Chapter 39 - The Third Cup

Chapter 39: The Third Cup

The message came in late.

10:42 PM.

Hi. This is Ivan. Hope I’m not disturbing.

Hana blinked.

She hadn’t spoken to Ivan directly before — not one-on-one. They were part of the same orbit, but never in sync. Yet here he was.

She replied:

You’re not. What’s on your mind?

A pause.

Nothing urgent. Just… wondered if you had space. Not for advice. Just for quiet.

That, she understood perfectly.

They met at a 24-hour toast place near Bukit Timah. Not close to either of them. Neutral ground.

Ivan was already seated when she arrived — black shirt, sleeves rolled up, staring blankly at a cup of tea he hadn’t touched.

She slid into the seat across from him without a word.

Set down a third cup.

He looked up. Curious.

She said simply, “One for me, one for you, and one for what you’re not ready to say yet.”

They didn’t speak for fifteen minutes.

He looked tired. Not physically. Existentially.

She didn’t pry.

Eventually, he said, “Do you ever feel like you’ve become so good at navigating life that people forget you’re still figuring it out?”

Hana didn’t smile. Didn’t soften it.

She said, “Every week.”

He exhaled.

Then quietly: “It’s like… I’ve built this machine of a life. Functional. Efficient. Logical. But somewhere in the wiring I forgot how to feel.”

She nodded.

Ivan continued, “Everyone thinks I’m stable. And I am. But sometimes I wonder if I’ve become so composed I’m invisible — even to myself.”

Hana stirred her tea slowly.

“Being composed isn’t the same as being whole,” she said. “Wholeness allows for mess. For moments of uncertainty. You don’t lose your edge when you feel — you sharpen it.”

Ivan looked at her, thoughtful. “You always talk like that?”

“Only when it’s late and the world feels too loud.”

He chuckled.

Just once.

Before they left, he asked, “Why do you think the others talk to you so easily?”

She tilted her head.

“Because I don’t treat their pain like it’s an emergency. Just… part of being human.”

The next morning, Ivan sent a message in the group chat:

Just a reminder to all of you. Feeling lost doesn’t mean you’re broken. You’re allowed to float for a while.

Crystal replied: Poetic before 9am? Are you okay?

Isabelle: I love this. Can we float together?

Aleem: This sounds suspiciously like someone spent time with Hana.

Ivan only replied with a leaf emoji.

Hana’s journal entry that week:

Some people need space to fall apart.
Others just need space to remember they’re allowed to pause.
I don’t need to lead. I just need to listen.
And sometimes, a third cup is all it takes.