Like before, they still felt the warmth and tightness of each other's hug.
The men silently watched them from a distance. After a few moments, the two women pulled away from the embrace. They both let out soft laughs as intense tears continued to fall.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most," Kitty said, while her husband Lance handed her a glass of water.
"It's alright. That's in the past. Long ago. But really, I should be the one apologizing to you… because I never got to explain."
"Shhh… it's okay. I'm not upset anymore. I understand everything now. Dylan already told us, so I know—it all happened so fast, and it must've been so hard for you."
The two friends continued catching up while the men quietly listened.
After their conversation, Clark invited everyone to have lunch. No one missed how attentive Clark was to Angela—who had once kept her distance from him. But now, it was obvious from the way she moved and looked at him that she was completely comfortable around him.
Lance subtly kicked Darius under the table, noticing he couldn't take his eyes off the couple.
"Cousin, I almost forgot—we haven't unloaded the things Kitty and I bought earlier. Come help me get them from the car so we can give them to Gel," Lance said, intentionally catching Darius off guard.
"Because I don't want my wife to get tired—baby number two is on the way," he added with a mischievous grin, making everyone who heard it laugh.
"Really?" asked Gel.
"Oh please! Don't believe my husband's nonsense so quickly," Kitty said, and they all laughed again.
Darius snapped out of his deep thoughts. From intensely staring at the glass of water in front of him, he was suddenly pulled back to reality. It wasn't because he was thirsty—but because he couldn't bring himself to look up.
"If her mom hadn't gotten sick back then… I would be the one here. I would be the one beside her. I would be the one taking care of her now—not Clark."
"You want more broccoli, baby?" Clark asked lovingly, to which Angela nodded right away.
Clark kept himself busy making sure Angela had everything she needed. His actions were natural—instinctively attending to the needs of the woman he loved beside him.
This wasn't new to Dylan, who had already seen how caring Clark was toward his cousin. But for their guests, who had quietly been observing since earlier, it was clearly something they hadn't expected—though none of them commented on it.
"She used to hate broccoli because she said it was bitter. But now she's eating it eagerly—without a single complaint—every time Clark puts more on her plate."
Darius sighed at what he was seeing. A painful irony crawled up his chest.
"She's carrying my child. Mine and Elle's. My wife."
On the outside, he was just a quiet guest.
But inside, he was drowning in questions—and regret.
"Why did it have to turn out this way?"
***
"Oh right, sis!" Kitty suddenly turned to Angela. "I bought a few things for you and the baby!"
Angela shook her head, smiling. She knew there was no stopping her friend when it came to shopping.
"You didn't have to, but thank you," she replied happily.
"Oh, please! You know me!" Kitty said.