“Should I consider it as a deal then?” 

“Of course Mr. Kim. It’s an honor for an Elite branch to be partnering up with our company.”

“I look forward to working with you Mr. Smith.”

“Absolutely, it’s our pleasure.”

Nichkhun and the CEO of the company exchanged smiles and shook each other’s hands. After a week of discussions, future plans, a share of ideas, Nichkhun sealed the deal with his fellow business partner that would no doubt benefit Elite. He did exactly what his father told him to do, so he was overall proud with the job he had to do. But of course he had to thank Tiffany as well because she managed to help him at times where he didn’t quite know how to respond to the situation. 

Tiffany put her phone back into her purse, standing up as she noticed Nichkhun walking out of the meeting room. “How did it go?” she asked hoping he did well.

Nichkhun showed the contract in the file he was holding. Tiffany almost screamed, hugging him tightly out of joy. She was proud of him that he could complete his tasks on his own. She could see him being the next in line as chairman in the future. He her back gently, laughing when she blurted words from too quickly out of excitement. 

“Okay calm down Tiff!” he pulled back. “You’re way too excited about this than I am.”

She hit his arm teasingly. “This is a big deal for you silly! Gosh, I can’t believe you did it Khun. I’m like a proud mother.”

“I can tell.” 

“Is it all good then? No last minute duties you have to follow up?”

“Well they’ll be contacting my dad about meeting up but that’s nothing to concern about for me. So I’m pretty much done. I just have to meet up with a few more directors and sign several papers.”

“Okay, that’s good.”

“Alright! Since we’re all done, let’s celebrate with drinks.”

“Popping the champagne bottle already huh?”

“You bet.”

They just visited the outdoor bar back at their hotel to enjoy some cocktail and alcoholic drinks. It was nice and convenient since there weren’t much people hanging around at the bar in the evening. They sat at a table by the corner, taking in the landscape view upon them. 

“Who would’ve thought we’ve come this far,” he lifted his small glass of whiskey, staring off at a distance. “Just to imagine our dreams turned into reality. We would think it’s a slow process but they happen fast.” 

“That’s because we’re always on the fast lane. Sometimes you just lose track of time.”

He smiled. “All grown up now.”

“We’ve stopped eating away our feelings. We drink them instead,” she said sipping her champagne. 

“By the way, thank you,” Nichkhun told her sincerely. “You’ve made this a fun business trip for me. It’s almost as if we’re on a vacation ourselves.”

Tiffany replied with a smile. “You’re welcome. It’s what’s best friends are for anyway.”

Nichkhun finished his glass. “But sometimes I think to myself, being your best friend isn’t enough.”

“What?”

“You’ve done so much for me Tiffany. I always feel like I should treat you better.”

“But you are treating me better.”

His gaze dropped. “It doesn’t feel the same,” he muttered.

“Hey,” she poured him another glass of whiskey. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Don’t you feel like there’s something missing between us though?” 

His question caught her off-guard. What was she going to say? “What’s missing?”

He looked troubled. “I don’t know…” he whispered. “When I’m with you, I feel like we’re more than just best friends. I just have some sort of obligation to make you happy.”

Tiffany knew they were leading into a sensitive topic. She needed to turn this conversation to another direction. “Khun calm down. There’s no obligations or whatever. Being with you right now is what’s making me happy. Okay?”

Nichkhun stared at her longingly. There was something about the look in her eyes that made him want to comfort her. Like he wanted to embrace her in his arms just to let her know she meant so much to him. Tiffany downed her drink in one shot, rising from her seat. 

“I’ll go ahead. Good night Khun.”

She hated it. If she were honest about her feelings, she would voice it all out to him. But how could she? He was with someone else and that fact was just hurting her heart more. Whenever they got too comfortable, she would back away so the feelings won’t overcome her thoughts. She was keeping her emotions all bottled up because she respected him and his fiancee though she knew she was the one ending up hurt personally. Above all, she loved him. That was why she maintained her boundaries, making sure that his happiness was her priority. 

All dressed up in her night gown, she shut the main lights off in her suite and the lamp beside the bed. She heard the doorbell chime, wondering why because she was sure the ‘do not disturb’ sign was on. 

“Nichkhun?” she opened the door to see his face appearing flushed and red. “Are you okay?” there was a strong smell of alcohol from him.

He lifted his head up lazily. “Tiffany…” he slurred. 

Before she could get a hold of the situation, he stepped inside her suite shutting the door behind him as he touched her face, crushing his lip