☕︎ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕

15 - ᴇᴘɪʟᴏɢᴜᴇ

- ᴅᴇᴄᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ???, ???

*ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴠɪᴇᴡ*

this is so stupid...it hasn't even been two days since our last argument, the one where kenji said that no matter how much i protest, i will be his "whether i like it or not". because of how i acted, i expected him to isolate me completely from the outside world as a form of punishment. but he didn't do that and nor did he bother to tie me up now. could kenji really have a change of heart, was he buttering me up, or could it have been that he just missed me that much?

it had to be the third one and if that's the case, i'm oddly flattered by that.

as i sat on the couch, feeling the weight of kenji's arm draped possessively around my shoulder, i couldn't help but seethe with resentment. the tv blared some mindless sitcom, but my attention was far from the screen. instead, it was consumed by the suffocating presence of kenji beside me.

his touch, once a source of comfort, now felt like chains binding me to him. every caress, every embrace, sent shivers of disgust down my spine. how had i allowed myself to become entangled in his web of obsession? chewing the inside of my cheek, i stole a glance at him from the corner of my eye, his face illuminated by the flickering light of the television. to anyone else, he might have appeared charming, handsome even. but i knew the truth behind that facade—a twisted, weird, manipulative soul lurking just beneath the surface.

i clenched my fists, fighting the urge to push him away. how dare he think he could control me, dictate every aspect of my life? i was not some prize to be won or a possession to be owned. i was a human being with thoughts, feelings, and desires of my own.

but as much as i despised him, i knew i had to play along for now. the consequences of defying him were too dire to contemplate. so, i plastered a fake smile on my face, leaning into his embrace as if it didn't make my skin crawl. "oh?" i felt his chest bounce up and down as he laughed, noticing my actions. he then moved his arm that was draped around me and peeled it away from me, i wanted to sigh in relief but my small victory was short-lived when he gently began to play with my hair.

deep down, i knew this charade couldn't last forever. sooner or later, i would find a way to break free from his grip, reclaim my autonomy, and live life on my own terms. until then, i would bide my time and think about just what the hell i'm going to do.

kenji abruptly bumped into me, his proximity unsettling. "look what's on!" he commanded, pointing to the screen. i followed his directive and my eyes widened at the sight of perk & pour on the news. reina was being interviewed, pouring her heart out about missing her best friend— me— whilst funahashi senpai stood beside her, looking remorseful and guilty.

i felt a lump forming in my throat as reina's sobs echoed through the television. she spoke about our bond, her voice trembling with grief. i couldn't believe i was the reason behind her anguish. just as i was about to speak up and tell kenji that i would like for him to change it, funahashi senpai spoke up. "i was never close with s/n...but..." he trailed off for a second and then let out a sigh. "she came to me, a lot of times, about some sort of stalker but i never believed her. always assumed that she was just trying to cut work like some of the others." he confessed which caused shivers to run down my spine.

my eyes darted between the devastated reina and the solemn funahashi senpai. i wished i could reach through the tv screen and explain, to make them understand the truth. yet, i was stuck here, beside kenji, the very person causing this turmoil. "don't worry, baby, everything will be alright." the sick and troubled man draped an arm over my shoulder. "you're safe here," kenji added. "you know that, right?"