Forkful Kisses

#11 All My (non-existent) Friends

Next chapter!! :) Dedicated to @yourmajistyy for the sweet comments :3

#11 – All My (non-existent) Friends

"Sure I get lonely, when I'm the only,

Only human in the heaving heat of the animals."

- Snakehips in "All My Friends"

"You're going to work? Are you sure?" Nic asked as he fixed his tie in front of the bathroom mirror. His hair was still dripping from the shower as he flashed through his work morning routine.

I stood in front of the door frame, watching him get ready for work. Unlike Nic, I was an early bird during workdays. When he woke up at 7 AM, he jumped at the sight of me making breakfast for the both of us. Dressing in a cream white dress up to my knees, he probably thought I was a morning ghost.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I replied his question. "I've been on leave for a week. I need to earn money to live."

After the chaos that happened, Nic had convinced me to stay in his apartment. It took an hour of banters going back and forth before I finally agreed. We drove to my place in the middle of the night to avoid any attention, rummaged through my entire apartment, and left it looking as if the house had been robbed.

When Nic was happy with how his tie looked, he took a towel and worked on his hair. I stifled a laugh as I watched him dry his hair. The boy who stole the heart of many looked like a dog shaking its wet fur.

"I can support you for the time being," Nic said. "If you feel uncomfortable going to work, don't go. I'll call Kyle and explain—"

I shook my head. "No, I don't want to rely on you or Kyle. I can stand on my own," I cut him off. "I'm very grateful for what you both have done for me. At least for once, I don't want to be a freeloader."

"I don't see you as a freeloader, Emily," Nic assured.

I shrugged. "Well, millions of other people on social media think I am," I said dryly.

Nic raised an eyebrow at my sarcasm. Being in the limelight with the Big 3 had been a rollercoaster ride. While my Instagram followers had increased by 50k in a week's time, the number of hate messages I received came hand in hand with it. I stopped looking at social media and the news after 3 nights staying with Nic.

"What? It is true, isn't it? I got this job through Kyle, and I'm living in a nice penthouse because of you," I fought back.

He took a few steps towards me, closing the distance between us. I gritted my teeth nervously and tried to take a step back, but my black heels failed me. Nic caught me from falling backwards, his strong arms circling around the back of my waist. Today, he smelled like woody fresh, like a breeze from the sea.

Both of us widened our eyes as we stared awkwardly at each other. We stayed like that for a second, before I got back to my senses. Brushing his arm away from me, I steadied myself using the door frame.

A suspicious smirk hung on Nic's face. He fell on one knee and studied my black heels. "I don't image you being the artistic type, Emily," he said mockingly, pointing at my heels. After using it to so many interviews, my heels had gone through multiple wears and tears to the point I had to use a sharpie to hide the scratches and peeled surfaces. No one ever noticed, because technically no one would bend down and stare at my heels!

Heat colored my cheeks as Nic stared up at me with his smug look. "S—stop looking," I said before heading off to leave.

But he got up faster and gripped my wrist, spinning me back to him. I gaped at him as he leaned forward.