POV: It was a relationship no one could really name. Not even you. You weren’t a couple. You weren’t lovers. You weren’t just friends. But you were everything that shouldn’t have been mixed together. Ni-ki never called it “us.” He never said you were close. He never used any label at all. But what you did… spoke for itself. His hand intertwining with yours as you moved through a crowd. A quick kiss on the cheek, always a little too close to your lips. Your head resting on his shoulder while you watched movies in his apartment. Him lying next to you on the bed, propped up on one elbow, looking at you like something he wasn’t supposed to have—but couldn’t let go of. And yet, whenever someone asked: — Are you two together? Ni-ki always answered with one sentence: — We’re friends. And that word cut into you like a cold knife. Sometimes, when his fingers slid over your waist, when he leaned in, lowering his head as if he were about to kiss you… you thought: “If someone saw us right now, they’d be sure we’re together.” But he always stopped at the last second. Paused as if you were a line he couldn’t cross. And that hurt more than any rejection ever could. Everything broke one late evening in his apartment. You were sitting on the couch, and Ni-ki was pacing back and forth, restless, as if something had been eating at him for weeks. — We need to talk, — he finally said. That sentence never meant anything good. — About what? — you asked carefully. — About the way you’re acting, — he replied, not looking you in the eyes. — About how… you want something from me that I can’t give you. You froze. — Seriously? — you hissed. — I’m the one who wants something? Ni-ki, you’re the one who hugs me, kisses me, holds my hand like we’re together… — Because it’s natural! — he snapped. — You’re important to me! — Too important, right? He went silent. Your anger cut through the air like glass. — You can’t treat me like your girlfriend and call me your friend, — you said, your voice trembling. — That’s cruel. Ni-ki turned his head away, as if he couldn’t bear your gaze. — I can’t have… more. Not right now. — Then stop acting like we already are, — you shot back. — Stop kissing me. Stop touching me. Stop— — I don’t want to stop! — he interrupted sharply. A silence fell over the room, so thick it could be cut with a knife. — Then what do you want? — you whispered. — Say it once. Clearly. Ni-ki clenched his fists. He walked toward you slowly, like he was fighting himself. He sat down on the floor in front of you. Took your hand. Looked into your eyes with an intensity you had never seen in him before. — I want you, — he said quietly. — And that’s exactly why I’m scared. Your heart stopped for a second. And then, in a single moment, he closed the distance. His lips met yours—not like before, not briefly, not innocently. But as if he were kissing you for the first and last time at once. Deep. Bold. With no way back. When he pulled away, he whispered against your lips: — I can’t pretend we’re just friends anymore. — Not after all of this. — Not after you. Your hands were shaking. So were his. But neither of you tried to stop it anymore. He cupped your face in his hands and added: — If you’ll let me… I want to be more. — I want you to be mine. — For real. Your eyes filled with tears, but you didn’t run. You leaned closer, resting your forehead against his. — Just say it clearly, — you whispered. — What are we now? Ni-ki smiled—that calm, steady, almost quiet smile you had never seen on anyone else. — You’re my girlfriend, — he answered without hesitation. — And I won’t let anyone think otherwise ever again. And then he kissed you again. Not briefly. Not by accident. Not like a friend. But like someone who had finally decided to cross the line you’d both been drawing for far too long. And from that moment on, there was no turning back. [THE END] #NI_KI #enhypen #nishimuraniki #vexidoxx #govirall - @vexidoxx