CHEAP TEQUILA | knj

13TH SHOT

THE PEN GLIDED across the paper smoothly before namjoon roughly crossed the entire line off again. his fingers came up to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.

his mind was all over the place, not allowing him to focus on his job. it had been weeks since he'd last written a good song. if he kept this up, he would lose his job and he could not afford that right now. "god fucking dammit!" he flung the pen across the desk.

placing the back of his hand over his forehead, he shut his eyes, taking deep deliberate breaths to calm himself. he leaned back on the chair, hoping for inspiration to find its way to his chaotic mind. it was completely silent for a few minutes, namjoon basking in the solitude in hopes of a musical serendipity.

but then there was a knock at his door. letting one eye flutter open, he glanced towards the door. "yes, come in." he beckoned, waiting for whoever it was to walk in. he nearly fell back on his chair, both eyes shooting open as he struggled to get on his feet at the sight of gisela.

she looked upset, eyes droopy and rimmed with red, hands clutching tightly to the strap of her shoulder bag. "gisela!" he managed to stand up without falling over, concern lacing his voice. "what's the matter?" he approached her, wrapping both hands around her shoulders, leading her to the couch. he took a seat next to her and waited for her to speak.

"i'm sorry for bothering you. it's just i don't know a lot of people here and if i went to kurtis, he'd punch first and ask questions later. and for some reason, i feel like i can talk to you." her fingers tapped against each other, eyes trained on the floor.

"what happened?" he watched her distracted movements with interest. he had an inkling as to what had happened but he wasn't certain about it.

her gaze moved up to meet his. "well, remember eli?" she asked, clearing all doubt he held. "yeah, the guy with the cake. what happened?" he nodded, pursing his lips so that his dimples unwittingly popped out. "we... i thought..." she blew out a breath in frustration. "you saw him with another girl, didn't you?" he supplied, sensing her distress.

her brows furrowed even as she nodded. "how did you know?" she inquired softly. he sighed and looked away from her, lacing his fingers through each other. "because the girl you saw him with was my girlfriend... my ex-girlfriend." he quickly corrected himself.

"what?" an audible gasp left gisela's lips. "after you left the other day, i realised he was the guy she was cheating on me with. it felt like being sucker punched. i guess she's still seeing him even after everything. i know how you must feel. i'm sorry, gisela." he mumbled out, unable to meet her gaze.

a frown made its way to her face and she reached out to touch his clasped hands. "why are you apologising to me?" she bent over, resting her head on her lap to look him in the eye. "because," his eyes shifted to her face. "because," he repeated, breathing heavily.

he watched her lips slowly pull up into a full smile, revealing deep dimples on both cheeks, brows lifted in waiting. "because?" she prompted. he found himself getting flustered, feeling warmth crawl up his neck. "um," he looked away from her, glancing at her hand which was still on his.

"you have nothing to apologise for, namjoon. you did nothing wrong. so don't apologise for what someone else did." she squeezed his hand lightly and let out a little sigh.

"and to be fair, eli and i had something but we weren't dating. maybe i read more into our relationship than there actually was. or maybe he led me on. either way, he wasn't my boyfriend, so i guess i don't really have the right to be upset and yet i am." she moved her hand back, tucking it underneath her head.

"i think you had it worse than i did." she sat up, resting her chin on the heel of her hand. "how are you holding up?" her eyes rested on his hunched over form. he sighed again, rubbing his palms down his face. "horribly." he admitted. "i think i have a problem. i'm still in love with her even after she hurt me."

"you don't have a problem, you just have a heart." she countered, pressing her lips together. he chuckled drily and turned his head to look at her. "you came here for comfort and instead you're the one consoling me." he rested his lips on his clasped hands.

"it's okay. we're on the same boat, your side just seems to be more waterlogged than mine." she smiled soft. he suddenly shook his head. "no, this won't do." he let out. he wrapped his hand around hers, getting on his feet. "where are we going?" she looked  up at him, slowly standing up. he smiled fully, dimples on display. "to go review the ice cream at the store down the block."

she grinned, letting him pull her out of his studio, out of the building and into the warm afternoon air.

☀️☀️☀️

the story is almost over. the end is nigh lmao