red string | jay

four

ina dragged herself out of her section's floor, she checked the time, it was past midnight.

"damn," she muttered to herself, she hadn't expected to work for this late.

she realized that she was the only one left in the office and sighed once again.

"i guess i have become a corporate slave after all," she said as she walked to the elevator.

ina didn't expect to see anyone outside the elevator at that hour.
but there he was.
jay.

slouched against the wall, legs stretched out, scrolling aimlessly on his phone. the dim blue glow lit up his face — jaw clenched, brows drawn, like he was either tired or thinking too much. probably both.

she stood there for a second, unsure if she should interrupt. but before she could decide, he looked up — and caught her staring.

his eyes widened slightly, like he didn't expect her to be there, though it was very obvious he'd been waiting.

"what're you still doing here?" ina asked, voice quiet, almost cautious.

jay got to his feet, slipping his phone into his pocket. he shrugged, dusting off his jeans

"figured you'd still be working. it's past midnight, y'know."

she squinted at him. "you were waiting for me?"

he tilted his head like the question amused him, but didn't answer right away.
"your mom asked me to check if you made it to your car."

she crossed her arms, calling the bluff instantly. "liar. she didn't."

his lips twitched — almost a smile. "maybe i just didn't want to read about you becoming a missing person on one of those crime shows your parents watch."

"so dramatic," ina muttered, shaking her head, but her voice was softer now.
there was a pause. not awkward. just... still.

"you really didn't have to wait," she said after a beat.

"i know," he replied, eyes meeting hers. "but i did."

she blinked, caught off guard for a second.

he looked away first. "let's go, boss lady. i'm tired and cranky and i still have to walk you to your car."

ina rolled her eyes but didn't argue. as they stepped into the elevator, neither of them said much — but the silence wasn't heavy. it was quiet in the way that makes your chest feel warm, even when you're too proud to admit it.

after a quiet drive home, ina walked into the living room to find her parents sprawled out on the couch, fully engrossed in yet another true crime documentary.

"seriously, you both need to stop watching those," she said, slipping off her shoes and plopping onto the side couch.

her mother didn't even look away from the screen. "did you eat or are you starving yourself again?"

ina sighed and shook her head.

"come, i'll heat up dinner. but go change first," her mom said, already getting up.

ina mumbled a tired "okay" and headed to her room to change into comfier clothes. when she returned, her mother was plating up a warm meal while her dad sat at the dining table, eyes glued to his phone.

"thank you, my stomach is literally yelling for food," ina said as she eagerly slurped a spoonful of soup.

"you can't keep missing meals like this," her dad said without looking up. "let me meet your boss and give her a piece of my mind."

ina chuckled. "it's fine, dad. i actually enjoy working."

she paused and turned to her mom. "also, what the heck? please don't have jay wait for me again. i'm literally a grown adult."

her mom furrowed her brows, confused. "what? i didn't ask anyone to wait for you though."

ina blinked. "huh? he told me you asked him to."

her mom just shrugged. "he's a sweet boy, ina. you're always unnecessarily mean to him."

her dad chimed in, "you only say that because he's nice to you both," ina said, pointing her spoon at him.

her mom gave her a knowing little smirk. "i mean... he did wait for you and made sure you got home safe, didn't he? doesn't that make him just a little sweet?"

ina groaned. "i guess," she muttered before changing the subject entirely.

ina tossed in her bed, the blanket twisted around her legs, sleep nowhere close.

it wasn't the soup. or the stress.
it was... him.

jay.

the image of him leaning against that wall, waiting — like it wasn't a big deal — kept replaying in her mind on loop.

she could still picture the way his expression softened the moment he saw her. not in an obvious way. just enough to notice if you knew him well.
and she did.

she'd called him out. told him she knew their mom hadn't asked him to wait. he hadn't denied it.

"but i did," he'd said.

those three words echoed in her head like a dumb romcom voiceover.
ina groaned into her pillow.

"ugh, why did he even wait?" she muttered.

he annoyed the hell out of her on a regular basis. made fun of her mismatched socks, called her 'angry bird' at least three times a week.

it reminded her of that time when they were twelve — the scraped knee, the crying, the bandages — and how he'd gone right back to teasing her the next day like it hadn't even happened.

"he always does this," she muttered again. "random acts of weird kindness followed by total jackassery."

she sighed, flipping her pillow to the cooler side.

maybe she was reading into it too much. maybe it really meant nothing.
but a small part of her — the one she tried to shut up most of the time — kind of hoped it did.

just a little.