He stood up abruptly, pulling her up with him thanks to the handcuffs, and pinned her against the wall. His grip on her wrist tightened.
Ni-ki leaned in closer, his voice a cold whisper. "You're playing with fire, angel. Don't think for a second tha...
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THEY NOW WALKED SIDE BY SIDE IN SILENCE, Ni-ki slightly ahead, his hands filled with shopping bags—way more than he would've ever imagined carrying for someone. Rhaine had taken full advantage of having him around, and he didn't hide his annoyance. He shot her occasional glares, but she ignored him, enjoying the silent power of making him her personal bag carrier.
The driver stood by the open trunk as they approached, stepping in to help Ni-ki with the mountain of bags. As they loaded everything in, a couple of giggling voices nearby caught Rhaine's attention. She tried not to eavesdrop, but the conversation was impossible to ignore.
"That's Ni-ki, isn't it?"
"Oh, yeah. With his girlfriend!"
"Are they even a real couple?" one girl asked, her tone dripping with skepticism.
"True, they don't even kiss that often," the other chimed in, her voice barely a whisper.
"I know, right? Our Ni-ki doesn't seem that attracted to her," the first girl said, loud enough to make it clear she wanted to be heard.
Rhaine's face flushed instantly, her fingers tightening around the last bag she was holding. She glanced at Ni-ki, who was casually leaning against the car, his eyebrows raised in amusement.
"They're observant, aren't they?" he said, his voice low but teasing.
Rhaine huffed, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. "You find this funny?" she muttered, shoving the last bag into the trunk.
Ni-ki shrugged, that stupid grin on his face as he leaned in slightly, his voice a little too smug for her liking. "It's not my fault we're not playing the perfect couple, is it?"
Rhaine rolled her eyes and moved to close the trunk, but not before hearing more murmurs from the girls nearby. She fought the urge to snap back, but Ni-ki beat her to it. He gave them a brief glance, then turned to Rhaine with an exaggerated sigh.
"I bet he's embarrassed of her," one of them giggled.
"Yeah, I don't think he's really into her at all," the other girl added, the words laced with spite.
Rhaine felt her chest tighten with frustration. Without thinking, she turned to Ni-ki, her voice coming out in a rush before she could stop herself. "Let's kiss."
Ni-ki raised an eyebrow, genuinely taken aback. "What?"
Rhaine realized what she'd just blurted out, her face growing warm. "I mean, just no... making out or anything," she stammered, quickly trying to clarify before she could change her mind. "Just... a kiss."
"You made an entire scene about me kissing you at the party, but now you're asking for a part 2?"
"This is different, it's consensual! And you've already stolen my first from me anyway."
