It had been days since the engagement, yet Rita still couldn't sleep properly. She lay on her bed, reading the same news articles about their engagement over and over again. Something was bothering her, but she couldn't quite put it into words. Every day, as she watched the wedding preparations and saw more news coverage, she felt increasingly uncomfortable.
When her college friends, Jasmine and Lily, arrived to attend the wedding, Rita immediately felt relieved. She rushed over and gave them both a tight hug.
Holding their hands, she dragged them to her bed. Jasmine eagerly asked, "So, tell us about Gilbert! What's he like? We want to know everything about him."
Rita forced a smile. "He's a nice guy."
She couldn't tell them the truth; it would ruin the image everyone had of her relationship. To steer the conversation away from Gilbert, she quickly said, "Let's go out somewhere. I'm feeling bored."
But both Jasmine and Lily were far more interested in Gilbert and wanted to see the engagement party pictures. Lily grabbed the tablet, opened the gallery, and exclaimed, "Wow, he is so handsome!"
Pointing at Rita, she added, "Girl, good choice."
Jasmine snatched the tablet from Lily's hands and said excitedly, "Can't we meet him?"
"No," Rita replied a little too sharply.
Realizing her tone, she quickly added, "Because he's busy with work, and my mom has strictly instructed me not to meet him before the wedding."
Jasmine lowered her gaze and looked at Rita suspiciously. "We're in 2021. What the hell are you talking about? You two are getting married in a few days."
Rita stood quietly at the corner of the bed, unsure how to handle them.
Then Lily said, "I want to meet him. Let's see what kind of person he really is."
Jasmine smiled in agreement. "Yes, let's ask him to meet us."
Both Lily and Jasmine sensed that something was off from Rita's expression, which looked strangely blank. However, since they weren't certain, they chose not to press the issue. Maybe they were just overthinking.
To change the subject, Lily asked, "Hey, where's our girls' party?"
Jasmine nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! Let's go out and have some fun."
The three of them got ready and headed to a club.
At one corner of the club, a man sat with three of his friends, making crude comments about the women around them loudly enough for anyone nearby to hear.
"Hey, did you see that girl in white? She looks really petite. And look at the other one," he said, laughing with his friends.
Lily had been controlling her anger for quite some time, but she had finally had enough.
She stood up, grabbed an empty beer bottle, and marched over to their table.
"Hey, I didn't hear you properly. What did you just say?"
She kept the bottle hidden behind her back.
The man laughed. "Sure, I'll say it again—but only if you sit next to me."
Rita immediately sensed trouble and hurried after Lily, hoping to pull her back. But Lily was already beyond her limit.
"Listen, you jerk," Lily snapped. "Even though you're uglier than a monkey, you still have the audacity to talk about other people."
The man shot to his feet and started advancing toward them.
Jasmine quickly snatched the bottle from Lily's hand and threw it at him. He dodged it easily and shouted for his friends to grab the girls.
Rita grabbed both of her friends by the hands and yelled, "Run!"
The three of them sprinted out of the club at full speed until they reached the subway station, where they crouched down to hide until they felt safe.
Lily cautiously peeked out, lifting her head just enough to check if anyone had followed them. Seeing no one, she finally relaxed.
They looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter, as if they had just won some great battle.
Rita smiled warmly. "I miss those days. Sometimes, I wish we could go back."
Lily's expression softened. "We were really stupid back then—especially me."
Jasmine didn't want them to dwell on the past or remember everything that had happened, so she quickly said, "What matters is that we're happy now. Nothing else matters."
Rita nodded with a faint smile. "Hmm."
Lily stood up and dusted herself off. "Come on, guys. Let's head home. It's late, and your mother will be worried."