"What!"
Nadine blinked, momentarily stunned by the remark she'd just heard.
'What is she saying!' She thought Vivienne was joking with her to make the atmosphere a little lighter, but again...
The strange seriousness in her voice caught her off guard. There was something in her eyes, something unknown!
Vivienne gave a crooked smile. "Will you believe if I say that I got a second chance at life, just so I could fix the real mistakes I've made over the years?"
Nadine stared at her, her eyes were sharp enough to see that the person standing in front of her wasn't faking it! The smile on her lips was of a kind that could borne of years of regrets.
"You are being dramatic." She said, still standing at the same place.
Vivienne laughed at herself. What was she thinking?
She really thought that Nadine would believe in her rebirth story! Something that even she herself scoffed at when she first thought of it!
'Yeah', Vivienne told herself. No one would ever be able to believe her words, even if it happened in real life.
Thinking about it, she sighed. A small smile tugged at her lips as she approached her. "When have I not been overly dramatic over the past years?"
She studied Nadine quietly. She still stared at her, with brows furrowed, and arms crossed. But her stance subtly shifted, and a 'smallest' twitch appeared on her lips — not a smile, not easily noticeable; but Vivienne noticed. And that gave her a flicker of hope to hold on.
"Nini, I was wrong." She said softly.
"From the very first place, I was wrong about everything, about Damien, about your perception towards him, about loyalty towards him, about love — everything."
She paused, then continued again.
"I was too stupid, too selfish, and so so.. proud. I chased the wrong person throughout my whole life, over the one who always stood by my side, who always had my back."
She stopped. "I'm sorry Nini. It took me a long time to realize my mistakes, and after paying a heavy price."
"Don't do this now", Nadine shook her head, "Saying sorry doesn't mean we can go back to how it was."
"I don't expect that!" Vivienne replied quickly. "I know... It doesn't work that way; I know. Sorry isn't a magic word to erase everything I've done in the past. It isn't a reset button."
"Then, what do you want?"
"A chance." Vivienne stepped closer. "I just want a chance Nini; I want to correct my mistakes."
Nadine looked away. "But it's late."
"I know it's late. But... Nini, didn't you teach me that better late than... never?"
Nadine gave her a small, half-smile. "Do you even know how much it hurt? I warned you because I cared. I stood up for you because you were my best friend, I couldn't let anyone fool you. And you treated me like a liar, a traitor—like I was jealous!"
Vivienne's throat tightened. "I know."
"You know nothing, Vivi." She exhaled sharply. "You humiliated me in front of half the school, do you remember?" Her voice arose.
"Remember what did you say to me? — 'Just because you're single doesn't mean you get to ruin my happiness'"
Vivienne stood quiet. Every word of Nadine struck her like a jolt; how could she do it to her? She wanted to slap herself.
She continued. "You know what hurt me the most? Not that we argued, not that you yelled at me, but... It was that in the end, you chose Damien over our friendship, over me."
Vivienne didn't try to justify herself anymore. She just stood there, letting the weight of Nadine's pain hang in the air.
Finally, Nadine turned away, wiping her eyes quickly.
"Damn it", she muttered. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry."
She looked straight into Vivienne's eyes, "So, suddenly, you've become enlightened and rushed for an apology!"
Vivienne spoke up. "I missed you, Nini, I.. really did."
"I don't care if you curse me, yell at me, or ignore me for weeks, even hit me. I'll show up. I'll keep showing up until you forgive me and give me a chance for our friendship again."
Nadine's red-rimmed eyes were still fixed on hers. "You don't get to walk back to my life and claim the same place again, Vivienne."
Vivienne sighed. "I don't want either. I know I don't deserve to be your best friend, Nini. I just want a chance to earn a place, whatever I deserve."
Finally, she couldn't contain herself anymore. The tears that had been bottled up for so long now rolled down her cheeks.
She muttered, bursting into tears, "I promise, I'll never break your trust again."
A faint smile appeared on Nadine's lips, "You haven't changed at all, have you? Still crying like a baby!"
Vivienne could not answer in her sobs. Nadine tilted her head, lips pressing into a line.
"Two whole years after — and not even a hug?"
Vivienne froze. Then, with a trembling smile, she stepped closer and threw her arms around her.
Nadine didn't hug back at first. But then, her arms lifted — and she held Vivienne, tighter than she meant to.
"I hate you, Vivi!"
Vivienne tightened the hug more, her voice broke while replying. "I hate me, too."
They didn't know how long they were standing like that; first Nadine pulled herself away. "Fine."
Vivienne blinked. "..Fine?"
"I'll give you a chance, not forgiveness." Nadine raised her index finger. "A small one. If you mess up even once, I'm out. No drama, no speeches. Just done."
Vivienne nodded quickly. "That's fair. More than fair."
"And you've got to show up every day — no excuses."
A laugh escaped her mouth, Vivienne told in a shaky, surprised tone. "Deal."
Nadine walked back, Vivienne following behind. They stood side by side, beneath the quiet sigh. The melodies still echoed in the air; the city lights brimming bellow — Vivienne felt peace in them. None of them reached for more words, they didn't need to — it was an old understanding of theirs.
Vivienne took a deep breath; she'd corrected another mistake of her past.
It was really a... New beginning.