Chapter 18

I'm wearing a cute top and my favourite jeans and I'm standing on a rooftop terrace

Most of the people here are Frank's friends from university. There are some people from the Subway too, and some people that were invited by his roommates.

Frank has four roommates.

            Most of the people here are easy going if you're not trying to get into a deep kind of conversation. They're fun, I guess, I just don't feel like I have anything in common with them.

Still, I'm having fun. Probably because I've been drinking a fruity drink that's probably a looooot more alcoholic than it tastes.

I'm standing there chatting with all these people, but at the same time I don't really know why I'm here. I'm fine, I'm not bothered by talking with strangers, it just feels pointless.

Maybe this is why I never had good friends, because here I am standing with people that genuinely seem like they enjoy talking with me, and I'm not even considering the possibility of becoming friends with any of them.

At least in this situation I know I'm the problem.

"Wait, do I know you?" one guy I haven't talked with yet says. I'm pretty sure he's friends with one of Frank's roommates.

"No, I don't think so," I reply automatically.

He smells like alcohol and pot. "You're sure? I'm sure I saw you somewhere before..."

Frank suddenly appears beside me. "Kevin, that's the worst pick up line ever. That and do you come here often. Run along."

Kevin kinda just makes a face, but then turns around and goes to talk with other people.

I turn to Frank. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I could tell you didn't particularly like the conversation. Do you actually know him?" he asks me, before taking a sip from his red cup.

"No," But I'm pretty sure I know why he thinks he knows me. I don't want to admit that out loud though.

How would people at work react if they knew I was the girl that kissed Min Jae-sang?

"So, you having fun?" he asks me with a smile.

Am I having fun? I don't know honestly.

Maybe it's because I'm too boring. I didn't party a lot in Cameroon either. I only started to go out when I was dating Samuel.

It was always just to have a reason to make out.

I might miss it a little. Making out at parties.

I miss... the idea of being young and partying I had in my head. I miss thinking it was something attainable for me.

Frank is waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I am," I tell him with a smile, the way you answer someone platonically when they ask you how you're doing. You're not telling them the truth. You're telling them what they want to hear.

"So, I feel like I need to say this, but sorry if I was a bit of a douchebag the first time we met. I come from a long line of douchebags. Douchebaggery is my family's trade," he says a little solemnly, clearly joking.

"How unfortunate," I reply and drink more of my fruity drink.

"Quite. So I'm working on it."

I want to tell him that one way he could start would be to stop grading girls like they're comics. I heard him say a hot girl was near mint, and another was fair. Fair is not a good look for a comic, but if you don't know that it's misleading, especially for an unknowing girl.

I have a hard time gauging Frank.

One minute I want to sucker punch him in the throat.

The other I think he might be kinda hot and I like talking with him.

Seeing him out of the Subway uniform is also misleading.

He looks good, but that's probably just because I'm used to seeing him wearing a shirt in the worse shade of green possible, so anything nice makes a huge difference.

We keep chatting and drinking and at some point, more and more people are dancing around to the music blasting from the stereo they set up, and I find myself dancing with Frank.

We're dancing and we're close and every time we move together, I can feel it. I could kiss him so easily.

I think he wants to kiss me.

And honestly, I might want to kiss him a little.

The realisation makes me jump back a little.

Frank looks at me, a little confused. "Everything's alright?"

"Yeah, I just need to go to the bathroom," I tell him, and head downstairs without listening to his answer, to inside his apartment where the bathroom is.

His apartment is filled with people too.

I wonder why the neighbors haven't made any complaints yet. We're being really noisy and we're in the middle of the night.

If they were my neighbors, I would throttle all of them.

I hide in the bathroom and sit on the toilet.

My head might be slightly spinning, but like, just a little. I'm dancing in front of a mirror tipsy.

And I'm actually considering kissing Frank. I think it's the alcohol speaking. It's most definitely the alcohol speaking, but I'm having fun and he's being nice and I don't know.

I want to kiss someone I'll be able to see again. It's nice to kiss someone that's attainable, that you know you might actually have a chance with.

Kissing Jae-sang was a random act of God. Like, in the insurance clause of my life, I was not insured for that. It made no sense and no one could have prepared me for it.

I want to text my cousin but it's late and I know she has exams this week and she's either studying or resting and Tenth Knot is usually up at the same time as I am and she says I can write to her about anything and I'm apparently her friend so I message her.

God. I re-read my messages one more time and feel like an idiot.

She'll have reasons to make fun of me next time we talk.

I really sound tipsy. I'm not that baaaad.

I'm really not that bad.

It's not because I'm seriously considering kissing Frank that I'm drunk. It is a decision that a drunk person would take, but...

Oh, who am I kidding, I'm tipsy and I want to kiss someone.

Jae-sang kisses people all the time.

Why am I thinking about Jae-sang?

Because I'd rather kiss him again?

No, I don't want to kiss Jae. I want to kiss Frank.

I get out of the bathroom, and I almost pump into Frank.

"Oh, there you are," he says with a smile.

His arms are around me. He grabbed me to steady me because I bumped into him.

This is the perfect position.

            I really want to kiss him for some strange reason. And as Tenth Knot said, I'm too young and pretty not to kiss anyone I want to kiss.

            I lift my hand and press it to the back of Frank's head, and bring his face down, pressing our lips together.

            He kissed me a little sloppily, like someone that was caught off guard.

It's not a bad kiss. It's a nice kiss.

His arms go around my waist, and I keep kissing him, moving my lips against his. My mind is in a haze and I'm kissing Frank.

Finally, I let go of his head and back away a little.

Frank opens his eyes and smiles. "Well, hellooo," he says, chuckling.

"Hello. I'm Naree," I reply, like an idiot.

He throws his head back, laughing.

"I'm Franklin."

"It's been nice to kiss you, Franklin."

Why am I saying what Jae told me?

I just grin at Frank and step out of his embrace.

The kiss was nice. My heart is beating fast. Part of me wants more. Part of me doesn't know what it wants.

I don't know what I was expecting. But I guess it wasn't this. Not exactly.

But Frank keeps smiling at me.

______________

Hello my little Pretzels!

I want to apologize for my awful awful uploading. I know I still owe you two more chapters. I was so tired last week, and I couldn't write. I just kept needing to go to sleep. I'll upload the next two chapter in the next days. So basically you'll kinda have like 4 chapters back to back with the Saturday and Sunday uploads.

Did you like the Twitter thread? I made it myself, not Eve, so if it kinda sucks, that's why! XD I didn't crop it. Can you see it properly?

And now it's true. I'm starting my late-NanoWriMo. So. If all goes well, I'll have manage to have eight chapters written in advance and FINALLY make my Tenth Knot tiers on Patreon. That's the goal!

Also, I've been thinking about making this story in three parts. I know people like to read completed stories more. If I split this story into three books will that be very confusing? Or should I put like the three parts in the same story group?

Ugh. I should make a live to ramble about this. XD

Anyway! Leaving you alone now. I'll go to be early for once!

Love you guys! <3