Black Diamond

14. Chapter 14

Taeyong adjusted the heating pad under his arm, trying not to wince from the high temperature. He had to get out of work for the day, or he’d never forgive himself. He was never the type to avoid his responsibilities, but today was a special exception.

Today was Kamella’s last day of freedom.

Johnny was the one that came up with the idea. Fake a fever, and call in sick to their manager. Taeyong knew the company would most likely send someone over to confirm his “illness” so he had to play his part well.

To make his body temperature skyrocket, Taeyong had borrowed an electric heating pad from one of the members, downed a few cups of hot tea, and basically trapped himself under his covers for as long as he could stand it. He was already burning up, and he just wanted to get out from under the blankets, but he persisted.

Johnny entered their shared room with a thermometer in hand, shaking his head, “I can’t believe you actually did it.”

“I have to go out today.” Taeyong stated determinedly, his cheeks flushed even more than usual.

Johnny shook his head, placing the thermometer under Taeyong’s tongue. Taeyong closed his eyes and hoped he was finally hot enough.

“Well, whatever you did, it worked! But now you’re too hot! Figure out how to cool down a little while I call our manager.” Johnny pulled out his cell phone to make the phone call, and Taeyong moved to open the covers just a bit to give himself some relief.

There was a whole scene when their manager arrived to their dorm, and officially declared Taeyong sick with a fever. When the other 19 members of NCT found out, there was an entire hour of members visiting and texting him with their well wishes.

Taeyong didn’t have the heart to tell them he was faking it, but he promised himself he’d come clean to them all later.

“Hyung, do you want me to stay with you today?” Jisung asked when he stopped by to visit, his innocent eyes reflecting earnest concern.

Johnny chuckled and patted their youngest member on the shoulder, already trying to shoo him away, “Don’t worry, Taeyong will be fine!”

Taeyong finally got rid of all s, and got his things ready to sneak out of 127’s dorm. Johnny helped Taeyong distract their Dorm Auntie, but just when Taeyong thought he was in the clear, Jaehyun and Yuta caught him the moment he took a single step out of the front door. They were waiting for him by their high, private fence.

“I knew it!” Yuta cried, pointing at Taeyong accusingly, a knowing smile on his face.

Jaehyun laughed, “Hyung, you’re not actually sick?” He questioned innocently, though the amusement in his eyes said otherwise.

“I’ll explain everything later!” Taeyong mumbled, rushing past the two of them to get away from their dorm before he got caught.

The two members just chuckled in response, while Taeyong took off down the street, texting Kamella as he put some distance between himself and NCT’s dorms. Thankfully, she was already on her way to get him.

They met in an alley about five minutes from his dorm, where Kamella stood in front of a sleek SUV that Taeyong had never seen before. The car looked brand new from what Taeyong could tell, but he wasn't sure just how new it was.

Before he could vocalize the question in his mind, Kamella answered, “This car gets too much attention, so I leave it parked most of the time.”

He nodded, his mouth dropping open once he actually climbed into the vehicle. Taeyong had seen this SUV in commercials; it had only recently been released. It boasted all the bells and whistles on the inside too. Taeyong pressed a button on the digital touchscreen and gawked at the map that popped up at his fingertips.

“Try not to be too shocked today. There’s a lot more,” Kamella warned him, with an amused laugh. She pushed the button to start the car’s ignition, and they were off, though Taeyong had no idea where they were going.

He knew they couldn’t go too far though -- they only had 12 hours left.

When Kamella the highway towards Mapo-gu, Taeyong grew steadily more curious as the scenery passed by. They reached a residential area with a cluster of older apartment buildings, and Kamella slowed down. They pulled into a tiny parking lot, in front of an average looking, six-story building, where Kamella parked the car and climbed out.

Since it was late in the morning, there were no other people in the area, though there were a few cars parked in the lot with them. Kamella opened the back door and grabbed a cardboard box full of stuff, before closing the door with her hip. Taeyong pulled his face mask back on, lowering his snapback and moving to follow behind her, reaching for the box in Kamella’s hands. The small box was filled with office supplies and a few pictures. Kamella smiled, and handed it over to him.

Together, they entered the building that seemed much more modern and well-kept on the inside. Kamella led him towards an elevator where she pressed the button for the 6th floor, and in no time at all, they reached the very top of the building.

Taeyong was surprised to see the elevator doors open up to the rooftop of the building. There was a covered awning with a short walkway, leading up to three stone steps that met with a grass covered terrace, plus a wide view of the other buildings surrounding them.

Kamella gave him a minute to take everything in before heading towards the only other door on the rooftop level. It was a front door, he realized.

“Be sure to memorize the code,” Kamella announced softly, and Taeyong nodded obediently, focusing intently on the numbers she punched into the keypad. The pinpad beeped twice, and the lock released, ushering them both into the mysterious place. Kamella stepped in, and held the door open for Taeyong to follow her.

Taking in a deep breath, Taeyong stepped into the room, his curious gaze examining everything in front of him. The front door opened up into an open kitchen and dining room, with laminate flooring. The dining room table was covered by a giant plastic tarp.

Taeyong removed his shoes and placed Kamella’s box on the marbled kitchen counter, turning to see the living room that was positioned directly beside the front door, where a sectional couch was covered under a white tarp. All the appliances in the kitchen were covered too.

“Where are we?” Taeyong asked.

“My place,” Kamella replied simply, setting her purse and car keys down on the counter beside the box. Taeyong’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Hadn’t they already been to her place? “Want to see the rest?”

Taeyong nodded eagerly, and Kamella giggled, motioning for him to follow her. She gave him a tour of the entire place: the living room, dining room, kitchen, guest bedroom, and master bedroom were on the first floor, then up the stairs, there was a loft area overlooking the first floor, a bigger bathroom with a washer, and...

“There’s a nursery here?” Taeyong questioned, confusion clear in his voice as he stepped further into that particular room.

It was certainly a peaceful space. The room had a unique shape -- each of the walls were slanted at an angle to accommodate for the roof, and two bright windows had been placed on either side to cast the sun’s warm glow into the room. There was a cradle covered by a plastic tarp, a wooden rocking chair (also covered), and a small shelf of unused stuffed animals.

“Yes,” Kamella replied somberly, tweaking the ear of a stuffed rabbit on the shelf, “This house is mine because Unnie left it behind for me. But, it originally belonged to her. I was the only other person that knew… Yeo Na was pregnant when she passed away.”

Taeyong stood rooted to the spot, the news exploding in his ears like a bomb.

“She bought this house when she found out she was having that man’s baby. She had planned to escape for the sake of her child, but her goal was never reached.

Taeyong turned to Kamella, grasping her shoulders gently to give her a comforting squeeze.

Kamella gave him a soft smile, though it was pained, “We kept this place secret from everyone, even Olivia. We didn’t want anyone to find her once she finally got away… except she didn’t. When Yeo Na-unnie died, I found out she left the house to me.”

“I’m-”

Kamella stopped him, shaking her head apologetically, “Sorry, I didn’t bring you here to make you feel bad. We’re both sad enough as it is.” Taking his hand, Kamella led Taeyong back downstairs, back into the kitchen, “I brought you here so you know where to look for me. I’ll do my best to come back to this house while I’m gone, but if I can’t wait for you, I’ll leave letters for you here. If you don’t hear from me for a while, come inside, and see if I left anything behind.”

Taeyong nodded, “I promise I’ll check on the house when I can.”

Kamella grinned, “Good! Now, I hate to put you to work when you’re ‘sick’ but I’d like to spend my last day of freedom in a clean house. Do you think you can help me with that, my handsome Taeyong-ah?”

Taeyong blushed, “Mella-yah, you can’t bribe me with compliments.”

“Will food work instead?” Kamella offered, lifting an eyebrow.

“Deal!” He replied, giving her a thumbs up. “Where are the cleaning supplies?”

Kamella and Taeyong worked together to remove all the plastic tarps on the furniture and appliances, and clean up the house. Though everything was mostly just dusty, they cleaned the entire place from top to bottom. Two hours later, they were both starving.

“Ty, put these blankets in the washer upstairs, and I’ll go get us some food. What do you want?”

Taeyong shrugged, his arms filled with linens, “Anything you want to eat, I’ll eat too.”

Kamella lifted an eyebrow, “What if I want to eat you?” Taeyong stopped walking so abruptly that he lost his grip on the blankets, and they tumbled out of Taeyong’s arms. Kamella burst into a fit of laughter, “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of teasing you.”

“Mella-yah,” Taeyong whined, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Kamella giggled again, “I think I want pizza,” she mused, grabbing her bag, and heading towards the front door. “Text me if you want anything while I’m out.”

Taeyong hummed in agreement, gathering the blankets he had dropped from the floor. Kamella put on her shoes and left, while Taeyong headed upstairs to put the blankets in the washer. The first load of towels and sheets was already finished, so he dropped those in a basket to hang outside while the second load washed.

Taeyong moved around the house quietly, opening the sliding door in the dining room to hang linens outside on a clothesline that had been hung out on the terrace. He folded the sheets so they wouldn’t drag on the ground, and thankfully, there were clothespins already attached to the line.

After everything was hung outside, Taeyong went back in the house to get a glass of water and wait for Kamella to come back. He looked around at the house he had just cleaned, pleased with the way the counter gleamed after removing the film of dust that had been on it before.

“Finally, our house is clean,” Taeyong murmured out loud, smiling softly to himself.

He froze at his own words. Why was he calling this house “his”? He didn’t live here, and he probably never could. There was no way his company would let him live with his girlfriend. His family would probably freak out too.

But the more Taeyong thought about it, the more he honestly wished he could. Maybe if they lived in this house together, Kamella wouldn’t have to worry about Dealer finding her.

The more he thought about Kamella’s situation, the more it hit Taeyong that after today, he didn’t know when, or if, he’d ever see Kamella again. Of course, a part of him knew that he, Sung Joon, and Olivia would do everything they could to set Kamella free, but that didn’t stop Taeyong from worrying.

What if they really never saw each other again?

Taeyong rubbed the area over his heart at the sudden achy feeling in his chest. He took a heavy drink from his glass of water, hoping that would help him calm down.

Faint beeps from the front door keypad announced Kamella’s arrival. Taeyong placed his cup of water down, and made a beeline for the front door. Kamella walked in balancing a pizza box and two plastic bags full of drinks, snacks, and other things in her hands. Taeyong took the box and a plastic bag from her immediately, following her into the kitchen with the other bag. The second she sat the bag down, Taeyong wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her back tightly.

“Ty? ...What are you doing?” She asked curiously, as he leaned his head into her shoulder.

Taeyong didn’t reply, but instead hugged her closer and tighter, if that was possible. He was really going to miss her.

Kamella turned around in his arms, a pensive expression crossing her face, “It finally hit you, didn’t it? That I’m going away.”

Taeyong nooded, too choked up with emotion to actually speak.

Kamella cupped his cheek, leaning on her tiptoes to press a kiss into his angled jaw, “Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to come back as soon as possible.”

Taeyong tried to smile, but failed miserably, making Kamella frown in concern. She turned back around towards the kitchen counter, still in his arms, and pulled out a bottle of soju.

“I’m glad I bought three bottles,” she said with a humorless laugh.

Despite himself, Taeyong chuckled too. He finally released her, and Kamella moved to set the dining room table, where they ate pizza, fried chicken, radishes, and of course, drank soju. Kamella laughed at how easy it was to get Taeyong drunk.

“I’ll teach you some tricks that we learned at the club to keep from getting drunk,” Kamella said with a wink. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. “Depending on how drunk our clients are, we can get away with lots of tricks. All my Diamonds know to bring at least two soju bottles full of water, that only the staff drinks from.”

To demonstrate, Kamella filled the bottle they had finished with water, and closed the lid tightly until it looked resealed. Taeyong nodded, surprised that he hadn’t noticed anyone switch the soju bottles when they went to the House of Cards.

“With these bottles, we can drink water between shots. Every shot you take, follow it up with water. The client thinks you’re getting drunk, but, most of us are faking it.”

“Another trick is to hold the liquor in your mouth and wait a little while before you swallow. This trick is only useful when there are other staff members in the room that can help with communication.”

Again, Kamella showed Taeyong how she could smile and nod without showing that she was holding a shot of soju in . Her expressions made him laugh.

“We do that when we’re eating and someone takes pictures unexpectedly!” Taeyong replied, chuckling at the similarities.

“It’s the only way to keep us from killing over with all the alcohol we drink. Some people are determined to do things they shouldn’t, so I teach my kids how to protect themselves.”

Taeyong nodded, and Kamella gave him a warm smile, feeling happy that he understood her, as he always did.

Kamella continued with her explanation, “Every night before the club opens, Dealer gives everyone a full dinner from the kitchen to make sure we have a full stomach. Drinking on an empty stomach is terrible idea, so always try to eat before you have alcohol.”

Kamella demonstrated by eating a piece of chicken, and then taking a shot of soju from the new bottle.

“Beer has the least amount of alcohol, followed by wine, then sake, soju, and then all the hard liquors. Train yourself to drink by drinking beer more often, and then you can move up the chain. I can handle everything because I was born to drink, ” Kamella joked, but when she noticed Taeyong’s flushed cheeks, she realized he might need a refresher course on her words later.

“Looks like you need some water now,” Kamella said with another laugh, moving around the table to go get Taeyong a bigger glass from the kitchen. Taeyong glanced at the clock on the wall in the living room and blanched.

They had 8 hours left.

When Kamella passed by his chair with a glass in hand, Taeyong reached out and grabbed Kamella’s wrist to get her attention.

“Mella-yah,” Taeyong began, his gaze focused on Kamella’s face intently, “We have eight hours left.”

Kamella glanced at the clock, confirming Taeyong’s words, “If you watch the clock like that, you’ll make yourself anxious.”

Taeyong worried his bottom lip between his teeth, and Kamella’s eyes honed in on his mouth, “I’m already anxious.” He admitted apprehensively.

“Then, it sounds like you need a distraction,” Kamella replied, already stepping into Taeyong’s personal space.

“A wha-?” Taeyong didn’t even finish his sentence as Kamella lifted his chin with her fingertips and fitted to his. She kissed him with everything she had, with every emotion she felt in the moment, and hoped he could understand her feelings.

When she pulled away, both of them were trembling.

“Come with me,” Kamella whispered on a breath, and Taeyong was out of his seat in two seconds flat.

When he took Kamella’s hand, a nervous chuckle spilled from his lips, “You’re always whisking me off somewhere, Mella-yah.”

Kamella smiled at the inside joke. He had said the same thing to her at the House of Cards.

“That’s because I want you all to myself,” She replied lowly, echoing her own words. Taeyong felt his pulse race at the tone of her voice. She sounded exactly as she had that night.

Kamella stopped just in front of the door of the master bedroom, “Are you sure you want me to be your first everything?”

Taeyong nodded, swallowing nervously.

“Then, we have plenty of time to fulfill your wish,” The seductive grin on Kamella’s face made his insides melt. “I’ll teach you everything. Slowly and patiently.”

Biting his bottom lip, Taeyong realized just how doomed he was. He’d never want to let Kamella go after tonight.

End Chapter 14