Fragment of Us

e, once filled with warmth, had become suffocating, each room a reminder of what they had lost. The walls still echoed with arguments that had replaced laughter

The streets were crammed with cars, motorcycles darted through narrow gaps, and the scent of sizzling street food f

the noise that never faded, the fact that he had

he me

flickered more than it worked. Arthur was unpacking a box of books in their small living room when a loud knock startl

n," Nick said, grin

the mood. But there was something about Nick-his easy confidence, the way he bo

nt on, they we

ood Ad

rrow sois (alleys), climbing over fences they probably shouldn't have, and sneaking int

food stalls to try whatever smelled the best. They raced each other up the footbridges over traffic-jammed ro

, throwing an arm around his shoulde

, where they'd sit on the floor flipping through manga. A noodle shop where the owner, an old woman with a sharp

hairs left behind by past tenants-but to them, it was everything. It was

ted up at the sky. "I'm gonna own a skyscraper one day,

he believed it. Nick had a way

ays & Fr

work without much fuss. Nick, on the other hand, was impossible to ignore. He was the type of st

ho could eat the spiciest som tam (papaya salad), he always had to win. Arthur

, and the only one who could put Nick in his place. She had an older brother who ran a stree

tching as Arthur and Nick argued over who was fa

rked. "I

r eyes. "You'

alls, not buying anything but trying all the free samples in the food court. They did group s

y Str

lot of takeout. Some nights, when she was especially tired, she wouldn't ta

ing about something. His parents ran a small shop selling secondhand electronics,

's place. It was messy and

ld him one evening, handing him a plate of

w much he needed to hear

igns of

assed, things

en, he was sketching in his noteboo

e you d

a sketch of Nick-unintentional, but obvious. Nic

ck grinned. "Dam

oved him.

racing. He didn't know why, but lately, be

care

& Realizi

bout Nick. The way his smile could light up a room. The way he

into something more, but by the time t

he rooftop again. Nick was sprawled out, arms behin

l always be like t

him, brows rais

tated. "Bes

rked. "O

ere on the tip of his tongue.

he d

, staring up at the stars, hopin