Rewrite the Rules

Friends: Part 18

In my room, searched for my phone, which had exploded with notifications. Picking it up from the bed, I saw 12 missed messages from my best friend, Daisy.

The last one read, "I do not care how late, call me!!!!!"

With a shaky breath, I hit answer. Before I could even speak, her voice, a touch breathless, filled my ear.

"Emma! What happened?"

"Hey, Daisy," I mumbled, "What's up?"

"Don't play coy," she teased. "The concert! I saw what happened?"

The memory of Namjoon announcing my name flashed in my mind. I flushed, suddenly self-conscious. "Uh, yeah," I admitted.

"I knew it!" she squealed, excitement bubbling over. "I paid for the livestream, and when they called you up, I swear the whole neighborhood heard me scream!"

A small smile tugged at my lips. "Really?"

"Absolutely! And then..." She paused dramatically. "The kiss!"

My smile faltered. The time with Namjoon felt different now, a private bubble suddenly exposed to the harsh light of the internet. "Yeah, about that..."

"It was incredible, wasn't it?" Daisy gushed, oblivious to my hesitation. "They're calling you the 'mystery girl' online! Can you believe it?"

Believe it? I wasn't sure what to believe. Part of me thrilled at the unexpected turn of events, the other half worried about the potential fallout. "Uh, no," I stammered. "I had no idea."

"Well, you did amazing!" she continued, her enthusiasm infectious. "Did you see the replay? The way he looked at you..."

I swallowed, the image of Namjoon's intense gaze. "No, I..." I trailed off, unable to voice the strange mix of emotions churning within me.

"Okay, okay," Daisy conceded, sensing my reluctance. "But you owe me all the details, everything! Promise?"

"I won't," I promised, forcing a yawn. "There's just one thing I need to think about..."

"Spill it!" she urged.

"Imagine seeing him everywhere – on TV, at award shows..." I began, voicing the concern gnawing at me. "Wouldn't that be... weird?"

"Weird?" she scoffed. "Think about it this way: imagine lying on your deathbed, full of regrets..."

I groaned, cutting her off before she could launch into a full-blown guilt trip. "Okay, okay, point taken. I'll call Samina in the morning. She might have a more grounded perspective on all this."

Daisy chuckled. "Fine, fine. But before you go, tell me – was it good?"

My cheeks warmed as I relived the memory. "It was..." I paused."Terrible. Worst kiss ever."

"Really?" she gasped, disbelief evident in her voice. "Did he, like, drool or something?"

I burst out laughing, the tension finally breaking. "No, no," I admitted. "It was... well, you'll have to hear the whole story tomorrow."

"It was toe-curling, perfect."

Relief flooded Daisy's voice, a tangible wave washing over the phone line.

"Oh, thank god!" she exclaimed. The excitement bubbled over once more. "The camera person had a close-up of the two of you, Emma! And wow! I want a man to look at me like that..." Her voice trailed off, filled with a suggestive undertone.

"The second kiss," I said, "was even better..." My voice trailed off again, laced with a hint of regret. "Okay, gotta go, bye."

The call ended abruptly, leaving me with the faint echo of her excitement and a growing sense of foreboding.

I stared at the phone, blinking back the remnants of sleep. The silence of the room was broken by the shrill ring of the old-fashioned landline phone on the nightstand.

Frowning, I picked it up. A distorted voice, laced with a manic energy, shrieked something about Namjoon. How did they find me? My heart hammered against my ribs, a cold dread settling in my stomach.

Before I could react, the call ended as abruptly as it began. The phone rang again, a chilling silence replacing the previous outburst. This time, only heavy breathing met my ear. A shiver danced down my spine. Was this a prank? A harmless outlet for someone's overactive fangirling?

Uncertainty gnawed at me. I slammed the receiver down, the finality of the click echoing in the quiet room. But the silence that followed was heavy, suffocating. Reaching out blindly, I yanked the phone cord from the wall, the silence now absolute.

My mind raced, replaying the events of the night like a chaotic film reel. The exhilaration of the kiss, the thrill of the unexpected, was now overshadowed by a creeping sense of unease. Sleep, once a welcome embrace, now seemed miles away. '

Instead, I sat huddled in the chair, the events swirling through my head, a whirlwind of emotions leaving me wide awake.