AN,

Aaand that's all for the every other day sorta daily updates.

With TCT also online, this book will be updated every other week alongside it, on Thursdays.

I hope you enjoy~

- - -

OF course, the keeping it to myself part didn't last. I needed opinions- stat. And who else could have unbiased opinions about this without sounding like an ass better than my own friends? Well, sounding like an ass while having constructive criticism to boot the likelier conclusion, but isn't that the best option?

And this way, with their conflicting personalities and beliefs, I could get a diverse compilation.

So by Saturday, as Ella Ambrose is still off in Maldives while the rest of us slum it out with the local scene, I joined the usual Saturday night- a bar just around SoHo hidden under a fake truck delivery ramp, and arrived just at the perfect time.

When you're dropping incriminating news to your friends, you'd want them to be in a specific mood. Almost buzzed, not drunk- definitely not drunk, maybe a few shots in, a signature cocktail or two - and still on their seats, still looking around for potential hookups or anything that might kick up the notch for the night.

This was golden hour. Any time later, I would have a table of missing friends, with the ones still there already on their way to a bubbly kind of fun.

The usual suspects for hookups, Ross, Audie and I, were all present as soon as I waved at Claudia's gaze lighting up. But I was not here for that tonight, so I sidled up beside Esther, busy texting one of her casual dating people or her CDP as she called it, as her only girlfriend, Rema, was buried in readings. And Audie looked around because she had just recently had a breakup... Well, four months ago- and what had she called it?

Wants a relationship, but deserves a few casuals right now.

And Ross... I'm never really sure with Ross. He's always looking around but he does a good show of not looking like he's looking around, appearing too busy for the advocacy of mortal gaze, yet languid and sensual in movements, incredibly attractive to risk a double take.

And with his cheekbones and eyes... his seat wouldn't be occupied for too long.

With a quick shot down my throat, my head reaching that pleasant fuzzy sensation, I sat straighter and commandeered attention. "Alright guys. I have news."

Audie looked up. "New boyfriend?"

"New girlfriend?" Esther said instead.

Ross' impeccable eyebrow rose. "New boy toy?"

"No, no, and definitely not. Better... or worse. Depending on your views. Esther might not like it, Ross might be amused, and..." I frowned at Claudia. "I have no idea how you'll react."

Ross grinned. "Oh, now this sounds far more interesting. Do tell, Naddy darling. You always bring something different to the table. Not like Esther... who treats us like filth."

She snorted in return. "To be fair, you are filth."

And so I explained, smoothly with loose lips as if my words were made of silk. Enough alcohol could do that to me. Several reactions swept our little table, the bar churned its mild but beckoning tone to have a good time, order a few more drinks, call your ex- and finally, a curl of a smile and a head tilt.

"And now, your opinions please."

"Yeah, don't like it," Esther concluded, her eyes wide and almost comically surprised in her own, very blase way of expression. "It sounds complicated- you didn't tell Ella either."

"I will send her a text as soon as I've garnered everyone else's opinions," I said smoothly. "And it's not like I'm going to date her ex? I'm just going to... help him out. With you guys as extra guides. It'll be better with an entire force backing me up here, you know? Easier?" I turned to Claudia who mulled over all of this with little expressions. I valued her opinion here the most, seeing as she knew all the parties involved. She can warn me of the cons and pros and if this leads into a crisis- pull a full stop.

"I," Ross announced with a grin, "for one thinks it's a brilliant idea. It's hard to ask for help, especially at something that society just expects you to understand. I can teach him a thing or two myself, if you really need an expert."

Esther snorted. "Leave the poor boy alone, you wolf."

Ross howled playfully, attempting to nip Esther who made a face and pushed him.

I nibbled at my bottom lip. "Claudia? Opinions?"

Claudia's eyes narrowed a bit, then her face smoothened and a small smile curled in her lip. "I think it's alright. Well, good actually. Bucky's... different. Kind. I think it's because he actually lucked out on healthy parental relationships and a good family structure. And of course that type of quietness that is usually associated with angelic innocence."

Ross raised his eyebrow again, snorting. "Are we supposed to be little devils? Trying to turn him to the Dark Side?"

"Huh, that's funny because his sister's name is Leia." At their weird looks, I shook my head. "Well, it won't be like turning him to the Dark Side. It's more of giving him a better insight into the world of casual dating. Our world. We're supposed to make up some sort of contract tonight- you will not believe the inherent charms this boy possesses. We will need a contract if we're supposed to maintain a friendly working relationship."

"So he's coming tonight?" Ross grinned, the prospect of an unusual setup was like an experiment- something to be fascinated by because the variables are exciting. And this was very much up his lane.

"Wait, Jesus- " Claudia nearly stood up, and considering she's sitting in between Ross and I, with Esther on my other side and the table in front of her, impossible- she just kind of hit her legs over and sat back down, eyes popping. "- Is that Bucky? Nadine Jade Lynch, what did you do to him?"

"A makeover test?" I offered, smiling. "I gave him a rough sketch of a look I thought would suit him."

"Well..." Esther looked around the bar, phone forgotten, raising an eyebrow. "I think that's a mission accomplished. He just captured a lot of interests. Like a great white in an aquarium."

I smiled, proud.

Really, if you didn't know that he didn't drink, did any kind of recreational hobby, nor even frequented bars and usually favored a bookstore or a quaint coffee shop- you would never have guessed that the guy who just entered the bar wasn't someone who came to unwind with a sharp glass and a smoke. A regular, someone who had a tab and left the place with a different woman around his arm.

"We're going all out," I informed him yesterday as we sketched through our little plan. It was a very abrupt idea that I had only concocted then and there when I remembered the usual Saturday bar time. Though parties were loud and proud throughout campus, at least one frat house was blasting music loud enough for the entire street to hear- we had to do this by baby steps.

We had switched positions then- I sat on my desk chair, pulled a pen and a paper, and roughly drew as I consulted him while he sat awkwardly on the edge of my bed, figuring out the best position with my low bed without his long limbs knocking on things, knees up to his chest, feet practically inward.

If I was a little meaner, I would've laughed.

"All out?" he asked warily.

"I thought of something simple, but no, we have to make a statement. Do you have a white button down? Something that's constructed nicely against a suit? I have one that I can alter, so I'll need your measurements."

"Measurements? I— No? Well, my roommate has one, I think? But he's... smaller than me."

"That's good - not too small though, right?"

He shrugged. "Maybe snug."

"We definitely want snug, but not too tight, that you or the fabric couldn't breathe through. I was starting to think colors, but that's too complicated for a first attempt." He looked like a fish out of water as my brain crashed through the usual jargon. Fabric. Fits. Picturing him in a statement outfit- this, this was something I could do easily. A muscle memory. How my brain works.

"Then some good pants. Then actual shoes. Italian. No sneakers and no lumpy fits. May I?" I motioned for his upper body. He frowned but nodded. I gently felt his arm to his shoulder and he tensed. I was quick in my assessment, but I nodded, impressed. "Sorry, just a confirmation: You work out."

He nodded, clearing his throat. Then he slumped forward again, his chin almost to his knees.

"Okay. Healthy body." I finished my sketch quick. It was rough and mostly just lines all over, but I could see it. How it will all come together, how it will look on him. I smiled. "We're going to emphasize that. And- can you fix your hair like what you did at dinner last time?"

"Don't I look too much like an office worker? Or... a Hollywood hitman?"

I laughed. "That's actually a good idea, but a better upgrade. You'll have to run your hands through it once or twice. This way you won't just look like an office worker or a Hollywood hitman- you'll look like the CEO." I grinned. "That's the look we're going for- the cliche of all cliches. And the biggest thirst trap in the existence of modern adult books."

"Thirst... trap?"

"Nothing, my sweet, summer child. Nothing."

His face didn't trust the grin on my face at all.

And so here we were.

With his usual expressions of that haughty, resting face, I smiled as he approached. The top was snug and the pants were glorious. The hair was flouncy enough to keep it casual... I had told him no tie, but his buttons were all still in place. As he finally made way to our table, the illusions broke.

He exhaled as if he just went through a congressional parade or a medical exam. His neck and ears, red under the light.

Like Cinderella and strokes of midnight, Buchanan Choi was back to Bucky Choi.

As if to emphasize his nervousness, he took a fresh shot that Ross quietly poured for him and pushed with an index finger. When he put the shot down, his expression was half feral after, jaw and shoulders tensed, eyes and nose flaring- and I swear, half the bar swooned.

"Everyone... was looking," he half-wheezed, eyes wide. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack." He clutched at his chest as if his heart was ready to burst at any moment.

I pursed my lips to keep it from full blown grinning. "Want to see something fun?"

"What - fun?"

I inclined my head, eyes ablazed. "Do you?" I felt confident now, this little experiment of ours. I know how to turn heads, I know how to flirt. I know how I could help Buchanan 'Bucky' Choi not get dump.

And he looked good in the clothes I made.

At that fierce look in my eyes, he nodded, his shoulders easing. There was trust there that I felt grateful for. It was tentative, still scared, but it was there. I smiled and scooted over to Esther's until I was out of the table and she muttered a profanity. Everyone's eyes followed- more than the pairs in our little group, Ross' soft gasps of anticipation, both hilarious and confidence boosting.

I walked up to him, snaked a hand on his chest- Ross exploded in giggles, Esther muffled a snort - and felt his heartbeat, going wild by the minute, while my other hand snaked its way around his head, just behind the back part of his hair where it met skin.

He froze.

"What are you doing?" he whispered, not exactly afraid. His eyes focused on the one part of my face he could at this proximity without getting cross-eyed: between my nose and lips.

I tilted my head, close to his ear like I was about to kiss him. He shivered at the contact. "Amping it up?" I popped the first two buttons with quick, deft fingers. I heard Ross' laughter, Claudia saying something, but I focused on the task at hand.

"You look like a priest, buttoning it all the way up." And with the hand from the back of his head- ran my fingers through his hair. "Once or twice wasn't enough." I leaned back, meeting his gaze.

A centimeter between us.

"And this? What is this?" he breathed, his voice so small as if he was losing footing. As if in a game, I had won.

Time for the hallmark test then. "What do you want to do- with this proximity if you started dating with the person you're this close to?"

He hesitated.

"You have my permission." I smirked. "Do your worst, Choi."

Almost as if operating on instinct, his hands settled on my waist. Grip soft but present. More of a reminder than a possession. I smiled, closing my eyes.

Checkmate.

"Cherry on top." I hugged him to finish it off and stepped back, smiling goofily. The space between us, the rush of the bar back to our senses, made him blink. "You passed Bucky Choi, with flying colors to boot. Prepare to slay hearts instead of getting yours slain."

Ross, ever the dramatic, saluted him and opened his arms as if greeting him into a circus act. Smile: positively devious. "And welcome to the Heartbreakers Club. May the flirting be with you."

A small silence.

Claudia pursed her lips. "You'll get used to him."

"You'll get used to ignoring him," Esther re-affirmed. "Come on sit, Bucky. And tell us all about this little deal you made with our favorite demon."

"Hey."

"You know what you are."

Ross smiled, ignoring us. "We are intrigued."

I made a face and leaned in close to whisper, "Ignore them all. We'll want their opinions sometimes, but bottomline, it's just you and me, okay?"

He nodded, a smile tugged on his lips. "Okay."