after you love me | jjk

sixteen

─── ˚* ੈ✩‧₊☽₊‧✩ ੈ*˚ ───

The days that followed Narae's breakfast with her father were nothing out of the ordinary.

On the weekends she'd go out with Kemi whenever she was available, but once Monday rolled around and the week started again, Narae often found herself idle.

As the days went by, it became increasingly harder to fill them up with activities that kept her mind occupied and gave her something to do. She wasn't particularly adventurous – she hadn't picked up any new hobbies or anything – so watching Netflix, cleaning her apartment and moderate exercise quickly got repetitive.

It was because of this monotonous lifestyle that she decided that she might as well listen to the tracks that Daniel had sent over. Just as something to pass the time with.

She didn't really have any expectations for him or his music, but she figured he'd be somewhat decent. If she was remembering correctly, back when they were younger he had been a drummer at the church they had all attended, and he'd also been the designated DJ at house parties she hadn't been invited to because she was too young, but had heard all about from Kemi the day after.

However, from the very first track that played from her surround sound system, it was evident that Daniel's assertion that his music was "not trash" was a gross underestimation.

In fact, it was so much of an underestimation that Narae had found herself calling the number at the bottom of the email and arranging to meet up that very same night.

After a successful first session, they had met up several times over the course of the week to work on music. Narae had yet to concretely decide on making something for herself, but the process itself was enjoyable.

She had forgotten how easy-going and funny Daniel was, but was soon reminded as they spent more time together. Conversations were light and it was nice to hang out with someone who didn't really know much about her personal life. Narae had always been a friendly person, but aside from being civil and courteous, she genuinely felt comfortable during the time she spent with Daniel.

When they met for their studio sessions, it was just two people with a shared passion coming together to create new music and pass time. It served as a welcome distraction, and added a spot of colour to her otherwise dreary lifestyle.

They had met almost every day that week, and by the end of it Narae could definitely say that she was well on her way to calling him a friend. The end of the week also brought the release of Asa's single that Narae had featured on and with that, obviously came celebrations spearheaded by Kemi.

The party this time would be held at Liquid, another one of the semi-fancy upscale London nightclubs, and if Narae said she was looking forward to it, it would have been a lie. Still, it beat staying at home, and Narae had also invited Daniel who had readily agreed, eager to let loose on his weekend off.

Leading up to the song dropping, Narae had been on FaceTime with Asa, reassuring her about it all and calming her down when she started stressing. Time zones weren't in Narae's favour, but she resisted the urge to fall asleep and miss supporting her best friend.

Asa had cried when it was finally released, and Narae had watched on, proud of how far she had managed to come over the years. It was always difficult taking the next step, but Narae had the ultimate faith that Asa would do just fine.

It was well past five am when they had finally cut the call, and as soon as they hung up, Narae had switched off her phone and went straight back to bed to fall asleep and recharge ahead of the night's festivities.