Unexpected Lines.

The Missing Piece.

It was strange. Too strange. But also... not bad.

"Thought you said you were indestructible," Leah teased, sipping her latte.

Kaia groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "I never said that. I said unstoppable. Totally different. Even unstoppable people get hangovers."

Leah chuckled, and Kaia caught herself staring just a second too long before quickly looking away.

The bell above the café door jingled. Kaia barely glanced up-until she spotted the unmistakable trio.

"Alba."

Alba turned at her name, dark sunglasses sliding down her nose. For a second she looked like a deer in headlights, then she pointed at Kaia and let out a laugh-hoarse, weak, but genuine.

Kaia smirked, lifting her sunglasses just enough to reveal her bloodshot eyes. "At least I'm not the only one feeling like shit."

That broke Alba completely. She staggered to their table for balance, laughing before retreating back toward Eli and Alexia. "Touché."

Kaia chuckled, shaking her head, but she didn't miss the way Alba kept glancing back with a smirk like she knew something.

And she wasn't the only one.

Every so often, Kaia felt it-eyes on her. Alexia's sharp, assessing stare. Eli's softer, more contemplative gaze. All three of them seemed to notice something between her and Leah. Maybe it was the way Leah leaned in when Kaia spoke, or how Kaia laughed easier around her than she had in... she couldn't even remember how long.

But Kaia ignored it. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of asking.

Instead, she leaned back in her chair, tapping her sunglasses back into place, and said with a smirk, "Bet you're regretting dragging me here now, huh?"

Leah's lips twitched into that quiet smile again. "Not even close."

Kaia looked away quickly, heart skipping in a way that had nothing to do with caffeine or alcohol.

Steph's voice broke the hum of the café.
"So that's where you are..."

Kaia blinked, halfway through a sip of water. Steph stood at their table, brows raised. "With Leah? I didn't know you two knew each other like this."

Kaia shrugged, casual. "We didn't."

Leah, unfazed, smirked softly. "Until now."

Steph narrowed her eyes playfully, but it didn't quite reach her smile. She ordered a coffee and slid into the seat beside them, leaning an elbow on the table. "So... what shall we talk about?"

Silence.

Kaia caught Alba across the café, grinning like she'd just heard the juiciest gossip. Kaia bit down on a laugh, shaking her head, but when Steph followed her line of sight, her whole demeanor shifted. Playfulness gone. Shoulders tight, eyes sharp.

Steph turned back to Kaia with that restrained, unreadable expression.

"We need something to talk about, guys. Come on. Think of something."

Kaia shrugged, blurting without thinking, "I kinda want to find out who my father is."

Steph choked on her coffee, coughing so loudly half the café turned. Leah frowned, confused, waiting for Kaia to go on.

Kaia leaned forward, more earnest now. "Mum never told me anything about him when I was younger. And I didn't have the choice then-I was a kid. I've always wanted to find him, but... it feels like there's this piece missing, you know?"