The Revel Heart || Ni-ki

22

The street was unusually quiet for a Friday night, the hum of the city muted as though it had decided to hold its breath. The kind of quiet that always made Celine feel exposed like the walls were closing in on her, and every passing shadow carried the weight of a threat.

She should have been home hours ago. Should have been safe, tucked away from the chaos of the night.  every word, carried the weight of the argument that had shattered the fragile peace between her and Ni-ki. So, she had left. Left to roam the streets, to drown out the anger and frustration that had been festering inside her for days.

Celine pulled the strap of her bag tighter around her shoulder, her pace quickening as she approached an alleyway. She had no intention of staying out this late, but now that she was here, she didn’t want to go back. Not yet. Not when the air between them felt like it was on fire.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, seeing a text from her best friend, Ava: "Be careful out there, Celine. Don’t do anything reckless."

She ignored it, stuffing the phone back into her bag with a sigh. She had no time to think about warnings. Not now.

The sharp echo of footsteps behind her made her heart jump. She glanced over her shoulder, her stomach tightening. A group of guys from school familiar faces, but dangerous in the way they carried themselves were coming closer, their footsteps heavy and purposeful.

Celine’s breath quickened. She could feel their eyes on her, their presence closing in, and suddenly, she wasn’t sure how she had ended up here. The weight of her frustration, her rebellious streak that had led her into this mess, now felt like a bitter regret in her chest.

Just as she began to quicken her steps, a voice called out from ahead, slicing through the tension in the air.

“Celine.”

She froze.

The voice. That voice. It cut through her confusion and fear like a knife.

Ni-ki.

Her heart skipped a beat. She turned, her eyes narrowing as she met his gaze. He stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable, his stance calm but rigid, as if he had already prepared for the worst. But this wasn’t the same Ni-ki who she   known . This was something different.

His eyes scanned the alley, sharp and calculating, before settling on her with an intensity she hadn’t seen before.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, his voice low, the anger and frustration in it almost muted now, replaced by something else concern. Or maybe… something deeper. Something unspoken that Celine couldn’t quite name.

Celine felt a wave of emotion rising in her chest. She should be mad. Mad at him for the way they had fought, mad for the way he had turned his back on her when she needed  washi for him to fight for them.. Not now. Instead, all she could feel was a strange sort of relief, relief that he was here, that he had come for her.

“Maybe I’m just trying to get away from it all,” she shot back, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and something else. Desperation? Fear?

Ni-ki’s brow furrowed. “By putting yourself in danger?”

“I’m not putting myself in danger,” she retorted, though her voice lacked the confidence she wanted it to have. “I’m fine, okay?”