"Here is your paint guys." Shiro placed down the buckets he had taken out of his apartment door and flashed a smile to the rest that were already working.
"Bro! You finally returned. We're almost out of paint, you know." Theo ran towards him and slightly hit his shoulder as a greeting before he grabbed a bucket and carried it towards the room he was working on.
Sophia was the one that approached him after and he opened his arms to welcome her in a hug, with a sweet smile on his lips.
"Normally I should have been angry that you left me in the middle of the street," Shiro told her in a tender tone of voice and Sophia just crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stare, for she understood that he was being extra sweet in case she was still mad with him.
"I hope you made things clear with Lisa as I told you and there won't be any more unnecessary clashes between you two" She raised an eyebrow at him, making it clear that she wasn't planning to run in his open embrace if he hasn't actually done that yet he just left his arms to fall and got closer to her, his hands reaching to her hair and caressing it softly as he looked her in the eyes.
"All I can promise you is that I made my position clear, so don't worry baby. I don't think there will be any problems from now on" He reassured her right before he leaned and pecked her lips, then pulled her in his embrace, an action that this time Sophia reciprocated to his delight.
"Get a room~" Jamie commented from where he was, as he had returned to the room with Reina and Anna. His words brought a wave of laughter that he enjoyed but as he looked around he noticed that Reina seemed to be avoiding meeting his face for some strange reason.
Her actions made him throw his eyes towards her more and more often, and his mind didn't take long to making him question if he knew her from somewhere. She sure seemed familiar.
His attention however was surely something she didn't want so she decided to take a leave for a bit, going to the next-door apartment to get some water for herself and hopefully escape from the intensity. Unfortunately for her, however, Jamie decided to follow after her once he saw her walking out, for he was curious to see her face property at that point.
Reina left the door open as she entered for she found it open, considering that many were using ut for different reasons they had opened the door completely and left it like that. She walked towards the fridge immediately and opened it, taking a water bottle that she craved to choke down from the moment she saw it. She turned around and opened some shelves in search of a glass then after she found it she placed it on the counter and poured herself a glass. A glass of water that she did not have the chance to enjoy as once she lifted it to take a sip, she saw Jamie before her.
"I knew you reminded me of something. My little kitty~it's you~" He rushed to bring her in his embrace full of enthusiasm, making her run away and do a whole circle around the kitchen counter.
"Shut up!!! And stay away from me." Reina yelled at him as she stretched her arm out and brought her palm to face him, showing him with actions too that she wanted him to halt and maintain distance.
"Wow, I seriously can't believe you. Is that how you behave with your childhood friend? Did you not missed me?!" Jamie gave her a pout jokingly for he knew that she wouldn't come flying in his arms. They haven't been talking for three years or so after all.
"If you remember, I don't talk to you anymore for a reason. So just pretend you don't know me and go on with your life." She left the glass of water regretfully on the counter as his presence and this conversation had managed to ruin her mood.
"Are you still angry about Sujin?! Ah, come on~" Jamie gifted her a cute smile as he approached her and she stared at him irritated for apparently, he was taking too casually the fact that he was playing with her feelings in high school.
"Okay, let's say that I can overlook all the crying the poor girl shed on my shoulder, but how can I ignore all the rest?" She barely kept herself together from going off on him, and scold him for every hard time he gave to her just because he literally couldn't control his hormones and kept playing with the hearts of every girl he could come across.
"Ah, you do not need to give me a prize. I know I'm great. I had managed to date ten girls simultaneously back then. Golden times."He flashed her his arrogant laugh that had Reina's patience get tested for he surely didn't seem that he had thought over his past actions.
"My misfortune was being friends with a jerk. Cause you definitely are one! So you better stay away from me this time around cause I have no will to get involved in your playboy games. And you better not be playing any with my new friends here or else-" She warned him yet Jamie just smiled innocently at her for he sure was a jerk, as she called him, but he was also perfect at covering that fact.
"Damn, you're still so sweet when you get angry," He purposely teased her with his words and she literally rolled her eyes at his behaviour right before she turned around and left the apartment.
If someone was to ask her, if she had the chance to change something from her past, she was certain that she would erase his existence from her life. Despite how good friends they were in middle school and how nice of a kid he used to be, he became so much different after high school that she literally ended up detesting his existence.
All he thought about was girls and all he did was use her to get closer to other girls. He had literally dated her whole volleyball team in a month and she was the one that suffered the consequences of his actions after, for she had been the stupid one that had introduced him and reassured them that he was a nice guy.
Wish she would have known sooner, how far from nice he really was.
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Lisa came out of the apartment building wanting to get some air after the sudden crying she threw. It sure had taken an amount of her energy and she didn't felt like she had the strength to pretend that nothing happened and that everything was fine, which at the moment was not true at all.
Knowing that if she was to join the rest she had to push herself, however, was what had made her flee altogether despite the fact that surely they will call her out on the fact that she is ditching all the work.
"Op! Look who we have here. Where are you going, miss sour?!" Joel's sudden voice startled her momentarily as she surely wasn't expecting him but as she turned around and saw him walking towards her with a smile, she felt pressured to smile back.
"Ah! Eh !! Hello. Eh... I'm going to~ ... Em .." Lisa tried to think of an excuse to say however he already got her in a headlock and pulled her closer.
"I can't believe you. It's not nice to let others work while you scroll around. Be fair my friend. Come with me." Joel scolded her in his usual friendly way the proceeded to pull her along with him towards the entrance.
"No, you don't understand. It's not like I was- I just wanted to get some air." Lisa tried to free herself from his hold with a smile but he just pulled her closer, not intending to let her escape. The elevator opened its doors to them just as they arrived before it and after a couple stepped out of it, Joel let go of her and pushed her inside before he followed her himself.
"I was working till now, you know~ I was just taking a break,"
" Sure~I would have believed you if it wasn't for the fact that I was texting just earlier with my ladybug and she told me you haven't even shown up so far" He exposed her little lie without hesitation and Lisa just gave him a sad expression before she left an exhale escape her lips and rested her back against the mirror.
She felt cold sweat bathing her as the elevator's numbers kept going up and up, for she definitely didn't consider herself ready to stand before anyone. Her emotions were a mess and breaking before anyone wasn't an option. She just needed to run away somehow but her mind was not helping her much at that moment.
The door opened soon, causing her anxiety to take a boost and her legs to freeze. She would have not stepped out of that elevator if it wasn't for Joel that took hold of her wrist and pulled her along with him down the hallway.
"Wait! No Joel seriously wait." She ended up raising her voice at him, unconsciously as she felt herself drowning in every step she was taking nearer to that door behind which Shiro existed.
Normally she is not someone that leaves her fear to consume her but at that very moment, she just felt unable to convince her own self that she was gonna be okay. She just wasn't ready for she had to see Sophia in the eyes after she had let her boyfriend kiss her like that. The thought only made her insides ache in guilt because she had not just only let him but she had enjoyed that kiss.
That fact which she couldn't deny was also what had broken her so, for he belittled her for it and she couldn't even deny it. He just walked all over her pride and ego and now she was expected to act like she wasn't faced by it.
"Come on~, don't play around-"
"I said Wait !!!" Lisa ended up pulling her hand away abruptly from his grip for Joel was not taking her seriously, however, her action and the look in her eyes sure made his face fa serious and worry flashed on his orbs.
"Sorry, I ... I have to leave." She softened her expression, feeling guilty for her behaviour towards him at that moment then she lowered her head in order to hide her eyes that to her displeasure started getting filled with tears again as if she hadn't shed enough already for today.
"Lisa, what's wrong? Did something happened !?" Joel placed his hands over her shoulders and tilted his head in an attempt to take a better look at her face.
"As if what could have happened anyways. Do not worry. When were you leaving again? Dimitra said something earlier that you will be off for a while to visit your mother."Lisa pulled herself together and lifted her head, gifting him a wide smile while she proceeded skillfully to change the subject.
"Yes, I'm leaving tomorrow, I won't be around for some weeks. I promise I will keep in contact more often, but... are you sure you're okay?" Joel responded to her words yet kept looking at her in disbelief for she surely was acting strange.
"Of course, I was always crazy anyway. Normal behaviour never described me, why are you even surprised." She turned the situation into a joke, slapping slightly his shoulder while laughing yet he just gave her a thoughtful look.
"Good point." He admitted then joined her laughter, his hand travelling to her head to pull her towards him just so they could share small head collusion that added more to their laughter.
He had let her slide this time since it was evident that she wasn't willing to tell him and he understood that he shouldn't pressure her further. His friendly behaviour and the way he always was considerate of her feelings, was one of the reasons she considered him such a good friend. He felt like an older brother that she never had. Someone that managed to fill her with strength and positive energy whenever he was around.
"You better keep your word and text more often cause last time you went you seriously forgot of my existence altogether. Thank god you were texting Dimitra otherwise we would have considered you for dead." Lisa left her complaints as she surely had suffered hearing Dimitra questioning her every day about why he is texting so little to not mention that she had to deal with all the insecurities that rose inside her because of his lack of contact. For it was definitely normal for Dimitra to doubt him when he goes off and disappears like that for long periods of time. And honestly, if she didn't know him better, she might have gotten suspicious of his loyalty too.
"I will do my best," Joel promised her with a smile that hid the regrets that were eating him inside because he was lying to her.
"Neither Dimitra nor Lisa nor anyone will find out. Nobody knows that you are lying to them so you better stop being nervous" He thought inwardly some words that were meant to encourage himself and give him the strength to go through the part that was the most difficult for him.
The part where he had to lie to Dimitra while looking her eye to eye.
--- To be continued .....