my demon~ Kino

12am

Chapter 13:

Sitting on my bed, my thoughts drift as I stare at the TV, not paying attention to whatever show is currently playing. Alaia is my second. My person— specifically mine. It hit me earlier, but I'm scared. Something tells me this might not be a good thing. Then again, I think it's  just nerves.

My phone vibrates on my bedside table before falling to the floor. I groan, slapping a hand over my face before bending over the side of the bed and picking the phone off the floor. I know as soon as I grab it that it's Alaia— she has her own custom vibration, cause I never take my phone off silent.

"Heyyyy baby."

"Hi Hyunggu," Alaia scoffs, laughing off my nickname. My stomach flips a little at the sound of her breathy laughter. "Sorry I left you earlier. I just—"

"No I get it, it's still jarring no matter how much we know each other," I finish. It hurt when she left, but I needed the alone time as well. I don't want her thinking that she was selfish.

"Hey Hyunggu?"

"Hey Alaia?" I tease, my voice climbing higher to mock her. Alaia heaves a heavy, but joking sigh before she continues.

"I bought tickets to an art museum, I know you like art so...I wanted to do something special for my..." Alaia pauses for a brief moment, scared to address the bigger situation between us, either for her sake or mine.

I open my mouth to speak before Alaia carefully whispers "..second." Her voice is delicate and fragile, like she might break the phone if she speaks too loud.

I lean back against my fluffy, white pillows, fighting the smile creeping up on my face. "We're seconds, Alaia."

"I have a confession," Alaia blows through her phone. I picture her sitting on the edge of her bed, with a hand firmly in her hair. "I left because I was scared. I don't know why but...all I know is I still love you, that won't change. Ever"

"I know. I'm scared too."

"You know, Hyunggu...my alcohol is kinda like what you said about your sex demon—"

"Lust demon," I interject.

"At this rate Kino it's the same thing," she says, pausing for a reply. I know she's waiting for me to argue back, to joke around, but I want to hear her story. The air thickens for a while as we both wait for either one of us to say something, anything.

"Anyway...for the same reason people leave you, people leave me. It's too much to deal with. It gets in the way of day to day life, and people don't want to deal with an alcoholic person in general, let alone for the rest of their life."

There's more silence as we sigh simultaneously into the phone— her breath in my ear making me shiver. I sink deeper into my pillows. "I'm so sorry Alaia. It sucks — it really does — I don't know why they can't understand that we didn't get to choose ourselves. That it's hard for us too."

Alaia pauses for a bit. "Ya know...I used to despise my demon, just like you did."

"You did?!"

"Yup, almost drove myself mad. I caved everytime I tried to go cold turkey. But, slowly I became more aware that this was just who I am. Which is why it upset me so much that you were doing the same thing."

"You could see yourself in me."

"Exactly." Alaia's bed squeaks on the other side of the phone. I hear her grunt as she shifts onto her bed, the squeaking loud enough it's like I'm there with her. And the more I listen to her strain, the more I wish I really was with her. Hell, I'm already getting hot.

"Hyunggu?"

"I'm here."

"That was a yes, right? To the art museum?"

I grimace, and suck air through my teeth, "Dunnoo..."

Alaia ugly laughs, "You're the worst Hyunggu." I laugh with her, chuckling into the phone and clutching my stomach.

"So you coming over or what?" Alaia asks.

"Huh?"

There's a smack on the other side of the phone, "Can you not feel it?"

"Feel?–"

"Nevermind, this is a 12 am booty call, get over here."

And with that she hangs up the phone.