"Alright, calm your ass down. We can talk about this later." Cate remarked, quickly striding past Mia toward the exit of the airport.
"How am I supposed to calm down?!" Mia shot back, hurrying to catch up with Cate. "What did you mean by that? When did this happen? How? What the fuck?"
"See, I should've not told you early."
"No, tell me now. You met her and--"
"Later, Mia..."
"Oh my god, so she's really here? All a long, she's hiding in Germany?!"
Cate took another measured sigh, her eyes reflecting a mix of patience and understanding. She halted her steps and turned to face Mia, acknowledging the weight of the situation. "Mia, darling, breathe," Cate urged gently, "It's a lot to process, I know, but let's find a proper place first then I'll tell you everything, alright?"
Mia's eyes widened in disbelief, her frustration was evident as she struggled to process the information Cate had just dropped.
"Y/n's back and you didn't tell me sooner... How could you take this calmly?" Mia retorted, "Is that why you went here alone? Did you know she's here before--"
"What?" Cate interrupted, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I understand your frustration but, what is this? What are you trying to tell me?" Cate's gaze never left Mia, trying to study her sudden accusation, "I never expected to see her, Mia. I only found out she's here the day I thought you're coming with my boys," Cate told her with the same expression, "I went here for my job, I mentioned that to you, didn't I?... Besides, what would I get if keep her from you?"
Mia's expression shifted from frustration to a momentary realization. "Right, fine, okay..." she uttered, her voice became a bit softer. "But that's the reason why you've been bugging me since then, right?"
Cate nodded a little, "It is indeed important." She sighed and softly gave her a faint smile of understanding, "Look, we're both tired and this conversation won't go any good if we're both on edge," Cate suggested, gesturing toward the exit. "Let's head home, get settled, and we'll talk about this properly, alright?"
"Yeah, okay. Sorry for freaking out," She admitted, "...But I'm not sorry for being mad because that's all I could feel right now. You can't stop me."
Cate hailed a cab once they got outside, they both got in, and a moment there was silence, the sound of the busy streets filled the void between them. The blonde can't stop thinking about her conversation with Y/n a while ago, and Mia was still grappling with the sudden news. Then, Mia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, unable to bear the weight of the unanswered questions any longer.
Finally, unable to contain herself, Mia broke the silence. "Can't take it anymore, how did you--How?" Mia blurted out as she eagerly face Cate, "When did you see her?"
Cate sighed, knowing there was no avoiding the conversation now. She leaned back in her seat, contemplating how much she should reveal to Mia.
"In the movie theater," Cate began, "Honestly, I still don't know what happened there. It was the most sudden thing, I couldn't comprehend what exactly--"
"Yeah, yeah, you're happy to see her, but I need actual details."
Cate gave her a look, "I didn't say I am... But, well, it doesn't mean I'm not."
Mia rolled her eyes, "Your face says otherwise," she replied. "Continue, what actually happened?"
"I saw her, and well... it might sound cliché, but everything stopped," She smiled, "Y/n was just standing there, popped up as if she's been there the whole time," Cate recounted, her voice softened at the mention of her name, "She's actually with someone else, two young girls, I think. Though, the other looks exactly like her..."
Mia gasped, "Don't tell me that's her daughter?!"
Cate laugh softly at Mia's reaction. "No, no, definitely not her daughter," she clarified, shaking her head from her friend's reaction. She shrugged and added, "Maybe they don't look the same, I could be wrong too."
Mia let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god for that," she said, "I don't think I could handle it anymore if I find out she has a daughter all of a sudden."
"Come on, the girls looks half of her age, that would be impossible!" Cate replied with a chuckle, "Besides, I doubt Y/n would keep something like that from us."
"But, what happened after? What did you do, then? Did she saw you?"
"I just looked, observed her as long as I could," Cate continued. "Then, she saw me." Her expression softened, a flicker of sadness crossing her features. "And Mia, her reaction... it was like she'd seen a ghost. The look in her eyes... it's something I'll never forget."
Mia leaned in carefully, "And I bet she..."
Cate nodded, "She ran away, yes. Just like that." Cate's voice took on a somber tone, her eyes distant as she recounted the painful memory. "I tried to approach her, to reassure her that everything was okay," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "But before I could even take a step, they were gone. Disappeared completely... Wrong move, that's on me."
"...But why?" Mia asked in confusion, "Even you tell her it's okay, she won't believe you. I mean, actually for me, none of this were fine. Knowing her, I think she will keep running."
"What do you mean?" Cate question her back, "So you're saying, this is nonsense?"
She shook her head, "No, I'm just saying... I don't know what I'm saying." Mia sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "This whole situation is...fuck, I just wanna--" She makes a fist and look at Cate with a scrunched nose, "You know?"
Cate continued listening to Mia's rants, a mixture of sympathy and understanding in her eyes. If she could put herself in her shoes, she knows that this would also what she's going to feel under the situation. The rest of the ride was filled with Cate trying to catch Mia up on everything that had happened over the weekend. She recounted the events with as much detail as she could muster, things she haven't told anyone yet.
When they finally arrived at the hotel, Mia's room turned out to be on the same floor as Cate's. They both decided to hangout on Mia's room, settling in for the evening. Dinner was served, and they dug in eagerly, exchanging stories and catching up on each other's lives.
The atmosphere was light and relaxed, filled with laughter and easy conversation. Their bond wasn't actually like this before, the two only bonds when Y/n was still around until... she wasn't anymore. Yet, still, they found solace in each other's company, bridging the gap that had formed in Y/n's absence.
"So like, you haven't tried opening this yet?" Mia asked, holding up Y/n's phone in her hand.
Cate took a sip of her drink before responding. "MJ, don't even try," she warned, shaking her head slightly. "You're gonna get it locked. I'll shove it up your ass if that happens."
Mia rolled her eyes playfully, unbothered by Cate's warning. "What's your favorite number?" she asked, tapping on the phone screen. "Anniversary? Your birthday?"
Cate laughed, amused by Mia's persistence. "And what made you think she's still going to use our anniversary?" she stated, raising an eyebrow at her friend.
"Funny for you to say that, you two never had anniversary," Mia replied with a smirk, tapping Y/n's birthday. She frowned when the phone didn't unlock as expected.
With that said, Cate snatched the phone from Mia and whispered, "Fuck you," making Mia laugh from what she did. "I'm serious, I don't know how will I explain to Y/n why her phone's security got breached."
Mia leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms in mock, "Fine, fine, I'll stop," she relented, "...But you know, you could just ask her."
Cate shot her a deadpan look. "Wow, genius idea," she remarked sarcastically. "I'm sure I could easily do that."
"Common, we might found something if we open that," She reasoned, "Besides, how can you be so sure she's not doing the same thing?"
Cate sighed along with a disapproved look. "Mia, you're not helping... And no, I highly doubt Y/n is going to try and hack into my phone."
Mia shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, you never know! She's very unpredictable... See? We didn't know she's going to leave us."
She chuckled softly at Mia's remark, shaking her head in amusement. "I love that you're making jokes about this, but I fear you'll do something dumb once you saw her," Cate said with a squinting eyes, observing her friend's reaction. When Mia only looked away, she added, "You know she doesn't know yet."
The atmosphere between them shifted. It became quiet, both being careful to open up about the topic. It was like a sudden cold breeze just walked inside the room.
"We don't know that," Mia finally said, yet she replied as cold as an ice. "She might already aware about it since then, she just chose--"
"Mia, darling, we can't assume anything," She interjected gently, her voice carrying a note of caution. "We don't know what she's been through, what she's thinking, or--"
"But how about us? What we've been through?" Mia met Cate's gaze, her eyes clearly reflecting her frustration over her friend, "You're actually lucky she told you she's leaving you. That's great for you... but me?" Mia shook her head, "No, obviously. You know what she did to me? She set me aside, Cate. Just me."
Cate observed Mia's expression, noting the tension that lingered between them. She knew Mia had been hurt by Y/n's departure just as much as she had, perhaps even more so. But like always, Mia kept her feelings hidden, a defense mechanism she had perfected over the years.
Yet, despite Mia's attempts to mask her emotions, Cate could see the pain in her eyes. It was a pain that mirrored her own, a pain that stemmed from the absence of someone they both cared deeply about.
"You're still going to talk to her, right?" Mia finally broke the silence, her voice barely above a whisper. There was a note of desperation in her tone, a plea for reassurance. "Just like the plan?"
Cate hesitated for a moment, her mind racing with conflicting thoughts and emotions. She knew she needed to talk to Y/n, to clear the air and finally address what she had missed. But at the same time, she wasn't sure if now was the right time.
"Of course," Cate replied after a beat, her voice was soft and doesn't look like she holds uncertainty, unsure about their situation anymore. Yet, she still gave her friend a firm smile, adding, "Once she's ready."
Mia smirked to herself, a sense of satisfaction washing over her. She knew Cate would always care for Y/n, no matter what. And deep down, she hoped Y/n won't lose this chance she only got.