CHAPTER 12
“Thanks,” I muttered, my nose scrunching as I gulped the beetroot juice that Mikey forced me to drink every day.
But my eyes never strayed from the last-minute shading I was adding to my character. It took me exactly nine days to narrow this down.
After some trial and error and several crumpled papers that Mikey picked up from the floor, I’ve finally brought the character to life as per the author’s vision but added a little touch of my own.
“That’s incredible, little mouse. I know how hard you worked on it.” Mikey’s lips brushed my forehead as he whispered the words that sent a jolt down my heart. He did that a lot now, kissing my cheek or forehead, or touching me, all in fleeting passes, like they meant nothing.
But meant a lot to me,
“Still needs some coloring around the eyes,” I said, picking up deep blue to add the details around Renji’s iris.
Renji was described as a young teenager chosen to undo the demon’s curse. He was to be a resilient and fierce warrior, and the image I created depicted just that. The sharpness of his jaw and the frame of his face showed his strength. The subtle gleam in his piercing eyes added a hint of vulnerability amid his stone-cold gaze. Refining his armor was the hardest part, but I finally settled on an intricate pattern through his leather sheath, smoked in a vapid cloak that didn’t take away the attention from the character.
“Enough.” Mikey grasped my drawing pad and set it aside, then folded an arm around my shoulder. “You’ve been staring at it for hours. I know it’s your passion, but you need to slow down a bit.”
“Fine,” I mumbled, sinking into him, not even fighting the urge to pull away because being in his arms felt nice, good.
His fingers swirled through my violet tips as I rested my head on his shoulder.
“Aren’t you bored being my shadow?” I asked.
“Not at all.”
“You’re being too nice when you’re anything but that when it comes to me.”
His chest rumbled with a laugh. “I am nice. I’m the nicest person ever. I think even People magazine coined me as the nicest celebrity they’ve ever met.”
I was too tired to even roll my eyes. I was deteriorating, and I could feel that. I shouldn’t have worked so hard this week, but it was my last chance to leave a mark, and I wanted to give it my all.
I trudged closer to him, tethering for more of his warmth. As if he read my mind, he grabbed me by my waist and sprawled me over his lap.
And my weak body didn’t protest .
A happy sigh slipped from my lips as my cheek landed on his chest. “Tell me something you’ve never told anyone before.”
I wasn’t sure when the lines blurred for me to get this comfortable with him again, but I wasn’t complaining one bit.
MIKEY
My fingers stilled; her stark violet strand twisted around my finger.
I shouldn’t have her in my arms, but I did.
I shouldn’t let her get this close to me, but I did.
I shouldn’t have tasted her sweet lips, but I did.
So I might as well live the fantasy a bit longer before it ends.
Because this so-called friendship between Lily and me was just a mirage. Like a faint whisp of cold air on a dry day, it was fleeting. Though it felt so real, it had to come to an end.
There was no other choice.
I’d never let her float around my orbit.
But till her brother was back.
She was mine.
“Something that no one knows, huh?”
“Hmm.” She softly nuzzled her face on my chest. And fuck, the action stirred my cock diamond hard.
“Did you know how that I actually came up with the band name? ”
She snorted. “Yeah, with the dumbest name ever known in history. Four Foxes? Seriously? Emmie was so mad when you registered with that name without asking the band, and I think he even punched you for good measure when the name stuck around.”
“Wait till you hear this.” I grinned, pulling out my phone. I hesitated only for a second before I opened the folder buried deep. I would never admit out loud that I opened that album one too many times than necessary. “Here, take a look.” I handed her my phone.
Her nose scrunched cutely as her eyes peered at the image on the screen, an image I knew a little too well, so well it was ingrained in my brain.
“What is this? And why is it so familiar?” The scrunch in her nose intensified.
A chuckle burst through my lips. “Because you drew it.” Written in an illegible cursive was the title The Tale of the Four Foxes, and underneath it was the depiction of the four guardian foxes.
“What? I did?” She gaped, bringing the phone close to her face. “I don’t remember it. But it does look like something I would do.”
“Yeah. You were actually pretty young, just around eight, I guess, so it’s fair that you don’t remember it. You went through a phase where you were obsessed with foxes because of Naruto, so obsessed that you created your own anime and prayed to God to turn you into a fox.”
“No way.” Her cheeks bloomed to a scarlet red, and my cock ached at that sight.
“Yes, way.” I smiled .
She nodded absentmindedly before her head tilted in my direction as the realization set in. “Wait,” she said, wide-eyed. “That means I actually named the band? Me!?” she shrieked, almost landing on the floor with the way she jumped if it weren’t for my hands holding her tight.
I laughed. “Yeah, so you were the one who came up with the dumbest name known to history.”
“Ugh,” she whined. “But you’re the one who decided to go with it.” Her eyes scanned over mine, a curious glint shimmering in them. “Why did you decide to go with it? And how do you have a picture of it after all these years?” Her voice took over a soft tone, brushing over my skin like silk.
“It was the first thing that popped into my mind when the guys were bantering backstage for a name. I was over them trying to come up with a name for ages, so I just stormed to the host and registered with Four Foxes.” A half-truth—I always knew we were going to be the Four Foxes. I only joined the band because of her. I wanted a part of her always with me even though I wasn’t allowed to in real life. “As for the picture, after hours of explaining your little story, you told me to go and give them to the man who put them in magazines. I didn’t have the heart to tell you that it wasn’t possible, so I went with it. You even followed it up for days, asking me when we can buy it from the grocery store until you forgot it altogether one day.”
“Ah,” she groaned, palming her face. “That’s so embarrassing.”
I lifted a shoulder, easing her hands off her beautiful, flushed face. “I thought it was adorable. ”
A swallow worked down the column of her throat as her gaze locked on mine. “Does that mean you kept it all this time?”
“Yes.” My voice dropped to a grumble.
“Why?”
A grin tugged the corner of my lips. “Because they might cost millions one day. I couldn’t lose the chance of becoming a millionaire. But the art curator I called told me it wasn’t even worth five bucks. So a big loss for me.”
“Ass.” She swatted my shoulder, rolling her eyes as she brought her face back to my chest.
And I held her tight, knowing very well that what she gave me was worth more than all the millions I made.