Chapter 13

the seating arrangement on the plane wasn’t much better for manon. she was in a row with sophia and dani, while megan, yoonchae, and lara were in the row behind them. great. now, she has to pretend to focus on the movie on her screen while listening to sophia and dani flirt.

when sophia let out her sixth flustered giggle that should have been for her girlfriend, manon lost it.

“will you please stop?” she burst out. “i can’t fucking watch you flirt with dani. she’s goddamn straight.”

sophia didn’t even look surprised. she turned slowly, lips curling into something too calm to be kind.

“straight,” she repeated softly. “right. that’s the problem now.”

manon scoffed. “don’t twist this.”

“oh, i’m not twisting anything,” sophia said, tilting her head. “i’m just fascinated by your sudden concern for boundaries.”

dani shifted. “soph—”

sophia waved her off without breaking eye contact with manon. “no, it’s fine. i want to hear this.” she leaned closer. “go on. explain to me why i’m crossing a line.”

manon’s fingers curled around her armrest. “you’re doing it on purpose.”

“and?” sophia’s smile sharpened. “you did too.”

“that was different.”

sophia laughed quietly. “everyone keeps saying that. different how? because you felt bad after? because you didn’t mean for it to get messy?” she shook her head. “intent doesn’t erase impact, manon.”

manon opened her mouth, then shut it.

sophia sat back, satisfied. “see? that silence? that’s you realizing i’m right.”

from behind them, megan muttered, “jesus.”

sophia glanced back. “relax. i’m almost done.”

she turned forward again, voice lower now. “you don’t get to police who i talk to just because it makes you uncomfortable. especially not when you’ve already proven you’re fine blurring lines when it suits you.”

dani swallowed. “sophia—”

sophia finally looked at her, expression softening just a fraction. “you’re fine. this isn’t about you.”

then her gaze snapped back to manon. “this is about you thinking you’re the exception.”

the plane hummed on, indifferent.

and manon had never felt so exposed at thirty thousand feet.

a flight attendant stopped beside their row, clutching a small notebook and a pen, eyes bright with barely-contained excitement.

“hi—sorry to interrupt,” she said, already glancing between them. “i just wanted to say i’m a huge EYEKON.”

sophia’s posture shifted instantly, professional smile snapping into place. “yeah,” she said smoothly. “that’s us.”

the attendant beamed. “oh my gosh i’m so glad to meet you guys! would you mind signing this for me?”

she handed the notebook to sophia first.

sophia signed with ease, passing it to dani, then turned slightly to help angle the book toward megan behind them. yoonchae leaned over the seat, scribbling her name with a grin. lara signed last, apologetic and gentle.

the notebook made its way back up.

and then—nothing.

the flight attendant glanced at manon, hesitated, then smiled awkwardly and pulled the notebook back to her chest.

“thank you all so much,” she said quickly. “this means everything.”

she walked away.

manon froze.

a beat passed. then another.

sophia noticed first. her smile lingered—too long—before she turned, eyes flicking to manon’s empty hands.

“oh,” she said lightly. “she didn’t ask you.”

manon’s jaw tightened. “don’t.”

sophia raised her eyebrows. “i’m just observing.”

yoonchae leaned forward again, voice low. “that’s foul.”

megan muttered, “damn.”

lara twisted in her seat, guilt written all over her face. “manon, i—”

“it’s fine,” manon snapped, staring straight ahead. “it’s fucking fine.”

sophia tilted her head, studying her. “is it? because earlier you were real loud about who shouldn’t be flirting with who. but now you’re mad about not being seen?”

manon finally turned, eyes blazing. “you think this is funny?”

sophia shrugged. “i think it’s ironic.”

“that woman just embarrassed me in front of everyone.”

sophia’s voice stayed calm, but there was something sharper underneath. “welcome to the club.”

manon stood again, fully this time. “you are actually unbelievable.”

sophia met her gaze, unflinching. “and you’re actually not as untouchable as you think.”

silence slammed into them.

from somewhere down the aisle, the ding of a seatbelt sign cut through the tension.

the plane kept moving.

and manon had never felt smaller—or angrier—in her life.