“What are we?” Jiyong dreaded that question more than he dreaded performing within a large venue, for he could handle a crowd… but Laura Brooks? She was dangerous and the boulder behind a wrecked career. One wrong move, and she could have you dangling from a thread, bent to her will and defeated. She was the devil, displayed in a beautiful shade of ruby stained lips and killer thighs.

"Friends” it was the safe answer, but it wasn’t the one the female was searching for, proven when a scoff escaped her lips, taking another sip of the steaming contents of coffee. “You know we can’t be more than that, it would never work between us.” So he kept telling himself, so he would like to believe.

He always hid behind the excuse of work, but he knew the true reason it would never work. It was because he didn’t wish to be tied down into a relationship so early in his life, in his career. If the public found out, what would the outcome be? Not only is he a large idol in the entertainment industry, but she was the CEO of the magazine Gossip Line. They’d be doomed from the first whisper, stretched thin from the first headline.

“Sure” Laura spoke, not being one to linger around something she could not control. “I think we should end this kind of friendship” and hearing that? Jiyong felt a tiny ping within his chest, as though something had suddenly been taken from him.

“That’s not fair” he tried to counter, but was silenced when her piercing honey-colored orbs narrowed onto him.

“What’s not fair, is that I can’t devote myself to someone I have a future with if I stay around you. I am too old to have a friend in my life. I want to settle down, prepare for the future, lust only goes so far.” He knew it was coming, that she was looking for more than a friend with benefits, he just never thought she would actually act on it “lust ran out for us.”

You see, he grew suspicious when she offered for him to stay the night instead of driving home after the deed was finished. Granted, he was never in a rush to leave her presence afterwards, typically showering and having a glass of wine, but spending the night? She had never offered. He spent the night with her body pressed against him, cradled in his arms, and it felt nice…

Just not for him. He didn’t have the time to invest within a relationship, nor the care to stay loyal to only one woman at his current time. He was thirty-one and thriving, had the stamina of a horse, had just begun his independence with his career and his life. A relationship? That was like putting the ropes back around his wrist and slaving him to routine, boring, constricting, and something he simply didn’t want. Not yet.

So, he let her go. He stopped having late night meetings with her, stopped sipping wine and eating pizza in the middle of the night. She had stopped all contact with him, aside a soft smile when they would see each other backstage of a major show, or a wave when they were attending the same party. He didn’t realize it back then, how much he would miss her voice, how much her smile had made him happy. How much he may not have minded being her only lover, the only one she touched. The only one to share her bed, her mornings, and her secrets with.

Of course, by this time, it was too late to make amends. Not because they didn’t get along, because regardless of everything, they were still decent friends, but because of Park Simon, her new boyfriend. Laura always held a busy schedule, making time for each other was almost impossible during their rendezvous, so put another man into the picture, and time became consumed by work and her relationship.

Naturally, Jiyong was jealous of the man who got all of her midnight hours, the way he could put his hand on the small of her back, the way he would kiss her cheek before departing. He was jealous of the smile she would give to him when he greeted her, the way she would hold his hand when they thought no one was looking. At one point, he even thought about reaching out to her and asking to try a relationship, but then he recalled how ruthless he was when she had threatened him to end their arrangement.

“So that’s it then? You’re just going to dump me?” He was stunned, they were doing perfectly fine with their meetings, their schedules constant, and he made sure to never leave her needing.

“There is no dumping if there is not a relationship” she explained, slipping on her heels and preparing to leave for work, the smell of her perfume wafering through the house and creating a nice clean fresh scent. “I want a relationship Jiyong, I’m tired of playing teenager.”

“Right” he rolled his eyes, knowing she would come back, she’s threatened him so many times before and who ended up in her bed last night? That’s right. “Just let me know when you’re finished with this emotional season.”

“I’m serious” she sighed, tugging up her sleeves and ensuring all the crinkles were out of her clothes “I want a relationship, and it won’t happen if I continue seeing you.”

“Why not?” He just didn’t seem to understand.

“Sadly, I began to fall for you. So, you either give me a relationship, or I have to give this up before I get hurt by it. We want different things, and it’ll never work out.” She admitted with a broken smile, and his chest panged once again with a pressure of guilt. “Have a good day Jiyong, I’ll see you around.”

Stupid. Now who was moping around?