EX-istential Crisis

Chapter 28: The Closet and the Arcade

Nelly, Shin, Dan, and Ryan are heading to school, as usual, sharing the same section. When they arrive, they notice a crowd gathered around the announcement board, where a newspaper featuring a shot of Nelly mid-air during his free-throw dunk is posted. The headline reads: "THE RISE OF THE THUNDERBOLT!"

Nelly, seeing the attention, mutters, "Fck..." just before his friends betray him by shouting, "Oh, Nelly! Look, it's you on the newspaper!" Dan chimes in, "Oh yeah, I remember that from yesterday. That was awesome, dude!"

Nelly, flustered and embarrassed, grumbles, "You freakin' idio-" but before he can finish, he's swarmed by excited classmates, bombarding him with questions about his incredible play. As Nelly struggles to escape the crowd, a hand suddenly grabs his, pulling him to safety.

It's Mira.

Nelly and Mira sprinted down the hallway, escaping the crowd that had swarmed Nelly after his recent spotlight moment on the newspaper. They slipped into an empty classroom, the echoes of students calling his name fading into the distance. Mira, with quick thinking, led him into a nearby closet, the two of them crammed into the small space in an effort to stay out of sight.

As they stood in the dark, Nelly could hear his own breathing, fast and heavy from the rush. Mira, on the other hand, was calm and focused, peeking through the small cracks of the closet door to check if anyone had followed them. She was alert, making sure their escape had been successful.

But Nelly's attention wasn't on their surroundings. Instead, it was fully on Mira, who was standing just inches away from him in the cramped closet. "Mira... you're so close..." His thoughts raced. He could hear her breathing—soft and steady. Their bodies were pressed together in the tight space, her chest lightly brushing against him with each inhale. Her warmth, the subtle scent of her perfume, and the intimacy of the moment were starting to get to him.

"Her scent... it's so distracting..." Nelly struggled to focus, but the longer they stood there, the more overwhelming the situation became for him.

Mira, oblivious to his internal turmoil, finally turned to check on him, her face inches from his. "Nelly, are you okay? You look like you have a fever."

Nelly swallowed hard, his voice coming out shakier than he wanted. "Mira, you always get me into these situations... Alone... with just the two of us. You know I'm a guy, right?"

Mira blinked, her expression calm and completely unfazed by the tension he felt. "I know. But I don't mind if it's you."

Her words sent a jolt through Nelly's body. His mind blanked, and without thinking, he leaned in closer. "If that's the case... don't blame me for what am about to do.." he whispered, his lips brushing against the side of her neck in a soft kiss.

Mira gasped, her body freezing in surprise as a soft "Wait... N-Nelly, that tickles..." escaped her lips. But Nelly didn't stop. He moved to kiss the other side of her neck, his hands resting lightly on her waist as the closet shifted slightly from their movements. Mira's breath quickened, and she was left powerless in the tight space, unable to stop him.

The closet wobbled slightly as Mira shifted, caught in the moment but unable to fully process what was happening. Nelly, realizing the intensity of what he was doing, paused. Oh sht... I've gone too far...He looked at her, meeting her gaze.

Mira's eyes were half-lidded, her breath coming in shallow, uneven waves. She was visibly affected, her cheeks flushed and her hair slightly disheveled from the tight space. Her lips parted as she took a shaky breath, trying to form words.

Nelly opened his mouth to apologize, but before he could say anything, Mira whispered with a playful smile, "Looks like I made him stand up."

Nelly froze, his face going bright red as he realized what she was referring to. "Mira..."