Nolan's PoV

Almost instantly, her eyes flashed from surprise to slight anger, "You knew?"

I avoided her gaze, "A day after I first met your mother, I thought it was rude of me to have not brought anything for her. So I visited again, bringing a bouquet of flowers as a sign of respect. When I knocked on the door, Baba was the one who opened it."

I didn't need to explain further for her to understand.

"They were waiting for the right moment to tell you...." I tried to add, but it didn't help at all.

I checked her recent studies, she had been pretty stressed out. Originally, asking her out today was just for relaxation, but now matters have turned more serious.

She let out a small sigh, then leaned back into the sofa, "Yeah, it wasn't your place to say. I'm not gonna think about this right now."

"Exactly! Don't sweat the small stuff." With a cheering smile, Asher hooked his arm around her shoulders. His other hand swiftly handing her a glass of low alcoholic degree cocktail.

I don't think finding out who your biological father is after seventeen years is a 'small stuff.'

I slapped Asher's arm off of Miki, who didn't seem to even notice his arm there.

She balanced the glass around in her hand and tilted her head slightly—a move I find extremely attractive—as if she's unfamiliar with it.

"First time drinking?" She nodded to my question.

If getting a bit tipsy can make her relax a bit, it shouldn't be a bad thing, right?

I leaned down to her ear and whispered, "If you have trouble, I can feed it to you... mouth-to-mouth."

As I thought, a faint tint of blush colored her cheeks before she lifted up the glass to her lips. I watched as she chugged the liquid down her throat.

"Bleh." She stuck out her tongue soon as she downed the glass, "it tastes like cherry medicine."

"Try the other flavors." Rarely, Hanazawa chipped in and gestures to the other liquor on the table.

I was going to say something until I saw her reach out to the nearest blue one.

...After that was a green one.

Then a purple one.

Then two pink ones.

Pretty soon she was moving to whiskey and beer.

For once in his life Hanazawa didn't have a book with him, he watched her down the alcohol with slightly impressed eyes.

"And that's the fourth." Asher says when we see the bottom of another bottle. "You sure this is your first time drinking?" He says rather awkwardly as he took the cap opener away from her, a gesture to try to stop her from drinking.

"It's so damn bitter, but relaxing at the same time." Her speed of speech slowed down. I don't know what's on her alcohol-messed-up mind right now. I stopped her arm when she tried to reach for another glass.

"Alright. I get that you're frustrated, but this isn't helping anymore."

I nearly gave in when she looked up to me with clouded eyes. The drinks must've kicked in when her eyes started getting glassy.

Probably because her mind is hazy, she leaned my way and rested her forehead against the side of my arm. Her own hand making its way through mine.

She's acting clingy... and cute. How is this resistible?

Without a single word, Hanazawa shot up from his seat and went out the room. Asher followed suit after giving me a look, telling me to be careful.

What the heck does he think is going to happen? Such amazing friends I have.

"It's not working...!" my attention went back to Miki when she practically hugged my arm, then looked up at me again, "I...remember.... still everything... it's not making me forget anything!"

But I know she's drunk when her words were jumbled up and slurred randomly. She pushed herself against me more.

If I had known earlier that she's the clingy type when drunk....

"Miki--" When I try to say something, she cuts me off by pressing her index finger against my lips. An extremely hot gesture while adding on eye contact I didn't think she could pull off.

But then, knowing her father. It's not all that surprising she has flirting skills written in her genes.

"Nolan." I didn't think I'd hear her say my name breathlessly again as she did two years ago. She then giggled out of the blue, "your name sounds nice, Nolan. Is your family name O'Bryan...? I...saw... think people... talking family crest on the limo?"

As she rambled on, my eyes couldn't leave her for a single second. Her flushed cheeks and glassy eyes just made me wanna pounce on her. She needs to be careful not to do this with anybody else.

I snapped out of my thoughts when she jumped up and planted a quick peck on my cheek. Does this girl know what she's doing to me...? She better not be lying when she said this was her first time drinking.

"Y'know, Nolan? On that dance two years ago?"

"Yes, I do. What about it?" as if speaking to a big child, I went as she wanted.

A broad grin crossed her lips, "I loved you then. In less than an hour. Isn't that funny?"

That completely unexpected statement left me in utter shock. I stared into her eyes, behind the glassiness there was a sense of seriousness. Somehow I can tell she meant it.

But the way she used past tense really bothers me.

"You're still the same person." At this rate, her arms were loosely wrapped around my neck, "just prove to me... that I still love you."

I couldn't resist anymore when she tilted her head, which was right in front of mine, and looked at me as if expecting something to happen.

"This is all your fault." I mumbled against her lips before pressing my own against them. She responded with a victorious smile immediately. Our lips locked together in a deep kiss. I can taste the bits of alcohol in her mouth.

When her back hit the large empty space on the table, she says with the most serious tone she had all evening, "I don't think I'm drunk. I think alcohol just makes me bolder in terms of honesty."

I just shrugged while hovering over her, "All will be clear tomorrow morning, I guess."

"Speaking of that." She put a finger on her lips when I tried to kiss her again, "I kinda don't have anywhere to spend the night."

Is she suggesting...?

"Sorry for the inconvenience, but can I crash at your place? Just for tonight, I promise. I'll go talk it out tomorrow." She crossed her fingers and looked at me with those enchanting eyes again. I can't refuse.

~~

She giggled again as I slid under the covers next to her.

She had somehow convinced me to stay in the same room. However, she still kept a certain distance.

Mentally rolling my eyes at the look she's giving me, I held up an arm to lift the covers between us, "C'mere. I won't do anything, you know that."

The mischievous glint in her eyes said 'I-was-just-messing-with-you' as she shuffled over, then rested her arm against my chest. Naturally, I did so as well around her waist.

A few minutes later, I can feel her even breathing. I was awake until say even an hour later.

Miki's PoV

"I had the weirdest dream ever...." I mumbled, still half-asleep. Phew, my first time having alcohol wasn't exactly a wise choice. I was weak to have ever considered it as an option.

When I tried to move, I noticed the warmth behind me. It shook me wide awake. This wasn't my room, or the suite room... but I've been here before.

Isn't this Nolan's room?

My fingers automatically raise to my lips when last night's memories flood back.

Shiz, I'm never drinking ever again.

"I guess in a state, you do remember?" the familiar deep voice sounds from behind me. I feel the warm arms around my waist slip away.

I shuffled around, fully expecting him to have that smug smirk on his face, but what greeted me first thing in the morning was a blank expression. A dash of desperation and hope were in his eyes.

Lemme recite what I said to him...

Oh god.

I basically said in an indirect way that I love him. He's expecting a proper answer now that I'm sober.

Just then, we heard a loud noise from the room beside ours. As if something crashed onto the ground. He reacted faster than I did, he shot up directly from the bed. I followed suit to the other room.

It still shocked me, even though I'm a thief myself, to see that someone got robbed.

Judging by his expression, it wasn't anything too serious. He scanned the room, which was a study room. The books were left untouched, but the pen stock collection on the table was empty. It must've been expensive pens.

I followed his eyes, to see a small jewelry box being messily opened.

His reaction to that box was the biggest, he walked over and checked it. It definitely doesn't belong to him, must to a lady. It was a very detailed and refined jewelry box. It must belong to someone important to Nolan if he's so panicked.

The only thing left in the entire box was a wrinkled photograph of an elegant-looking woman, she looked Italian or something. It is a black and white photo. She very much looks—

Oh, I can see the resemblances.

"It's gone." His breath was shaky, the first time I've ever heard him sound this close to helpless, "The pure diamond necklace... the memento of hers and father's wedding."

A wedding memento... it's important to both of his parents.

Footsteps can be heard getting closer to the room until someone else came in sight. A man looking in his late 40s came in.

"What's missing?" he went straight to the point, already knowing by the sight that an intruder was here.

"Wedding necklace." Nolan turned around to face the man.

The expression that struck the man's face was like a relative passed away. I assume this is Nolan's father.

"...How could the security be so foolish...?" the man paced around the room, from the window back to the door.

I scanned the room. As a professional, I have studied my rivals, this way of stealing seems common, but only one person I know does it. To be specific, many people.

"I think I know who the culprit is."

Both pairs of eyes turned to me. His father seems to only notice me just now.

"You brought a girl over the night?" I couldn't tell what his expression read, but apparently Nolan did.

"Not now, father." He dismisses the topic, "Miki, you were saying?"

"Forgot the name, but I do know who it is. It is a group of thieves." I say. [and no, it's not the black foxes]

His father frowned, "and how, did you know this, Ms. Miki?"

He sure picks up quick.

"Anyhow, we should go track it down. Leave it to us, pops." Nolan walked straight out of the door, I follow up.

"I can steal it back." I say as soon as he closed the door behind us to his room.

"What? No, it's dangerous and unnecessary." He walks up to me, "if you know who they are, we can just report them."

I shook my head, "that was just instinct and experience, I have nothing to prove it. And y'know I can't say how I knew it was them."

He mumbled a small 'right' before considering his options. Pretty soon he's down to only one.

"Miki," he looked at me in pure seriousness and slight guilt, "can I ask you to do that?"

"I'm gonna either way. Tonight will be a good time." I return a smile. I'm not sure what this burning feeling inside me that wants to do anything for him is, but the heart wants what it wants.

"If you're worrying, don't!" I pat his shoulder lightly, "I've never failed before... ish."

If you count the time I got sold on the Tres Spades auction, then whoops.

"I'm not worried about whether or not you could retrieve the necklace...." He murmured under his breath. I didn't quite catch what he said.

"I'll deal with my stuff later." I add, "now, where can I get some black leggings?"

*Important note*

If you haven't noticed, this author is extremely paranoid about votes.

To me, less votes=crappier writing=loss of motivation

I am sorry but I guess every author cares most about something.

Ik I should be motivated to write so I can do better next time, but I don't work like that. I always need a reward before I hard work, that has always been my logic.

But then of course, I do not force anybody to vote if they were not satisfied with my writing.

The next time you comment "I love this! Plz update!" (don't get me wrong I love it when you guys do that), why doncha check if u pressed the star button?

I'm not kidding, this is serious for me.

Happy Halloween by the way!!!

I kinda wanna dress up as Akashi's sister or sth but I don't have time to get red contact lenses ;-;-;-; nor a red wig cuz I'll need a huge one for it to cover my long hair.

NEXT YEAR, I HEREBY SAY MY WORDS, NEXT YEAR I SHALL BE SEIKA AKASHI.

October 30, 2015

--Lily

Edited: July 17, 2016