[Book #1 of the 'Lover Boy' series]
"Who did this to you?" Ni-ki asks, his eyes darkening. Ria tries to close the door, the boy blocking it with his foot.
"Go home, Ni-ki." She says quietly, letting out a tired sigh. Ni-ki shakes his head, pushing...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
☽ Chapter Two☾
Testing My Patience
Ni-ki watches as Ria storms out of the room, her friends calling after her. The classroom wasn't huge so, the boy heard the whole conversation. He was having a hard time not laughing at the dumbfounded look on Sunghoon's face, the people around him staring in the direction Ria had gone. Ni-ki stands, lazily throwing his bag over his shoulder. As he steps towards the classroom door, Sunghoon steps into his path. Ni-ki pulls his hood up, looking Sunghoon up and down as he waits for him to speak.
"What did you do?" Sunghoon asks, crossing his arms over his chest. Ni-ki rolls his eyes, scoffing at the boy.
"I didn't do anything, you're the one being an idiot." He says, adjusting his bag. Sunghoon scowls, his eyebrows knitting together. He opens his mouth to speak but Ni-ki puts a hand up, not having the energy to argue with Sunghoon in front of their classmates.
"Look, if you're going to ignore your girlfriend for the entire summer then you should be prepared to deal with the consequences." He says before stepping around the boy and leaving the class, he ignores the way that Ria's friends watch him. Ni-ki breaks into a light jog as he gets closer to the school's exit, letting out a short sigh when he spots Ria standing just outside the school gate. She's leaning against the short stone wall, her hair covering her face. As he approaches, Ni-ki notices that her shoulders are shaking ever so slightly.
"Ria?" He calls gently, trying his best not to startle her. Ria hurriedly wipes at her face with her sleeves, turning her body away from the boy briefly before she looks at him. Her honey coloured eyes are red-rimmed, her lip still trembling ever so slightly. Ria sends him a small smile that Ni-ki assumes is meant to reassure him, it doesn't.
"Hey, Ni-ki. Do you need something?" She asks, her voice breaking. The boy shakes his head, his bangs falling over his eyes.
"Are you okay?" He steps towards her, stopping when she tenses. Ria takes a step back, grabbing her bag from where it sits on the stone wall she had been leaning against.
"I'm fine. If you don't need anything then I'll see you tomorrow." She says, bowing her head slightly before turning away from him. Ni-ki jogs to catch up to her, falling into step next to the girl.
"Can I walk you home?" He asks, shoving his hands in his pockets. Ria stops, looking at him.
"It's alright, I can go home by myself." She sends him a small smile again but Ni-ki holds her gaze for a moment, tilting his head.
"I know you can, but you've been crying and I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone." He says simply, his eyes glancing down at her lips. He notices a freckle on her bottom lip, feeling a smile pulling at the side of his mouth. Ria sighs, her shoulders drooping.
