𝕕𝕖𝕗𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕟𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕤

The way Cristina deflected with humor made her wonder if there was something deeper going on. Parents and their expectations—she knew that story all too well. "At least you're avoiding the family dinners. My mom and dad are never around." She honestly couldn’t remember the last she’d seen them. But as always, she brushed the sad situation aside. "And hey, being single isn't a failure. It's called having standards." The snack strategy talk brought a smile to her face—trust her friend to turn popcorn throwing into tactical warfare. "That's a bold claim. I might need video evidence." A small part of her wanted to push further about what was really bothering her friend, but she recognized the need for space. Sometimes the best support was just being there, sharing stupid jokes about musicals and planning snack-based attacks on tone-deaf singers. "Come on, let's go grab those overpriced snacks. I hear nachos calling my name."

Tahiry knew exactly which buttons to push, and that dating app comparison? Too real. "Listen, some of us appreciate a man who follows traffic laws," she said, trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably. The Kawasaki thing still sucked—burying herself in paperwork didn't make it any less real, but she wasn't ready to deal with that yet. Her friend's obvious worry made her throat tight. But damn if talking about Pearce didn't make everything brighter. "You know what's scary? I actually do light up about him. Even when he's driving exactly at the speed limit and using his turn signal a full block in advance." She snorted at the billboard suggestion, already imagining it. "Okay, but the billboard better have his perfect parallel parking form on it. That's the real flex." Her eyes crinkled with amusement. "And don't even get me started on his impeccable three-point turn technique."

Ariya's sides hurt from containing her laughter at this whole situation. The mental image of Jazz—their resident drama king—reviewing a formal written apology by his special corner sent her into another spiral of giggles. "Displaying the apology in his personal viewing area? That's some premium diplomatic strategy," she said, already planning to demand updates on how this peace offering went down. His self-awareness about sleep almost triggered her full doctor lecture mode. "You'll need calligraphy for this one. And don't forget to include your new sleep schedule promises—Jazz has probably learned all about healthy boundaries from his soap marathon sessions." She managed to suppress her medical instincts, barely. "You know what though, organized sock drawers beat waking up to find he's alphabetized your entire Netflix queue as revenge."

Normally she would have heard a witty comment from her friend, but the silence was deafening at this point as she looked over at Ariya with half concern and half curiosity. “W-what?” she blurted out in disbelief. Although she heard of such illness, she didn’t know the severity of it and based on her friend’s demeanour, it looked and sounded serious. Frowning, she tried not to express any sort of pity as that was probably the last thing the other woman would have wanted. Although Kimberly felt sympathy of the sort, she also knew that her friend needed someone to simply listen. “I’m sorry to hear that Ariya…And I do understand why you would push everyone way. However…” As her voice trailed off, a gentle smile crept onto her lips as she lightly bumped shoulders with her and said, “It sounds like doing all that is hurting more than it should...It's not easy, no? Especially when it goes to show how people like Pearce, hell even myself would go the whole way with you. If you don't mind me asking, what good does it do to push people away?"

Kim's questions crashed through Ariya's emotional force field like it wasn't even there. Out came the truth. Kawasaki Disease: The Unwanted Sequel. She'd been playing this solo mission impossible game, handling everything like she was the only player on the board. But Kim's worry stripped away all that pretense. Seriously, who got dealt this card twice? It's like the universe playing a really bad practical joke. That bump from her friend's shoulder created this crazy moment where crying and laughing seemed like equally good options. The question about self-isolation pinballed around in her head. She'd sold herself this story about being the noble protector, keeping everyone safe from her drama. But Kim's truth bomb exploded that whole theory. Going all lone wolf was backfiring spectacularly. "It doesn't do any good," she admitted, dropping the act completely. "I guess I figured if I controlled when people left, it would suck less. But watching Pearce refuse to give up on me…" The waves caught her attention, their steady rhythm matching her thoughts. "Maybe I'm tired of being the one who always walks away first."

She had to admit, Cristina’s love for Wicked was contagious. She wasn’t sure what was funnier—the idea of them armed with popcorn as anti-sing-along ammunition or the fact that Cristina promised not to join in. “Good,” she said, her tone teasing. “If you start belting out ‘Popular,’ I’m leaving you to fend for yourself.” Thinking about someone trying to sing better than Idina or Kristin in a theater was both a nightmare and hilarious. Chocolate and popcorn sounded like a solid plan, though. “Fine, but if we’re throwing popcorn, I’m aiming for accuracy. No wasted snacks.” She didn’t even want to think about how overpriced everything would be—she’d just pretend it was Monopoly money and move on. “Let’s just hope Elphaba’s green glory is worth the financial ruin.—Alright, now that we’ve got things sorted, you need to tell me what’s been up with you lately.”

"you know what they say," ember started, "good things come to those who wait. you seemed to have waited for pearce and he found you right in time." she smiled. it was good to see her so happy. "i know what you mean though. you meet a guy that treats you better than you could have ever imagined and you don't really know how to act. that's how i am with irza but you know what? i think that what's meant to be, will be." and everything seemed to fall into place since her shift in relationship with irza. "you won't mess anything up. that man loves you and i think anyone who sees the way he looks at you would see that."

Ariya had listened to Ember’s words, letting them settle in like a puzzle piece she hadn’t realized was missing. It was a saying for a reason, wasn’t it? She smiled, amused by how neatly it all seemed to fit. “I didn’t think it would ever happen for me,” she admitted, her thoughts dipping into the chaos she used to call her love life. “I’m always the hookup kind, but he just came in and ruined all my plans.” The corners of her mouth twitched, finding the irony hilarious. Ember's confidence in her relationship with Pearce was like a breath of fresh air. She needed it, badly. “You’re probably right. What’s meant to be, will be. Guess I just have to stop overthinking it.”

The laugh bubbled out of Ariya before she could stop it, because seriously? Tahiry's play-by-play of Pearce's alleged Fast and Furious audition was too much. Her mouth twitched upward as she tried—and failed—to keep a straight face. "Alright, fine, he's not exactly perfect," she managed between lingering chuckles. "But you're being dramatic. He's just…organizationally motivated about his driving." She tilted her head, wearing her most innocent expression, like that somehow made her ridiculous defense sound better. But there was no denying that her friend’s reaction to her illness had knocked something loose inside her chest, terrifying and absolutely impossible to ignore. It wasn’t pity—thankfully, she hated pity—but the concern was unmistakable. “Yeah, Kawasaki’s back,” she said, almost casual. “It’s rare, but you know me—always aiming to be one in a million.” She paused, then added, “Work’s fine. Keeps me busy, which is probably a good thing.” Her smile softened at her friend’s last comment. "So I'm goals now? Well, that's going straight to the trophy case."

“This is true,” she grinned at her friend with a shrug. They both really did have a very strange sense of humour but it worked for them and she appreciated her friend so much for getting it and connecting with her on it. "Alright come on—we can do this and well…I don’t work with you, so I’ll mention it as much as I want, thanks.” She grinned at her friend before heading inside, trying to handle it with bravado but she’d absolutely emptied that can of silly string inside every single time something had jumped out at her. As soon as they were outside though she had to laugh in exasperation almost before shaking her head. “Gross Ari, it wasn’t that bad, especially his make up—it was peeling off his face, poor guy. The silly string can't have helped there." As they both continued their walk around the fest she found herself glad to see her friend feeling better and being able to enjoy this time of year.

Ar had to physically clamp her hand over her mouth to stop from cackling. A sock-sorting revenge plot? This dog wasn't just smart—he was evil genius territory, and she was completely obsessed. "Here's the thing—and don't take this personally—but Jazz has definitely got us beat in the brains department." She wiggled her eyebrows. "Also, hate to break it to you, but those treats are like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Better practice your 'I'll never choose Excel sheets over you again' speech. That dog's got standards now, thanks to his soap opera addiction." She paused, smirking to herself. “And don’t forget to actually sleep after. Jazz doesn’t need a sleep-deprived owner on top of everything else.”

he smiled slightly as she complimented the soup. That was the nicest thing she’d said to him in days, which he managed to find comforting. Pearce missed the way they used to be but he also knew how much she was going through and so he couldn’t ask her to act like herself, especially when she really didn’t want him around in the first place. He didn’t think about it too much, especially since it did hurt his feelings to know that she’d rather push him away than lean on him. “You’re welcome. There’s more than enough of that soup to last you a couple of days.” He figured she wouldn’t want him here every day anyways.

"Thanks," she said quietly, unsure how to respond. Ari couldn't bring herself to keep being mean to him, even though part of her still wanted to push him away for his own good. As infuriating as he could be, she loved him, though she couldn't bring herself to tell him. She listened as Pearce explained what he'd researched about Kawasaki Disease. Despite her efforts to push him away, she felt herself softening at his words. It was becoming difficult to maintain her cold facade when he'd clearly put so much effort into understanding her condition.

he didn't mean to push her into an uncomfortable conversation but the two had never really discussed her family before and so he just wanted to make sure that he got to know her in every way. after all, why wouldn't he want to? he figured getting to know her now was better than never, especially considering the fact that he was going to be spending the rest of his life with her. after ordering their food and making their ways to the table, he couldn't help but to chuckle at how she very obviously was enjoying the burger in front of her. he took a bite of his own sandwich and peered at hers in disbelief. "i don't know. you know how i am with spice. it never agrees with me."

She stared at her food, using it as a distraction from the painful memories that surfaced. Ari didn't like talking about her parents. The divorce had been tough and once it was finalized, it felt like all of them went different directions. She never truly knew if either of them loved her. The meal they shared acted like the best buffer for her. This way, she didn't have to answer his hard questions. "I'm hurt that you don't believe me." She pretended to sniffle. "But fine, be that way. You're the one missing out." She turned and took another bite, moaning as the delicious flavors danced in her taste buds. For a moment, her eyes focused on the table between them, fingers playing with the wrapper of her burger. “You’re missing out,” she sing-songed, her eyes dancing with mischief.

"On sand? Oh, please, go so easy on me. I hate sand." Soren admitted playfully, though it was true, she could definitely handle it. Especially because surfing sounded like it was very fun. "Sounds like a plan then, I can't wait to meet him. He's not your therapist anymore though, right?" Soren shrugged at her best friend's question though, not entirely sure of how to answer that. "Things are...weird. We may or may not ended up making out like crazy when we got stuck in a elevator months ago? During the blackout in town. It's been strange and he's dealing with some personal things as well so we haven't really talked about us yet."

Ariya let out a small laugh at Soren's sand aversion. She got it—sand was annoying, but it beat face-planting into waves. "Sand is better than water when you're starting out. Trust me." The question about Pearce shifted her mood. "No, he's not my therapist anymore. We ended that months ago." The elevator story caught her attention. It was so cheesy, she had to give her friend a hard time about it. "You got stuck in an elevator and decided to recreate Grey's Anatomy?" She smiled, imagining the scene. "You know what they say about blackouts bringing people together. Though maybe wait until he sorts out his stuff before jumping back in?" While she didn't want the other to get hurt, she still wanted to be there for her. "But seriously, that's straight out of a TV show."

"Ari.." Her voice was soft, barely more than a whisper as she processed the diagnosis. The timeline. All while she took in the sight of Ariya. Far too much had happened over the last few weeks. And as all of the information shifted through her mind, she'd sat there silently in an attempt to make sense of it all. "How are you?" Was all she finally had to ask, the only question on her mind while her eyes held her friends gaze. A soft smile rooting on her lips. "Because he loves you. It's what you do when you love someone. And despite how you may feel right now, you're not a mess." Contrary to her low tone, the weight of her words hung between. "Don't say that. You can't really think that.."

Ariya peered at Nicole, hating the concern in her friend's expression. "Don't. Don't look at me like that. I'm fine," she said, though the lie tasted bitter on her tongue. She'd gotten used to deflecting, to pushing people away when things turned dark. But her friend's questions made the walls crack. "I'm managing. The treatments are brutal but I'm still working. Still living." She paused, considering the words about Pearce. It scared her how much truth rang in them—how someone saw past her defenses to love her anyway. "You make it sound simple. But I've spent years being the sick girl, watching people walk away when it got too hard. It changes you." A sad smile crossed her face as she met her friend's gaze. "And I am a mess—but still worth loving according to Pearce. Maybe you're right. Maybe that's okay."

She stared at LT, grateful for his attempt at humor despite the heavy conversation. She'd been carrying this burden for weeks now, pushing away everyone who cared about her. His words about red being his color made her want to laugh and cry at once. "Yeah, I've been giving Pearce hell," she admitted, hating how true that statement was. "I tried to break up with him, actually. But he won't let me." She shook her head, still amazed by his stubborn refusal to give up on her. "He says he loves me too much to walk away, even with all this." It hurt to talk about it, to acknowledge how much she'd been hurting him with her distance. "I know I shouldn't push people away. It's just—what if I don't make it this time? I don't want anyone to watch me die."

“Happiness does look good on everyone, yes but since we’re friends—it does look a little better on you, in my very biased opinion.” Shivani informed her closest friend with a chuckle before offering the silly string as a better defence than the cotton candy which in her opinion was just a waste of a perfectly good treat. “Perfect,” she grinned at the other before nodding and leading Ariya towards the stall to purchase some more even though she didn’t think her friend could possibly spray herself when they were meant to be defending themselves. “Okay let's go,” she said, armed at the ready to enter in those haunted house—truly trying to accept the mindset of wanting to be scared. 

She felt her face grow warmer at Shivani's sweet words about happiness looking better on her. "Agreed, and you're definitely biased, probably because we share the same terrible sense of humor," she teased back. The haunted house stood before them, and despite her earlier bravado about the cotton candy defense system, she gripped the silly string cans like a lifeline. "Okay, but if I scream, nobody mentions it at work tomorrow." She followed her friend inside, trying to channel her inner horror movie survivor. The next twenty minutes proved both terrifying and hilarious as they sprayed silly string at every costumed actor who dared jump out. When they finally emerged, she doubled over laughing, tears in her eyes. "That was fun. That guy with the chainsaw nearly made me wet myself, though."

Nazli was curious to know what she knew and whether or not it had come from the cat's mouth itself. She was getting the impression that it had, or maybe his body language, or some shift in him that was telling to his friend. "Does he normally jinx it?" What she meant to ask was whether he jinxed it on purpose or did things just end badly for him normally. The latter was the case for her it seemed. Naz hid her smile but she was doing a bad job and dipped her head because she couldn't help the way her stomach jumped at the thought of having him return some of the same feelings. "He does? Maybe you should convince him that he should share those feelings because I know that he's into me but I don't know just how much." It didn't matter because she was enjoying the ride but she was curious to know if he ever would admit it to her. "I'll let you know but I'm hoping he won't. —I do also like him, by the way."

Ariya understood Ryat's defense mechanisms all too well, she too had a tough time processing her emotions until Pearce came along. "It's less about jinxing and more about protecting himself. We’re both alike. We tend to bail when things get real," she said, keeping it real while respecting his privacy. The conversation with Nazli made her want to shake some sense into Ryat—in a way that wouldn’t cause brain damage, of course. "Oh god, he'd kill me if he knew I was telling you this, but yeah. Plus, you can just see the way he light up when he talks about you," she admitted, thinking how refreshing it was to see her best friend so invested. She knew pushing him would backfire spectacularly. "He's definitely into you. A lot. But he needs to come to terms with it himself first. If I try to force it, he'll probably do something stupid like ghost everyone for a week.—I know you do. And between us? I think you're exactly what he needs."