Invisible String

They've known each other for 13 years, thirteen years they'd been together, thirteen years they'd loved and cared for each other, that's not a short time, right? They—Tshabina, Tsabinu, Zioh, and Zeremia—spent it all together, through thick and thin, as friends. But why? Why does the man standing in front of Tshabina right now act like it means nothing? What's the real reason? Tshabina could never understand. Since Zioh and Zeremia moved to another continent and disappeared, they hadn't even contacted her. And when they returned after 10 years, this is what she got: hatred from him. "Zi… please, we need to talk." Tshabina whispered, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. It was still 5:00 am, and the man in front of her seemed really unwilling to even wait for the sun to rise before leaving. "What?" Zioh replied, his tone so harsh, utterly devoid of warmth. "At least after what happened last night, you can't just leave without saying anything, Zi. Please, sit down, talk to me for a bit—" before Tshabina could finish, Zioh cut her off with words that stung. "After what happened last night?… Ahh, yeah, I was drunk last night, and when I sobered up, I found myself in this shitty situation. How did you manage to seduce me last night, huh? I know you're not a goody-two-shoes, but I didn't know you were a slut, Tshabina." Zioh's words were brutally cruel to the woman he'd just been intimate with hours before. And yes, "Tshabina"—Zioh now always used her first name, whereas before he always called her by her last name, "Sophie". "ZIOH!" no, Tshabina couldn't hold it back, her tears just fell after he said that. Maybe it wouldn't hurt this much if it wasn't him, she wouldn't be crying if it wasn't Zioh. They shouldn't have ended up like this, not just the two of them, but all four of them. Zioh used to be the first one to step up if someone hurt her, but now it turned out he was the one who hurt her the most, and in the worst way possible. "It wasn't me who seduced you last night, it wasn't me who—" before Tshabina could finish, Zioh spoke up. "Oh, so it was me?" he asked lightly, buttoning his shirt and looking back at her. "How much do you want then?" Zioh asked again, all cleaned up and ready to leave. "Jerk. You're such a jerk, Zioh. You're evil." Tshabina said in a low, trembling voice, but with emphasis. She could only stand there and watch that man walk towards the door, her face impassive, her eyes red. "Same as you." After saying that, Zioh finally left, leaving Tshabina utterly devastated by his words and actions. But could Tshabina do the same? Hate him? No. Never. Because what they had wasn't as simple as hating him and leaving him. No. It wasn't that simple.