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Mai walked into the house. It reeked of alcohol, and she assumed the worst.
She found Ty Lee slumped on the couch clutching a bottle of soju, and falling in and out of consciousness. But then she looked up and saw Mai.
Mai saw a flicker of light and happiness in her eyes.
But then it was quickly snuffed out when she stared at her for too long.
“You’re back,” Ty Lee said.
“Yes, I am.”
“Why now?” she demanded.
“For you, of course.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have,” Ty Lee snapped.
A long, bitter silence fell over them, but after a while, Mai couldn’t take it anymore.
“You promised you’d stop drinking.”
Ty Lee stood up, throwing the bottle that was in her hand on the floor. “And you promised you wouldn’t hurt me!”
Mai lowered her head, unwilling to show Ty Lee the tears in her eyes. “Why do you think I left?”
Ty Lee sat back down on the couch slowly, sobbing into her hands. “Why do you think I started drinking?”
They stood maybe only a meter apart from each other, but it felt like they would never be able to close the distance between them.