Her Protector (Faye gip)

11

Yoko woke up with a start, her heart pounding in her chest. The room was silent, the only sound the soft hum of the air conditioning. Her body felt heavy, and her mind was foggy, still clinging to the memories of the previous night. She rolled over, her hand searching the sheets, but all she felt was the cold emptiness beside her.

No Faye.

Yoko's chest tightened, her breath catching as reality slowly dawned on her. It wasn't a dream. Faye had been here, in her bed, in her arms. They had kissed, shared more than just their bodies—they had shared something deeper, something raw. Yoko's hand trembled as she pulled the blanket tighter around herself, as if the warmth could somehow shield her from the truth. But Faye was gone.

Yoko shot up in bed, her heart thudding. Where is she? Her mind raced as she frantically looked around the room, hoping for any sign that Faye hadn't just vanished into thin air. Her eyes fell on the nightstand—her phone, no new messages, no missed calls.

She swung her legs out of bed, the cold floor shocking her bare feet as she stood up. Yoko rushed through her penthouse, her breath shallow, her heart racing. But it was empty. No Faye. Nothing. It was like she had never been there at all.

Until Yoko spotted something glinting in the dim morning light on her dresser. It was small, silver, barely noticeable. Yoko approached slowly, her hands shaking as she picked it up. Her breath hitched when she realized what it was—Faye's military necklace.

Her throat tightened, and a flood of emotions hit her all at once—anger, confusion, sadness. Why had she left it behind? It was a part of her, something Faye always wore, always held onto. And now it was here, with Yoko. Like a ghost of last night, a reminder of everything that had happened. A reminder of how Faye had slipped away without a word, without even a goodbye.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, breaking the silence, and Yoko snatched it up, hoping for something, anything from Faye. But it was her father.

"Faye won't be able to come to work for a while," his voice was distant, casual, like he was delivering some unimportant business update. "Her father is seriously ill, and she's had to go to Italy to handle the family business."

Italy. Yoko's blood boiled. So, Faye just left. She'd packed up and left, without a word, without a single explanation.

Yoko swallowed the lump in her throat. "She just left?" Her voice was barely a whisper, trembling with the emotion she was fighting so hard to suppress.

"Yes," her father continued. "It's a family emergency. I don't know how long she'll be gone."

Yoko didn't respond, couldn't. She hung up the phone without another word and stared at the military necklace in her hand, her chest tightening with anger, with betrayal. How could Faye just leave her like this? After everything they'd shared, after last night—how could she just disappear?

Faye had left her, and now all she had was this cold piece of metal to remind her that it wasn't just a figment of her imagination. She clenched the necklace in her fist, her nails digging into her palm as her breath came out ragged.

——

For days, Yoko was like a storm that wouldn't settle. She tried to shove Faye out of her mind, tried to bury the memory of last night, but it was impossible. Every time she looked at the necklace, every time she thought about how Faye had just vanished, the anger, the sadness—it overwhelmed her. It felt like Faye had broken something inside her and walked away without any thought of the damage she left behind.

Her friends noticed the shift immediately. Jennie, Lisa, Prom, and Lux tried to pull her out of her funk, but Yoko wouldn't let them in.

"I'm fine," she'd say, her voice sharp, her eyes cold. "Faye is bullshit. I don't care about her."