Lovebirds

thirty

Dark, almond-colored eyes glared right at Naira as she continued to type some reports on her laptop, her office door left wide open. Kimi impatiently tapped her foot against the marble floor, a frustrated sigh escaping her when Naira still didn't look up.

In her defense, she had deadlines to meet. With the therapy sessions, nutritionist, and regular work hours, Naira's hands were tied in too many places and her workload doubled. She was finding it hard to keep up, but she promised those boys that she'd have their back.

And she wasn't the type to go back on her word.

Kimi waved a hand in front of her. "Are you even human at this point?"

She blankly stared at her friend. "Of course I'm human," said Naira, returning to her work. "Only a fool would assume otherwise."

"Girl, you need to take a break. We have plans."

"I need to take a raincheck."

Kimi's glare only intensified, features scrunched in distaste and anger. For once, the coldness was directed towards Naira, the same frigid stare she gave to others was now slithering around her small frame. Guilt prickled under her skin, making her skin crawl with discomfort.

She hated pushing Kimi away. There was only so much Naira could do.

When a silence encompassed them, the dreaded feeling continued to grow, and Naira was unable to face the hurt in Kimi's eyes. An apology was lost in the back of her throat, suddenly feeling dry and raspy. The words fell on her tongue, and lips frozen in place. The rapid typing paused, and deafening silence reigned.

"Kimi-" she attempted.

"Don't you dare," hissed Kimi in warning. Seeing Naira wince made her calm down, but her fists clenched at her sides. "Look, I get how important your job is. Fuck it, I get how much you care for these boys, but I care about you. I care about your well-being. I care about your sanity."

Funny how I've said the exact same thing to the guys.

Kimi sighed. "I'm just worried, alright?"

She didn't blame her friend for worrying. Naira knew she overworked herself to the point where other people had to intervene. When she caught herself in the middle of so many tasks, so many responsibilities, she often forgot about the tethers that bonded her to reality, floating aimlessly among an orbit of goals as she struggled to catch each one.

But could anyone live a full life like this?

A moment of epiphany dawned on her like the sunrise of a new day, the horizon shimmering in the distance. Her family's silhouettes were written across the sky, an outline of light sent to guide her. She wondered if they worried for her as much as Kimi did. She wondered if all the hours in her work was deepening the distance between them.

Because no matter how many times she ran towards her family, her ambition dragged her back the to depths of business. Her grandfather warned her, but Naira was determined.

She could have the best of both worlds if only she had the balance between work and life, between business and love. The duality of her ambitions would be impossible to some, however she worked too hard to give it up now.

Just as her thoughts simmered into new plans, the Red Knights walked into her office unannounced. They were engaged in a small conversation, laughing amongst each other as deep rumbles filled the hollow void of her office. With expressions brighter than the sun and lips stretched into wide grins, a part of her relaxed, knowing she was doing something right.

Her gaze softened at how far their band had come. Sure, she was struggling to balance all her new duties, but their smiles made all her efforts worth the pain.