Murphy's Law

A few minutes later, Dex entered the 12th floor. He stared at the round door for a moment before keying in the access code. Nova had been placed under house arrest since he'd uncovered her actions.

He stepped in a few moments later, the pleasant smell of cookies hung in the air. "Nova?"

Nova popped up from behind the kitchen island. She was wearing oven mitts on both hands; the slightest dusting of flour decorated her black tank top. Her face still showed the yellowing of a bruise under one eye. "Dex..."

They stared at each other for a long moment. A week earlier, they considered each other close friends, but now the distance between them had turned into an abyss.

Dex noted that her lip was still split open. "You should put something on that."

Nova touched her face with a mitted hand. "It burns whenever I eat. For the record, your partner hits really hard."