It wasn't supposed to happen that night.
Neither of them had planned to be there. It was a last-minute industry event hosted by their management—something light, social, for appearances only. Smiles for the press. Quick interviews. Forced laughter. Tired formalities.
Ashtine showed up late.
Andres was about to leave.
But fate has a twisted sense of timing.
She entered quietly, trying to make herself invisible. Her manager had already gone in, so she trailed behind, fixing the edge of her coat, mind cloudy with too many thoughts. It had been a long day of press work for her new drama. Her face hurt from fake smiles.
She wasn't in the mood to perform.
Andres was standing across the room. Surrounded by colleagues, nodding along to a conversation he wasn't truly part of. His hands were in his pockets, but his eyes were everywhere else—scanning exits, checking time, avoiding cameras.
He didn't expect to see her.
But when she entered—he felt it before he saw it.
Like a pull in his ribs.
He turned.
And there she was.
Her gaze flicked toward him unintentionally. She didn't brace for it. She wasn't ready. But their eyes locked anyway, and for the first time in months—neither looked away.
Not immediately.
Not like before.
The world muted itself. Voices turned muffled. Lights blurred.
Her feet stopped moving.
So did his thoughts.
And then—almost imperceptibly—she took one step forward.
He straightened up.
She didn't smile.
He didn't either.
The silence between them was heavy, ancient, and fragile. If either of them spoke too soon, it might shatter. But someone had to break it.
Ashtine did.
Her voice was small. But sure.
"Hi."
It wasn't a dramatic moment. No music played. No gasps around them. It was just that: a girl saying "hi" to the guy she still loved but couldn't look at for six months.
To the same guy who had looked away when she needed him to hold on.
To the guy who still haunted her dreams.
Andres blinked.
His throat tightened.
That one word—God, it hit him like a memory he'd been trying to drown. Like warmth after a cold spell that lasted too long. Like the first breath after holding it underwater.
"Hey," he said back.
It sounded so casual.
But it wasn't.
It was finally.
She nodded slowly. Her eyes didn't leave his. It was all so… tentative. Unscripted. They were both afraid to take it further.
He could've asked her how she'd been.
She could've joked about how awkward this was.
But they didn't.
Because any more words might ruin it.
So they stood there.
Just a foot apart.
But oceans between them.
Someone walked past and accidentally bumped Ashtine's shoulder. It jolted her from the moment.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and glanced away.
"I should—" she said, gesturing vaguely toward the drink table.
He nodded. "Yeah. Of course."
She took a step to leave.
But stopped.
Then—quietly, barely above a whisper—she said without turning back, "It was good to see you."
He froze.
Then answered softly, "You too."
And then she walked away.
He watched her go until the crowd swallowed her again.
And when he couldn't see her anymore—
He still looked.
Because even after everything, even after all the pain—
She had said hi.
And his heart had said finally.
Even if it was only temporary.
Even if the next heartbreak was still waiting around the corner.