Chapter Text
Two senators had been seatmates for years.
They worked together through countless Senate sessions, committee hearings, and long days that stretched well into the evening.They exchanged quiet conversations between proceedings, shared occasional jokes during recess, and gradually learned each other’s routines without ever realizing it.
Somewhere along the way, friendship settled comfortably between them.
Nothing more.
Seven Months Before Their Terms End
One evening, after a particularly long Senate session, they found themselves walking through the nearly empty halls of the Senate.
The day’s debates had finally ended. Staff members were packing up their documents, lights were beginning to dim, and the building had grown quieter than usual.
“What are you going to do after our term ends?” Sherwin asked.
“Travel, I think,” Risa replied
“Where?”
“Switzerland.”
A surprised smile spread across Sherwin’s face.
“Really? Me too.”
Neither of them thought much of it afterward.
It was just another conversation between colleagues—another passing exchange at the end of a long day.
Neither imagined that a single word spoken so casually would one day change everything.
End of Their Senate Term
Months passed faster than either of them expected.
Their final session came and went. Offices were emptied, photographs were taken, speeches were delivered, and years of public service quietly came to an end.
They stood among colleagues they had worked with for years, exchanging handshakes, smiles, and farewells.
When it was finally time to leave, they said goodbye, believing it might be the last time they would ever see each other.
Life had a way of carrying people in different directions.
So they walked away, each toward a different future.
Neither of them knew that their next meeting would be thousands of miles from home.