Chapter 4 The friend who knocked too softly

The night had finally settled when Sia returned to her apartment.

Moonlight draped itself across the living room floor, pale and silent, touching familiar objects that no longer felt the same. The sofa where she had once laughed. The small framed photo of her and Nicole, arms linked and smiling too brightly. The chipped mug she used on mornings after long nights of comforting Adams.

Life looked unchanged.

But she had changed.

She closed the door quietly behind her, the click soft but final.

She placed her engagement ring box on the coffee table. Not with hatred. Not with sentiment. Just setting down a piece of a puzzle she already knew the ending to.

She was reaching for the light switch when a knock sounded.

Soft.

Friendly.

Practiced.

Sia allowed herself one slow exhale.

Nicole.

Only someone who felt entitled to her presence would come unannounced at this hour.

Sia opened the door.

Nicole stood there, arms full of two paper bags of snacks, a warm bright smile on her face. Too warm, too bright, almost frantic beneath the surface.

"Sia. I thought we could have a sleepover. Like old times." She laughed lightly, stepping inside without waiting for permission.

Sia closed the door behind her. "It is late."

Nicole giggled. "I know, but you always get emotional after big things. I just wanted to be here for you." She placed the bags onto the kitchen counter and unpacked them. Chips, chocolate, strawberry milk, and the cheap instant ramen Sia used to live on in college.

Nicole remembered every detail.

That was the problem.

"I just wanted to spend time with my best friend," Nicole said, turning with a gentle smile.

In their past life, Sia would have melted.

She would have hugged her and thanked her.

Let herself believe she was loved.

But that was before she died.

Sia's smile appeared, quiet and polite. "That is thoughtful. Thank you."

Nicole relaxed, as if she had been waiting for warmth.

She did not get it.

They settled on the couch, bowls of ramen steaming between them. The air smelled of broth and nostalgia. Nicole slurped her noodles loudly, humming in satisfaction.

"Sia, do you remember the second year?" Nicole leaned her head against the couch. "We stayed up all night before exams, crying and swearing we would run away if we failed."

Sia took one careful bite. "I remember."

"You cried the most," Nicole teased.

"Yes," Sia said softly. "I did."

Nicole laughed, but something was jittering in her eyes. Something restless, searching, uncertain.

"I saw you talking with Leon Dalton today," Nicole said casually.

There it was.

The real reason she was here.

Sia did not look surprised. "Yes. He introduced himself."

Nicole leaned in. "Sia, he is not someone you want to know. He is cold. Dangerous. He uses people. I do not want him to hurt you."

Her voice sounded sincerely worried.

But sincerity, from Nicole, was simply a performance she had perfected.

Sia stirred her ramen gently. "Then I will be careful."

Nicole blinked. That was not the answer she expected.

Usually, Sia would nod obediently. Trust her. Let Nicole lead.

Tonight, the script was wrong.

Nicole tried again, adjusting her tone. Softer. Closer. Almost pleading.

"You know I care about you, right? You are my sister. I want to protect you."

Sia raised her eyes slowly.

Her gaze was calm.

Completely calm.

"How sweet of you," Sia replied.

Nicole's breath hitched.

Because the words were too polite.

Too smooth.

Too distance measured.

They did not land.

Nicole smiled again, smaller and tighter, then changed tactics.

"So, how does it feel?" she asked. "Being engaged?"

Her voice was light, but her fingers clenched the ramen cup too hard.

Sia set her bowl down carefully. "Like a promise."

Nicole waited, expecting more.

She did not get any more.

Nicole forced another smile, but cracks appeared. "Sia... are you nervous? Scared? Unsure? You know you can tell me anything."

Sia looked at her. Truly looked.

Nicole had always been beautiful, effortlessly so. Soft waves of hair, delicate lashes, and gentle expressions that won trust easily. A girl who looked like she could never harm anyone.

But Sia had seen her at her worst.

Sia had seen her laughing when Sia's body still lay warm from death.

Sia had heard her whisper to Adams, "She was too easy."

Sia smiled.

"Thank you for worrying about me. But I am fine."

Nicole stared.

The warmth she always expected to receive was simply not there. No shared heartbeat. No emotional tie to tug. No place to bury guilt or manipulation.

Sia's heart had closed.

Nicole's voice turned soft, whisper-soft. "Did... I do something?"

Sia paused, just for a moment, enough to make Nicole feel the weight of silence.

"No," Sia answered gently. "Except there is something you are not telling me."

Nicole's face trembled, just a flicker of fear, jealousy, and confusion all mixed into something sharp and ugly under the skin.

"Something I am not telling you?" Nicole asked.

"Yes," Sia said.

Nicole swallowed hard.

The sound was loud in the quiet living room.

"We have been friends for years now. We are more like sisters, so I cannot hide anything from you," she said, almost stubborn, almost desperate.

Sia nodded. "I know."

Nicole felt the dismissal but did not know how to respond to it.

When they finished eating, Sia suggested they sleep.

Nicole lay beside her in the dark, the same bed they had shared countless times before.

But this time there was no laughter. No whispers. No shared dreams.

Only silence.

Nicole turned her head toward Sia.

"Sia?"

"Hm?"

"Promise me we will always be like this."

Sia looked at the ceiling, watching moonlight slice shadows across the room.

"We will always be what we are meant to be," she answered.

Nicole did not understand.

But the night did.

And so did Sia.

She closed her eyes. Not to sleep, but to plan.

The game had begun.