Chapter 20 - The Fork in the Road
Chapter 20: The Fork in the Road
It was the end of a Friday, the kind where the sky glowed just a little longer, as if stalling for someone who needed more time.
Aleem sat by the window of a small café in Tanjong Pagar, fingers wrapped around a cup of teh tarik. His laptop was open, but untouched. An offer letter sat in his inbox, subject line glowing like a silent question.
We are pleased to offer you the position of Regional Solutions Architect, based in Penang.
Penang.
Again.
Funny how that place kept circling back into his life.
He hadn’t replied yet.
Because for the first time, this wasn’t just about career. It wasn’t just about a bigger paycheck or a new title. It was about choice. About distance. About what—and who—he might leave behind.
The Shift in the Air
In the span of a month, all four corners of ABIX found themselves standing at different crossroads.
Crystal had been offered a secondment to Jakarta. A leadership role with more responsibility than she felt ready for—but also the kind of opportunity people fought tooth and nail for. Her voice in the chat had started carrying hesitation, not certainty.
Ivan’s company wanted to send him to Germany for a six-month rotation. He hadn’t said yes. Not yet. He joked about bratwurst and cold weather, but everyone could sense the weight behind his silence.
Isabelle had been shortlisted for a competitive research grant—one that would fund a postgraduate year in Melbourne. Her excitement was real. But so was the fear. Of being alone. Of starting again.
They were all beginning to realise something:
The center was cracking—not from conflict, but from momentum.
Time, once their companion, was now their divide.
A Meeting at Sunset
They met at Labrador Park. It was Aleem’s idea. No agenda. Just one last breath before the pull of the world took them elsewhere.
The grass was dewy. The air smelled like sea and endings.
They sat in a row on a quiet slope, watching ships blink in the distance.
“I don’t want to say it,” Crystal murmured.
“Then don’t,” Ivan said. “We don’t have to label it.”
Isabelle wrapped her arms around her knees. “But we should acknowledge it. That we’re… standing at the edge of something.”
Aleem stayed quiet. He always did, when it mattered.
Eventually, he spoke.
“I’m thinking of taking the offer in Penang.”
Nobody gasped. Nobody flinched.
They just turned to look at him. Waiting.
“There’s a project they want me to lead. It’s big. Complex. It’s also… where I first met her.”
“Her?” Crystal’s eyes widened. “You mean—”
Aleem nodded. “Hana.”
He didn’t explain further. He didn’t need to. The name itself held history, weight, and what-if.
Isabelle was the first to speak. “Do you think it’s the right place?”
“I don’t know,” Aleem said. “But it feels… unfinished. Like there’s something there I need to face. Even if it’s not about her anymore.”
Ivan nodded. “Closure. Or maybe a beginning.”
“Maybe both.”
Goodbyes Without Finality
The sun dipped behind the waves, turning everything gold.
No one cried.
No one made promises they couldn’t keep.
Instead, they each said one thing—just one.
Something small, something true.
“I hope Jakarta teaches me something I didn’t know I needed,” Crystal whispered.
“I hope I don’t freeze to death in Germany,” Ivan said, trying to sound casual, but smiling anyway.
“I hope Melbourne gives me the space to grow,” Isabelle said.
Aleem looked at them all, then at the sea.
“I hope I don’t lose you.”
They didn’t answer with words.
They answered by leaning in, their shoulders touching in a quiet line.
Still here.
Still connected.
Even at the edge of the fork.
A Glimpse Ahead
Back in his room, Aleem opened the offer letter again. He hovered over the reply button.
Then, before hitting send, he opened a blank document.
And typed two words:
Shei Er.
He didn’t know why.
Only that the name had started lingering in his thoughts more often—someone from work. Someone quiet. Brilliant. Kind.
Someone who, maybe one day… might matter.
He saved the file.
Then clicked Accept on the job offer.