Rewrite the Rules

Tiptoeing: Part 53

Tiptoeing: Part 54

The morning light, pale and tentative, seeped through the curtains, rousing me from sleep. The sounds of Samina tiptoeing around the room, trying for an invisible exit, finally pierced the fog of sleep.

"Where are you disappearing too, so early?" I mumbled, my voice thick with sleep.

"Oh, sorry Em, didn't mean to wake you," Samina whispered back, her voice laced with apology. "Just grabbing some breakfast. You still sleeping?"

"For a minute longer, maybe," I replied, stretching luxuriously. "What time is it anyway?"

"Nine already. Actually, I might have some company for breakfast."

My drowsiness instantly vanished. "Company, huh? We only got a few winks last night."

"There's a note in the bathroom," she confirmed, her smile widening. "Top secret intel, you might say."

A jolt of excitement shot through me. "Wait a minute," I blurted out. "This wouldn't happen to be a member of BTS by any chance, would it?"

Samina's grin was answer enough. "Alright, alright," I conceded, throwing my arms up in mock surrender.

"Go have your fun. Looks like it's just Daisy and I left to hold down the fort today."

"Speaking of Daisy," Samina began. "I haven't seen her. Her bed looks untouched, and I don't think she came back last night from up stairs."

A knot of worry tightened in my stomach. "Are you sure? "

Samina shook her head. "Doubtful. Looks like you're flying solo this morning, Em. But hey, enjoy the peace and quiet. I'll be back soon, and we can dish then."

With a final conspiratorial wink, she slipped out of the room, leaving me with a head full of questions and a gnawing sense of unease about Daisy's whereabouts.

The silence stretched after her departure, broken only by the soft hum of the air conditioning. Grabbing my phone, I decided to take a chance. "Hey," I texted Namjoon, hoping he might be awake. "Up for breakfast when you get a chance?"

A reply came back almost instantly. "Already up, unfortunately. Stuck in a meeting with management. Sorry, Em, rain check?"

Disappointment flickered through me, but I quickly pushed it down. "Of course," I replied with a forced cheer. "No worries at all."

Contemplated sending another text, "Did your band member have a rendezvous with my friend? Or do you know where she is?" But I decided against it and opted to order some food from room service. They seemed to have an excellent selection.

Their menu boasted page after page of delicious options, a temporary escape from the chaos of the previous night. But the peace was short-lived. Curiosity, a persistent itch, gnawed at my resolve.

Giving in, I grabbed my tablet. Typing my name into the search bar felt like a dare, a peek into a reality I barely understood. Regret washed over me as I hit enter, bracing myself for the onslaught of speculation and judgement.

There it was a fantastical narrative woven from pixels and conjecture. Articles claimed I had a long-term relationship with Jungkook, spanning the entire seven years I'd been missing. The absurdity of it almost made me laugh, but it died in my throat as I scrolled through photos – unflattering comparisons of my past and present self.

A sliver of amusement flickered amidst the negativity – a few genuinely complimentary comments, a small consolation prize in this bizarre online game.

Then, a blurry video caught my eye with very few views. It was Namjoon and me, transported back in time to the 50s-style restaurant. We were singing, dancing, lost in the carefree joy of the time.

The grainy footage, captured from afar, robbed the interaction of its nuances, leaving only the broad strokes of laughter and connection. A shiver ran down my spine. "Suspicious Minds," the song I'd performed just days later... how long would it take for someone, somewhere, to draw that connection?

The question hung heavy in the air, a new layer of uncertainty settling over the night's events. I closed the tablet, the virtual world feeling more unsettling than ever. The comfort of room service had vanished, replaced by a tangled web of speculation and a gnawing sense of foreboding.

I wondered how long it would take for someone to connect the dots?

---

The insistent rapping at the door jolted out of bed. My head throbbed with the after effects of the previous night's revelry, and the thought of human interaction was about as appealing as a cold shower.

Peeking through the peephole, my heart did a little flip-flop. Namjoon stood there, looking effortlessly casual in a pair of grey sweatpants and a black T-shirt. He hadn't bothered with hair gel, leaving it messy and windblown, which somehow made him even more handsome.

The door creaked open a fraction, revealing his sleepy smile. "Hey," he said, his voice a husky rumble. "Did you manage to grab some breakfast?"

He didn't wait for an answer, pushing past me and kicking his shoes off with a tired sigh. The faint scent of his cologne – a mix of melon and something warm and woodsy – filled the room.

"I did but, I was trying to catch some more sleep," I admitted, sinking back onto the plush bed. "We didn't exactly get in at a decent hour. My body isn't quite used to this celebrity lifestyle yet."

He plopped down on the edge of the sofa, the movement sending a ripple across the worn fabric. The air crackled with unspoken desire. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, his voice laced with a hint of amusement. "I could definitely use a nap myself."

A spark of curiosity ignited within me. "Sure," I agreed, "but is there a chance Daisy might be upstairs? I haven't seen her this morning."

Namjoon raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. "Ah yeah, she was there when I left my room."

The casualness of his answer did little to ease the knot of worry tightening in my stomach. "Right," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "She didn't come back to the suite last night, so I just wanted to check."

A slow smile spread across his face. "Oh, that's kind of interesting," he drawled, his eyes glinting with something I couldn't quite decipher.

I shrugged, trying to appear unfazed. "Look, they're both adults. I know how I'd feel if my friends got involved with my life, so I'll leave them to it," I said, forcing a smile.

"So, that nap?" I added, hoping to change the subject.

Namjoon's smile widened. "Now, what I would actually like is some heavy snuggling," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Joonie?" I replied, my voice laced with a playful suspicion.

He threw his head back and laughed, a rich, warm sound that filled the room. "Just snuggling," he insisted, though his eyes held a promise of something more. "Okay, maybe there'll be some spooning involved too. But I'm definitely the big spoon," he declared with mock seriousness.

Before I could protest, he scooped me up in his arms, sending a wave of dizziness washing over me. His laughter echoed in my ears as he carried me the remaining distance to the bedroom, the image of his playful grin forever etched in my memory.