Chapter Text
Four months sounded like a long time.
It wasn't.
Aokbab discovered this approximately three weeks after Rin's acceptance, when she opened the calendar on her phone and became personally offended by the passage of time.
“June?”
Rin looked up from where she sat stretching on Aokbab's bedroom floor.
“Yes.”
“It was April yesterday.”
“No, it wasn't.”
“Prove it.”
Rin smiled.
“That's not how time works.”
“Suspicious.”
Aokbab stared at the calendar.
August sat there.
Waiting.
University move-in.
Rin's name attached to it.
Aokbab had entered the date herself.
A terrible decision.
Now she could watch it approach.
Day.
By.
Day.
Rin tilted her head slightly.
“You're doing the quiet thing.”
Aokbab sighed.
“I hate that you know that.”
“You've become predictable.”
“Take it back.”
“No.”
Aokbab dropped her phone onto the bed.
Then looked toward Rin.
“Four months isn't four months anymore.”
Rin stopped stretching.
“No.”
“It's three.”
“Almost.”
Aokbab frowned.
“That's worse.”
Rin laughed softly.
Then reached her hand toward the bed.
Aokbab understood.
She slid down onto the floor beside her.
Rin found her hand.
Their fingers intertwined.
“We could spend the next three months being sad about August,” Rin said.
Aokbab leaned her head against the side of the mattress.
“That sounds efficient.”
“Or—”
“Oh no.”
“We could actually enjoy them.”
Aokbab looked toward her.
“Healthy coping?”
“Unfortunately.”
“I hate personal growth.”
Rin smiled.
“I know.”
Aokbab squeezed her hand.
Then—
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“No countdown.”
Rin raised an eyebrow.
“You literally have it in your calendar.”
“I'll emotionally ignore it.”
“That's not what I meant.”
“Best offer.”
Rin laughed.
Then leaned over and kissed Aokbab's cheek.
“Deal.”
—
So they stopped counting.
Mostly.
Instead—
They lived.
Rin trained.
Aokbab studied.
Rin prepared for nationals.
Aokbab finished her first semester.
Rin completed university paperwork.
Aokbab increased her volunteer hours.
They went on dates.
Real ones.
Normal ones.
Terrible ones.
One involved miniature golf.
Rin insisted on playing.
Aokbab immediately supported this decision.
Then regretted everything.
“You're cheating.”
Rin stood beside the fourth hole holding a golf club.
“I can't see.”
“That doesn't prevent crime.”
“I don't know where the hole is.”
“I told you.”
“You said slightly left.”
“It WAS slightly left.”
“You're terrible at directions.”
“I literally used to guide you while running.”
“Different skill.”
Aokbab stared.
Then Rin swung.
The ball traveled approximately six feet.
In the wrong direction.
There was silence.
Then—
“Did I get it?”
Aokbab looked toward the ball.
Then back at Rin.
“Yes.”
Rin immediately frowned.
“You're lying.”
“World record.”
Rin burst out laughing.
“Stop cheating!”
“I'm honoring Prim.”
“That is NOT what she meant.”
Aokbab laughed so hard she had to sit down.
They were asked to leave twenty minutes later.
Not because of Rin.
Because Aokbab accidentally hit a decorative windmill with the club while demonstrating “proper technique.”
They never returned.
—
They went to movies.
Aokbab learned to shut up during audio-described screenings.
Mostly.
Rin elbowed her twice.
They ate terrible food.
Spent afternoons doing absolutely nothing.
Rin sometimes studied university orientation materials while Aokbab worked on assignments.
They existed in the same room.
That became Aokbab's favorite thing.
Not dates.
Not races.
Not milestones.
Just—
Existing.
Rin asleep on her bed.
Aokbab studying at her desk.
Music playing quietly.
Two separate activities.
One shared space.
Ordinary.
Temporary.
Aokbab tried not to think about that last part.
—
Then nationals arrived.
Aokbab was more nervous than Rin.
Naturally.
“This is unacceptable.”
Rin stood beside her near the athlete entrance.
“What?”
“You're calm.”
“I'm not.”
“You look calm.”
“I've learned to hide things.”
“From me?”
“Never successfully.”
Aokbab smiled faintly.
Then looked around.
This stadium was enormous.
Athletes from everywhere.
Crowds.
Coaches.
Officials.
This was bigger than anything Rin had done before.
Aokbab felt terrified.
Rin?
Rin smiled.
“I can hear it.”
“What?”
“The track.”
Aokbab looked toward the lanes.
Runners warming up.
Shoes against the surface.
Starting blocks.
Whistles.
Voices.
Rin inhaled slowly.
“I love that sound.”
Aokbab looked at her.
And suddenly—
The fear disappeared.
Not completely.
But enough.
Because Rin belonged here.
Whether she won or lost.
Whether she placed first or last.
She had reached this place because she chose to run again.
That was enough.
Aokbab reached into her pocket.
“I have something.”
Rin immediately became suspicious.
“If it's another energy bar—”
“Rude.”
Aokbab took out Prim's stopwatch.
Rin froze.
“You brought it?”
“Obviously.”
Rin reached forward.
Aokbab placed it into her palm.
Her fingers traced the familiar scratches.
Then—
“No.”
Aokbab frowned.
“No?”
Rin held it back toward her.
“You keep it.”
Aokbab went still.
“Rin.”
“Today.”
Rin smiled softly.
“I want you to time me.”
Aokbab's throat tightened.
“Accurately?”
Rin laughed.
“Absolutely not.”
Aokbab smiled.
Then closed her fingers around the stopwatch.
“World record?”
“Minimum.”
They laughed.
Then Mali approached.
“Five minutes.”
Rin nodded.
There it was.
Time.
Always moving.
Aokbab stepped closer.
“You ready?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Rin groaned.
“I walked into that.”
“You did.”
Rin smiled.
Then reached up.
Her hands found Aokbab's face.
That gesture.
Still.
Always.
Her fingertips moved carefully across Aokbab's cheeks.
Her jaw.
The bridge of her nose.
Remembering.
Aokbab went completely still.
Then Rin smiled.
“There you are.”
The same words.
The bus station.
Homecoming.
A lifetime ago.
Aokbab leaned into her touch.
“Still me.”
“Good.”
Rin kissed her softly.
Then stepped away.
“See you after.”
Aokbab smiled.
“I'll be here.”
—
Rin did not win nationals.
She placed sixth.
A personal best.
Aokbab screamed like she'd won the Olympics.
Obviously.
Rin crossed the finish line.
Aokbab stopped the stopwatch approximately three seconds early.
Also obviously.
Then she looked at the official time.
Personal best.
Aokbab started crying.
Ridiculous.
She wiped her face aggressively.
“Stop.”
A woman beside her glanced over.
Aokbab pointed toward the track.
“My girlfriend.”
The woman smiled.
“She did well.”
Aokbab laughed through tears.
“She did.”
God.
She did.
—
Rin found her afterward.
Breathless.
Exhausted.
Happy.
Aokbab held up the stopwatch.
“World record.”
Rin burst out laughing.
“By how much?”
“Seven minutes.”
“Aokbab.”
“Dominant performance.”
Rin laughed harder.
Then Aokbab wrapped her arms around her.
Sixth place.
Nationally.
But that wasn't what Aokbab whispered.
“You ran.”
Rin's arms tightened around her.
“I ran.”
That was still the miracle.
Not medals.
Not rankings.
Running.
Choosing it.
Again.
And again.
Rin pulled back.
“I didn't win.”
Aokbab smiled.
“No.”
“I thought I'd be disappointed.”
“Are you?”
Rin thought.
Then smiled.
“No.”
Aokbab's chest warmed.
“What are you?”
Rin looked toward the sounds of the stadium.
Athletes.
Crowds.
Life.
Then—
“Hungry.”
Aokbab stared.
Rin grinned.
Aokbab burst out laughing.
“Of course.”
—
They celebrated with burgers.
Rin ate two.
Aokbab watched in horror.
“You're frightening.”
“National athlete.”
“Apparently that requires consuming an entire cow.”
“Protein.”
“That sounds scientific.”
“You're the college student.”
“So are you now.”
Rin paused.
Then smiled.
“Yeah.”
There it was.
The future.
Again.
Aokbab looked down.
Rin noticed.
“Hey.”
Aokbab looked up.
“No countdown.”
Right.
Their rule.
Aokbab smiled faintly.
“No countdown.”
Rin reached across the table.
Aokbab took her hand.
And they kept living.
—
July arrived anyway.
Rude.
Aokbab finished her semester with grades she once would've considered impossible.
She passed biology.
Passed anatomy.
Not perfectly.
But well.
She signed up for another semester.
She also met with an academic advisor about transferring eventually.
Occupational therapy remained the goal.
Maybe.
Possibly.
Something she wanted to keep exploring.
That was enough.
Rin started packing.
That was less fun.
Her bedroom slowly changed.
Boxes appeared.
Clothes disappeared from drawers.
University supplies accumulated.
Aokbab helped.
She hated every second.
But she helped.
One afternoon, she sat on Rin's floor holding a label maker.
“What goes in this box?”
“Books.”
Aokbab typed.
EMOTIONAL DAMAGE
Rin tilted her head.
“What did you label it?”
“Books.”
“You paused too long.”
“Books.”
“Aokbab.”
“Literature.”
Rin stood and found the box.
Her fingers traced the raised label.
Unfortunately—
The label maker had tactile print.
Rin read it.
Silence.
Then—
“Emotional damage?”
Aokbab ran.
Rin chased her.
Blind.
Through the apartment.
With shocking accuracy.
Aokbab was nearly murdered.
Worth it.
—
Then August arrived.
No permission.
No warning.
Just—
There.
The night before Rin left, they returned to the track.
Their track.
Lane one.
Of course.
They sat together beneath the stadium lights.
Aokbab held Prim's stopwatch.
Rin held Aokbab's hand.
Neither spoke for a long time.
Finally—
“I hate this,” Aokbab whispered.
Rin squeezed her hand.
“Me too.”
“I want you to go.”
“I know.”
“I also want to hide your luggage.”
Rin laughed softly.
“I know.”
Aokbab looked toward her.
“What if we're terrible at long distance?”
Rin thought.
“Then we'll learn.”
“What if we fight?”
“We apologize.”
“What if we miss each other?”
“We call.”
“What if we're busy?”
“We make time.”
Aokbab swallowed.
“And what if one day that isn't enough?”
Rin went quiet.
There.
The real fear.
The one neither could joke away.
Finally—
“Then we'll tell the truth.”
Aokbab's eyes filled.
Rin continued softly.
“We promised to keep choosing each other.”
“Yeah.”
“But choosing only means something if we're allowed not to.”
Oh.
That hurt.
But Aokbab understood.
Love couldn't become another obligation.
Another thing trapping them.
Rin reached toward her.
Aokbab guided Rin's hand to her face.
Rin smiled faintly.
“There you are.”
Aokbab closed her eyes.
“Still me.”
“Good.”
A tear slipped down Aokbab's cheek.
Rin felt it beneath her thumb.
She didn't wipe it away immediately.
Just held her.
Memorizing.
Not because she would forget Aokbab's face.
Because tomorrow—
She wouldn't be able to reach for it.
Not whenever she wanted.
“I love you,” Rin whispered.
Aokbab opened her eyes.
“I love you too.”
No forever.
No impossible promises.
Just true.
Now.
Aokbab placed Prim's stopwatch into Rin's hand.
“Take it.”
Rin shook her head.
“You keep it.”
“Rin.”
“I mean it.”
Aokbab froze.
Rin closed Aokbab's fingers around the stopwatch.
“My sister timed my first races.”
Her voice trem
bled.
“You timed the ones that brought me back.”
Aokbab couldn't breathe.
“And someday—”
Rin smiled through tears.
“When I come home, you can time me again.”
Home.
Aokbab broke.
Completely.
She pulled Rin into her arms.
Rin held her just as tightly.
They cried.
No pretending.
No jokes.
Not yet.
Because sometimes something could be right—
and still hurt terribly.
Eventually, Aokbab laughed weakly against her shoulder.
“You know I'm going to cheat.”
Rin laughed through her tears.
“You better.”
“World record.”
“Obviously.”
Aokbab held her tighter.
Tomorrow, Rin would leave.
Tomorrow, everything would change.
But tonight?
They were still here.
Lane one.
Together.
Four months had passed.
They hadn't spent them waiting for goodbye.
They had lived every one.
And maybe that was the best they could do with time.
Not stop it.
Not hold it still.
Just fill it with enough life that when it finally moved on—
They knew they had been there for all of it.
Aokbab woke up at 4:17 in the morning.
Her alarm was set for five.
She stared at the ceiling.
Then checked her phone.
4:18.
Excellent.
Time was moving again.
Rude.
She closed her eyes.
Opened them.
4:19.
“This is torture.”
From somewhere beside her—
“Go back to sleep.”
Aokbab froze.
Then turned.
Rin lay beside her, curled beneath the blanket in the guest room of Rin's apartment.
Aokbab had stayed over because they needed to leave early for the airport.
Technically, Aokbab had been supposed to sleep.
That had not happened.
“You're awake?” Aokbab whispered.
“You keep sighing.”
“I sighed once.”
“Seven times.”
“Were you counting?”
“I couldn't sleep either.”
Oh.
Aokbab's chest tightened.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Darkness filled the room.
It didn't matter to Rin.
But Aokbab found herself strangely grateful for it.
She didn't have to look at the boxes.
The half-empty room.
The suitcase near the door.
Tomorrow—
No.
Today.
Rin was leaving today.
Aokbab rolled onto her side.
Rin did the same.
Their hands found each other beneath the blanket.
Automatic.
Always.
“You okay?” Rin whispered.
“No.”
“Me neither.”
Aokbab smiled faintly.
Then—
“No countdown.”
Rin squeezed her hand.
“No countdown.”
Even now.
Especially now.
So they didn't check the time again.
For a little while, they simply stayed there.
Holding hands.
Breathing.
Existing in the same room.
One last ordinary moment before everything became new.
—
The airport was terrible.
Obviously.
Aokbab had already established this.
Airports were buildings specifically designed to make people emotional while charging too much for water.
Rin stood beside her luggage.
Two suitcases.
One backpack.
One cane.
An entire new life somehow packed into several bags.
Aokbab stared at them suspiciously.
“You could stay.”
Rin turned toward her.
Aokbab immediately clarified—
“Not emotionally.”
Rin smiled faintly.
“I know.”
“I mean logistically.”
“Logistically?”
“Your suitcase could mysteriously disappear.”
“Aokbab.”
“Terrible tragedy.”
“You packed it.”
“Exactly. I know its weaknesses.”
Rin laughed.
Good.
Aokbab needed that sound.
She stored it somewhere inside herself.
Not because she wouldn't hear it again.
Video calls existed.
Phones existed.
But this version—
Rin standing beside her.
Real.
Close enough to touch.
Aokbab would miss this version.
A lot.
Coach Elena had traveled ahead.
Rin would be met by university staff when she landed.
Everything was arranged.
Accessible transportation.
Campus assistance.
Orientation.
Dorm move-in.
Aokbab knew all of this.
She had checked approximately seventeen times.
Rin had eventually banned her from checking again.
A boarding announcement sounded overhead.
Not Rin's.
Yet.
Aokbab's stomach still dropped.
Rin reached for her hand.
“You're doing the quiet thing.”
Aokbab laughed weakly.
“You're going to have to stop noticing that from three states away.”
“No.”
“Seems difficult.”
“I'll adapt.”
Of course she would.
That was Rin.
Aokbab squeezed her hand.
Then—
“Are you scared?”
Rin nodded.
“Terrified.”
“Good.”
Rin burst out laughing.
“There it is.”
“Couldn't let you leave without one.”
Rin smiled.
Then her expression softened.
“What about you?”
Aokbab looked down at their hands.
“Terrified.”
“Good.”
Aokbab looked up sharply.
“Excuse me?”
Rin smiled smugly.
“Couldn't let you stay without one.”
Aokbab laughed.
Then—
The announcement.
Rin's flight.
Boarding soon.
Everything inside Aokbab went still.
No.
Not yet.
She knew this was coming.
Had known for months.
Still—
Not yet.
Rin heard the change in her breathing.
“Aokbab.”
“Yeah.”
“Come here.”
Aokbab didn't need convincing.
She stepped forward.
Wrapped her arms around Rin.
Rin held her.
Tight.
Aokbab closed her eyes.
There.
The shape of her.
The warmth.
The familiar weight of Rin's arms.
Her face tucked against Aokbab's shoulder.
All of it.
Aokbab tried to memorize something that was already memorized.
“I hate this,” she whispered.
“I know.”
“I'm really proud of you.”
Rin's arms tightened.
“I know.”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
Aokbab pulled back slightly.
“That sounded arrogant.”
Rin laughed through tears.
“You tell me every day.”
“Still.”
Rin smiled.
“I love you too.”
There.
True.
Now.
Enough.
Rin lifted her hands.
Aokbab went still.
She knew.
Rin's fingertips touched her face.
Slowly.
Her forehead.
Eyebrows.
The bridge of her nose.
Cheeks.
Jaw.
The familiar map.
Aokbab closed her eyes.
This had once been new.
Rin asking permission.
Aokbab sitting completely still while someone learned her face through touch.
Now Rin knew it better than anyone.
Every shape.
Every expression she could feel.
Her thumbs brushed beneath Aokbab's eyes.
“You're crying.”
“No.”
Rin smiled.
“Liar.”
“Airport humidity.”
“Inside?”
“Advanced weather.”
Rin laughed shakily.
Then her hands settled gently against Aokbab's cheeks.
“There you are.”
Aokbab's breath broke.
She covered one of Rin's hands with her own.
“Still me.”
Rin smiled through tears.
“Good.”
Then Aokbab kissed her.
Soft.
Slow.
Nothing desperate.
Nothing trying to turn goodbye into something it wasn't.
Just love.
When they separated, their foreheads rested together.
Aokbab whispered—
“See you after.”
Rin's breath caught.
Their sentence.
The one they'd used so many times.
After races.
After trips.
After ordinary separations.
But this after was bigger.
Longer.
Unknown.
Rin smiled faintly.
“See you after.”
And somehow—
That was enough to let go.
—
Aokbab watched Rin walk away.
That was the hardest part.
Not the hug.
Not the kiss.
Watching.
Rin moved through the airport with her cane.
Independent.
Confident.
Her backpack over one shoulder.
A university student.
An athlete.
A girl going somewhere because she wanted to.
Aokbab's chest hurt.
But she smiled.
Because months ago, Aokbab had told Rin she didn't want either of them making decisions based on losing each other.
Now she had to live those words.
Rin reached the entrance to security.
Then stopped.
Turned.
She couldn't see Aokbab.
But she knew approximately where she'd left her.
“Aokbab?”
Aokbab's throat closed.
“Yeah?”
Rin smiled toward her voice.
“I'll call when I land.”
Aokbab laughed through tears.
“You better.”
Then Rin turned again.
And left.
Aokbab stood there long after she disappeared.
Alone.
Not abandoned.
There was a difference.
She was learning that.
—
The drive home was terrible.
Aokbab cried at one red light.
Then became angry at the red light for witnessing it.
“Mind your business.”
The light turned green.
Good.
Respect.
She drove home.
Walked into her bedroom.
Stopped.
Everything looked exactly the same.
That felt offensive.
How could the world remain unchanged?
Rin was gone.
Her phone sat in her pocket.
Silent.
Aokbab looked around.
Her textbooks waited.
Volunteer schedule.
Class assignments.
Life.
Her life.
Still here.
For one dangerous second, she wanted to crawl into bed and stay there until Rin called.
Instead—
Aokbab changed clothes.
Picked up her backpack.
And went to class.
Because Rin was building her life.
And Aokbab had one to build too.
—
Rin called seven hours later.
Aokbab was in the library.
Her phone vibrated.
She saw the name.
Everything else stopped existing.
She answered immediately.
“Rin?”
“I landed.”
Aokbab closed her eyes.
Relief.
Huge.
Immediate.
“Good.”
Rin laughed.
“Your good.”
“Where are you?”
“Campus.”
Already.
Aokbab's chest tightened.
“How is it?”
“Loud.”
“Bad?”
“No.”
Rin sounded—
Happy.
Nervous.
Overwhelmed.
Alive.
“I can hear people everywhere.”
Aokbab smiled.
“Students?”
“Apparently.”
“Suspicious.”
“Very.”
Aokbab laughed softly.
Then—
“I miss you.”
There.
No pretending.
Rin's voice softened.
“I miss you too.”
Aokbab looked around the library.
Students studying.
Her notebook open.
Life continuing.
“What happens now?” she asked.
Rin was quiet for a moment.
Then—
“I think I unpack.”
Aokbab smiled.
“Good start.”
“And you?”
Aokbab looked down at her textbook.
“I think I study.”
“Disgusting.”
“I know.”
Rin laughed.
Then quiet again.
Not uncomfortable.
Just distance.
Existing between them for the first time.
Aokbab let it.
They didn't need to fill every second.
Eventually Rin spoke.
“Aokbab?”
“Yeah?”
“See you after.”
Aokbab's eyes filled again.
But she smiled.
Because after existed.
Maybe not tomorrow.
Maybe not soon enough.
But somewhere ahead.
“I'll be here.”
—
Three weeks later, they had their first fight.
Not a dramatic one.
A stupid one.
Which somehow made it worse.
Rin missed a call.
Then another.
Training ran late.
Aokbab had waited.
Aokbab got annoyed.
Rin got defensive.
Aokbab said—
“I made time.”
Rin heard—
“You didn't.”
Wrong sentence.
Wrong meaning.
Wrong night.
They hung up frustrated.
Aokbab stared at her phone afterward.
Old Aokbab would've waited.
Let pride win.
Maybe convinced herself Rin didn't care.
New Aokbab?
Still wanted to do that.
Growth was annoying that way.
Knowing better didn't automatically make doing better easy.
She waited ten minutes.
Then called.
Rin answered.
Silence.
Aokbab sighed.
“I said that wrong.”
Rin exhaled.
“Yeah.”
“I wasn't saying you don't make time for me.”
“I know.”
“I miss you.”
Rin went quiet.
There.
The actual thing.
Aokbab continued.
“And sometimes missing you makes me angry.”
A tiny laugh.
“That's emotionally unhealthy.”
“Probably.”
Rin laughed again.
Aokbab smiled.
Then Rin whispered—
“I miss you too.”
Silence.
“But I can't always answer.”
“I know.”
“And you can't always wait.”
“I know.”
There.
Reality.
Not romantic.
Not easy.
But workable.
Aokbab looked down at her homework.
“So what do we do?”
Rin thought.
“Schedule calls?”
Aokbab frowned.
“That sounds unromantic.”
“Do you want romance or functional communication?”
“Both.”
“Greedy.”
Aokbab smiled.
“Obviously.”
So they scheduled calls.
Not every conversation.
Not every interaction.
Just three guaranteed nights each week.
Their time.
Protected.
Everything else was extra.
It helped.
Not perfectly.
But enough.
—
Two months passed.
Rin ran.
Aokbab studied.
Rin made friends.
Aokbab made friends.
Rin called from noisy dining halls.
Aokbab called from the rehabilitation center.
Sometimes they talked for hours.
Sometimes five minutes.
Sometimes—
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
“Exam tomorrow.”
“Training at six.”
“Sleep?”
“Sleep.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
That counted too.
Love didn't always need a speech.
Sometimes it just needed maintenance.
Attention.
Choice.
Showing up.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Then one Thursday afternoon—
Aokbab was leaving class when her phone buzzed.
Rin: check your email
Aokbab frowned.
Aokbab: why
Rin: just do it
Suspicious.
Aokbab opened her email.
Nothing unusual.
Then—
A forwarded flight confirmation.
She stopped walking.
Read it.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Her heart exploded.
Rin was coming home.
Next month.
For break.
Aokbab immediately called.
Rin answered laughing.
“You saw it?”
“YOU'RE COMING HOME.”
“I'm coming home.”
“YOU'RE COMING HOME.”
“You've said that twice.”
“I DON'T CARE.”
People in the hallway stared.
Aokbab also didn't care about that.
“When?”
“The confirmation literally has the date.”
“I'M EMOTIONAL.”
Rin laughed.
Aokbab leaned against the wall.
Her eyes filled.
Again.
Terrible.
Then Rin's voice softened.
“Aokbab?”
“Yeah?”
“Bring the stopwatch.”
Aokbab froze.
Her hand moved automatically toward her backpack.
Prim's stopwatch lived inside now.
Safe.
Waiting.
Aokbab smiled.
“You want to run?”
Rin laughed softly.
“Five minutes.”
There it was.
Their track.
Their beginning.
Their after.
Aokbab closed her eyes.
“Okay.”
Rin's voice softened.
“See you after?”
This time—
Aokbab knew exactly when after would be.
She smiled.
“See you after.”