Page 28 of The Encore’s Crown

We stay there longer than we should. Time loosens its grip, minutes blurring into something softer, measured not by clocks but by the way her face fits against my hand, by the quiet murmur of words traded between the desire to close the distance, by the way our hands keep finding familiar ground and then retreating again like we’re both afraid of how easy it would be to forget ourselves. Then we finally pull away, settling into an embrace. We talk in hushed voices about nothing and everything, about the garden, about the city.

At some point the night changes. I don’t notice it at first, just a subtle thinning of the dark, the sky above the trees paling at the edges like it’s taking a careful breath. Dawn, creeping in whether we’re ready for it or not. I feel the change in her, the way she stills against me, the way her fingers grip my hoodie like she’s bracing herself. Neither of us wants to say it out loud. Eventually, she does anyway.

“I should probably head back,” she says.

I close my eyes because I want to ask her to come back with me, every part of me wants to guide her back to my room without another thought. Right now, with her warm against me, the idea of leaving her feels like tearing something open.

“Yeah,” I say carefully. “I guess so.”

She’s quiet for a long moment, absorbing it. The sky lightens another shade.

“So,” she says finally, softer now. “We’re… what?”

“Friends,” I tell her. “It's better this way. No fallout, no drama. Everybody's happy.”

When we finally pull apart, it’s gentle and reluctant. She looks up at me one last time, and I know this isn’t over, I'm just lying to us both with the word friend. We head back toward the hotel separately, the pale light of dawn following us through the garden.

Even when I let the distance grow between us again, I know I’ve already crossed every line I tried to set for myself and I’ll keep crossing them, if she’s what’s on the other side.

Chapter 13

Valhalla

Kiri

I scan my boarding pass out of habit even though I know exactly where I’m going. Business class, forward cabin. Small enough that nothing goes unnoticed. The jet bridge smells like coffee and disinfectant, that bland airport mix that always makes me feel like time is on pause. A smell I’ve grown fond of over the years. The floor groans beneath my weight. Apparently, it's not a fan of my workout routine either.

Rithy is already half a step ahead of me, rolling his shoulders like he always does before boarding, headphones slung around his neck. He glances back once, clocking the atmosphere before I can even pretend there isn’t one. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to.

When we step onto the plane the cabin is… tighter than I expected. Two seats on either side of a narrow aisle, pods angled just enough to give the illusion of privacy without actually delivering it. Curtains half drawn and that usual dim lighting that’s meant to keep you calm, docile. The kind of space where whispers feel loud and eye contact feels dangerous.

Rafe and Kasia are already settled a few rows ahead, heads inclined toward each other, her hand tucked into his. Comfortable, easy. A unit. I feel the confusing mix of affection and something like envy, but it passes fast.

Then I see Natalia. She’s standing just in front of her pod, backpack slung over one shoulder, hair loose and a little messy in that way that always feels unintentional but never is. She looks lost, overtaken by the machinery of travel instead of commanding a room or pulling my face towards her, tucked inside a hoodie. Her eyes flick up when she hears us and catch mine.

Something settles between us. Not the usual heat or war of hormones, this is something deeper, quieter and loaded. As soon as she tucks into her seat Liv begins talking, hand resting casually on the back of it as she laughs about something I didn’t hear. Then Signe appears behind them, already grinning, mid-sentence.

“Absolutely not,” she says cheerfully, pointing at Liv’s seat. “I’m trading you. I refuse to sit next to someone who insists on explaining weighted versus unweighted keys before takeoff.” She nods her head toward Mina and the empty seat behind her.

Mina groans. “I was being educational. I didn’t even get started on latency!”

“You’re only confirming my decision is the right one.” She crosses her arms and merely waits for Liv to move, like it’s already been decided.

Liv gets up, hops into the free seat, and Mina immediately starts talking her ear off about patch anxiety. Signe slides neatly into the seat beside Natalia before anyone can object, stowing her bag like this was always the plan. Natalia blinks, caught off guard, then laughs softly, polite and looking a little unsure.

It shouldn’t bother me, it’s just a seat. Except it does bother me, physically. I try to blink it away. Rithy pauses in the aisle just long enough to follow my line of sight, then flicks his eyes back to me. His expression doesn’t change, but his eyebrow lifts a fraction. You seeing this too? Sapphic love story on display. I do love a lesbian awakening. I can hear his voice in my mind just from that look. I give the smallest nod. He exhales through his nose like he’s filing it away for later.

We take our seats together. Shoulder to shoulder, our usual routine. He buckles in, then glances sideways at me again.

“You alright there big brother? No combustion on the plane today, okay? Hope you’ve recovered from the elevator. Spare us all the fiery mid-air death.” He grins, a sly look creeping along his face as he looks back at Natalia.

“Yeah, I’m fine. No combusting.” I lie.

Across the aisle, Natalia readjusts in her seat, angling her knees inward, hands folded in her lap. Signe leans in immediately, voice low, easy, saying something that makes Natalia smile. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly shy in a way I’ve only seen flash in her eyes. With me she's fierce, a storm, unruly. Rarely shy or soft. My chest tightens.

This is stupid. We're friends. That’s all this is. That’s what I agreed to, the rules I set to spare us both. So why does it feel like I’m watching someone step into a space that’s already occupied?

Signe laughs and nudges Natalia’s knee with her own, casual and intimate. Natalia startles just slightly, then relaxes, laughing too, softer now. She doesn’t look at me, not even once.