𝙎𝙋𝙀𝙀𝘿 - 𝙃𝘼𝙉 𝙇𝙐𝙀

09.

ariana's heartbeat got faster, as her palms became clammy. if she didn't say something now, she wouldn't say anything. ariana got up from the couch, han's eyes followed her. she walked to the desk, opening the drawer on the bottom taking out as many files as she could. it was probably her mind playing tricks with her, but she believed the file stack had grown since the last time she saw it. 

-"what is this? who are these people?" ariana slammed them on the desk, it showed in han's face that he recognized those files. slight concern on his face. he got up, walking towards her slowly. he opened his mouth to speak, hesitating a few times. 

a thousand times he wondered what would happen if ariana ever found out. he assumed she would scream and shout, he knew she would worry and stress, that's why he had managed to keep it a secret for long. for her sake, her safety and his. 

-"nothing you should worry about." han said taking the files, moving them away from her. his voice was calm, almost as if he wasn't understanding the severity of it. 

-"han, what is this? prices, names, money, are you running scams?" ariana raised her voice, she connected the dots as she spoke. her face showed concern but mostly anger. her hands ran through her hair, almost pulling at it. 

-"it's not that serious, ariana. i've got it under control. you don't understand." han said. ariana went into a spiral, he could see it on her face. her mind was running faster than she thought was possible. the only people who had access to those numbers, to those people, to work certain scams was yakuza. he was stealing from the japanese mafia. 

he tried his best to not show how nervous he was. no matter the situation he acted cool and calm, that's why he could get away with anything. he was known to be able to escape any type of scenarios, he knew he didn't want to escape this one. he didn't want to escape her. he tried to pinpoint when he got so careless, that didn't matter anymore. 

-"who are you working with?" ariana yelled at him, stepping closer to him. he expects her eyes to go cold, sharp and piercing, but they were filled with despair and worry instead. her words felt like daggers. moments of silence went by. 

-"better question, who are you fucking stealing from?" ariana pushed han back in anger staying close to him, she was fuming. there was no way he could foul her; she was smatter than that, and he didn't want to lie to her. he rolled his eyes, shaking his head. knowing sooner or later he had to confess. 

-"ariana-" ariana cut of han, she wasn't going to tolerate the bullshit that he was about to say. 

-"spare me the bullshit and don't lie." ariana said sternly, he nodded in response. 

-"it's just a couple jobs from dk, it's not that much money." han said. ariana's face crinkled, she didn't know what to feel, what to say. it was by far the stupidest thing her could've done.

not only was han a hypocrite, he went on and on about how he didn't need the money, he didn't race for the money, he wasn't dk's partner for the money. ariana believed him. yet, he was stealing from takashi. ariana knew han wasn't a saint, he had a past, he had his own deals, but stealing from takashi was dangerous. they both knew that. 

han waited for her response, the silence scared him. she was used to her lashing out, screaming at him, but she had nothing to say. for the first time she was actually speechless. he analyzed how her face dropped, her body tensed as she sat back on the couch. he sat down next to her. 

-"what are you going to do when he realizes? when yakuza realizes? he will shoot a bullet through your fucking head. why would you even need to do this?" ariana said concern laced in her voice. she gripped his hands that sat in his lap, holding them as if he was going to vanish. 

-"this is by far the most stupid thing you've ever done." ariana sighed brushing her hand through her hair. a couple of overwhelmed tears running down her face. ariana stood up pacing back and forth the room. han stood up stopping her, gripping her arms. 

-"he doesn't know, you're the only one that knows." han said sternly. his interior almost melted when he met her eyes, tears forming in them. her eyes glistened. he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her back. she nestled her head on his neck, her tears damping his shirt. he brushed her fingers through her hair, soothing her. guilty, knowing it was all his fault. 

-"you're going to die, han. i can't just stand and watch that happened. he will find out." ariana choked out, backing away from him. 

-"i can't lose you, han. i can't watch you die." han's hand gripped hers again. 

-"you won't. he's not going to find out. you're not going to lose me." han closed the proximity between them. their eyes locked on one another. 

-"do you promise?" ariana said, she knew he couldn't promise that. but it was worth something. 

ariana watched han's eye flicker to her lips. she felt as if the air left her lungs. she always waited for that momen.

she imagined it differently. after winning a race, her chest filled with pride and adrenaline. he would kiss her, forgetting about the crowd of people around them. or perhaps on the beach, the place he knew she loved the most. he would pull her in while they stood in the water, kissing her deeply. 

however, she was most shocked that it was actually happening. han placed his hands on the back of her neck, after brushing a couple of stray hairs behind her ears. she saw a slight smile on his face before his lips were placed on hers. 

they both felt fireworks forming in their stomachs. ariana deeped the kiss, tangling her hands in his hair. they stayed close for a while, before her lungs burned in need of air. her lips taste like cherry, he could've guessed that by looking at her. her lips on his felt right, having her close felt right. as if he was made to hold her hips. to hold her heart, most importantly. 

-"was that a good enough promise for you?" han smirked at her, his hands gripping her waist. ariana rolled her eyes, trying to avoid the blush on her cheeks. she bit her bottom lip, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

-"i'm still mad at you." ariana whispered right before placing her lips on his. once they had a taste, they couldn't get enough. the room instantly got warmer, zero distance between them. his arms roomed around her body; he couldn't get enough of her. he stumbled backwards; their lips still attached. he fell on the couch, her thighs wrapping around his waist.

...

ariana rubbed the towel on her head, missing the warm water on her skin. she looked outside the small window of han's room, the city lights luminating the darkness. she hanged the towel on the rack, hating how it wouldn't dry properly when she didn't. she pulled over her sports bra a shirt that was too big for her, the fabric bringing her warmth. she wore gray sweatpants for her bottom part, her pink socks hiding underneath. 

she walked out of the room, making her way to the staircase. sean and the others were working on his car. she walked over to han, blush creeping up on her face. he was sitting on the desk, doing paperwork. he smiled at her, pulling the chair next to him for her. she was about to sit down before she heard the sound of a wrench hitting the floor, she was familiar with it. she looked back at the first floor. neela walking towards them, sean meeting her halfway.