Chapter 2
The yellow kitchen light was the only one still on. The wall clock read 11:17 p.m.
Nadia sat on a blue plastic chair with her laptop open in front of her. Stacks of papers were scattered across the table. Her eyes were red after her thesis had been revised for the third time that day.
The back door creaked softly.
Revan came in wearing a T-shirt, his hair still wet. “Hey, why aren't you asleep yet?” he asked quietly.
Nadia looked up, then forced a smile. “I'm stuck, Van. My advisor wants A, but I wrote B.”
Revan didn't answer. He went straight to the kitchen counter, took a pot, and filled it with water. He really was attentive and perceptive—whether he was only that way with Nadia or with everyone.
“Working nonstop isn't healthy. Eat first.”
Five minutes later, two bowls of steaming instant noodles sat on the table.
At first, their relationship had felt awkward. Revan was Nadia's brother-in-law, while Nadia was his sister-in-law. The boundary between them was clear.
But ever since their parents had died, the house had held only four things: Nadia, her husband who often worked overtime, Revan, who was still in college, and a silence that never truly went away.
Night after night, that silence slowly became a companion.
“Want some sweet soy sauce?” Revan asked, holding out the bottle.
“Thanks.”
Their fingers briefly touched when Nadia took the bottle. They were both startled, then both pretended nothing had happened.
They ate in silence.
But the silence between them didn't feel awkward. It felt comfortable.
“You're really smart when you explain things,” Revan said suddenly. “Like earlier, when you helped me with statistics.”
Nadia let out a small laugh. “So are you. You always wash the dishes whenever I cook.”
Revan gave a faint smile. “To make it fair.”
Rain fell outside the house. It wasn't heavy, but the tapping against the roof sounded soothing. The kitchen felt even warmer.
Revan looked at Nadia from the side.
Her hair was tied up carelessly. There was a smudge of ink on her cheek. But what stood out most was the honest exhaustion in her eyes. There was no mask. No “sister-in-law” or “brother-in-law.” Just two people who were equally tired and understood each other.
“Aren't you tired? Taking care of the house, taking care of your husband, and working on your thesis at the same time?”
Nadia sighed. “I am. But when someone keeps me company while I'm staying up late like this, I don't feel quite as tired.”
The words slipped out just like that.
Revan fell silent. His chest felt warm.
It was at that moment that he realized something: these feelings were wrong.
And yet he couldn't stop coming to the kitchen at eleven every night. Because this was the only place where he felt needed and seen.
“Come on, get back to your thesis,” Revan said at last as he stood. “I'll wash the dishes.”
Nadia nodded. “Thanks, Van.”
Her smile and sidelong glance made Revan awkward all over again.
Revan stood at the sink. Nadia turned back to her laptop. Their backs faced away from each other.
Yet amid the sound of running water and the tapping of fingers on the keyboard, something began to grow.
Slowly. Secretly. And dangerously.
To Nadia, her conversations with Revan were nothing more than ordinary interactions. She had no idea that their small acts of consideration and recent companionship had caused other feelings to take root in her brother-in-law's heart.
It never crossed her mind that their closeness would one day become a weapon that hurt.
“It's late. Go to bed,” Revan said quietly after he finished cleaning up the dishes.
“You go ahead, Van. I'll be there soon.” Nadia answered without taking her eyes off the laptop.
Revan decided to go to bed because he had plans outside the house the next day. In truth, he hated leaving Nadia alone in the kitchen. He wanted to help, but continuing to follow that wrong impulse felt more and more improper.
Before leaving, Revan stared deeply at Nadia's back.
“If only I had been the one to find you first.”