After she sent her reply, there was a moment of silence. Yoko sat frozen, staring at the screen, her breath shallow and quick, her heart pounding in her chest. Every second felt like an eternity as she anxiously waited for a response, her mind racing with thoughts of what might come next. The cursor blinked mockingly until she saw her next message.
Faye:
I wasn't sure if I should message you.
Yoko frowned, confusion creeping in. Why wouldn't she?
Yoko:
Why not?
This time, the response came quickly.
Faye:
"You seemed busy, and I thought to myself... well, I'm just a friend, right? You must be receiving congratulations from everyone, so you might not even notice mine."
The words struck Yoko like a physical blow. Her breath caught in her throat, and an uncomfortable knot twisted tightly in her stomach. She sat frozen for a moment, the weight of Faye's words sinking in as everything clicked into place. The interview.
During that interview, she had brushed off their connection, playing it off as mere friendly banter. A calculated move, something her team had insisted on to avoid speculation before the show launched. But now, reading Faye's message, Yoko realized how much it must have hurt.
Before she could respond, another message appeared.
Faye:
Well... I guess I misunderstood the whole "universe" thing. Silly me, right?
Yoko sat up straight, panic rising. Was Faye hurt? Her fingers flew over the screen, heart racing.
Yoko:
Faye... it wasn't like that.
The silence stretched, and Yoko held her breath, waiting for a response.
Faye:
Wasn't it? You didn't have any trouble reminding everyone about you and Freen. Seemed like you two are more than just co-stars.
Yoko's heart sank, the hurt in Faye's words cutting deep. But beneath the pain, Yoko sensed something elseâjealousy.
Is she jealous? Yoko thought, her mind spinning. She hadn't expected this.
Without thinking, her fingers moved again.
Yoko:
Wait... are you jealous of P'Freen?
The reply came almost instantly.
Faye:
"I didn't think I had the right to be."
Yoko paused, her expression softening as she sensed the weight of Faye's words. She took a slow breath, and replied gently,
Yoko:
"Faye... you have every right to feel whatever you're feeling. It's not about rights, it's about being true to yourself. P'Freen is like a sister to me. I'd never cross that line with her.
There was a pause. Yoko waited, her heart thudding in her chest, unsure of what to expect. Finally, Faye replied, the words slower, more cautious.
Faye:
But it looked so... natural. Like you've done it a million times before.
Yoko's frown deepened, but her heart softened. There was something vulnerable in Faye's words. She had to fix this, to make her understand.
Yoko: Faye, what you saw was just part of the job. It's fan service. Nothing more.
Another pause, but this one felt heavier. Then Faye's response came, sharper than Yoko had anticipated.
Faye: And what about us? Are we just fan service too?
Yoko's breath caught in her throat. Us? The word echoed in her mind. They'd been dancing around somethingâflirty exchanges, that unforgettable late-night talkâbut never defined it.
She knew what she wanted to say. But was she ready?
Finally, she exhaled, her fingers moving decisively over the keyboard.
Yoko: No. We're not fan service. You're... different.
The words felt right, honest.
The chat went quiet again, and Yoko's heart raced with every passing second. She imagined Faye reading the message, weighing her response.
Finally, the phone buzzed.
Faye: Different how?
Before Yoko could process it, another notification flashed on the screenâan incoming FaceTime call.
Her heart skipped a beat. It was Faye.
She hovered over the answer button for a moment, nerves and alcohol swirling together. Taking a deep breath, Yoko swiped to accept.
The screen flickered to life. There she wasâFaye.
Yoko's breath caught.
Faye's face filled the screen, framed by the soft glow of a lamp behind her. Her dark hair was loose and tousled, as if she'd just run her fingers through it. Despite the dim lighting, she looked effortlessly beautiful, her expression calm but guarded, her eyes, deep and expressive, held a quiet intensity, as if she was weighing her words carefully. Her lips, slightly parted, betrayed a hint of uncertainty, giving away the guardedness in her demeanor. It was as though she wasn't sure where they stood, torn between longing and hesitation, yet still searching for some unspoken connection.
Her lips curved into a faint, uncertain smile.
"Hey..." Yoko said softly, her voice thick with anticipation.
Faye's eyes met hers through the screenâsteady, warmâbut there was something more there: questions, doubts, unspoken things.
"Hi," Faye said, her voice smooth yet tinged with hesitation. "Sorry for calling without asking first." She tilted her head slightly, studying Yoko's face as if searching for something. "I just really wanted to see your face while we talked."
Yoko leaned back against the rooftop railing, cradling her phone in both hands. The noise of the party faded into the background, and for the first time in days, she felt like the world had narrowed down to just the two of them.
"That's okay," Yoko said, her voice soft but resolute. "I wanted to see you too."
Faye's eyes narrowed slightly, curiosity flickering in her gaze. "But you haven't texted me, I guess. You've been busy... breaking records, trending worldwide. The whole world's been watching you."
Yoko let out a breathy laugh, the tension in her chest easing just a little. "Yeah, it's been... a lot. But that's not the reason I didn't text you. I was waiting for you."
The words were out before she could stop themâa confession that left her breathless.
Faye: You waited for me?
Yoko: I didn't want to be the one who seemed desperate.
Faye: You're not desperate.
Yoko exhaled sharply, relief and nerves intermingling. Faye's gaze never wavered, her eyes still locked on hers.
"I saw," Faye said quietly, her voice lingering in the space between them. "You and Freen looked... close."
The elephant in the room.
Yoko's smile faded slightly. She straightened, meeting Faye's gaze head-on. "It's just part of the job, Faye. You know that."
Faye raised an eyebrow, skepticism clouding her expression. "Do I?"
Yoko swallowed hard. "You do. You know how this industry works. The fans, the mediaâthey want a story, a fantasy. But that's all it isâa fantasy."
Faye pressed her lips together, her eyes searching Yoko's face, looking for more.
"And us?" Faye asked softly, her voice heavy. "Are we part of the fantasy too?"
Yoko's heart clenched at the weight of the question. She had expected it, but hearing it out loud made it feel so much more real.
"No," Yoko said, her voice steady but sincere. "We're not part of the fantasy. You're... different."
Faye's eyes flickeredârelief? Hope? She leaned in closer, her face filling the screen. "You said that twice... Different how?"
Yoko hesitated. The moment hung in the air, suspended, as if everything depended on her next words.
"Because I don't stay up all night thinking about P'Freen," Yoko said, her voice low and earnest. "I don't get nervous checking my phone for her messages. And I don't feel like I'm going to have a heart attack every time she joins my live."
Faye's lips parted in surprise, her eyes widening.
"But you?" Yoko continued, her gaze unwavering. "You're all of that. And more."
A heavy silence settled between them, filled with unspoken emotions.
"You mean that?" Faye asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Yoko nodded, her heart pounding. "Every word."
Faye exhaled slowly, her expression softening. "You know... I've been thinking about that interview," she admitted. "About how you said we were just friends."
Yoko winced, guilt stabbing at her. "I didn't mean it like that. My team thought it would be better if we kept things... quiet."
"Quiet?" Faye repeated, her voice sad with a hint of sarcasm. "Or hidden?"
Yoko shook her head, her gaze pleading. "Not hidden. I just didn't want to complicate things before the show premiered."
Faye's eyes locked with Yoko's, unwavering, a mix of vulnerability and quiet defiance in her gaze. She took a deep breath before speaking, her voice soft yet carrying the weight of her words. "Right," she said, her tone apologetic but firm. "I'm sorry I had to ask this... I didn't want to put you on the spot, but if you haven't noticed by now, I've wanted thisâwhatever this is. And I needed to know before I let myself get completely invested... I need to understand. Am I going to be a complication?"
She looked away for a moment, as if the question itself hurt more than she wanted to admit, then met Yoko's eyes again, the rawness of her emotions clear.
"No," Yoko said firmly, her voice steady and full of conviction. She met Faye's gaze, her eyes softening with sincerity. "You're not a complication, you will never be Faye. Not at all." She paused for a moment, as if carefully choosing her words, the weight of the moment settling between them. "In fact, you're the one thing that feels real in all of this. All the noise, all the uncertainty... it fades.
For a moment, Yoko thought she'd smoothed things over. The tension seemed to ease, and she dared to believe Faye might finally be letting it go. But Faye didn't smileânot immediately.
Faye exhaled softly, the weight of her thoughts evident in the slow, controlled breath she took. Her eyes dropped for a moment, as if gathering the courage to confront the pain she'd been holding in. When she met Yoko's gaze again, it was sharper, more serious, and raw. There was no pretending, no wall between them now.
"Why didn't you tell me that sooner?" Faye's voice trembled, not with anger, but with something far more vulnerableâhurt, raw and unguarded. "Do you have any idea how that interview made me feel?"
Yoko's heart tightened at the sound of Faye's pain, and she instinctively hold her chest, but the words hung heavy in the air between them.
Faye took a steadying breath, her voice growing stronger but still laced with emotion. "I've been trying to figure out where I stand with you, Yoko. I know we haven't even met in person, that we don't really know each other yet. But even so, this feeling... it's not something I can just shake off. I know what I feel. It's too strong to ignore, too real to pretend it's nothing." She paused, her lips trembling as if she were struggling to hold back the flood of emotion. "But... I never knew what you felt. I never had any certainty."
Yoko opened her mouth, her heart aching with the need to explain, to make this right. But Faye raised a hand, her expression firm but not harshâjust full of quiet strength.
"Let me finish, please," she said softly, her voice steady yet fragile. "I don't think I'll have the courage to speak like this again." Her words carried a calm that only made Yoko feel the weight of them more deeply.
Faye's eyes grew distant for a moment as she gathered herself, then continued, her voice thick with the vulnerability she'd been trying to hide. "I stayed up that night after watching the interview." She paused, the memory still fresh, still raw. "Before that, I was... excited. Nervous, even. I thought maybe you'd say somethingâanythingâthat would give me a clue about how you feel." Her eyes shimmered briefly, the sting of unshed tears clear in the way she blinked, fighting to maintain her composure. "But then I heard you say it." Faye's lips pressed tightly together, her face a mask of both frustration and disbelief. "'We're just friends.'" The words dropped like a weight between them, and Faye let out a breathâshaky, soft, fragile. "And it felt like the floor dropped out from under me."
Yoko's breath caught, her chest tight with regret, but Faye continued before she could speak.
"I know it's just PR," Faye murmured, her voice quieter now, almost as if she were trying to convince herself. "I know how the industry works. I get it" But even as she said it, there was a tremor in her tone, a deep ache that made it clear she wasn't fooling anyoneânot even herself.
"But hearing you say it... it still hurt. It hurt more than I thought it would. I started questioning everythingâwondering if I'd imagined all of it. The texts, the teasing, the way you looked at me... everything.
The words were sharp, cutting deeper than Faye probably realized. Her eyes locked with Yoko's, searching, almost pleading, for any sign of the truth beneath the surface.
"I thought maybe that was all I was to you," she continued, her voice trembling slightly, "just another name in your phone, someone to talk to when it was convenient."
Her gaze softened, but the vulnerability in her eyes remained raw. "I thought you didn't feel anything, that maybe this was all just... nothing." The weight of her doubt hung heavy in the air, making the silence between them feel unbearable.
Yoko felt the weight of Faye's words like a blade to her chest, each one cutting deeper than the last. The rawness in Faye's voice was impossible to ignore. Her heart ached, every beat feeling like it was being torn apart.
"No," she whispered, her voice breaking as she looked at Faye straight at the screen, "You're not...nothing, Yoko said, her words thick with emotion. "You're so much more than that."
Her breath hitched as the truth finally slipped from her lips, something she'd been holding back for far too long. "And you're not alone in this, Faye." Yoko's voice cracked, the vulnerability in it as raw as the pain between them.
"Because I felt something too." The words hung in the air, a confession that had been in the making, and it felt like the ground beneath them had shifted.
Faye's eyes went wide and then her gaze softened, but there was still that lingering hurt in her eyes. Yoko could feel the distance between them, a chasm that hadn't been there before. It wasn't just about what had been saidâit was the uncertainty that had been planted in Faye's heart, the doubt that had taken root.
Faye's lips parted slightly, her expression softening, though the doubt still lingered in her eyes. "Then why didn't you say anything? Why did it feel like... I didn't matter?"
Yoko leaned forward, her grip on the phone tightening as if it were the only thing tethering her to this moment. "Because I was scared," she admitted, her voice raw with emotion.
"I didn't want to mess things up. I didn't want to scare you away by saying too much, too soon."
Faye's eyes softened, the vulnerability in Yoko's voice chipping away at the wall she'd built.
"And when my team suggested keeping things... vague," Yoko continued, "I thought it was the right move. But I was wrong. I see that now."
Faye stayed silent for a moment, taking in Yoko's words. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly, but her eyes still held a flicker of uncertainty, as if she wasn't entirely sure whether she could trust the shift in the air.
"You hurt me, Yoko," Faye said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I won't lie about that." She paused, her gaze drifting momentarily, before meeting Yoko's eyes again. "But what hurt more was not knowing where I stood with you."
Yoko swallowed hard, her chest tightening with a rush of guilt and longing. "I'm so sorry, Faye. I never meant to hurt you, and I never want you to feel like you don't matter." Her voice wavered with the weight of her regret.
Faye's gaze lingered on her, searching, as if she needed to see the sincerity in Yoko's eyes to believe it. And when she found it, a soft, hesitant smile began to form on her lips. "You're lucky I'm a forgiving person," she said, her tone lightening just a touch. "And I'm sorry too, for not reaching out sooner."
Yoko let out a soft, relieved laugh, the tension in her chest finally loosening. "You're hurt, I understand, Faye. Does that mean we're okay?"
Faye tilted her head, her smile growing just a little wider. "Almost," she said, a playful glint returning to her eyes.
Yoko raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Almost? What do I need to do to make us completely okay then?"
Faye leaned in closer to the camera, her eyes gleaming with warmth and mischief, as if a new idea had sparked in her mind. "Let me court you."
Yoko's heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, she thought she'd forgotten how to breathe. Faye Malisorn, asking her if she could court her? It felt surreal.
Yoko let out a surprised laugh, and she saw the way Faye's smile widened in response.
"Are you serious?" Yoko asked, her tone now more serious, as if she was testing the waters.
"I would never joke about this" Faye replied, her voice steady and earnest, the playful gleam still in her eyes.
"Okay, let's say I agree," Yoko said, her curiosity piqued. "How would you do it?"
Faye's smile deepened, her confidence undeniable. "I have thousands of ways, Yoko," she said, her voice full of promise.
The sound of her name on her lips was the sweetest thing she'd ever known, full of warmth.
"Yes, Faye, you can court me," she said, her smile spreading.
And in that moment, Yoko saw the most beautiful, radiant smile bloom on Faye's faceâone that made her heart swell. It was a smile full of hope, of possibility, and of something beginning to unfold between them.
Author's Note:
Hey beautiful people! ð
I just wanted to say a quick sorry for not being able to reply to everyone's comments right nowâthings have been super busy for me lately. But please know, I see all of you, and I truly appreciate every single one of you. Thank you for your incredible supportâvoting, sharing your love for the story, and your enthusiasm for the next chapter mean the world to me.
When I say it means a lot, I genuinely mean it. As you know, writing on Wattpad isn't something we get paid for (at least I haven't figured that part out yet, haha), but your votes, comments, love, and energy are worth more than any paycheck could give.
Thank you all so much for being here and supporting me. ð