after you love me | jjk

fourteen

*ignore any mistakes im half asleep. will pr in the am

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The bass from the speakers echoed in Narae's chest as she sipped her drink and tapped away on her phone.

Her nose wrinkled slightly at the sour tang of the margarita, but she swallowed her mouthful as she paused her typing to look around the room.

She was tucked away in a private booth and from her vantage point, she could make out the crowds of club-goers swarming the dancefloor, sweat dripping and drinks spilling as they danced along to the heavy rap music filling the room.

Once again she had found herself in yet another club, trying her best to get lost in the uninhibited atmosphere, hoping that the swell of emotions around her would be strong enough to leave some sort of imprint on her unfeeling heart.

The club of choice for the night had been Luxe, an up and coming elite spot in the heart of central London. It didn't offer the same level of privacy or exclusivity that Signal did, but it was still one of the hottest nights out and was often frequented by rappers, actors and other A- to C-List celebrities. Tables were hard to come by, and unless you had a minimum of £1000 to drop or a special connect, there was no way you were making it inside.

Though Narae could easily afford the price, a few thousand times over in fact, her presence this time was brought about by Fadekemi Owolabi.

Known to everyone as Kemi or Kay, Fadekemi Owolabi was an in-demand celebrity hairdresser and MUA, and coincidentally Narae's older cousin who had lived across the road from her when they were younger. As a friend of one of the owners, she was pretty much guaranteed a table any time she wanted one.

For as long as Narae could remember, Kemi had been the effortlessly stylish and cool older sister figure in her life. Birthdays, Christmases and all sorts of family events had been spent together with Narae following her around and copying her every move.

Kemi was confident, vibrant and crazy in the best way, and every time Narae's mum would drop her off at her aunt's house when she had to work, Kemi would look after the small girl without complaint. Though she was part of the so-called "in" crowd, Kemi never made a fuss when she had to bring eight-year-old Narae along with her when she went out to meet her friends.

Despite the age gap of almost five years, they got along well and Kemi made sure to never put her in harm's way or in uncomfortable situations. Narae had literally idolized her as a young girl, emulating her style and looking to her for inspiration for the latest trends.

As they grew older though, and Narae grew into her own person, their relationship balanced out to be on more equal footing. With Narae becoming a global superstar, and Kemi managing her many enterprises (make-up, hair, nails, eyelashes), there was less time for them to see or contact each other regularly. However, whenever they managed to run into each other, it was as if no time passed at all.

This sentiment had been proven true when Narae had opened her door one evening to find Kemi on her doorstep clad in oversized Gucci sunglasses and a Jaded London tracksuit, her lips glossed to perfection and curved in her familiar grin as she carried a freezer bag full of food in one hand and a bottle of Moët in the other.

Shocked but overall not that surprised by her presence, Narae had invited the older woman in eagerly and the two of them had caught up over glasses of champagne as they warmed up the fried rice Kemi had brought along with her.

At some point when the rosé had worked its way into her bloodstream and her lips had become looser, Narae had spilled some of the news about her break up. She hadn't gone into much detail, but had simply mentioned that her last relationship had ended recently and it hadn't ended well.