Lover | (Ningselle)

If i had my way, you'd fill these empty bed

"Remember Yeji and Ryujin?"

I brought my head up from my laptop screen to find Aeri looking at me, her cheeks resting on her knuckles.

"Of course I do," I chuckled as I reached out for my glass of orange juice, Aeri pushing it a bit towards me at the same time. The action made our fingers brushed against each other, immediately igniting a certain fire in my heart that I never managed to put out all these years.

"Thank you," I mumbled out, trying my best to ignore the way my heart is hammering against my chest. Aeri only gave me a small nod in return.

"Anyway, why did you ask?"

"Oh, right," Aeri chuckled. "They're celebrating the anniversary soon and they want to make a really big deal out of it. Well, Ryujin does, anyway."

"Okay... do you need ideas for an anniversary gift to them or something?" I asked, taking a sip from my cup after.

"That," she said in agreement. "But also, they invited us to the party, Yeji adores you, she said I have to bring you, or else she's barring my entry."

I watched as Aeri huffed and rolled her eyes the moment she let go of her last statement, immediately making me laugh.

"Seriously though," she said. "Yeji loves you. She specifically told me to bring you."

I tried to feign a frown looking deep in thought, tilting my head to the side and tapping my fingers against my chin. "Hmm.."

"Oh come on, Ningie," she interrupted. "Do you really need me to whip out all the reason why you should go?"

"Humor me, then," I challenged her. She laughed in response.

"Number one. Food. You love food," she began. "And we both know there's going to be good food there. Remember when we went to their wedding and how you told me you would sell me to the Devil for the breadsticks they served?" I chuckled, nodding my head to encourage her to go on.

"Number two. You get to dress up. You love that too, don't you?"

"I do," I said pensively. "But... I don't know, Aeri, I might be too tired and—-"

I was immediately cut off when Aeri took my hand in hers, immediately making me to look up to meet her eye, and there she was, large puppy eye and a pout to match.

My goodness.

"Please Ningie?" She pleaded, puppy eyes intensifying the longer I stared into them.

My best friend sure knows exactly how to get what she wants from me. Not that I was going to refuse her in the first place, anyway.

"I'll give you one more reason," she said, i nodded at her to continue.

"I'll be there with you at the party," she said. "I promise no one is going to take me away from you the entire night."

Aeri grinned at me, still holding on to my hand. There was something about the way she was looking at me, the way she was smiling at me, and the way she said the word she did that made something in my heart leap. It's crazy how she is able to make me feel all these things and yet, she had no idea at all. Not even when she's sitting across me, holding on tightly to my hand.

"Okay," I answered her softly. "Let Yeji know that she doesn't need to take back her invitation to you."

Aeri nodded, rubbing her thumb against my knuckles. We were in our own bubbles, and all I remember thinking in mind at that moment was how badly I wished this was my everyday.