so many lines that I've crossed unforgiven

To kiss in cars and downtown bars
Was all we needed

Soh couldn't help but giggle with Flora. "I might take you up on that," she said with a sad little grin. It wouldn't be exactly the same, but at least the bed wouldn't be so empty and cold. "But thanks, Flora, really. I'll try to remember that." It made her feel better for now, anyway, even if she knew that she'd be back to self-loathing in hardly any time at all.

For so long she'd been taught that mistakes were a part of life without having really made any major ones of her own; it was strange now to see the consequences of her own actions spelled out in black and white. Lost love and destroyed friendship were perhaps among the worst results that Soh could imagine. Flora was right, of course - Soh knew that, knew that she and Jude were both at fault - but it still cut her to know that she'd been the one to start it. That if it wasn't for her, things might be different.

But did she want things to be different? If it hadn't been this, wouldn't it have eventually been something else, later on down the road? And wouldn't that have been worse?

Soh peered at Flora over the edge of her wine glass as her friend broached the topic of Koa. She'd seen them at the Festival of Lights and wondered if perhaps there wasn't something going on between them. "I don't know," she said honestly. "I think I messed it up badly enough the first time that I'd be content with just friendship. Maybe that's all we were ever supposed to be. What about you?" she countered, raising a brow at Flora. "In a perfect world, would you want to try and be with him? I'd share," she added with a laugh, to defuse tension just in case her guess was wrong.

You drew stars around my scars
But now I'm bleedin'

Sohalia