𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚 - 𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐢

14. ghostin

‧˚₊⋅ ୨୧ ⋅₊˚‧

     On delivered. Niki was on delivered for a day and 10 hours. He chewed his lip in frustration as he gazed at the bright screen. Part of him was hoping that what was happening was just some weird coincidence. Maybe your phone got ran over or or.... he sighed a long sigh. Were you still weirded out by the events of the away game? I mean yeah, he realized he was being just a tad bit overprotective, but he can't help it!

"Earth to Nishimura Riki."

"Fuck off Jake."

"Heyheyhey! What's got your panties in a twist Nishimura?"

The regular conversation was silenced as the rest of his friend group turned towards his direction. The boy slumped on the side rail of the busy hallway lazily. "Nothing just drop it." It took the guys by surprise. He wasn't being himself. He wasn't loud or cracking his usual indecent jokes. "Don't worry man you'll see her soon", Jay said, patting Niki's shoulder.

"How?"

"Our rival game's this Friday, remember?"

"How could he? The poor boy's going through a y/n withdrawal, he looks horri- OW?!"

Jungwon pinched Sunoo's arm as if to tell him to read the room. Though what Jay said did give him some hope, Niki was still unsure. He doubt that you would even give him the time of day anymore, but he just wanted to know if you were okay. And even if it meant admiring you from afar, like before, he'd rather have that than not see you at all. He'd rather hear your laughter caused by someone else, than the piercing silent void that lacked your being. It was torture. "I'm gonna go back to the dorms. Not feeling it today." No one stopped him as he walked away, instead exchanging sorry looks towards each other.

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"Ugh, these are ugly!" cried a distressed Wonyoung, flailing the heavy camera around. Keeho snickered as he watched the girl in amusement. "Where's y/nie?" asked the boy curiously. Wonyoung's face turned hard, as if Keeho just said the most vulgar thing. "I hate men."

Keeho gasped, "Y/n got played by a man?"

"Not just any man. Nishimura Riki."

Keeho let out another gasp, "What was she thinking?!"

Wonyoung sighed and stared off into the distance. "I can't blame her. He even had me fooled. He looked like such a lost puppy whenever she was absent."

"Then, what happened?"

"Shein and her groupie friends showed her a video of Niki ridiculing her. They're lucky I wasn't there, I woulda slapped their eyebrows off. All of them."

Keeho gave the girl the biggest "bitch are you fr?" stare she had ever seen.

"I'M SERIOUS?!"

"No, I believe you Ms. President please pipe down. But do you really think the video they showed her was, y'know, legit?"

"Huh?"

"I mean everyone and their mom knows she's down bad for Niki. What if she did some weird AI shit to make it sound like him or something?"

"Please, those three are too dumb to even know what AI is... but, you have a point. Shein claimed to be in a relationship with him, but I have yet to see them interact."

Keeho shrugged his shoulders, "And I'm not defending him by any means, but it just seems fishy y'know."

The more Wonyoung thought about it, the more it gave her a headache. "What matters now is that y/n needs our support. Let's go visit her after we're done?"

"Kk, I'll text Ning and Intak to come along."

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"You look horrible."

"KEEHO?!"

You chuckled as you watched your friends bicker at the doorway. It was nice to see them. Although you preferred being alone, isolation can be very tiring at times. Especially when there's a lot to think about. Tears formed in your eyes once more and you were quickly met with the warmth of your four friends.

"Listen y/nie! As much as I preach mental health awareness, you need to stop wasting your days rotting in bed", exclaimed Wonyoung as she squished your cheeks dramatically. Breathing a deep sigh, you look out the window. The sun was still beaming and the breeze was strong enough to blow the curtains faintly.

"How about we go get some food? Barbecue and drinks on me?" asked NingNing excitedly.

"Oh my god I could kiss you right now!"

"Ew Keeho, go kiss Intak."

You giggled as you watched Keeho chase the poor boy around your room, "That actually sounds great right now."

The girls smiled at you. "Then it's settled."

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As you entered the familiar restaurant, your senses were immediately filled with the lively atmosphere paired with the savory smell of meat. Even if you were still sulking, you would be insane to turn down free barbecue. As you waited to be seated, you glanced around the busy restaurant. You've always been a people watcher. It's something that came with being extremely reserved. It seems today was busier than the rest, as you watched the servers rushing from table to table with raw meats. At this hour, business people were letting loose their ties and rolling up their sleeves, with numerous amounts of alcohol surrounding them. There were also families. Parents cooking and cutting meat, while their children watch impatiently. Even as you were being whisked away to your table, your eyes continued to scan your surroundings with fascination. That was until they landed on a large group at the table directly next to yours. The basketball team.

Wonyoung externally facepalmed. "You've got to be shitting me right now."

You shifted uncomfortably where you were standing. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who was staring directly into your soul. Wonyoung grabbed your arm suddenly, pulling you towards her. A simple act, but very relieving to you. "Let's just enjoy this", reassured Keeho. You smiled at him and nodded.

As your group continued to ignore the one you spent most of your free time slaving around for, you actually started to enjoy yourself. Keeho and Intak kept cracking jokes in hopes of making you laugh, and at first they were corny and unfunny, but after a bottle of soju, you were convinced that these two were comedians in their past life. The lightness of your body paired with the delicious food definitely saved this unfortunate predicament, but you had to admit that it had become extremely tempting to glance at he who shall not be named. Did he even care that you were here? Was he secretly making fun of you with his friends? The anxiety got to you, and you weren't proud of yourself as you turned your gaze towards Niki.

Your heart swelled once you realized he was already looking at you. Not only that, but he look... sad? The look in his eyes was full of sorrow and once he realized you were onto him, he quickly tore away from your gaze. You know you shouldn't be feeling this way, but part of you wanted to comfort him. God this is stupid. So so so so so stupid.

The rest of the night consisted of stolen glances. As much as you hated to admit it, the feeling of longing was reciprocated between you two. And it wasn't discreet either. Niki watched you and your friends in what could only be categorized as pure jealousy. It was torture. He knows that he said he was okay with watching you from afar, but surely he never expected it to be this strenuous. His jaw clenched as he continued to watch you joke with them. You looked so pretty though, laughing really suits you. And how is it that you looked so beautiful with less makeup on? And how is it that in this proximity, one that he hasn't been in for what feels like eternity, he feels the farthest away from you? Yes. Absolute agony.

a/n: hehe.🧍🏻‍♀️ BEFORE YOU ALL COME FOR ME. I'M SORRY. i honestly don't know if i should continue this story. i don't want it to be too boring but i also don't want it to be fast paced. i want you guys to enjoy it sincerely. please be patient with me:) i swear once the summer hits, writer block will vanish. for now this is sort of a filler.