Peach and Leah waited what felt like an eternity.
Time stretched cruelly inside the club, bending around the low lights and slow music, every second heavier than the last. Shriya sat slumped between them, her skin flushed, her breathing uneven, heat rolling off her body in waves that no amount of ice or cold drinks could tame.
She was slipping.
And fast.
"What's taking her so long?" Peach snapped, pacing a tight line across the floor. Her jaw was clenched, hands opening and closing like she was ready to fight the air itself.
Leah didn't answer immediately. She was watching Shriya—watching the way her fingers twitched, the way her eyes fluttered half-open, unfocused.
"Maybe she isn't coming," Leah said finally, her voice quieter than she intended.
Shriya heard them.
She hated that she did.
Her thoughts were fractured, drifting in and out like broken signals, but that sentence cut through clearly. Maybe she isn't coming.
A sharp ache bloomed in her chest.
She didn't want MK to see her like this—weak, burning, unraveling in public. The memory of MK's voice from before still echoed painfully in her head. The way she had dismissed her. The way she hadn't even hesitated.
And yet…
Despite everything, a small, stubborn part of her hoped MK would come anyway.
"Damn it," Peach muttered suddenly. "I don't know what the hell the side effects are, but I'm calling someone."
She stormed off, phone already pressed to her ear, leaving Leah alone to steady Shriya as her body sagged forward.
Minutes later, Peach returned—this time with two people trailing behind her. A man and a woman. Both strangers. Both uncertain.
"Leah," Peach whispered urgently, pulling her aside. "Who do you think should be with her?"
Leah glanced at Shriya, whose eyes were barely open now. "I don't know," she admitted. "Let her choose."
Peach shook her head sharply. "She can't. She's burning up. She's already past safe."
As if summoned by the words, Shriya stirred weakly.
"Peach… Leah…" she murmured, her voice thin and trembling. "Please… don't let me cheat on her."
Both women froze.
Peach stared at her like she'd been slapped. "How can you still think about her?" she snapped, panic bleeding into anger. "You know I heard—it can cause death if—"
She stopped herself.
Couldn't finish.
"I want her to be my last," Shriya whispered. Her voice cracked, pain leaking through the haze. "Please… I'm begging you."
Her skin was blazing now, her body shaking uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry, Shriya," Peach said hoarsely. "I'm not watching you die. You can hate me if you want."
She turned to the two strangers. "Go ahead."
No one moved.
The silence was sharp.
Then Shriya lifted her hand.
Somehow—no one saw how—she was holding a gun. Her grip was unsteady, the angle wrong, but the threat was unmistakable.
"No one comes closer," she warned, slurring slightly. "I mean it."
Hands went up. Instinct took over. Everyone stepped back.
Shriya staggered toward her car, every step a fight against gravity. She climbed inside, slammed the door shut, and locked it.
"Damn it," she hissed, fumbling with her clothes, tearing at fabric as she cranked the AC to its highest setting.
It wasn't enough.
The car felt like a sealed box. The air thick. Suffocating.
Her chest tightened.
"Shriya! Shriya!"
That voice.
Her heart jumped.
MK.
MK was pounding on the window, desperation etched across her face. "Shrii, open the door!"
Shriya reached for the lock. Missed it. Tried again. Her fingers were clumsy, disconnected from her mind.
Darkness surged up fast.
MK slammed her fist against the glass again and again, panic breaking her composure completely. "Shrii! Shrii!"
Her skin split. Blood smeared across the window.
Leah came running with something heavy and smashed the glass.
"Shrii, wake up," MK sobbed, pulling her close, shaking. "I'm here. I'm sorry. Please."
A small crowd had gathered now.
"Hospital," someone said urgently.
They covered Shriya with a jacket, shielding her from prying eyes, and helped her into MK's car.
"MK…" Shriya murmured as cold air hit her face. Her eyes fluttered open for a second. "You came."
MK shut the door firmly before anyone else could climb in. "I'll take it from here."
She drove like the city owed her answers.
Red lights blurred past. Speed limits became meaningless.
"Take me home," Shriya whispered weakly.
"You need a doctor," MK replied, voice tight.
"I just need a cold shower."
The alcohol was leaving her system, but the fire wasn't. Her body shook violently now, teeth chattering despite the heat radiating from her skin.
MK pulled over abruptly.
"You won't make it ," MK said, turning toward her. "Let me help you."
She leaned in.
"No," Shriya whispered. "Please… just drive."
"I'm not doing this for you," MK said, gently pinning Shriya's trembling hands to her sides.
Shriya tried to push her away—tried to fight—but the resistance dissolved the moment their lips met.
The kiss wasn't gentle. It was desperate. Hungry. Full of everything unsaid.
MK broke away first, gasping. "That drug should be illegal," she muttered breathlessly. She could barely keep up"I need… a second."She leaned back, chest heaving, sweat dripping , Shriya was still just as high.
MK restarted the engine.
They were only minutes from the apartment.
Shriya watched her through half-lidded eyes.
"Maybe you should get me a man," she murmured faintly.
The car stopped so suddenly their heads bumped forward.
"What?" MK stared at her, horror flooding her face. "You want someone else?"
"No," Shriya said softly, reaching out to touch the cut on MK's neck. "I don't want you to suffer because of me."
"You promised I'd be your last," MK said quietly.
"And I meant it," Shriya whispered. "I'd rather die than be with anyone else. I love you so damn much."
MK swallowed hard.
At the apartment, Shriya stumbled inside ahead of her, refusing help, gripping walls and furniture to stay upright.
"Shrii, wait."
Inside, she moved blindly toward the bathroom.
"You can leave now," Shriya said weakly. "I'll be fine."
MK pulled her back gently, pinning her against the wall. Their eyes locked—"its me," MK whispered,everything unresolved crashing between them in that instant.
Shriya kissed her, letting her know she could continue.
MK guided her to the bed, placing a steady hand over Shriya's chest, feeling the frantic heartbeat beneath her palm.
Proof.she was still hers.
"Thank you," MK whispered.
And for a moment, the world dissolved.