[The center of the stage is made for only one person, but you are not alone anymore.

Claudine is just as reluctant to pull back, but she does, wiping at her eyes a little. At the word ‘girlfriends’, she just laughs a tiny bit. It’s just that much like Maya.]

…exactly how many girls have you made fall in love with you this time? Also, we’re long since past the point of honorifics, ma Maya.

[If this had been back at school, if they both hadn’t gone through a rapid-fire exercise in what relationships forged in fire were like, Claudine would be a lot more upset. Thankfully, she’s seen firsthand just how love multiplies. So instead of being upset, she’s amused. Later, there will be time enough for the harder conversations.]