I'm only up when you're not down
Don't wanna fly if you're still on the ground
It's like no matter what I do
Well, you drive me crazy half the time
The other half I'm only trying
To let you know that what I feel is true
And I'm only me when I'm with you

~♥~

Reign's P.O.V. :

Saturday's party at Paul's house had been a blast like everyone hoped it to be. That's all Reign could sum up from hearing the excited chatter as she walked on the hallways of Preston University on Monday.

Clearly, twenty-four hours of Sunday weren't enough for them to get over it. Truthfully, she didn't expect anything less.

It was first party of the senior year and even though many people failed to understand how that was occasion  every senior attended it. Students waited for this day as devotees wait to see God and worshipped the party host as the mentioned God.

It was bound to be scandalous. And anything scandalous, as rules of the society, was always talked about. So, the scandles of the party being the new hot topic of the Preston University wasn't a surprise either.

She could hear the newly turned seniors and few juniors who attended the party whispering about the slap she gave followed by the choking and the punch Nikolai gave, as she passed by them.

She even heard some exaggerated versions of the story.

In some, she was about to be raped and Nikolai saved her. In some she was drunk and was forcing herself on every boy she laid her eyes on. In some, she had denied Nikolai sex and agreed to another boy which led to the riot.

The rumors made her laugh and the fact that they would have made her cry and lock herself in her room for eternity, had this happened in high school, made her laugh harder.

She had played the protagonist in the fair share of rumors passed in high school. Now in college, she is used to it.

With her head held high, she walked through the corridors towards her class as the people murmured.

By the time her free period rolled by and she was going through the hallways to the cafeteria, she knew that her's wasn't the only scandal that happened.

It was followed by two drunk people having sex in the pool which was also recorded and was circulated in the college. Cherry on top, the guy has a girlfriend (had, if the girl has something other than shitty boyfriend, that thing being called self-respect) and she wasn't the one he was fucking in the pool.

One of the popular kids coming out of the closet as a lesbian, followed by the revelation that her best friend is a homophobic. Even though it was a great gossip among the students, it was also heartbreaking.

Lastly, Paul puking all over this girl he was making out with which led to a lot of mess as she felt humiliated, and as revenge she held his trousers and pulled it down. Reign wasn't very sure if it was with or without boxers.

She wasn't interested either.

The only thing about the party that she wanted to know about was Nikolai. She wanted to know if he had fun after she left. Nikolai wasn't a party animal and the only reason he agreed to go was because she insisted.

She hoped he would let loose before he looses all his hair.

She liked everything about Nikolai and even if she ever got a chance to change anything about him, she wouldn't even change his phone wallpaper. He is perfect the way he is. And she liked - or even loved - everything about him.

But that didn't mean she didn't like to push him. She liked doing little adventurous tasks which would make his eyes come out of the sockets, considering he would never do that.

She remembers once when they went on a road trip and it started raining. She rolled down her window, leaned out of it, and stood up, feeling the cold raindrops hitting her face. Even though she was holding on to the grab handle Nikolai held her waist as if she was going to jump out of the car.

She just laughed and told him to do that same but Nikolai looked at her as if she had asked him for his kidney to buy an iPhone.

That day he promised to her would never do that or anything like that ever while she promised to herself that would made him do that at least once before ever ends.

She looked around the canteen and saw Nikolai sitting in their usual place, typing on his phone nonstop all the while smiling like a cute idiot.

She walked there and sat opposite to him. "Hey, Nick."

She raises an eyebrow when he just looks up in acknowledgement and says hey. This was weird. Very weird.

Nikolai wasn't someone who would stay on the phone when someone was talking to him. He liked to listen. Give his attention so as to not make the other person feel unimportant. It was these small characteristics that always made him stand out.

"Are you ignoring me?" she asked going straight to the point.

This question gets his attention as he looks up and she points at his phone. He smiles sheepishly and says, "I'm sorry. Just give me a second."

Reign nods as she takes out her lunch and keeps it in the center.

He quickly shuts his phone and gives Reign his undivided attention.

"I'm sorry. It's just Riley is so--"

"Riley who?"

Nikolai's eyes widen slightly as he clears his throat.

"Shit I forgot to you about her."

Clearly.

Reign nods for him to continue.

"Well, I met her at the party. She is Paulie's sister. Step-sister as she likes to mention," he chuckles before continuing. "She is so easy to talk to. She is more blunt than the back of a knife. With that, I don't give a fuck about your judgements she is just amazing."

Reign didn't know what to say so she just nodded. If this had been a few years back she would have acted like a jealous girlfriend, even though she wasn't his girlfriend, but over the years she had seen the cycle.

Nikolai would meet someone. They spend time together-like each other-be in relationship-start fighting-break off.

After seeing the cycle repeat itself over and over again Reign became assured that she doesn't need to worry. She just needs to things work out on their own till he finally realizes that the one person who truly loves him has always been beside him.

So Reign smiled and urged him to continue.

"After leaving the party I couldn't stop thinking about her so I asked Paulie for her number and after some persuasion he gave me. We have chatting since then and Reign, I have never met a girl like her."

Reign takes a sandwich from the lunch and so does Nikolai. College cafeteria is worse than high school and although there are some cafe nearby, buying costly lunch every day is not an option when you already have so much student loans piling up.

So every alternate day Reign and Nikolai would bring lunch for both of them except for Wednesday when they would go to the cafe. It was like a routine that always worked for them.

"Tell me more about her," Reign asked.

After swallowing his bite he says, "Well, her name is Riley. She likes to call Paul as Paulie and insists that everyone does the same. She is a quasi-feminist so I guess you will quasi-like her," at this they both chuckled before he continued. "She is into sports which is why she is the track runner in her college. Also, she thinks that Area 51 conspiracy is true and the government just wants to hide that from us."

Nikolai's eyes sparkled with mirth as he said the last part as if remembering an inside joke that must have passed on between them. Reign ignored the flicker of jealousy and focused on being a better friend.

"She sounds quirky."

"Say that after you meet her. She has a sarcastically blunt remark for every answer."

Reign didn't know if she really wanted to meet her. She didn't have any problem meeting his past girlfriends but this time the way he was talking about her after meeting her only once made her feel nervous.

"Must be quite a character," she said swallowing her nerves along with the sandwich bite.

"Oh, she is," he replied not noticing her expression which she was thankful for.

Had he seen her forlorn expression he would have asked questions, questions she couldn't answer without professing her crush or love whatever god forbid she has developed for him and she wasn't ready to do that now when he was talking about another woman.

Right now she would just be his best friend no matter how much her heart yearns to tell the truth and come clean.

For his heart, she will stop listening to hers even though she wasn't sure if it belonged to her anymore.

"She asked me out," he said a tinge of pink dusting his cheeks as he tried not to smile like a schoolboy. Reign cleared her throat and forced a smile, resting her back on the chair in a better position, "A date?"

Nikolai scrunched up his nose, "I really don't know."

Reign raised her eyebrows so he continued.

"She asked me to come with her to the Miles Fair. I didn't want to push my luck by asking her if it was a date so I just said yes."

"So you just consider it's a date even though she hadn't made it clear?"

"Hey, if not a date, then at least it's a half date considering the fact that I hold half the power and for me it is."

Reign rolls her eyes but couldn't help as a small smile graced her lips, this time a real one.

The alarm set for Nikolai's next class rings and he picks up his half-eaten and sandwich and starts taking quick bites.

Reign shakes her head and takes out her water bottle from her bag knowing fully well that he would be asking for it after almost choking on his food.

As if on clue, Nikolai starts coughing and reaches for the water bottle.

Reign shakes her head slowly. She doesn't know whom she wants to blame. Herself for knowing him so well or him for not noticing how much she cares.

Nikolai keeps the almost empty water bottle on the table and grins at Reign when she reaches for it to take a sip. Picking it up before she could he takes the last one sip and then passes her empty bottle to her.

Reign scowls at him as he gets up, takes his bag, and leaves for his maths class all the while laughing at her.

He turns, never stopping his steps as he reaches the door and gives her a wink before blurring in the crowd.

Reign looks in his direction even though he couldn't be seen anymore among the swarm of people and tries to calm the butterflies in her stomach as they come alive as if on Red Bull.

Although while keeping her half eaten sandwich back in the box and wrapping up her lunch she couldn't help but think about the girl he was talking about. Nikolai easily fell in love. He always thought that he had finally found the one but then the cycle would repeat and he would return to her.

She was his home just like he was her's. And she couldn't help but pray for him to choose his path home.