My heart jumps to my throat when I catch a familiar scent. Why does it appear around me so often these days? I turn around looking for the owner frantically but I can't spot them. "How do you know me?" "How can I not?" "You're quite popular, I'm not, so I had no idea you'd be into me." "I'm not into you. I just like making friends." "Yeah sure, like you haven't been practically undressing me with your eyes." "I have not been doing that!" Two people who fall in love, one best friend, a lot of tears and pushing each other away. All Mia wanted at first was for Sam to accept his feelings so they could end up together, to help him out of his misery but now? Now all she wished was to push him away as far as possible even if he wanted to sacrifice everything for her. Her best friend, Jim, is more than confused and hurt. He knows he's losing her forever but there's nothing he could do now, is there?
He brings his hand up to caress my cheek and slowly leans in. I flutter my eyes close so I remember the feeling of his soft plump lips against mine and the way his scent burns on my skin. He releases a breath against me and removes his hands from my face taking a step back. I furrow my brows before opening my eyes again as I feel his warmth and smell leave me.
"What's wrong?" I ask him almost whispering.
"I can't, I can't do it." He shakes his head repeatedly with a hand rubbing his face.
I could hear my heart shatter into a million pieces. Feelings hurt. Too much. I hate my life.
"It's because of her isn't it?" I ask him clenching my jaw. He doesn't say anything and I nod repeatedly in understanding, gulping all my emotions and smile. I smile at him blinking rapidly so my tears don't fall.
"It's okay, turn around, her apartment isn't that far besides it's snowing, don't catch a cold." I hand him my muffler and pat his shoulders before turning around on my heel. I walk as fast as possible and as soon as I turn right to the entrance of my house, I release a breath before peeking to check on him.
I watch as he stands there looking at the muffler before sighing deeply and turning around to walk to her house with his hands in his pockets and my muffler around his neck.
How did I get into this mess? Let's take you a month back.
-One month ago-
I press the ground floor on the elevator and manage to get in with my phone and bag both in hand. Opening it, I immediately check who was texting me constantly. It was just Jim, he's such a flirt, I swear to god. Jim and I have been friends for over a year and he has very much established that he thinks I'm adorable but he has also made it clear that he would never make a move on me.
JIMY: MIA! WHERE ARE YOU
JIMY: ISTG YOU'RE ALWAYS BUSY
JIMY: GIVE LOVE TO YOUR ADMIRER MIAIAIAIA
YOU: What!?
Read 13:30
YOU: WHAT HAPPENED BISH
I lock my phone back as the elevator dings open and carefully move past the others to go out. I blow out a breath as I take in the air outside the hospital. My phone dings again and I roll my eyes already knowing who it is as I watch Jim's car stand across the road from me.
JIMY: I was here to pick you up hehE
(♡°ω°♡)
YOU: OH YoU ArE? I dOn'T tHInK I SeE yOu.
He looks up from his screen and waves at me smiling adorably though I can't see his eyes through his sunglasses, I know he probably can't see my face. He gets out of the car and opens the door for me while I cross the road to reach him and remove his beanie from his head, putting it on mine. He rolls his eyes closing the door once I get in and gets on the driver's seat.
"What did the doctor say?" He asks eyes on the road.
"Oh, about that, he couldn't find the reason too," I say as seriously as possible and he sighs before grabbing my hand and squeezing it.
"What are you lying about?" I furrow my brows before scowling at him.
"I'm not lying, he actually didn't find anything."
"So you're saying you fainted before, are exhausted almost all the time and he thinks nothing is wrong?" He abruptly stops the car and grips the wheel.
"Why are you mad Jim, it's probably just iron deficiency," I say squeezing his forearm.
"Right, just iron deficiency or something." He sighs and barely smiles at me before driving again. I sit silently the whole way, occasionally humming to the songs Jim put on.
"We're here, are you sure you can work? Call me if you feel dizzy. Okay, Mia?" I smile at him and punch him in the gut before running off. My phone dings as soon as I keep my bag on the counter. The cafe I work in is a book cafe so not a lot of people come here and those who do are quiet. It's nearly empty at this time of the day and it being Sunday, people must be out having fun. I unlock my phone and smile at the texts.
JIMY: that was so r000d
JIMY: watch me not pick you up
YOU: Okie
JIMY: LOVE ME (っ-̶●̃益●̶̃)っ YOU: no (•◡•) /
At least another hour passes by and not a single person walked in so I take out my phone to text Jim again.
JIMY: baby why do you do this to me?
YOU: lmao I'm sorry bAbY ツ
JIMY: Don't get all happy but I may or may not introduce you to a guy.
JIMY: And yes Mia, he reads too.
YOU: Oh my, bAbY I lOvE YoU sO mUcH
JIMY: Now you call me baby and tell me you love me when there's another man in your life.
YOU: ( ͡▀̿ ̿ ͜ʖ ͡▀̿ ̿ )
"You seem busy, is this not a good time to order?" My eyes shoot up from the screen to the person standing in front of me and he raises a brow at me casually playing with a straw from the counter.
I know him. I've seen him around school with Jim. He pushes his glasses up and moves his eyes around a little, sighing.
"Oh shoot, I mean, I'm sorry, Hi, what can I get for you?" I smile at him and watch as his gaze lingers at my dimples a little longer.
"I'd like an iced americano please", he says putting the straw back and brushing his blue hair back. Hot.
"I've noticed how you guys like Iced Americanos quite a lot", I make conversation as I check his order in.
"You noticed us or Jim?" He says and his face passes an expression of playfulness to mine.
"Yes, I've seen you around with Jim. Anything to go with it?" I ask him, laughing a little and he shakes his head no.
"That'll be Two dollars and ninety-five cents. Thank you very much, you can sit and read, I'll bring you your coffee in a minute." He hands me the money and then smiles. Oh, he has really cute dimples. There aren't a lot of Asian guys around school but all of them are cute.
I mean I think everybody is cute, you just gotta see the positives more.
I quickly make his coffee and come out from behind the counter. He's not near the shelves, probably reading one of the loveseats near the windows. I tip-toe and spot his blue hair from afar. I notice him reading 'turtles all the way down'. My favorite.
And that is my copy too.
"So deep in my head even the ocean's jealous of you. there's hunger in you and there's a satiability you had claimed only I could give. it's a lie, i see it clear in your eyes but I clamp my mouth shut and wait. i wait, and i wait, and i wait till your scent is too much to bear but i'm already six feet deep in it, slippery bathroom tiles under my feet as i sit with my knees pulled against my chest. what a cop out, I decided to dance with the devil by myself and now that his fingers are tipping my chin up with tears rolling down the sides; i look for somebody else to blame. he's a hundred sins wrapped into one, each layer falls from brawny shoulders the closer I get. funny, isn't it? the devil himself has come to take me to salvation. if he was to drag me through the depths of hades in exchange of another kiss; i'd carve the shape of his lips onto my grave." Cecilia was born cursed with blindness. She takes extreme interest in the underworld. However when she ends up with a demon bond to her, there's two choices she could make, ask the demon to solve all her problems and end up paying the price he asks in exchange or let him drag her to the depths of Hades. "Even with your red eyes of a demon, you seem closer to heaven than to hell," She tells him, a hand on his cheek. He begs to differ.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. "It's time to reveal your true identity, darling."
On her wedding night, Natalie's stepmother set her up to marry Jarvis, a disfigured and disabled man. Fortunately, she managed to escape, but little did she know that later she would fall for the man she was betrothed to.Jarvis pretended to be a poor man, but he didn't think that he'd fall head over heels for this woman.Their life went on until one day, Natalie found out her boyfriend's little secret."Huh? How could you have billions of dollars' worth of assets?" she asked in disbelief.Jarvis didn’t know how to respond.Being met with silence, she gritted her teeth angrily. "They said that you couldn't walk, but as far as I can see, you're strong enough to run a marathon."Still, he remained silent.Natalie continued, "They even said that you only have a few years to live. What about now?"Finally, Jarvis opened his mouth to explain. "Honey, this is all just a misunderstanding. Please calm down. Think about the baby.""Jarvis Braxton!"The man knelt down immediately.
Leanna's life had been full of hardships until her Uncle Nate, who wasn't related to her, offered her a home. She fell deeply in love with Nate, but as he was about to get married, he ruthlessly sent her abroad. In response, Leanna immersed herself in the study of andrology. When she came back, she was renowned for her work on solving problems like impotence, premature ejaculation, and infertility. One day, Nate trapped her in her bedroom. "Seeing various men every day, huh? Why don't you check me out and see if I have any problems?" Leanna laughed slyly and quickly unbuckled his belt. "Is that why you're engaged but not married? Having trouble in the bedroom?" "Wanna try it out for yourself?" "No thanks. I’m not interested in experimenting with you."
Katie was forced to marry Dillan, a notorious ruffian. Her younger sister mocked her, "You're just an adopted daughter. Count your blessings for marrying him!" The world anticipated Katie's tribulations, but her married life unfurled with unexpected serenity. She even snagged a lavish mansion in a raffle! Katie jumped into Dillan's arms, credited him as her lucky charm. "No, Katie, it's you who brings me all this luck," Dillan replied. Then, one fateful day, Dillan's childhood friend came to her. "You're not worthy of him. Take this 50 million and leave him!" Katie finally grasped Dillan's true stature—the wealthiest man on the planet. That night, trembling with trepidation, she broached the subject of divorce with Dillan. However, with a domineering embrace, he told her, "I'd give you everything I have. Divorce is off the table!"
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.