ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɴɪɴᴇᴛᴇᴇɴ

୨⎯ Backburner Was It? ⎯୧

Arriving at Y/n's mansion, I inhale a breath before knocking on the front door. After waiting for a while, Y/n finally opens the door, still tipsy. Is it the hangover acting again? She lands on my arms with the bag full of medicine and water almost tumbling down the floor as I prioritize catching her first.

Y/n giggles as she looks at me and says, still in my arms though slowly but surely slipping away from her bent position, "Oh, it's you! Aren't you a little too close to me, Rinnie?"

Rinnie...? I stare at her as if I just saw a ghost, utterly confused and speechless. I thought she didn't like that version of me anymore. But...she is drunk right now so I guess this is just her spitting nonsense.

As I am attempting to help her stand up on both of her feet, Y/n suddenly leans closer to my face, our lips almost touching. Her grin smears across her lips while she speaks under the influence of alcohol, "You are such boyfriend material, Rinnie. Thanks for standing up for me last night."

Y/n then goes back to her upright stance and says in an upset tone, "You are totally correct about last night. Izana is just taking advantage of my image as an actress. He doesn't care about me at all!"

"I came here to bring you these again for your hangover. I thought you still might need it-"

She lunges at me, kissing my lips abruptly as her arms wrap around my back. Once our lips have touched each other, we both melt into one another's touch. My tensed body has given up and just savors everything at once.

Is this finally real...? Is this her way of thanking me for bringing her medicine?

As she opens her eyes, she adoringly gazes at me while deepening the kiss. From a short and sudden kiss to this, a kiss full of emotions, full of love...! She has changed ever since that incident. Her feelings towards me have become clearer than ever.

"Isn't this comforting, Rindou?" Y/n asks in a breathy tone. I shortly nod, her face inches away from mine. "You are the medicine for my hangover. I only need you for now. Throw that medicine away and come inside."

"Are you sure, Y/n?" I scoff, provoking her a bit to see if this is actually her and not the drunk Y/n. She pauses her feet and answers, "You are single, right? No more fake dating bullshit?"

I don't know what I am getting into but if this is my way of stealing her from that man, then I am down for a bite. A bite that is painful yet addictive, infectious but pleasing. This is not a game anymore, Y/n. This is where I cross the line and-

...Listen to your rants about Izana, your angelic-deceiving boyfriend. "He never comes here no matter what I tell him. It's like he doesn't want to spend time with me! The only way we spend time is hanging outside." Y/n cries, burying her face inside her stacked arms on top of her knees.

We sit on the fluffy rug inside her study room, parallel to one another, and I quietly take in all her problems about her stupid relationship. I never would have thought that guy is a clout chaser. All the nice-looking guy always end up being the most brutal human being to ever exist, I swear.

She continues on and on until she stops to blow her nose on the tissues I hand her. "Why don't you just break up with him? Call it quits and you won't have to cry ever again."

"Because you are here?" Y/n asks.

I answer with a steady voice as I read her expression, "...Well, who else will be here to comfort you but me? You seemed to have calmed down when you kissed me a while ago."

"Mind if I try again...?" She asks again but now she crawls closer to me, looking at me with such pitiful eyes, red and puffy from all the tears she released. Y/n doesn't even wait for my response as her lips act like a magnet to mine.

I then take control, my hand holding the back of her head as I trace down her neck, pecking spots slowly and gently. "What are you doing, Rindou?" Y/n says with a blank expression as she stares up. I stop and regain eye contact with her.

"I want you, Y/n." I answer, both of my hands traveling down to grasp her soft and sweaty hands. "I want you more than anything. Have I not proven anything to you yet or you just don't notice it because you are too focused on pleasing your toxic boyfriend and the media?"

Typical Y/n, she decides to stay silent. My perplexed mind raises a stab to my heart as I cannot stand her silent treatment with me. What is it that I don't like about this? Is it the forced kiss or her complete facade? I really am trying my hardest, but it is so difficult to get through her.

"Can you just answer this question honestly?" I ask while my hands retreat back to the floor. "What am I to you?"

I quickly stand up the moment I didn't get an answer from her. My heart weakens as I turn to face her away, heading to the door and breaking out of this mansion. I then pause when she says in an angered tone, "Sucks to be in my position, huh? Do you understand what I feel now?"

Gradually turning back to look her in the eyes, I remember how tough this woman is. A tear slips past her but she doesn't break down crying in front of me. She holds tight to that bottle full of emotions and expresses thoroughly through her words, letting it all go one by one.

Y/n walks closer to me and continues her point, "I'm not in a relationship with Izana. It's all just a plan I thought of to get back at you. I know it's childish but it is the only way for you to truly learn. In all those years, I kept my heart inside a box, patiently waiting for you to miraculously come back into my life and correct your actions."

I take her hands back to my touch, soft and delicate, while I stare at her with my eyes pure in love. "I am so sorry, Y/n, and thank you for waiting for me, for not giving up on me. I don't make promises to people, but I will do my best to not lose your trust."

"A while ago you asked me what you are to me. You simply became my life. I became an actress because of you. I still hang around brawls because of you. It is all so I can, one day, bump into you...but just when I thought I was already prepared to face my worst, I immediately lost sight of my purpose."

"Is this all too sudden?" I ask before kissing her once more. No urgency, not random, and most definitely not for entertainment purposes. It is the truest emotion I can ever express. Love. Because I chose her. I choose to stay, I choose to commit to her, I choose to love her no matter the cost.

She pulls back and stares into my eyes, deep and longing. "Are we dating now?"

My lips form a smile I could not fully describe. Joy flushes me over and I am out of words, struggling to create a proper sentence. "I, uh, y-yeah! I mean, my feelings for you are real. I would love to be your other half, Y/n."

A chuckle escapes her voice as she replies, "Then we are more than dating." Y/n raises her index finger and signals to raise mine as well. Our index fingers then touch, connecting a bond like no other.

"No more lies from now on. That is the only promise neither of us shall break." She says as we still have the tips of our index fingers touching. Then, I ask with a grin, "If it breaks, what will happen to us?"

She drops her hand, slightly tilting her head, "Maybe something like that? Or worse. I don't know. Whatever happens, I guess." Instantaneously, I pull her in for a quick embrace, keeping her confined to my arm.

I bury my head on her shoulder as I say in a relieved tone, "You're finally mine, Y/n. I will cherish you 'till the day I die. With that, I will also make your dream come true."

"What dream?" Y/n asks where I immediately answer, pinching her cheeks, "Your happy ending? The wedding? Together with me?" She replies fast, laughing, "Okay, the last one wasn't a part of it. But! Seeing how everything is now, it can be rearranged."

"It's only a matter of time before it comes to you, boo~"

Y/n then adds, breaking the mood, "Let us not forget about one crucial thing here. The project, Rindou. We still have that to take care of."

I sigh, "You're right, you're right. I don't mind it since you are my partner there. Just more time for you and me!" Y/n chuckles to herself, keeping up her banters, "You are totally obsessed with me."

Glancing at her hands, I intertwine mine with hers and ask in a serious manner, "Do you want to get married after everything has been settled?" She freezes for a second before a breath of relief exits through her nose and a warm smile appears on her face.

"I love you, Rindou."

I tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear, whispering in a sweet tone, "I love you too, Y/n."

♥ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ...