In a three-star restaurant, a girl with black hair in a ponytail was busy cleaning dirty tables that had been spilled by customers. After wiping one table, she moves on to another until all the tables are clean. Followed by washing piles of plates, bowls, spoons, forks, glasses, and cooking utensils in the kitchen.

"Finally finished,” said Haoling Jiuyao, smiling as she looked at the round wall clock mounted on one of the restaurant walls which showed two o’clock in the afternoon.

Jiuyao quickly walked to the room where she kept her bag. She took her pink bag from the locker and put it on. After saying goodbye to her day-shift coworker who had just arrived ten minutes ago, she hurriedly walked to the front parking lot of the restaurant. She reached into the black bag she had bought on sale three days ago, picked up her old cell phone and searched for her boyfriend’s contact number.

“Hello dear, I’m home from work. Please pick me up at my usual place,” Jiuyao said when the call connected after five calls.

"Sorry honey, I can't pick you up. I have a lot of work to do, my work is piling up. Sorry again, yes," Lu Yi said from the other side.

"Oh, busy? Yes, dear," Jiuyao replied.

“Honey, are you okay to go home alone?” asked Lu Yi.

“Yes, it’s okay, dear. Let’s continue the unfinished work,” said Jiuyao, trying to hide her disappointed tone.

Soon the phone call was disconnected from Lu Yi. Counting more than three times this week, her boyfriend, Lu Yi refused to pick her up with the same excuse of being busy because of unfinished work.

Is Lu Yi really working a lot? Jiuyao wondered.

"Jiuyao!" someone called out.

The one with the name looked toward the source of the voice where a girl with shoulder-length short hair was standing not far away. The girl was dressed in the same clothes that Jiuyao was wearing.

"Why are you daydreaming? You're thinking about your boyfriend, aren't you?" guessed Chaoxing, who hit the nail on the head as she carefully took her motorcycle out of the parking lot. Understandably, this motorcycle has only been three months and even then, by taking credit at the dealer.

"You're right Chaoxing. I asked to pick up Lu Yi, but he said he had a lot of work," said Jiuyao, then sighed.

“You can go home with me." Chaoxing handed Jiuyao a hello kitty doll helmet and put it on. Jiuyao immediately climbed onto the motorcycle seat right behind Chaoxing.

"Are you ready yet?" asked Chaoxing without turning around. She was already holding the motorcycle span.

"Yes, it's ready," Jiuyao replied.

Chaoxing took the motorcycle towards the highway. This time the highway was not too crowded with vehicles passing by. Perhaps many people chose to stay at home. Incidentally, the sun is not friendly today. The light feels stinging on the skin even though the jacket has been worn to protect yourself. All the way home Jiuyao was just silent. The girl was busy with her own thoughts, while Chaoxing looked left and right to ensure driving safety.

"Maybe he really has work to do. Just think positive Jiuyao!" Chaoxing said a few moments later, trying to comfort her best friend since high school until now.

"I hope it's as you say Chaoxing," Jiuyao replied, trying to pull her lips into a smile.

Jiuyao and Chaoxing arrived at the rented house that they both rented. As usual, Chaoxing parked her motorcycle that she had just borrowed three months ago in the courtyard of the rented house. The rented house, painted light blue, was not very spacious, but it was enough to accommodate the two of them. The front balcony was decorated with flowers and some vegetables to beautify it.

***

The day had passed so quickly that the sun had now been replaced by the moon. In a kitchen room measuring only three meters by one and a half meters, Chaoxing placed the two meals she had just finished cooking on a small wooden table that could only accommodate two people. Hot steam billowed from the food that had just been removed.

"Jiuyao, you're daydreaming again," Chaoxing scolded as her hand touched Jiuyao's shoulder.

"Ah, yes, Chaoxing. What were you talking about earlier?" Jiuyao woke up from her reverie, then turned to look at Chaoxing, who was also looking at her.

"Jiuyao, eat first so you don't keep daydreaming? How many times have you daydreamed today?" Chaoxing remembered. The girl, who was one year older than Jiuyao, handed her a plate filled with rice, vegetables, and fish.

"Alright, I'll eat." Jiuyao took the spoon from the table and started eating.

There was silence again, with only the emptiness of sound and the clanging of spoons and plates to fill the void. Chaoxing was willing to spend more money to buy a fresh fish so that she could cook Jiuyao's favorite dish, but in fact her efforts were considered a failure. Jiuyao only ate a little of the fish, unlike the usual day.

"What's wrong Jiuyao? Is my cooking bad?" asked Chaoxing in between meals.

Jiuyao shook her head lightly. "It's not like that Chaoxing! I just don't have much appetite when I eat."

"Even though there are problems in your relationship, don't let it affect your appetite. Because if you get sick, it's not Lu Yi or me who will feel the pain, but Jiuyao herself," Chaoxing advised. She knew what made her best friend become like that.

“Yes, I know Chaoxing.” Jiuyao forced herself to eat more, even though she was not excited.

***

For, the umpteenth time, Jiuyao opened her cell phone hoping for a chat reply from her boyfriend. Jiuyao sent a message to Lu Yi since four hours ago after dinner, but until now it has not been read let alone replied. Whether Lu Yi is that busy that he doesn't even know about Jiuyao's chat.

Jiuyao let out a long breath. "Lu Yi now is really different from before."

"Lu Yi used to always care about me. He would call and talk to me for hours, and now even half an hour of calls can be counted on the fingers."

Jiuyao opened the photo gallery and searched for her photo with Lu Yi when she went to the park for the first time. In the photo, Jiuyao and Lu Yi are sitting on a park bench, their hands making a love pose. In the old photo, their faces looked happy. Yes, it was a memorable photo from seven months ago, when they first started dating.

"Why have you changed Lu Yi? It feels like our relationship is now tenuous, unlike before."

Droplets of clear liquid dripped unnoticed as Jiuyao's hand rubbed the photo of Lu Yi's handsome face on her cell phone. Jiuyao placed her phone on the study table in the corner of her room before walking up to the bed, pulling the blanket up to her chest and trying to close her eyes until she finally fell asleep.

"Jiuyao, I hope you can be cheerful again," Chaoxing said, then closed the door to Jiuyao's room and walked to her own room.