Bets, Beds & Treads ۶ৎ

𝒙𝒙𝒗𝒊𝒊𝒊.

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ xxᴠɪɪɪ
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𝐑 𝐄 𝐈 𝐍 𝐀

𝗜 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 my cat after Reign would be a perfect way to get under his skin because, like always, I'm a sucker for riling him up. And there's just something about the way he glares - all sharp jaw and narrowed eyes - that makes my unhinged side feel like every bit of mischief's worth it. Fortunately, it did get under his skin, sweetly. My cat's officially called August now.

And since he couldn't stand the thought of me having the upper hand, he did the most Reign thing possible - named his dog Gavril. I mean I only used part of his name for my cat, but him? Full name. No hesitation. He said part of it was because the dog reminded him of me.

Which I lowkey found cute. Not that I'd ever admit that. You already know I'm not one to lose. So, I somehow forced him to shorten it to Gavi because...

Gavril's a name only he gets to call me.

But here remains the best part. August, my precious little cat has practically claimed Reign as his own personal throne. Every single time Reign sits down, August is there, climbing up like royalty and curling into the softest, most condescending ball of fluff. And the way he locks eyes with me? That cat knows. He's mocking me.

Reign, of course, eats it up. "Looks like he likes me more than his own owner," he'll say, lounging back all smug.

But I always give it right back. I just cross my arms, tilt my head, and purr, "Or maybe... he just recognises a lapdog when he sees one. He knows you will let him unlike me."

He would always twist his face at that which is priceless. Absolutely.

Aside from all that though, I've been neck-deep in school magazine duties. The good news is I finally got Reign to agree to help.

"School spirit," I'd said when I roped him into this. "It'll be fun and you might even get bonus points from teachers for helping."

Fun. Sure.

Except I know exactly what I'm doing.

The magazine was almost done when it got dumped on my plate, courtesy of our oh-so-efficient class president. But let me tell you, it was a disaster. The theme is bland. The colors are neutral and boring as hell. It looked like something that belonged in the last decade, and I'm not about to put my name on something that basic.

Which means I'm tearing it all apart and starting over. If they handed it to me, they should've known I wouldn't settle for mediocre.

I've already scrapped half the layout, flipped the theme on its head, and started brainstorming ideas that actually make sense. A sleek, bold design with a spefic colour palette and sharp fonts. Something modern, something fresh, something that'll blow up the moment people see it.

But, of course, that means extra work. Late nights, piles of edits, and probably more arguments with Reign. Not that he'll be doing much. Just handling the photography. I found out photography's his thing just like all his other hobbies. He pretends it's not, but the portraits in his house says otherwise. Yeah, that boy's got an eye for beauty.

And I'm more than willing to give him something beautiful to capture. Me.

I'd told him we needed "test shots" for the magazine. Something to set the tone. He didn't ask questions. Of course, he didn't.