Ember finally went dark at eleven.
The last table wiped.
The last pan scrubbed.
The last receipt tallied.
Kya stretched her back, rolling her shoulders. “I need a drink.”
Sadie perked up instantly. “Say no more. I’m already grabbing my coat.”
Kya laughed. “You’re impossible.”
“Efficient,” Sadie corrected, mimicking her tone from earlier.
They stepped out into the cool night air, the street quiet except for the hum of passing cars. Sadie linked her arm through Kya’s.
“Pub on Willow Street?” Sadie asked.
“Perfect.”
At the pub...
The pub was warm, dimly lit, and buzzing with low music and chatter. A place where no one cared who you were, only that you tipped well and didn’t start fights.
Sadie ordered two drinks before they even sat down.
“To surviving another day,” she said, ra
