Kian quickly pulled his hoodie lower over his face, as if that would help.
"…Yo," he said casually.
Asiya folded her arms. "Yo?"
Kian forced a cough, looking away. "I was just—uh… leaving."
Asiya raised an eyebrow. "Leaving from where? My front yard?"
Kian didn't answer.
Asiya tilted her head, suspicion growing. "What, were you spying on me?"
Kian scoffed. "No."
"Then why are you here?"
"…Just, uh… you know. Morning walk. Clear my head and stuff."
Asiya stared at him for a long moment, then slowly exhaled.
"Hmmm, right," she said, obviously not believing him.
Silence.
Asiya wasn't letting this slide. She could feel it in her gut.
And she was right.
"So…" she started, shifting her weight. "About the concert."
Kian went still "What about it?"
"The upgrade," Asiya said. "VIP tickets. We had no idea until we got there. The staff said it was just luck."
Kian tried a half-hearted, "Oh, you're the one who got it. You are so lucky."
"Lucky, you say. All five of us?"
Kian stayed silent, turning his eyes in another direction.
"Look me in the eyes. You did it, didn't you?" she pressed looking at him directly in the eyes .
They were so close.
Kian let out a slow breath, glancing to the side. He wasn't going to admit it out loud, but his silence was enough.
Asiya exhaled sharply, pulling out her phone. If he thought she was going to let this slide, he was wrong.
She tapped on her banking app. "Alright, how much was it?"
Kian's head snapped back toward her. "What?"
"The tickets," Asiya said, already clicking through to transfer money. "How much were they?"
Kian looked at her like she was insane. "I'm not telling you that."
Asiya glared at him. "Fine, I'll just check online."
Kian sighed, rubbing his temple. "…Wait, why?"
Ignoring him, Asiya quickly searched for VIP ticket prices. The moment she saw the number, she froze.
Her eye twitched.
Slowly, she turned the screen toward him. "This?"
Kian just smiled. "That."
Asiya scoffed, then let out a dry chuckle. It wasn't that she couldn't afford it—but five VIP tickets were expensive, and she had just started working. Most of her savings went into this trip, so paying that sum would definitely put her through a rough patch.
"So, what is your account number?" she said, crying on the inside.
"What—no, no, no. You don't have to pay me for that… uh… ah… Besides, I did it myself without your knowing. It's not like you asked for it, right?" he said.
Asiya stared at him. "…Right," she said, locking her phone.
She felt kinda relieved.
But the idea of owing him still made her uneasy.
Kian must have noticed because his smile softened slightly.
"Alright," he said. "If you feel that uneasy, then owe me a meal instead."
Asiya looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "A meal?"
Kian nodded. "Yeah. You're cooking."
Asiya hesitated, exhaling through her nose. "Wasn't it better if I'd just acted dumb?" she thought.
She didn't like the idea of being in debt to him, but compared to paying that ridiculous amount, this was the lesser evil.
"…Fine," she muttered.
Kian grinned. His smile hit like sunlight. "Looking forward to it."
Asiya exhaled, rolling her eyes. She was definitely making something spicy.
She looked at him. "Then why did you do it?"
"Haaa…what"
"You took all the trouble to do it. Why?"
"Well… you helped me, and I just wanted to return the favor."
Asiya shook her head and exhaled. "Kian, when I helped you, it wasn't because I wanted something in return."
Kian lowered his head. And before he could say anything—
"Thank you, by the way… we really had an amazing time."
Kian raised his head and smiled.
With that, she adjusted her bag, heading back home.
But just as she stepped past him, Kian called out—
"Wait."
She turned back. "What now?"
Kian held out his phone. "Your number."
Asiya blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Your phone number," Kian repeated. "You owe me a meal. Unless you want me knocking at your house again in the middle of the night?"
Asiya scowled. "You wouldn't."
Kian raised an eyebrow. "Try me."
Asiya groaned, muttering something under her breath. She grabbed his phone, quickly typing her number and then Slamming it back into his chest.
Kian trapped his fingers against the screen for a heartbeat too long "Thanks."
Asiya rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Now go."
Kian chuckled, stepping back. "See you later, Asiya."
Then he turned and walked away.
Asiya stood there, watching his retreating figure, still processing everything. she exhaled slowly, unsure if she felt more touched… or doomed.
Inside the house
The morning sun slipped through the curtains, landing in soft streaks across Sana's face. She scrunched her nose, groaned quietly, and turned to the side, only to be hit again by another ray of light sneaking through the gap in the window.
Defeated, she sat up.
She dragged herself to the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face, and blinked at her reflection a few times before grabbing the towel.
On her way back, she passed Asiya's door and hesitated. Maybe she was up too?
She knocked gently, then pushed the door open.
The room was empty. The bed neatly made. No sign of Asiya.
Sana blinked.
She stepped in a little. "Asiya?"
Nothing.
That was odd.
She backed out and made her way to her room again, walking straight to Yasmine's bed. She bent over her and whispered, "Yasmine."
Yasmine groaned, turning over.
Sana tugged at her blanket. "Yas. Did you see Asiya?"
"Mmh?" Yasmine half-opened one eye.
"She's not in her room," Sana said casually. "Did you see her?"
Yasmine sat up, rubbing her cheek. "No. Maybe she's in the bathroom?"
Sana shrugged. "No, I was there."
Their voices stirred the others.
Mira blinked awake, her voice groggy. "What's going on?"
"Asiya's not in her room," Sana repeated, a bit louder this time.
Farah rolled over, groaning. "Maybe she's out on a walk or something?"
Yasmine got up and walked to the window to open it wider, letting fresh air in. As she pulled the curtain back, her gaze landed on the garden below.
And she froze.
"…Um. Okay."
"What?" Sana asked.
Yasmine's finger pointed to the garden below, where a soft breeze ruffled the tree's leaves.
They all gathered at the window, peering down into the yard.
There stood Asiya in her loose hoodie, hair tied messily, standing face to face with someone. A tall figure with a cap on, holding a mask in his hand.
"Is that… Kian?" Sana whispered, squinting.
Mira and Farah joined in, dragging blankets behind them like sleepy ghosts.
"No way," Farah hissed. "That's him."
"I'm going out there," Mira said, already taking a step.
But Yasmine extended her arm sharply across the doorway. "No. Wait."
They all leaned harder toward the window, eyes wide.
Down below, Asiya seemed calm, speaking softly. Kian smiled, scratching the back of his neck. Then, slowly, he held out his phone. She looked at it. Hesitated. And typed.
The girls gasped.
"No. She didn't—" Mira clutched Sana's arm.
She did.
Farah leaned in. "Is she giving him her number?!"
Asiya gave a small nod. Kian met her eyes one last time, gave a slight bow, then walked away into the early morning light.
Asiya stood for just a second, took a breath, and turned back toward the house.
The girls scrambled. Feet thudding. Whispering panic.
By the time Asiya stepped inside, barefoot, and peaceful, all five girls were waiting in the hallway—arms crossed, eyes wide, lips pressed.
She got fazed. "Oh— you scared the hell out of me."
Yasmine: "EXPLAIN. NOW."
Farah crossed her arms. "You said nothing about this."
Mira threw her hands in the air. "ASIYA, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Sana got closer to her with a scary smile. "So… what happened?"
Asiya swallowed hard, hands in the air, backing up. "It's not a big deal, okay!!"
"NOT A BIG DEAL?!" the four of them shouted in unison.
Asiya winced. "Lower your voices!"
Yasmine shook her head. "No way. You better start talking."
Mira: "Yeah, why was he here? And what happened? Tell us from the very beginning."
Farah narrowed her eyes. "And don't even think about lying."
Asiya sighed, sitting down. "Fine."
"Before you guys came, I met him… by accident. He—"
"You accidentally met Kian?!" Mira cut in, her voice high-pitched. "Like, 'Oops, I tripped and landed in his arms' kind of accident?!"
Asiya groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Can you please let me explain?"
"Go ahead," Yasmine said, crossing her arms. "We're waiting."
Asiya took a deep breath. "He was running from fans and—"
The house exploded into chaos again.
"WAIT. WAS HE IN THIS HOUSE?!" Farah gasped.
Asiya hesitated. "…Yes."
Silence.
Then Sana's voice hit an even higher pitch. "AND YOU JUST LET HIM IN.."
"He was about to leave! I was going to let him go, but then—" Asiya hesitated.
"But then?" Yasmine pressed.
Asiya sighed. "His stomach growled."
Dead silence.
Then all four cousins BURST into laughter.
"You FED him?!" Mira wheezed.
"Oh my God," Sana clutched her stomach.
Asiya crossed her arms, feeling her face heat up. "He was hungry!"
Yasmine wiped a tear.
Sana leaned in. "And then?"
Asiya hesitated. "…Then he left."
Farah narrowed her eyes. "That's IT?"
"Yes!" Asiya insisted.
The four of them exchanged glances.
"We don't believe you," Yasmine finally said.
"Yeah," Mira nodded. "You're hiding something."
"Why did you give him your number?"
"And why was he here from the very beginning? "
Asiya sighed. This is going to be a LONG night.