** Karin and Abby had been inseparable since high school, partners in crime through every cringe-worthy dance recital, late-night pizza binge, and disastrous group project. Everyone knew them as a package deal, two halves of the same chaotic, unstoppable force. At the time, Karin was in that on-again, off-again whirlwind with a guy named Erik—Abby had called him an asshole from day one, and in her defense, she wasn’t wrong.

But high school has a way of surprising you when you least expect it. By senior year, something shifted between Karin and Abby—subtle, stolen glances that lingered a heartbeat too long, accidental touches that soon became obvious. It crescendoed one night into kisses, and eventually, a night neither of them would ever forget. Yet, life has a stubborn sense of timing: on the last day of senior year, Erik showed up with that smug, sorry-I-was-an-idiot grin, and Karin agreed to patch things up. Years later, she married him, fulfilling a path her younger self never could have predicted.

Fast forward a decade, and life had twisted its usual way. Karin found herself juggling wedding plans for Manny, the best friend of Abby, a woman she hadn’t seen in ten years. The universe, in its infinite sense of irony, threw a plumbing disaster into the mix, leaving Karin urgently apartment hunting. Then, like some perfectly timed romcom beat, Manny casually mentioned Abby was looking for a roommate.

Now, here they were, in the sunlight of a tiny, slightly chaotic apartment, Karin juggling boxes and bags, Abby standing in the doorway. Ten years. Ten years apart. Ten years without even a word.

"Need a hand?" She speaks up, an awkward attempt to break the silence between you two.