It had been exactly three minutes and twenty seconds Jake had left and we were finally going home after that incident.

None of us had spoken a word as I drove back. Nora made various kinds of noise to gain my attention but I ignored her. She sneezed a little too loudly and coughed hard, thumped her fingers against the car's surface and tapped her feet. I still didn't respond. I knew it was driving her crazy but that was her punishment for taking it too far today. I told her but she never listened to me.

Then, when she saw I wasn't responding, she looked back and extracted a bottle of vodka from behind which I had no clue of lying in the back or when she kept it there. She must have put it there when I wasn't looking this morning. She opened the bottle and deliberately started drinking noisily but I pursed my lips to act like it didn't bother me.

It did. It bothered me a lot. I had told her a thousand times before to only drink at someone's house or a place where everyone was having alcohol and not while travelling on road.

The problem with her was she never listened to anybody, even if it was for her own good. She simply hated listening which often landed her in a soup and I had to bail her out of it. It was alright the first time but I was becoming impatient with each growing day.

She didn't have any idea how much patience I had to muster to keep my annoyance in control in these situations. There was a difference between being rebellious and being overconfident and stupid.

I exhaled and continued driving without a word, shifting a bit.

Not to my surprise, she finished the entire bottle within minutes. I realized she had it raw, neat. The repercussions would be terrible now. The effect would soon start in few minutes and she was a horrible messy drunk. She grabbed the water bottle next before drinking half of it, shaking her head from the brain freeze.

Then, she leaned back and let out a large burp. She patted the area below her neck and let out a series of burps after that which was loud enough to wake a sleeping person.

I couldn't help. A small chuckle ultimately escaped my throat.

She looked at me and smiled, "Finally."

I too had a hint of smile on my face, "I told you never to drink like this, that too raw. You know you are getting drunk after this."

"Really? I didn't know people got drunk after drinking alcohol," She fake gasped.

I narrowed my eyes at her once before returning my gaze to the road, "Ma is going to freak out."

"She is at work."

For some reason, my fuse blew. All the pent up frustrations blew out.

"Dammit, Nora. Grow up, will you?" I exhaled harshly, keeping my eyes on the road, "I get you might feel debauchery is cool and going to jail is not a big deal because you know at the end of the day, someone is always there to save your ass. I don't work that way. I get you are trying very hard to make me have some fun and I appreciate it but I would really like if it didn't involve the law or police. I like to have my fun in my own way and I would appreciate you not trying to tamper with it."

There was no response. Fuck it.

"I didn't mean it so harshly-" I began but she cut me off.

"I will go home and sleep. It will pass away then and I promise I won't send you to jail again. It was a small half bottle so hopefully, it won't affect much," She muttered, "I am sorry. Please don't be angry with me."

"I am not. I can never be angry with you, Nora," I sighed, "Irritated and frustrated, yes. Angry, no."

"Really? You can remain angry on your friends, but not me? Am I not that important?"

"What?" I frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

"You stay angry on a person only if that person is important enough to be given shit to. Otherwise, you are just indifferent," She said, waving her hands in air.

What the hell. Where was this coming from?

We didn't speak for another ten minutes as I processed what she said. Only after we had reached my place and I had stopped the car and looked at her than I questioned, "Of course you are important to me, Nora. Why would you say that?"

She got out of the car, "Nothing. Forget I said anything. Its the vodka speaking."

I got out of the car and walked towards her, "Wait. Let me help you."

"Dora?"

"Mm?"

"Would you ever feel disgusted by me?"

I frowned, "No. Unless you do something unforgiveable which I doubt you will."

"Did you ever consider me as a girlfriend material?" She asked suddenly as I opened the door.

My hand froze on the key, "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, am I girlfriend material or do I have to dress up all pretty and get rid of these piercings?" She touched her ear piercings, "I can't get rid of the tattoos, though. I can grow and dye my hair if you want and get different shade of contacts," She giggled loudly.

"Nora, you are inebriated," I said, pulling her up the stairs, "Lets put you to bed and talk later in the evening."

"Do I have to dress up as Reina?" She asked on.

"Nora!" I faced her and grabbed her shoulders, "You are not making any sense, okay? Go to sleep. Right now. Thats an order."

God, she was slowly getting drunk and I didn't like handling drunk people. They either got too violent or too emotional. I had enough experience with Jake and I didn't like it.

I had only got drunk once in my life and that was when I got rejected by Reina. After that, I promised to myself that I would never ever get drunk again and I had lived up to that promise till now. I saw no fun in drinking myself to unconsciousness or a pukeworthy self.

"Why can't you answer the question?" She frowned, "I am not that drunk yet. You are not blurry and neither am I wobbling."

"Why would you want to dress up as Reina? I don't need a clone of Reina-"

"But thats exactly what you want," She scowled as I opened the door to her bedroom and led her in.

"No, I don't want Reina," I reasoned.

"Liar," She giggled again, "I have seen the way you look at her. Every girl wants a boy to look at her like that, like he couldn't get enough of her, like he would give the entire world just to be with her, full of love, respect and admiration," She said, "I would melt into a puddle if you looked at me like that."

"Nora, sleep," I made her sit down on the bed, "You are making stuff up in your head. You need rest."

"Why do you want her anyway? She is too perfect and too good. Its as if she doesn't have any flaws," She shook her head.

I sighed, "I used to think like that too but I know now that she isn't perfect. There is no such thing-"

"As perfect, etc etc. She hurt you, Dora. Big time," She mumbled.

"She didn't do anything. I did it for myself. She never gave me any signs nor did she say anything. I started assuming and made everyone's lives a living hell," I said softly.

"You are defending her again."

"I am stating the truth. Stop being so childish and stubborn, Nora," I rolled my eyes.

"So, if I ask she still attracts you, what will be your answer?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Look, she is attractive and I can't deny that. I still find her dimples cute and her laugh contagious. But that's it," I said truthfully.

She wasn't listening. She was looking out of the window, in her own world again.

"Do you know why I came here, Dora?" She asked, looking sad all of a sudden.

"Because your parents were on a trip when they were supposed to spend time with you," It sounded like a question, "Lie down now."

"Thats the thing. I made that up. Ssshhh. Don't tell anyone," She put her finger against her lips.

"Huh?" My hands on her shoulder froze.

She gave a scoff, "I can't believe I am saying but I will still say."

"Look, you are not in your senses-"

"Oh please. Alcohol doesn't make you lose your senses. It lowers your inhibitions. Its a wrong theory that it makes you lose your senses. I am telling you a secret now because I won't be able to tell it if I am sober," She whispered.

I exhaled, "Fine, tell me your secret."

"The thing is, they are home," She looked around, as if to make sure nobody was hearing us, "They didn't have any trip. I made that up," She whispered cupping her hands on both sides of her mouth.

"Why?" I scowled, withdrawing my hands.

Nora never lied. Ever. She was one of the most brutally honest persons I knew besides Jake. Even if the world turned upside down, she would still tell the truth.

She nodded, "My parents are celebrating their twenty fifth anniversary. I am not invited to their party," She burst out laughing.

My heart dropped at her words, "What?" My voice dipped few octaves.

"As you know, I am a shame to my family's name. My parents didn't wanna get embarassed by me as I tend to do that a lot so they thought it would be better if I made myself unseen," She rolled her eyes as she laughed her heart out.

Damn.

"Nora," I kept my hand on her cheek, "I am really sorry to hear that."

"Yeah whatever, but I told you this because I didn't want you to feel sorry for me," She whispered again, calming down, "Truth is very important. I like truth. That was why I was crying that day."

If never felt so bad for myself like I was feeling for Nora now. I knew she hated pity but I couldn't help it. My problems and feelings felt so petty next to hers.

Yet, she always saw colors while my vision always seemed limited to black emptiness.

Man, she was so brilliant that if I wasn't so sure, I would be in love with her now.

"Nora, you should get some sleep-"

"Did I ever tell you a secret?" She asked again.

Her eyes were half closed as she stifled a yawn.

"Again? You can say it in the evening," I said.

"The real reason I came to Yale-" She began and I dropped my hand from her cheek, knowing she would finish what she started.

"My parents had fixed my marriage with some son of a business partner," She said and I felt myself cringing.

"You have no idea-" She swayed her hands, "-how much fight I had to put in to escape it. Marriage deals are very common in our spheres for business partnerships. Its important for the companies and people do it regularly. I didn't wanna marry. I didn't wanna study either though, as I wanted to work, but my parents gave me an option to either study or marry. Of course, study was the better choice so I came here to their annoyance and changed my look. I am surprised they haven't disowned me yet. But I am glad I came to Yale. I met you. A sweet, cute darling," She smiled warmly, pulling my cheeks again.

I was feeling so bad for her that I wish I could do anything to remove her misery. So, I leaned in and kissed her forehead.

I never did this to any girl before. Heck, I had never been this bold. I just kissed a girl on the forehead willingly. How times had changed.

"Not the place where I was hoping for, but this will do for now," She said, looking disappointed.

Of course, trust her to joke even during times like this.

"I'm always here for you, Nora. Don't forget that," I said.

"Let's cross our fingers and hope not to die," She said before she laid down and closed her eyes.

I got up slowly and was about to go when she again spoke.

"They love me, Derek. They do. They have done many things for me and I have been really mean to them. It ultimately hurts me at the end. I just want them to trust me in a little and maybe I will try to be a better person," She smiled, snuggling upto the pillow.

"Don't we all?" I mumbled.

"Yes, but I hide it better than you," She giggled, "I want nutella for breakfast tomorrow."

She didn't speak any further.

*****

Author's note:-

Halsey met BTS at the BBMAs. Wish they would collab. 😍😍😍

Who is your favorite member from BTS?

Its been few weeks I have started being an ARMY after watching Blood, Sweat and Tears and I absolutely love those boys😍😍😍 (specially Jin). I feel they will go more popular in next few years.

I would still prefer the hyung line over maknae as I can relate to them. (Being the underdogs and less popular, no offense to ARMY. They deserve more recognition.)

Everyone is too cute! I love them all! Each has his own charm and cuteness!