Salt Water Resistance

The ethernet cable lay coiled on the bedside table like a black snake, its head resting against the room service menu. Maya had brought it, of course. Maya always brought the cable, insisting the resort Wi-Fi couldn't be trusted for their quarterly review call.

"You're still swimming in that existential dread, aren't you?" Elena asked from the balcony, where she watched the moonlight strike the palm fronds like silver struck across dark water.

"I'm not swimming anywhere. I'm drowning." Maya joined her, two hotel glasses of tequila in hand. "Did you know palm readers in town are offering corporate futures? Saw a sign. 'Your career path revealed.'"

Elena laughed, but it was thin as paper. They'd been friends seven years, since they were both assistants in the Analytics department, eating lunch together in the breakroom, dreaming of corner offices. Now Maya was Senior Director and Elena was... still waiting. The promotion Maya had mentioned over drinks three months ago—the one she'd promised to recommend Elena for—had never materialized.

"You know what she told me?" Elena said softly. "The palm reader. She said my lifeline was strong, but my success line was blocked by someone close. Someone I trusted."

Maya went very still. The cable inside pulsed with phantom notifications.

"She didn't need to see my hand to know that," Elena continued, voice tight. "She saw how you looked at me when we checked in. How you asked for a king bed instead of two queens. How you couldn't meet my eyes when I asked about the promotion again at dinner."

"Elena—"

"I applied for it too, you know. Before you told me you were recommending me. HR showed me the applications. Yours was dated three weeks before you ever mentioned it to me."

Maya's face crumpled. "I was going to tell you. I just—I couldn't lose you."

"You already did." Elena set down her glass, untouched. "I'm going swimming."

"It's midnight. The ocean's dangerous at night."

"So is trusting someone who packs an ethernet cable for a beach trip."

Elena stepped into the darkness. The cable lay coiled on the table, its promise of connection still humming with betrayal.