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wonsheep · 2 years ago

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Got My Number

genre: fluff, friends-to-something-more

pairing: Jake x gender-neutral!reader

warnings: reader being referred to as beautiful, mentions of an unhealthy relationship, but only briefly, lmk if there's anything else!

word count: 1.2K

sheep's note: hello, everyone, it's been a long while since i posted actual content here, and i truly missed it, this is my first longer work on here, so please enjoy. i had fun imagining this, slughtly inspired by monsta x's got my number, but maybe i'll write something based more on the song in the future eheheeh in the meanwhile, this is my comeback and i'll try to be more sctive and practice writing in english more :DD

permanent taglist: @soobin-chois

thank you and enjoy reading!

Jake had been wondering why you haven't texted him yet. He thought your last date (actually, it was a friendly hangout, but a guy can dream) went well, and awaited your message inviting him to do something fun together.

But nothing new came up on his screen when he opened your chat for the nth time that week, only the last goodbyes you exchanged.

Y/N: had fun <3 talk to you later

The bright, white letters seemed to be mocking him as he wondered what time interval 'later' was equal to.

He was about to try and distract himself from you and your 'later'.

Hmm.

'<3'.

Less than three. Three what? Days? Weeks? Months? No, that would be just cruel. He wanted to see you again way sooner than months.

Suddenly, three little dots appeared on the bottom of his screen, indicating that you were typing something.

It was a little stupid how Jake's heart sped up from looking at the animated circles, but he blamed it on being easily excitable.

He knew he shouldn't explore too much on his feelings for you, because it would end up awkward on your side and in a week of moping around on his.

The thing is, you already had a boyfriend. Even though you have told Jake before that nowadays, the relationship wasn't as fun as it used to be at the start, you stayed very committed.

"I'm just not really satisfied anymore, I guess…" you breathed out in a sigh, dangling your legs from the asphalt block you and Jake were perched on, next to a grassy portion of the park. "It's starting to feel like I'm more of a burden to him than a partner."

Pretty far into the night, it was quiet, only the rustling of birds settling into their places on trees and a few faraway laughs could be heard from your spot. The nearby streetlamp illuminated your features when the caress of a breeze passed by, blowing some hair into your face.

Jake moved involuntarily to remove the strands covering your eyes.

He couldn't have possibly helped being attracted to you, it would have been a nearly impossible task to not be drawn to your enticing persona.

For one, Jake thought you were effortlessly beautiful. You sometimes made him burst out laughing, without caring who could hear him, and there never was a dull moment while being with you.

You made him forget everyday struggles and made things seem better when discussing hardships you both went through as days passed by.

Jake's stomach dropped a little when you first mentioned your boyfriend, and he felt a little embarrassed, because he was in deep. Too deep already.

So deep, in fact, that his ears went red in excitement from seeing you were about to contact him. Jake was met with disappointment yet again, when the little dots were gone, replaced by no new texts, just a blank screen.

He couldn't hold it any longer, jumping up from his bed he was previously spread out on to grab his jacket and leave the apartment immediately.

While he was locking the door, his phone vibrated with a new notification. Guessing it was probably Sunghoon telling him to wash the fucking dishes already or Riki sending one of his weird memes, he thought it wasn't urgent.

Jake pocketed his keys and started walking in the direction of your flat, not too far away, luckily, and decided to check his notification now.

His jaw dropped as he almost stopped in his tracks.

Y/N: my bed's empty without you

Yes, he had been to your room before, yes, he had laid in your bed too, but the wording… It seemed suggestive, nothing like pillow fights after a movie marathon or wishing goodnights and you asking him to stay a little longer. He brushed off the feeling though, setting his priorities and making a mental note to ask you about your wording.

Jake started putting one foot after another way quicker, and took a few deep breaths. Deciding that he had plenty of time to reply in real life, he shoved his phone into the backpocket of his light washed jeans.

There he was, faced with your door, alternating between raising his fist to rasp his knuckles against it and having a stare-off with the little stepping mat that was spread on the ground.

Taking a final calming breath, a desperate attempt at calming his racing heart, he knocked.

One, two, and then three seconds passed.

As expected, you were the one who opened the door. Looking nothing short of breathtaking in Jake's humble opinion with hair tucked away from your face, no makeup, a dark tank top and shorts.

Your lips stretched into an all-too-familiar half-smile as you recognised your visitor.

"If I knew you would appear on my doorstep after that text, I would have sent it way sooner."

"Well, why didn't you?" Jake surprised himself with being able to put a coherent sentence together after being stunned by your beauty yet again.

Instead of answering immediately, you averted your gaze and stepped further from the entrance, inviting your friend in.

You lead Jake to the couch in front of the TV, grabbing both you and him a glass of water from the kitchen nearby.

"We broke up." You thought it would be better to be straight-forward about it, since it wasn't like being freed from this relationship was a sensitive topic for you. Obviously, you weren't nonchalant about it, but you felt better.

"Oh," Jake's mouth parted, hesitating on whether to console you or simply just accept this important fact you have thrown at him. "I'm sorry."

He wasn't sorry at all, maybe only for the fact that you might be disheartened after these events, even though you seemed fine.

The living room was bathing in warm tones thanks to the standing lamps you insisted on keeping around in the area, instead of hanging lights from the ceiling.

Your nose cast a shadow on one of your cheeks, and Jake suddenly had the urge to touch the presumably soft skin, as if he would be able to feel the dark outline of your nose.

"Don't be," you shrugged.

Jake gulped and took a sip of much needed water when you pulled up the strap of the tank top that slipped down on your shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure I will have to end things with him a second time, since he left with saying I can't break up with him, because he doesn't agree, but I'm completely done with his shit at this point." Your eyes wandered around the room while elaborating, the scene of your ex-boyfriend slamming the door to your house replaying in your head.

Catching up in the comfort of your living room and the soft pillows decorating your couch, you explained to Jake that you didn't want to risk dragging him into the ongoing fight between you and your ex, and since he would have jumped at even an innocent text from your friend, you decided on radio-silence while dealing with the problem.

Jake was only a little upset, since he found your actions reasonable, but it still bothered him that he wasn't able to help you.

After the sun dipped behind the clouds of the evening, Jake slowly got up from his seat, smiling warmly.

"See you soon?" you asked, your eyes shining.

"Yeah. Text me."

Jake lifted an arm to wrap around your waist and pull you against his chest. He moved his face so that his soft, plump lips were aligned with your ears and whispered, leaving a feather-light kiss on the side of your face.

"You've got my number."

THE END.

#enhypen x reader #enhypen jake x reader #jake sim x reader #jake x reader #jaeyun x reader #enhypen fluff #enhypen drabbles #jake x y/n #jake x you #jake sim fluff #jake fluff #jaeyun fluff #enhypen x gender neutral reader #enhypen reactions #enhypen headcanons #enhypen

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meetmypointlessaddiction · 2 years ago

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So It's Gonna Be Forever

Summary: Joel Miller and Emily Harper have been best friends since 2nd grade and at the end of freshman year become something more. Will they last or will their new label ruin it all. OR Joel Miller gets some lovin' because god knows he deserves it.

Chapter 3

Warnings: Mentions of rough childhood and some violence between father and son but that isn't for another few chapters.Mentions and allusions to smut but never actually turns into smut.

I understand that this might not be everyone's cup of tea so if it's not for you, just don't read.

If there's anything that is possibly triggering that I haven't mentioned in the warnings please let me know as this is not beta'd and it is very possible that I've missed something.

Warnings🏷: Bit of violence between Joel and his dad and mentions abusive relationships.

Series Masterlist

Wordcount: 3459 words

Joel and Emily had met when they were 7 years old at a playground in their neighbourhood. Emily’s family had moved from a different neighbourhood and the girl was determined to make new friends. Joel’s mother had taken him and Tommy to the playground and, while Tommy was more than happy with toddling around with some of the other kids, Joel preferred to sit on the grass under the tree, humming to himself.

“Hi, I’m Emily.” Joel looked up from the picture he had drawn with a stick in the dirt and frowned. “What’s your name?”

“Joel.” He mumbled and Emily sat down next to him.

“What’cha drawin’?” She asked and Joel smiled slightly.

“A castle from one of the books my mama read to me and my brother.”

“I like castles too. We should play castles.” She announced and Joel frowned.

“You can play castles?” Emily nodded and Joel smiled. “I’ll play if you teach me.” He tried and Emily nodded again.

“Me and you can be the prince and the princess and your brother could be one of our knights.” She explained and Joel shrugged, taking her outstretched hand and following him to the climbing frame.

From then on, Joel and Emily would always sit under that same tree and plan out their next game, their mothers getting closer as they saw their kids getting closer. Tommy joined in a lot too, Emily often promising to let him be the knight and go off pretending to fight off some of the ‘enemies’ that were just poor unsuspecting kids on the swings.

Eventually, Joel and Tommy would be taken to the Harper’s house every other weekend for playdates and for both Carol and Maria to talk to someone that wasn’t their husbands or the moms that gossiped on the school yard. Occasionally, Joel’s father would join them but the night would only end sour when Maria advised that another beer wasn’t wise and then he would flip and decide that their night of fun was over, dragging both Tommy and Joel kicking and screaming back into his truck.

Even now, Jerry and Carol would never forget the look of pure terror on Maria’s face whenever Richard would storm over to the boys and demand they put on their shoes and coats and head out to the truck. Deep down, there had always been a sneaking suspicion that Maria wasn’t as ok with her marriage as she pretended she was but nobody dared bring it up, not wanting to upset her and possibly scare her off.

Joel knew his father had a violent streak after he saw him squeezing his mother’s wrist a little too tightly after she had politely hugged Jerry goodbye and left a kiss on his cheek. After that day, his twelve year old self vowed that he would try his best to make sure she never got hurt by him and that he kept Tommy safe when his mother couldn’t. When his mother died, Joel took Tommy and they received the comfort they needed from Emily and her parents, Richard running off to a pub to drown out whatever sorrow he had in beer.

At that point, Joel and Emily had only been together for a few months but she didn’t hesitate to do whatever she could to help him find a bit of normality. Now, almost three years since he asked her to be his girlfriend, she was dragging him over to her house in order to celebrate his birthday, Tommy trailing behind them.

“Emily, I swear to God. It ain’t a big deal and I have work tomorrow.” He groaned but she just shook her head.

“Cancelled it. Rick was very understanding.” She said sarcastically and Joel scoffed.

“Highly understanding my ass. Why is it so important to you anyway?”

“Your eighteenth is sort of a big deal to me, Joel. To my mom and dad too. I know your shitty father probably doesn’t even know what today is but we do so we’re celebrating in the best way we could.”

“I don’t think your parents want to be there for that, sweet cheeks.” He teased and she slapped his chest, rolling her eyes.

Carol and Jerry had prepared a meal for Joel, one they knew his mother used to make for him and Joel choked on his tears. “She always tried to teach me how to make this but my shitty cooking could never handle it.” He joked and Emily shuffled further into his side, all of them sat on the couch after the dishes had been put away.

“Well, there’s a few things for you to open.” Carol pushed but Joel shook his head.

“You guys didn’t have to get me anything. Hell you’ve already given me the best birthday present I could ask for. You don’t have to waste your money on me.” Joel tried but they all shook their heads.

“It ain’t a waste if it’s going to someone who deserves it. Catch, this ones from me and Jerry.” Carol threw him a packaged bow and Joel opened it, grinning when he saw the guitar polishing equipment and repair kit.

“How’d you know?” He asked with a slight smile and they shrugged.

“Everytime we ask you to play, a cloud of dust follows the music.” Emily pointed out and Joel pinched her side, pouting.

“This ones from me.” Tommy passed Joel another present and Joel raised his eyebrows as he revealed a Dallas Cowboys jersey.

“Now who the hell did you rob to get the money for somethin’ like this?” Joel asked with a smile and pulled his brother into a tight hug.

“Drugs. Really gets the cash rollin’ in.” Tommy teased and Joel shoved his palm into Tommy’s head.

“Well, time for mine I suppose.” She handed him her present and he smiled as he saw the many music CDs she had bought for him. A few Linda Ronstandt CDs and then some country music as well as some other bands and artists that she knew he liked.

“Thank you baby.” He muttered before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. A clear of her father’s throat made him pull away and Emily rolled her eyes, glaring at her father.

“Thank you, all of you. I appreciate it a lot.” Joel said and smiled, pressing another kiss to Emily’s temple before Carol stood.

“Actually, there’s one more gift. Now, I’ll let you open it first and then I’ll explain.” Joel frowned in confusion as Carol handed him a box and an envelope. Joel opened the envelope and pulled out a letter, handwriting neat but blotches laid across the page.

My darling,

If you’ve been given this, it probably means that the worst has happened. I never wanted to have to write this but I know that they doubt I’ll make it a few more months nevermind a few more years. I want you to know that I’ll always be proud of you Joel and that I love you very dearly. Truth is, I’m scared to die, not because I’m scared of what comes after but because I’m scared of what will happen to my boys. When you were 12 years old, your lips still sore from where your father had hit when he threw the football at you, you promised to always keep me and your brother safe and I know that you’ve kept your promise and I know that you and Tommy will always have each other, no matter what. Now, I’m scared I’ll run out of paper to write both you and Tommy a letter so I better get to the point and hope that you just know how much I love you. Inside the box is a watch that was given to my grandfather when he turned eighteen and passed down to my father. He wanted to give it to his oldest grandson which just so happens to be you. When you and Emily eventually give me a grandbaby, I know you tried to hide it but I saw you both sneaking out of the back door a few nights ago. I want you to give it to them on their 18th birthday and give them a million and one kisses from me.

I approve of her, Joel. She’s good for you and I know you love her, even if it will take you a while to admit it to her. I love you so so much and wish I could have been there for your special day today and see just how happy you and Tommy are. Never forget how special you are baby, love you always and forever,

Your mama

Joel stared down at the paper in his hands and noticed the tears that had joined his mothers on the page. He folded the paper and tucked it into his wallet before picking up the box and unwrapping it. He took the watch out of the box, turning it over in his hands to see the engravings on the back of the face. In tiny writing, there read three names.

Logan T. Moore

Thomas J. Moore

Joel M. Miller

Joel clipped the watch onto his wrist, the metal clasp a stark contrast to the warmth of his skin. “You okay?” Emily asked gently and Joel nodded, pulling her closer to him and pushing his face into her hair.

“I love you, so fucking much.” He choked out and she smiled while he turned to look at Carol and Jerry. “Thank you, for everything. You practically took me and Tommy in and then you do all this for me and Jerry got me a job. I don’t know what I’ll do to make it up to you but I’m gonna try my damn hardest.”

Joel was embraced by both Carol and Jerry before he hugged Emily again, settling down on the couch as Jerry flipped on the TV. “Now, I know we ain’t got many films but this one used to be a fan favourite.” As the opening credits of the movie started playing, Emily bundled herself up in the blanket had pulled down from the back of the couch and squeezed the hand that she was holding on her inner thigh.

“I love you.” Joel leant down to whisper into her ear. Now that the words had finally been said, he decided that he needed to tell her at every possible moment, needing to make up for all the times he hadn’t said it back.

“I love you too.”

When the movie had ended, Tommy thanked them for dinner and headed up to the spare room while Jerry headed to the bathroom. Carol stayed sat down and Emily caught her eye. Joel had fallen asleep half way through the movie, the emotional events taking a bigger toll on him than he had expected. “Can I speak to you, once Joel is in bed?” Carol asked and she nodded, smiling tiredly.

“Joel. C’mon baby, let’s go to bed.” Emily nudged him and Joel opened one eye before huffing and closing it again, gaining a small laugh out of both Emily and Carol. “C’mon cowboy, go sleep in a real bed.”

“You comin’?” Joel huffed and Emily nodded.

“Yeah, I’m comin’ up right behind you, Joel.” Joel nodded and smiled dopily at Carol before heading up the stairs.

“What d’you wanna talk about?” Emily asked, turning to her mother after watching Joel up the stairs.

“Well, we know Joel and Tommy don’t exactly get along with their dad, and me and your father know that, since Maria passed away, they haven’t exactly had a great summer break and your grandparents have offered us the lakehouse again for two weeks so-.” Emily grinned.

“I’ll talk to him about it. I’m sure he’ll say yes, Tommy will want to anyway.” Emily added and Carol just nodded.

“Well, you let us know what he says honey.” Emily nodded, kissing her mother on the cheek before walking into the bathroom to brush her teeth and then into her room where Joel was laid in a pair of sweatpants, starfishing the bed. “Hey, move over to your side, fat ass.” Emily teased, pinching his ass cheek.

“What took you so long? I’m cold.” Joel whined and Emily laid on her side of the bed, wriggling slightly to get comfortable.

“Just talking to mom, I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Months passed by, Joel and Tommy spending their Christmas break with the Harpers and, as March drew to a close, Joel realised just how close he was to officially leaving school and was making it his life’s mission to annoy Emily with his knowledge.

“Joel, baby. I love you, I really do, but if you mention how close we are to graduating school one more time, I will not hesitate to fucking kick you out of my bed.” Emily groaned one afternoon when she and Joel had been going over their workbooks.

“Sorry.” He muttered and rested his head on his arm as he almost face planted the bed. “I got a call from my grandma a few days ago.” Joel whispered, almost like it was a secret.

“Your mom's mom?” Emily asked, shocked and Joel nodded.

“She wanted to see me and Tommy and I didn’t promise him anything because I didn’t want him to get his hopes up. Point is, they had a proposal for me.” Emily looked at him and he smiled.

“You know that house on Fairway, the one that never has anybody living in it?” Emily nodded and Joel grinned. “Turns out it belongs to my grandparents and they want me to have it, they promised my ma that, as soon as I was old enough to have the deeds signed over, I could have it. They set a meeting up with some lawyer or something and, before the end of this year, the house should be mine.”

“Joel, that’s great baby. Your own house, a proper job. How the hell am I meant to top that?” Emily joked and Joel looked at her sincerely.

“What if you moved in with me?”

“What?” Emily asked, wondering if he was joking.

“When your dad found out about me and you, his only request was that I looked after you. Baby, I’ll be working full-time, not just stupid hours at the garage, I’ll have a house that I’ll only need to pay for water and electricity. Course, I’ll have to find a way for Tommy to stay with me, I’m sure he could live with my grandma but-.”

“Joel, Joel. Take a step back a second. You’d want me to move in with you?” She asked, her hand resting on top of his.

“Of course I do. I spend the majority of my free time with you, I stay here most weekends and I-. Ok, I don’t expect you to answer me straight away, hell the house hasn’t even been signed to me yet. Think about it, talk to your folks about it and let me know, ok? Even if you just stay a few nights a week, I don’t care. I don’t constantly want to feel like I’m pushing your parents to provide for me and Tommy.”

“You know they don’t mind one bit-.”

“You didn’t let me finish. I don’t want to have to live with my dad anymore and I want to get Tommy out as soon as possible, ok? I don’t want to keep depending on him because it just gives him another reason to keep talking to me and keep thinking he’s my father. Understand?” Emily nodded and Joel leaned over and cupped her jaw, pressing a kiss to her lips and then her nose. “Think about it, we’ve got plenty of time to figure it out, sweet cheeks. Hell, you live with your parents for as long as you want.” He pecked her again before the door swung open and Tommy stood in the doorway.

“You’ll never believe it, Joel.” Tommy cried and Joel frowned.

“What?”

“Grandma turned up at home and confronted dad. Hell, he really wasn’t happy about it but as soon as I saw Aunt Laura’s car I came runnin’ over here. Come on, I wanna-.” Joel was already out of the bed, telling Tommy to stay put and heading out of the door, hopping as he pulled on his trainers and jogged down the street towards his house.

“She left those boys with you and you failed them!” Joel could hear the yelling from outside the house and rushed in, met with the sight of his father standing in front of the counter, face red with anger and his grandmother and Aunt stood across from him, equally as angry.

“She set them up for failure after she fuckin’ babied them all their lives. Can’t play football for shit, can’t throw a punch. Hell, the youngest looks like some fucking girl.” Richard yelled and Joel walked closer.

“Shut up about Tommy or I swear to God.” Joel seethed and all eyes were on him as he stood up straighter, the few centimetres he had over his father making the older man have to look up slightly. “If it weren’t for her, me and Tommy would have been living off of meals from the Harpers but the basic shit she got to teach me means I can make us some breakfast and I can make a few meals here and there.” Silence fell across the room and Joel scoffed.

“Who the hell do you think you are boy? Your mother always said you’d end up with that girl down the road and once you finally get your dick wet, the slut’s mother brainwashes-.” Joel couldn’t comprehend the words before he swung his arm and landed a punch on his fathers jaw.

“Don’t say a word about them, any of them.” Joel was pushing his father slightly and didn’t hear the other footsteps come into the house. “Carol gave me and Tommy food and made sure we had a safe, clean space to sleep.” He shoved his father further backwards, emotion seeping through his words. “Jerry always offered me someone to talk to and has even set me up with a job that’ll see me through til I’m ready to retire.” Joel pushed him again but harder. “And that girl is my fucking girlfriend. She is the one constant that I’ve had since ma died and you ain’t even met her properly. She didn’t care that I was fuckin’ heartbroken, didn’t care that I take Tommy everywhere with me and she sure as hell didn’t when it took me almost three years to admit out loud that I loved her. Where were you for my eighteenth birthday? For Tommy’s fifteenth?” Joel hit his father’s chest and the man’s back hit the wall.

“I’ve spent years holdin’ out a little bit of hope that maybe you’d grow up and turn into the father that you were meant to be. Hell, even after you sent me away and admitted that you didn’t see me as your son, I held out hope. I wanted you to be better, dad. I was rootin’ for you. I cleaned up after you, I made sure there was meds for your hangovers, I kept your kid alive and after all that, you still ain’t got nothin’ good to say about any of us. After all that, you still say that my mama raised me wrong.” Joel clenched his fists and watched as amusement flashed across his father’s face.

“You always were a mama’s boy. Used to sit there and let her read to you and she’d let the pair of you get away with murder.” It almost sounded like his father was reminiscing. “But the bitch never learnt to let you grow up.” Joel didn’t hold back this time, punching him again and again and again until his fist was sore and his father had a bloody nose and was slumped against the wall. Letting all his anger out on him until someone wrapped their arms around him and pulled him away.

“I wanna kill him! Let me kill him! It should have been you!” Joel yells were let out through tears and sobs and he felt himself being held tighter as he tried to fight the grasp of whoever was holding him. He noticed the work boots of Jerry and then it was dark as his head was pressed against the man, turning him away from the person he had to call his father.

“You’re ok, kid. I’ve got ya, you’re ok, Joel.” Jerry muttered into his ear and Joel hit his arms against Jerry’s chest weakly before he felt his legs give out and black clouded his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don't forget to like and reblog if you enjoyed!

#joel miller #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #joel miller x oc #pedro pascal #pedro pascal characters #joel miller fluff #joel miller series #tlou hbo #the last of us hbo #joel miller the last of us #the last of us #tommy miller #So It's Gonna Be Forever

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igotyouniverse · 5 years ago

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Breathe Me - Chapter 2 [nct vamp au]

Description: After dropping out of college and coming home for the first time in two years, 22-year-old Ava Lee gets caught up in a mystery surrounding the people she thought she knew for so long. Between friendship, affairs and true love the young women finds herself being pulled into a nightmare she would never wake up from.

Pairing: Oc x Taeyong , Oc x Johnny [side: markxoc, tenxoc, lucasxoc, jaehyunxoc]

Included Members: Taeyong, Johnny, Mark, Lucas, Ten, Jaehyun, Doyoung, Haechan (maybe more)

Genre: Drama, Romance, Angst, Fantasy

Warnings: some swearing I guess and some umm angst (this chapter)

suggestive content, strong language, violence, blood, death. probably more, not sure yet (later chapters)

a/n: yeah who doesn't like awkward encounters in cafés and bookstores? Plus an awkward party with a big surprise? Sign me up. Anyway, that's the second chapter for this baby. I got carried away a lot, so it turned out a lot longer than expected but I honestly didn't want to split it up. A lot is happening! I'm honestly so excited for the third one as the main plot will start there and let me tell you – it will go WILD, haha. Enjoy ♥

ch. 1 || ch. 3

･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･

“Oh, hey Ava. Haven't seen you in forever. How are you? That's exactly what he said.”, Ava told her best friend while savouring her freshly baked croissant.

Yunmi sighed and took another sip form her third coffee. “I mean you actually didn't see him in nearly three years.”

Ava shot her friend a glance and snorted. “Yeah, well, that's not my bad. He decided to completely ignore me for no reason at all.”

“Yeah, because he's a jerk. That's a fact.”, Yunmi said with a smile, trying to comfort her friend.

“Totally.”

“A handsome jerk, tho.”, Ava added and drank a sip of her water, trying to avoid her friend's gaze.

“Yup, we all got eyes. But I still don't get it. I mean you two didn't even hook up, did you?”, she felt Yunmi's eyes staring holes in her body.

“No, I've told you a hundred times. We just kissed. I think I'd remember if I hooked up with fucking Johnny Suh.”, Ava sighed with frustration in her voice. Of course she thought Johnny was attractive. Well, not only attractive. It was like she was just drawn to his simple presence. Not to mention, that he was funny, smart, caring and overall just a good person. Or that's what she thought before he decided to just erase her out of his life.

She just couldn't get a hang of it. The memories she had of that night were just magnificient. The farewell party was fun and chill. Everyone enjoyed themselves while dancing or just having drinks. She wasn't even that buzzed, especially not in the moment she remembered so clearly it even felt a little surreal sometimes. But she could remember so clearly how she talked to Johnny for hours about everything. It wasn't the typical smalltalk they usually had – she told him about her worries for university, her feelings about this god forsaken town and even managed to tell him that he crushed on him for years, not having the balls to ask him out. Him being the best friend of her brother didn't make the whole situation easier, though.

And then, just like in all these movies she binge-watched with Yunmi he actually kissed her. And not like a friend, no, she remembered his lips on hers so clearly. The softness of them and how perfectly fit on hers like they were just meant to be. Yet, it felt like a dream sometimes. She felt how much passion the kiss had, it was breathtaking, like a sweet drug she couldn't get enough from and yes, she absolutely would've slept with him but she knew that he was a gentleman. They just chuckled at each other before he brought her home, promising to call the next day before her flight would take off.

But that never happened.

“Maybe you should try talking to him? Like face-to-face. You won't be able to avoid him forever, especially because of Mark.”, Yunmi said and tried to read her friends emotions but Ava just chuckled.

“Watch me.”

The café Yunmi picked out was next to the bookstore Mark worked at. Ava remembered how the spot was always closed and under construction but apparently it opened a few months ago. The style was simple and comfy. It was a light store with paintings on the walls and different types of plants everywhere. Huge windows allowed a view over the main street and the small park right in the middle. It seemed oddly familiar to Ava, even though she never set a foot in this building. But something just felt like she's been there before but she couldn't figure it out.

“I need more coffee.”, Yunmi said and pouted looking at her empty cup.

“Dude, that was your third coffee.” Ava laughed and looked at her friend, with just a tint of worry in her eyes.

“Happens when you work as a nurse. Night shifts are just so tiring here. Nothing happens anyway but I wasn't able to take a nap because I had to do all these papers.”, she said annoyed and pouted at Ava, holding up her empty cup.

The girl sighed and smiled, standing up to get her friend her needed refill.

Ava went up to the empty counter and looked for the young waiter she saw earlier but to her surprise another young man came out, looking at her with warm eyes.

“Can I get a refill please?”, she asked politely and handed the guy the cup after he nodded. His eyes focused on her for just a second, but for her it felt longer. Did she know him? His hair was dyed in a ashy-blonde color, hair framing his delicate facial features. His eyes looked warm yet they had something deep and maybe even dark about them. The way he moved looked elegant. She eyed him just for a second longer, trying hardly to think why he looked so familiar. She even felt like she somewhat heard his voice before. She squinted her eyes trying to take a look at his name tag but apparently he didn't even wear one.

“Here. Do you need something else?”, he asked.

Ava froze for a split second, realized how impolite it was to stare at a person as bluntly as she did.

“No, thank you. I really like the place, though. It's pretty.”, she smiled lightly and took the cup.

The guy thanked her, his face lightened up, a smile appearing on his face, which made her feel warm all of a sudden. Why did his smile see so familiar?

She hurried back to the table her friend was sitting, giving her her desperately needed caffeine.

“Who's the guy at the counter?”, Ava asked.

Yunmi immediately turned around to take a look at who her friend meant.

“Taeyong. He owns this place.”

After Ava stayed silent, not quite sure if she knew him or not, Yunmi added,

“He lives together with Johnny and Jaehyun in that house. We met him there once, don't you remember?”, Yunmi asked and raised a brow.

“I don't know. I guess? You know how bad my memory is.”, Ava chuckled and stared at her glass of water before giving her friend a smile.

Honestly, she wasn't sure if she remembered. Maybe she did meet him back then. Maybe not.

“He's cute, isn't he? He even makes the pastries himself.”, Yunmi said and took a bit of her sandwich after inhaling her coffee.

“Yeah, he is nice, I guess.”, Ava said, looking over at the counter where Taeyong stood. She saw how his eyes met hers, holding the eye-contact for just a bit before he turned around and went to the back.

Weird.

“There will be a party tonight at their house.” Yunmi said, eyeing her friend once more. After Ava didn't answer right away Yunmi sighed.

“We should go. It will be fun.” she added.

“Since when do you want to go parties?”, Ava asked her friend, raising her brow. As long as she remembered Yunmi and her weren't the type of girls who went to parties. They usually preferred a good movie night with food over drinks and bad music. Even in college, Ava didn't attend many of those famous college parties she heard about.

“Their parties are usually really nice.”, she smiled softly and started to play with a strand of her brown hair.

“Mh-mh. Their parties or just someone at their parties?”, Ava teased her friend, poking her cheek.

Yunmi pouted a light shade of red on her cheeks. She caught her.

“Well, you won't know if you don't join.”, Yunmi poked out her tongue at Ava, laughing softly at her.

“Fine. But if I see Johnny I'll leave.”, Ava said firmly and looked at her hands for a second. She really didn't want to attend another party where he was after the last time, even if it was years ago.

“He lives there, genius. Of course he will be there. But it will be fun, I promise. Maybe you could even use the chance to talk to-”

A glance of Ava cut her friends words off, holding her hands up in defeat.

“Fine. Or ignore him. Just come with me. I'll introduce you to some cool people, okay?”

The girl groaned until she gave in.

“Okay. I will be there. Mark probably wants to go too, anyway.”, Ava said and rummaged in her bag, trying to find her phone.

“Probably.”, Yunmi answered, seemingly uninterested if the boy would join them or not.

“Mh, can't find my phone.”, Ava muttered, unable to find anything in her bag anyway.

“Well, the bookstore is right next-door, I'll just ask him there. I think he's working.”, she looked to her best friend who seemed to have spaced out for a second.

“You join me?”, she asked, touching Yunmis hand for a second. Her best friend shook her head, smiling at her.

“No no, I need to take a nap and a shower before the party. Just, um, say hello from me, will you?”, Yunmi stood up, taking her jacket over her arm, helping to put the empty plates and cups on the empty counter.

“Yeah, sure. See you then.”, Ava said putting the rest of the plates on the counter, a bit surprised about the sudden haste her friend was in.

She sighed taking a look around the café once more before leaving it for the day. Ava tried her best to not overthink the whole situation and slowly walked to the next door on the street, leading into the small bookstore her younger brother worked at.

She strolled through the filled shelves, inhaling the magnificent scent of all the bound books walking up to her most favourite isle – old classics. Her fingers trailed over the spines, feeling their different textures. She used to read a lot, every week a new book in her hand, ready to savour it in just one sitting. Back then, it felt easy to just sit down, a book in her hands and shutting the world out completely, focusing only on the words forming these beautiful pictures inside her head, making all these thoughts haunting her in real life go away just like that. When did she lose this talent? Nowadays, she just couldn't get herself to actually read a book. She continues to buy them, placing them prominently on her nightstand, in hopes for her to just grab it in the evening but the pile of books just grew bigger and bigger over the weeks until she finally stopped to even buy them. She hoped to get back into her once most loved hobby. Even if it was just for a few minutes.

“Hey, didn't expect you to visit me.”, she heard Mark saying and turned around, a big smile on her lips.

“I wanted to surprise you, I've actually met with Yunmi. We had breakfast in the café next door.”, Ava answered and looked at her brother. She chuckled mildly. He looked so grown-up and mature in his plain black shirt with his round glasses on, his dark hair falling into his face. She realized how different he looked from the last time she saw him. Unbelievable that he was already 20 years old.

“Oh-Uh, yeah it opened up a few weeks ago. The owner is Jaehyun and Johnny's roommate.”, Mark said after he scratched the nape of his neck. “H-How's Yunmi? She alright?”, he asked casually while sorting a book from his hand into the shelv.

“Yeah, I guess. She said hello but had to rush home.”, Ava answered, shrugging her shoulders.

She eyed her brother and how he fumbled with the hem of his shirt, he seemed to want to say something but decided not to.

“Anyway.”, he exhaled loudly and cleared his throat before smiling at Ava. “I'm happy you're visiting. Want me to show you around? I mean you technically know it, though.”, her brother chuckled.

But as the good sister she is she nodded and let her brother show her all the different types of book they had and which authors occasionally came to give a reading. Seeing his eyes lighten up just by the name of these authors made her heart melt. He explained passionately the several differences in their writing techniques and why they were his favourites. He told her how he fell in love with classic literature, especially romance and tragedy.

Ava listened to him swooning over different works and their means to past society, yet he even read modern novels. She looked at all the books, most of them she already read by herself when she was younger. She felt proud seeing him glowing up, doing what he loved without hiding.

“I just hope I'll be half as good as them.”, she heard her brother sighing when he put down the last book.

Ava put a hand on his slim shoulder and smiled at him warmly.

“I’m sure you will be. Trust me, I will be your biggest fan!”, she laughed and ruffled his hair, making him scrunch his nose before trying to fix his hair.

“Please. I appreciate the encouragement but it's still a long way. Plus mom and dad are still not very fond of the idea of me becoming an author. They think it's still a phase and that I will soon realize it's stupid and become a doctor like – well.”, he shrugged his shoulders before speaking out his thoughts.

Ava bit her lip. “I will tell them.”, she said, not believing her answer.

“When will you, though? I mean, I'm not pressuring you. I get it, it's hard but don't you think it will be even harder the longer it lasts? They're not stupid.”, Mark said looking at his sister, his eyes were filled with worry.

“I know. I'm just – imagine their disappointment. I need a plan, you know?”, she muttered, trying to avoid his gaze. She felt guilty for lying but she would feel even worse seeing the disappointment in her parents eyes when they realize she wasn't that perfect daughter they saw her as.

“Promise me you'll figure something out, okay? It's not healthy.”, he said, looking up when he heard the door open.

“Yes, I promise. Just give me some more time, will you?”, she pleaded at him, pouting as best as she possibly could.

“Sure.”, he rolled his eyes, sighing deeply before he put on a smile and waved at the new customer.

Ava turned around and saw two young men walking in.

“Hey guys, what are you doing here?”, Mark said and smiled, walking up to his friends.

Ava just sighed, silently asking the universe why it made life for her that hard.

“Hi.”, she just briefly said, trying not to look directly into Johnny's eyes. She even managed to ignore him and just gave Jaehyun a smile which he joined.

“Long time no see. You look good.”, Jaehyun said and brushed his hand briefly at her arm.

Ava chuckled, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”

She felt Johnny looking at her standing next to Jaehyun, eyeing both of them. Just like she wanted him to do.

“We're actually looking for books for the café. Taeyong wants to have some more for visitors to read.”, Johnny said after clearing his throat. Ava's eyes wandered to Johnny's just for a quick second but she already found herself being mesmerized by his presence once again. She liked the way he wore his black hair, the strands falling into his face just perfectly. Her gaze locked at his lips while he spoke with Mark about the books Taeyong wanted and even though the name still rang a bell in the back of her head she couldn't free herself from the way Johnny's lips moved. She knew how soft they felt, recognizing the feeling just too well.

Her thoughts moved back to that night like they always did and the urge to confront him about why he decided to let her hang like that grew stronger. She knew that it would probably was just a kiss for most people but for her it felt so differently. It was romantic and intimate, just how she imagined kissing him over and over again when she was younger. Plus, him declaring his feelings for her made that memory even more perfect. Yet, it all shattered when he ignored her.

She felt a hand on her back and then a breath at her ear, before Jaeyhun whispered

“You good?”

She felt the grin on his face when she rolled her eyes and nodded.

For a split second she saw how Johnny turned his head towards her, looking away just another second later, continuing to talk to Mark.

“Will you be at our place tonight?”, Jaehyun asked, not moving his hand from her back.

“I guess so. Yunmi asked me, too.”, Ava smiled at Jaehyun, wordlessly thanking him.

“Well, you can't say no now. I'd be happy if you came.”, he smiled at her paired with a short wink before laughing with her.

She heard Johnny clearing his throat and looked up to him.

“Anyway, we should head back to the café or Taeyong will be mad at us for leaving him alone for too long.”, he said while taking books off Mark's arms he seemed to have collected for them.

“Sure.”, Jaehyun said and smiled at the others, before looking down at Ava again. “See you tonight then, can't wait.”, he said, stroking her back slightly before leaving behind Johnny.

Ava felt her brother's piercing gaze on her back while she tried to look away, shrugging her shoulders.

“Stop staring at me like that.”, she hissed at Mark and rolled her eyes. She finally looked at him but he just shook his head, wanting to say something but all he did was open his mouth for a second before closing it again, raising both of his hands.

“None of my business.”

･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･

Ava's head felt already heavy without any alcohol in it. She stared at the dark street in front of her, trying to concentrate on driving the car her parents gladly allowed them to use to drive to the party. Of course, she didn't even want to drink. She didn't even want to attend the party at all but she had to admit that she was curious – curious about how the people had changed, curious about how they'd behave and obviously curious about certain of these people whose names she didn't want to think about again.

Even when the last time she visited the house was three years ago she remembered the way so clearly as if she'd just was there yesterday. She took a glance at Mark who was sitting next to hear, looking out of his window, seemingly way up in his own thoughts she wished to read.

Ava sighed quietly, focusing her eyes on the street. She felt anxious about meeting all these people. No one knew about her not so graceful career, still thinking she studied medicine on some ivy league college back in the city everyone dreamed of living. The thought of them asking all these questions she already had to answer her parents made her shiver. Maybe she should just hide in a closet until Mark wanted to go back home. Would be smarter than awkwardly running into someone again – once a day is enough.

Yet she took hours to get ready, carefully picking out an outfit, lipstick and the way she wore her hair, trying to look casual but not too casual. The chance of running into him was just too high for her to not try to make herself look presentable.

The street got more narrow, leading into the woods where the house was.

“I still don't get why they're living in the woods.”, she sighed and looked at Mark for a second before driving on the long gateway leading to the house.

“Taeyong inherited it from his grandma or something.”, Mark answered, waking up from his thoughts.

Ava just nodded, already seeing some more cars and people standing outside. She couldn't see enough to look at their faces. The girl quickly parked the vehicle and stretched her arms once she got out, looking around. The late summer air was still warm and comfortable yet one could sense the upcoming autumn as some leaves slowly turned darker.

The siblings walked down the path leading to the entrance, which led to a huge front yard. It was lighted with small paper lamps, showing off some of the landscaping done. She even heard a fountain splashing somewhere. She looked around, not quite sure if she'd remember the place at all. The house was surrounded by a traditional stone fence and she wondered how old it was. Ava could already hear the people enjoying themselves, with loud music pounding in her ear.

From what she saw through the darkness and the sparse light the house itself looked huge enough to probably fit a hundred people. The door was left open, shoes flooding the entrance area.

After bumping into dozens of people greeting her, smiling and waving she helplessly looked at Mark who was still right behind her looking for someone.

“You made it!”, Ava heard Yunmi screaming in her hear, an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss on her cheek. Ava could smell a note of alcohol in her friend's breath and chuckled.

“How much did you already drink?”, she asked but Yunmi waved her off, her gaze meeting Mark.

“Oh hi Mark. Nice to see you, how are you?”, she asked politely while resting her head on Ava's shoulder.

“Uhm, I'm good thanks. And you?”, he scratched is neck, looking away, probably trying to find his own friends.

“Life's great.”, she answered and laughed, removing her head from her friend's shoulder to take a sip from her cup, shaking it in front of Ava's face.

“Want something? I can totally mix you a drink.”

“No, thanks. I don't drink.”, she answered and smiled apologetic.

“I'm gonna look for Johnny. Hit me up when you want to go home, alright?”, Mark said and disappeared in the moving crowd of people.

“I take it you don't want to look for Johnny?”, Yunmi asked her friend, directly looking at her, rolling her eyes when Ava shook her head.

“Nope. So, who are these cool people you wanted me to get to know?”, Ava smiled.

Yunmi entangled her fingers with hers and dragged her through the crowd, brabbling something about a girl and a boy.

Not long after Ava spotted to semi-familiar people her friend shouted at. A girl with a black long bob smiled warmly and waved.

The boy, a bit shorter than her, with short black hair smiled and greeted her. “Ava, you must remember Ten and Sunhyung, right? We went to Highschool together.”, Yunmi introduced them but Ava wasn't exactly sure who they were. She barely remembered anyone from Highscool, though. At least not their names.

“We were in another class, though.”, Sunhyung chuckled.

“Nice to meet you. So what are you guys doing?”, Ava asked them.

“Well, we're actually officers right now. Ten is my partner.”, Sunhyung explained and smiled at Ten, who just nodded and raised his cup.

“Not on duty tonight, though.”, he winked and exed the rest of the liquid.

“Yunmi told me you're studying medicine? Pretty cool. How's life in the States? This town must bore you to death.”, Sunhyung chuckled and looked at her cup, seemingly disappointed that it was empty.

“I'm actually enjoying it. It's like a vacation.”, Ava answered and hoped no one would ask her to further elaborate on her studies, which weren't even real.

“I'd give everything to travel to a real city. The only “crimescenes” we're looking at are rather boring. It's mostly just noise disturbance or someone's speeding who isn't from here.”, Sunhyung rolled her eyes.

“Hey, last week we had one burglary!”, Ten protested.

“You mean the sixteen-year-old boy who stole some Vodka from the store? How exciting.”, his partner answered sarcastically and laughed.

“I need a refill, you want something?”, Yunmi asked in the group as she apparently spotted something at the bar which needed her attention.

Ten and Sunhyung both nooded eagerly. She didn't bother to look at Yunmi, knowing she'd say no anyway.

Ava's eyes followed her friend to the bar, by which a tall young men stood. She saw how Yunmi straightened her back and smiled at the guy, who she probably knew. Ava noticed how her friend pushed her long hair back and saw how her mouth formed into a laugh after the boy said something. Ava tilted her head, trying to figure out if the knew him or not. She would probably remember a guy like him. He was handsome, yet his face had something sheepish when he talked to Yunmi.

“That's Lucas.”, she heard Sunhyung say and snapped out of her thoughts, “He moved her two years ago. Always hangs out with Johnny and the rest.”, she added and Ava raised her brows. She was pretty sure she never saw or even heard of him before.

“I swear Yunmi has the biggest crush on him. Always swooning over his hands or something.”, Ava heard Sunhyung continue and asked herself why exactly her best friend didn't tell her anything about that guy.

“Well, quite obvious that they're flirting.”, Ten added and nodded.

“Yeah, I'm betting they end hooking up tonight.”, said Sunyhung.

“Never. Both won't make the first moves. They're flirting for months and nothing interesting happened.”, her partner replied.

“Got it in my guts. Tonight is the night.”, Sunhyung nodded with a stern voice.

“Pff, wanna bet? 50 they won't hook up.”, Ten chuckled.

“Make it 100.”, Sunhyung answered, looking at her partner while shaking his hand.

Ava's gaze meanwhile scanned the room for someone else. As if someone read her thoughts, Johnny came down the stairs with Mark right behind him.

Johnny's eyes met Ava's for a moment and she clenched her jaw. She noticed how he was moving towards her and how her heart began to beat faster in her chest.

“I'm gonna get some water or something. Be right back.”, she mumbled and quickly disappeared in the crowd, trying to keep herself as small as possible. Her eyes searched for a kitchen, which she finally found. Gladly, there weren't any people in it. Probably because the whole alcohol was at the bar and no one here wanted to drink something else.

She sighed and looked for a water bottle but all she saw were some empty cups.

“What are you looking for?”, she suddenly heard a way too familiar voice and turned around just to see Johnny standing in the door frame, a small smile on his lips.

“Just some water.”, she answered quietly, trying her best to look away from his dammed face. She saw how he moved next to her and opened a door next to her which apparently belonged to the fridge. Just a second later he handed her a bottle of cool water. Ava looked up and mumbled a quick thank you but it was enough to catch him smiling again, which made her heartbeat increase.

“I'm glad you came.”, Johnny said and leaned with his back against the door, looking down at her.

“Yunmi practically forced me to. It's nice, though.”, she answered, fumbling with the bottle in her hands, not sure what else to do with them.

Silence flooded the room and all the questions burned on her tongue. Taking a deep breath, she managed to look up at him, meeting his gaze. She locked her eyes with his for much longer as initially wanted and already felt how she got lost in his gaze just like everytime he looked at her.

He was handsome. His black hair messily falling into his face, his beautifully shaped lips curling upwards to form a small smile. Johnny's dark eyes seemed to look right through her.

“Can I ask you something?”, Ava finally found her voice and gulped, without breaking of the gaze.

“Anything.”, he answered, his voice unusual quiet.

“I need to know why you ignored me after that night.”

“What exactly do you mean?”, his brows furrowed.

“My last night here. You kissed me. You told me you'd call me the next day but you never did. And when I tried to reach out you simply ignored all my messages.” she sighed loudly, breaking their connection for a second, to gather her thoughts, “Seriously I felt so stupid. I still do.”

“Ava, listen, it's not what you think.”, she heard him answer and looked at his eyes once more.

“Then tell me, Johnny. Seriously. It's driving me insane.”, she pleaded, letting her arms drop in frustration.

Silence came up once more. The girl's frustration grew with any second passing by, not sure what she could say to finally get him to answer properly.

“I really thought about every single reason why you did that.”, she sighed, pain growing inside of her body, “And the only possible reason left is what you never liked me at all.”, she said, her voice just a small whisper, anxious about his answer.

“It's not that I don't like you. It's quite the opposite.”, Johnny said as she looked up at him again.

“I can't believe you.”, she sighed and furrowed her brows, thinking about his reasons why when he liked her.

“Listen, I'm sorry if I had hurt you but it's not that simple.”, he tried to explain but Ava just snorted and chuckled bitterly.

“Seriously just tell me directly into my face that I imagined all of that and that you're not interested. I'm not a kid and you're owing me that.” she answered, pressing her lips together.

“I can't tell you that because it would be a lie.”, now it was Johnny who sighed.

“It's the only possible explanation. Don't you want to tell me that you're not interested because you don't want to hurt me? Honestly, it would've hurt less if you'd just told me instead of ghosting me for years!”, her voice got louder such as her thoughts, which were going crazy inside of her head.

“That's not it.”, now frustration filled his voice as well. Ava looked into his face, seeing how he pushed his hair back, seemingly unsure about what to say.

“God, this is so stupid. I'm just gonna go.”, she dropped her arms in defeat, tired and annoyed. She didn't want to maintain this nonsense conversation when she wouldn't get a proper answer anyway.

Just when she wanted to move out of the door she felt Johnny's hand on her shoulder.

“Just – don't go, please.”, she heard him say and rolled her eyes.

“Then tell me why.”, as soon as she turned around she felt how Johnny laid his arms around her figure, pressing her against his chest softly.

“I'm sorry. I honestly am, please believe me.”, she felt how he buried his head in heir hair and wrapped her arms around his torso, her heart hammering loudly in her chest.

“I want to.”, she mumbled in the material of his black shirt and tightened her grip around him.

It felt unbelievably good to hug him, yet she still didn't get an answer from him, making her anxiety rise inside her body. She still didn't know why and the sudden touch confused her even more.

Ava started to wiggle when she realized her thoughts wouldn't shut up. Reluctantly, she looked up at him, loosening the hug a bit, yet not ready to let him go completely.

“This is confusing. I just want to know what's going on, please.” she pleaded once more, locking her eyes with his, just staring into them, trying to find answers.

She felt how Johnny moved one of his hands up her back, reaching her head, carefully putting one of her strands of hair behind her hear, his hand lingering on her cheek.

Her breath quickened when her eyes wandered over his face, absorbing every inch of it, until she stopped at his just perfectly shaped lips. She licked over hers, memories of how his tasted on hers flooded her mind. Her gaze went up again, meeting his once again that night.

The girl was once again hypnotised by his gaze, unable to look away this time.

Without further thinking about it, she put her hands on his neck and pulled him closer to her, to finally press her lips on his. His lips were just as soft as she memorized them, fitting on hers just as she remembered. The kiss was careful, still anxious about his reaction but when he actually pressed her closer to him, deepening the kiss her mind went completely blank.

Her eyes fell shut, her fingers slightly tightening on the back of his neck, trying to keep him even closer. Their lips moved in perfect sync, just as they belonged on each other. The girl cherished every second of it, how his hands cupped her face while one thumbs caressed her cheek, touching her so softly, as if she could break any second. The taste of his lips were sweet, she couldn't even taste a bit of alcohol, which ensure her that this was what he wanted.

As soft as the kiss was, she knew she wanted more. She needed more. After all these months of anxiety, pain and worry she finally kissed him again. Ava opened her mouth for him, allowing his tongue to play with hers, just like she always wanted to be kissed by him. Her fingers buried in his thick her, while his hands trailed down her body to rest on her hips.

Just before she could press her body closer Johnny pushed himself away, as if he'd burn himself.

Completely puzzled, the girl stared at him, not understanding what was going on.

“I can't. I'm sorry.”, she heard him say, his voice sounding strained, as he quickly ran out of the kitchen, leaving Ava alone once again.

She stared at her hands, her heart still beating fast, trying to catch her own breath. The girl felt how tears formed in the corners of her eyes and how her chest, which felt so light and carefree the other second, now felt like some heavy stone was laying on it, stealing her breath away. She had the sudden urge of fresh air and stumbled out of the kitchen, trying to leave everyone in that house behind her while not being seen. She couldn't manage to explain her situation to anyone. She wanted to be alone.

Ava breathed in the cold air and closed her eyes for a second, trying to get as much distance as possible between her and that house. She took a look at her smartphone to check the time but it wasn't even midnight yet, and she didn't want to be a killjoy and spoil Mark's fun. She made her way out of the garden and looked at the woods behind the property and stopped for a second. She heard how the wind whistled through the branches and how the leftover leaves trailed through the air. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, the latest event flooding her mind. This didn't make any sense to her. Why did he kiss her again? It wasn't just a casual kiss, she could feel that. And this time it wasn't her freaking imagination. The way he hold her and returned her kiss, the way he pressed her against his body – that wasn't imagination.

She actually believed him. She trusted his words yet he was acting like something completely different was on his mind and she just couldn't figure it out. Her thoughts went crazy and she felt how her throat got sore. Why did he stop when it felt so good? Any why did he leave her like that, not explaining his behaviour once again.

Ava kept going towards the trees, sometimes looking up at the sky which wasn't as clear as she thought. Thick black clouds were blocking the moon and stars and she sighed, yet it felt nice to move and properly breathe since the air in the house was muggy and way too hot. Or maybe it just felt like that to her. Her body felt exhausted, yet still full of adrenaline. What did she do wrong? Once again, she went through all the possibilities and couldn't get the hand of it. She didn't want to get hurt again by him, yet there she was. Feeling exactly the same as two years ago. It felt like some kind of absurd Deja Vu.

She flinched when she heard a loud crackle next to her and squinted her eyes, when she couldn't see anything. For a second, she thought someone was here, probably some drunk people enjoying themselves in the woods. She rolled her eyes and continue to stroll when she heard a noise again, but this time it sounded more like a hiss. Ava turned around, trying to see anything but it was too dark. Maybe some brainless jock saw her and tried to scare her.

Another crunching noise, this time right behind her, made her flinch once more, the hairs on her neck standing up. She felt her muscles tighten, when she turned around yet still no one was there. The girl looked a round several times, until she decided to head back to the house which she only saw in some distance thanks to the lights outside. Maybe she could just wait inside the car until Mark wanted to leave the party.

For a few seconds, it was silent again when she heard another noise, this time way closer to her, besides her.

Ava started to run, fear suddenly filling her body as her breath and heartbeat quickened, a feeling of danger flowing her body. The noises got louder, someone was definitely following her. She heard fast footsteps approaching her, whispers and hisses starting to echo inside her head, making her want to scream. She shook her head, trying to leave the voices behind but it was like they were just stuck, burying every other sound under it.

The blood pulsated in her head, breathing loudly. Sweat running down her forehead while her feet tried to run as fast as she could, yet she didn't seem to come any closer to the house.

A dark laugh suddenly appeared as she saw a black figure suddenly standing in front her, which made her stop in her steps, almost falling over.

She couldn't see a face, nor anything else which could possibly explain who it was. The figure took a stop closer to her, making her move backwards until her back met with once of the trees, the tree bark scratching her back uncomfortably.

The girl blinked once and the figure was gone, her blood still pulsating in her veins. She gulped, looking around before continuing to run in the direction she thought was the right one, while still turning her head every other second.

Suddenly she felt a breath on her neck, paired with a deep chuckle, making her stop in her tracks once more. She wanted to ask something, scream, anything but it felt like she suddenly had a lump in her throat. The voices inside her head growing louder and louder with each second passing by.

As soon as she wanted to start running again, a hand grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stand still. The grip was harsh and strong, not moving an inch even when she tried her best to wiggle her wrist free. She grunted and tried to take a look at the person behind her but she couldn't move at all.

“Oh no, you can't look at me. Not now, dear child.”, a voice said. It was more of a whisper than a real voice. The sound seemed hypnotic.

“There, there, hold still. Don't scream now.”, he said as she tried to wiggle herself free until her body stiffened. Suddenly, it was like all the noises she heard a second ago were gone. She didn't hear the whistles of the wind, the arches or their leaves. Nothing. It felt like the was in a vacuum, only the voice echoing in her head, telling her to hold still.

“You see, it's nothing personal.”, he continued and chuckled, sending shivers through her body.

“It's just, you got to understand that you're part of something bigger.”, she felt a hot breath on her neck again, making her want to scream but it felt like she lost her voice.

He heard him click his tongue, followed by a cold finger stroking over her neck.

“Such a pity. So beautiful. I see what he's found in you, honestly. But, you know, sacrifices must be made. And such a pretty one.”, the voice continued.

Tears started to form in her eyes, rolling down her cheek, burning her skin. She didn't know what was going to happen but she felt afraid. More than that – she feared for her life. Something in his presence made her body fill with this primal fear.

“Oh, so pretty while crying, what a sight.”, a finger wiped one of her tears, chuckling mildly.

“You know, I like it when they scream. And now you need to scream, so he can hear you, you know?”, like a snap, Ava seemed to found her voice and screamed in a high-pitched voice.

Suddenly he let her go, making her stumble over her feet, her knees meeting the cold earth. She coughed while pulling herself up, commanding her body to start running again. When her feet started to move and her thoughts came back, the voices also did. They laughed at her in different tones, from every direction. It felt like a circle was around her, closing closer around her, laughing louder with every step she took.

Another desperate scream fell of her lips as she pressed her hands against her ears, trying to make the voices go but they got even louder, so loud she felt like becoming deaf. She couldn't even hear her own breath anymore, while tears ran down her face.

“It's so much fun to play, don't you think?”, she heard his voice echoing inside her head again, the screams suddenly disappearing.

“You know why? Because I always win.”, a chuckle echoed inside her head, turning into a loud laugh next to her ear.

“Maybe he'll find you, maybe he won't. I hope he does, otherwise it would spoil the fun.”, the voice added and she felt the grip on her wrist again.

“Ah, I'd really want to keep you for myself, such a shame.” he sighed, her body stiffen again, whilst she felt like choking, unable to bring out the slightest sound.

“It's nothing personal against you, my love. You just picked the wrong person to spend your time with, that's all.”

Her eyes widened in fear, her mouth suddenly hanging open without leaving a sound when the world around her suddenly turned pitch black.

･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･◆･.｡*†*｡.･

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