A Year After Us

Episode 9

Cate's POV

When I got back to the conference room where the team was, the meeting wrap-up was nearly done. Ali was in one corner, eating leftover cupcakes. She immediately turned toward me.

"Hey, where did you sneak off to again?" she whispered. "Boss was already looking for you — good thing you had the project file in the drive."

I sat beside her. “Just got some fresh air… the presentation was a bit exhausting.”

She looked at me, squinting. “Catey, are you okay?” she asked softly.

I looked at Ali. For a while. But I smiled. “Yeah. Just really tired.”

She didn’t say anything at first. Then she nodded. But I could tell — she didn’t buy it.

When I got home, I couldn’t stop replaying what I saw days ago.

That photo in the gallery while I was troubleshooting some files. A face. A girl. Familiar.

That girl.

She’s an engineer from the other team. Always in the company’s on-site photos with Karl. That’s where I first saw her — she was even tagged in a social media post from before.

Once, she even commented:

“So proud of this project! Teamwork with the best 💛 @KCT”

And the reply?

“Likewise, always grateful for your insight 😊”

I know it’s nothing explicit. But I also know the voice of my gut feeling.

And I also know how Karl looks… when someone starts getting closer to his world.

At that time — two years ago — we were already in that “space” phase.

The time when I was the one who said:

“Karl, I need time. I need to figure myself out. Please, just a little space.”

He didn’t agree at first. But eventually, he respected it.

What I didn’t expect — was that while I was trying to heal…

Someone else was already sketching a new story around him.

I don’t know all the details. I don’t know when it started or how.

But it hurts.

Especially when he admitted...

“Cate, I didn’t mean for it to happen. But I think I started liking her.”

That moment.

The doubt.

The pounding in my chest like it was being squeezed by the question:

“Was I the one who lacked, or were you the one who couldn’t wait?”

“Hey.”

Back to the present.

Ali tapped me as we were leaving the office. “Dinner after this? I feel like you need a big bowl of ramen and... a little gossip.”

I smiled. “Sure. I’m in.”

I wasn’t ready to tell her everything. Not yet.

But maybe… even just a small embrace from people who are still here — even if they don’t know the whole story — maybe that’s enough for now.

“Okay team, see you in the Dev Room in 10 minutes,” I said as I opened my laptop. “I want the backend schema aligned before we push to the staging server.”

“Copy, TL!” Joms replied.

After all the meetings, revisions, and that emotionally draining presentation, this was the first time I felt clear again. Like for once — I was the one holding the wheel.

While setting up the screen for the internal demo, I noticed someone arrive at the back of the room. I paused for a moment... then turned.

Karl.

He was holding a printed proposal, sleeves rolled up, slightly sweaty.

But this time, I wasn’t the one who froze.

He did.

“Hi Cate,” he greeted, almost formal.

“Hi,” I answered, my tone steady. “You’re just in time. We’re walking through the revised flow.”

He simply nodded. “I’m just observing — the external team has follow-up questions after.”

I smiled, all business. “Alright. Let’s begin.”

As I spoke, I could feel his eyes on me.

But I didn’t care.

I was in my zone.

I used the whiteboard, broke down the API calls, the edge cases, and how our caching strategy would reduce server load by 32%. I could feel how proud the team was — and they had every right to be.

After the walkthrough, there were questions from Karl’s side.

I answered every single one — calm, crisp, confident.

No hesitation.

This is my domain now.

And as I looked up at the end of the session, I saw Karl still watching — silently. I wasn’t sure anymore if he was impressed… or just stunned because I wasn’t the Cate he used to know.

Well, maybe I’m not.

As Karl left, he passed by me. “You did great, Cate.”

I simply smiled. “I know.”

It was already late. Almost no one was left in the office. Quiet. The kind of silence that embraces you — not the kind that chokes, but the one that slowly lets you rest.

I sat in the pantry corner on the little couch, holding a glass of cold water. My hair was still neatly tied, but I was starting to let go of being “Team Lead Cate.”

Now, I was just me again. Just Cate.

“Hey,” a soft voice said. Ali walked in, holding chocolate milk and chips. “Mind if I third-wheel your silence?”

I smiled. “Sure. I don’t have a date anyway.”

She sat beside me and handed me one of the snacks.

“You were amazing earlier. That walkthrough was solid. You literally owned the room.”

“Thanks.”

I was quiet for a moment. “It’s the first time I felt like… I’m me again. The Cate who can handle things, who can lead. Not the Cate who’s always walking on eggshells.”

“Your girlboss era is over. This is your queen era,” she said, raising her milk in a cheers.

I laughed. “A queen who finally knows when to be quiet. And that it’s okay.”

“Does this have anything to do with… our guest speaker s***h ghost of the past?” she teased.

I looked up at the ceiling. “I mean, he’s there. And I felt a lot the first time I saw him again. But now?”

“Now?”

“I don’t orbit around him anymore. He’s there, sure. But I’m not chasing closure anymore. I’m building peace.”

We were silent for a while. Ali just smiled and leaned her head on my shoulder.

“And if closure is what you’re waiting for from him… maybe you’re already the answer to your own question.”

I smiled. Bittersweet. Peaceful.

“Maybe… and maybe that’s enough for now.”

It’s funny how peace feels like a fragile glass — one small crack, and the whole thing threatens to shatter.

Three days after the presentation, everything felt… manageable. The team was moving on to phase two. There was a new timeline. New deliverables. Karl, thankfully, was staying mostly out of the picture.

Until today.

“Cate,” called Sir Renzo, the VP of the project. “You’re needed at the site office. The engineering team is requesting a system walkthrough. On location. They want you there — personally.”

Suddenly, my chest tightened.

“Site? As in, the main plant?”

“Yes,” he said. “Karl will be joining too, along with his lead process engineer. They want to see how the system interfaces with real-time operations.”

I don’t know why, but it felt like a cold needle stabbed the back of my neck.

I nodded slowly. “Okay, sir. When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow. 5AM sharp. Van pickup. Be ready.”

I nodded again, forcing a smile. As soon as I turned around, anxiety settled into my chest.

This wasn’t like the previous trip.

This was going closer. Into the heart of Karl’s world — the place that took him away from me.

Back at my desk, I didn’t say a word. I opened my laptop, scanned reports — but nothing registered.

Ali noticed. “Hey. What’s going on?”

I glanced at her, forcing a small shrug. “New challenge. Another site trip. With Karl.”

“Ugh. Another forced field trip of the heart?”

I chuckled faintly, but I couldn’t deny it — this one felt different.

This wasn’t about the past anymore.

It was about standing in the present... and not knowing if I’m strong enough to look at him without breaking again.