Chapter 33 - The Check-In

Chapter 33: The Check-In

Crystal didn’t cancel plans.

Even in her working life — packed days, stacked meetings, endless Slack messages — she showed up. Sharp, present, composed. The version of herself that everyone relied on.

But Aleem noticed when things shifted.

She replied slower in the group chat. Skipped the meme threads. Showed up late to dinner with hair slightly undone — not Crystal’s usual polished precision.

ABIX had planned to meet at a quiet food court near Bugis after work. Casual dinner. No occasion. Everyone showed — except Isabelle, who was still buried in school. Crystal arrived last, lips pressed in a tight smile.

Aleem offered her a seat across from him. Ordered an extra drink without asking.

She looked at it. “Milo peng?”

“You drink it when you’re running low.”

She paused. “That obvious, huh?”

Aleem just nodded. “Crystal-tired or ‘don’t want to talk about it’ tired?”

She gave a half-laugh. “Maybe both.”

After dinner, the others went home. Aleem lingered.

So did she.

They walked aimlessly along the quieter side streets near Arab Street. Offices dimmed. Conversations hushed. The kind of night that made it easier to talk without trying.

Crystal finally said it:

“I love my job. I do. But I think it’s loving me back… transactionally.”

Aleem glanced over.

“They expect me to show up. To close deals, smile in client meetings, over-perform.”

“You’re good at all that.”

“But I don’t want to be good at it while falling apart.”

She stopped walking, leaned against a low brick ledge, arms crossed.

“My boyfriend offered to help out. Said I didn’t need to overexert. I snapped at him.”

Aleem raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because part of me heard, ‘You’re not doing enough.’ Even though I know that’s not what he meant.”

Aleem looked at her for a moment. Then said,

“Crystal, you’ve always been the one leading the charge. Carrying weight most people don’t see. But love isn’t a scoreboard.”

She didn’t respond.

So he added, “Maybe this is your season to receive. Not because you’re weak — but because you’ve earned the right to rest without guilt.”

She let out a slow breath. Looked up at the sky, where nothing but muted stars blinked through the haze.

“You’re annoyingly good at this.”

“At what?”

“Knowing when to say just enough. No more. No less.”

Aleem smirked. “That’s just a polite way to say I talk too much.”

She chuckled — real this time.

That night, Crystal messaged Hana:

Your partner’s very annoying.
But also very right. So thank you.
I think some of his steadiness is starting to rub off on me.

Hana replied:

I think it’s always been there. He just knows how to hold space for people who forget they’re allowed to pause.

Aleem’s notes that night:

Even the strongest ones need someone who knows how to say: it’s okay to rest.
Not because you’re failing.
But because you don’t need to prove anything to stay loved.