Dance Partners || N.NK ||

Part 65 / S2

The following weeks slipped by in a blur—days devoted entirely to one another, nights spent skygazing from the highest peak of the world that embraced you.
And before you realised it.
The wedding day had already arrived—the day that should've been a long awaited celebration, rather than something heavy that weighed your heart down.
A day meant for the joy of the soon to be newlyweds, yet wrapped in silence, as if the world itself held its breath.

The alarm of your phone went off sharply at 7 in the morning—earlier than it usually did.
But you had to wake up, it was one of the most important days in your life—a special day that solely belonged to your sibling.

You freshened up and got dressed from head to toe in a fancy black gown—in your favourite shade of black.
Then you did your makeup before heading downstairs to cook something small for breakfast.

You didn't know what to expect.
It was the wedding of your stepsister.
You loved her.
And you were genuinely happy that she was getting married.
But at the same time you couldn't help but wonder if she really felt justified with the marriage of hers.
After all, she was getting married to her first lover—Cha Eunwoo from Highschool.
The choice was hers.

You placed the last dish onto the dining table, the smell of freshly made pancakes filling the air.
A faint sound of footsteps followed soon after as you washed the pan, and when you looked up, Ni-ki was already standing in the doorway—his hair slightly messy, his shirt hanging loose as if he'd only just woken up.

He blinked at the sight of the table.
"...You cooked?" he spoke while yawning, his voice was still quite husky from sleep.

You nodded.
"Someone has to eat before surviving a whole wedding day."

Ni-ki walked closer, lazily pulling out a chair before sinking into it and resting his head lightly on the table.
His eyes swept across the table—over to you for a second longer than they should have—your gown, your makeup already done so early in the morning.

"You look... different." He cleared his throat quickly, his tired sleepy eyes slowly widening awake.
"Hmm you mean prettier?" you joked, teasing him slightly while rinsing the pan clean with water.
He raised an eyebrow at you, still processing the words that just left your mouth.

"Prettier? Tsk" he chuckled, rolling his eyes at you before they quickly followed your figure from head to toe—taking in all the curves.
"Maybe yeah. But you're the prettiest when your face is bare" he added, a sly smirk creeped over his morning face.

"Okay, Okay, get freshened up and come back down for breakfast" you said, trying to stop the blush from creeping over your cheeks from the compliment and the gaze he gave.
"As you command, My Queen" he stood up, walking back upstairs, to the bathroom just as told.
But you could've swore the smug grin never left his face, not even when he emphasised the 'My Queen' part.

Once he was gone, you relaxed your back against the kitchen counter while sighing, and before you noticed it, the smile you tried so hard to hide had reappeared.
"Damm you Ni-ki" you muttered under your breath, covering your face in the back of your palms.
You just couldn't help but smile wider everytime your mind flashed back to the words he spat just minutes ago.

Awhile later, Ni-ki came back looking a bit more awake than he was before.
His hair was less messier too, as if he'd run his hand through them.

"I think you put too much blush today, My Queen" he spoke, flashing you the same smug smile from earlier.
"Oh shut up! I didn't even put any blush—" your breath hitched when you realised what you'd just revealed.
"Well UHM.. I forgot to put some" you spoke again almost too instantly.

"You're so bad at lying Yn," he mumbled, instantly closing the distance between you in three long strides invading your personal privacy until you were no longer just relaxing but rather leaning back against the counter with your elbows.
"Just admit it—you're blushing."

The sudden closeness made you freeze still, your breath catching in your throat.
"I-" you tried, words fumbling, but they dissolved the instant his eyes locked with yours.
That piercing gaze went through you—piercing your soul whole.

His face hovered just a breath away, lips so close they nearly gazed yours.
The teasing smirk he always wore was fading, his expression softening as though he was slipping—losing himself in you.

Your heart pounded, time stretching unbearably thin between the space of almost and too much.

And then, just as quickly. A low chuckle rumbled from his chest.
The smirk returned, sharper now, as he stepped back and granted you air again—leaving you stranded in the silence of what could have been.

You swallowed hard, desperate to ground yourself, and finally found your voice.
"Sit down and eat before the pancakes get cold," you muttered, turning away from him as if the breakfast on the table had suddenly become the most important thing in the world.

Ni-ki only chuckled, sliding into the chair with that unbothered ease of his.
The scrape of cutlery against the porcelain filled the silence, and though you kept your eyes on your own plate, you felt his gaze lingering on you more than once.

Neither of you spoke much after that.
It didn't need words—just the quiet tension stretching thin between you, heavy enough to follow you long after the meal was over.

~ To be continued