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[nikhilxkohli]

Nikhil smiled as the older man stepped out of the line to come and say hello and quickly stuck his hand out. He wasn't opposed to hugs but he knew how some people could get overly touchy and not let go so he opted for the handshake for now. "Hi there, it's nice to meet you." He didn't bother introducing himself, not because he was too egoistic to do so but because it was clear the man knew who he was so why bother. The man in question, Jai, decided to tell him all about how he'd enjoyed watching cricket in the States recently thanks to his stint in the Major League Cricket which had him smiling. "Thank you, it was a good run--though we didn't qualify, which was rather disappointing." However when the other man's family joined them, he gave them a polite enough smile as he introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Nikhil Kohli, it's nice to meet you folks."

Sofia was so lost as to what was happening right now, but she could see Jai getting more and more antsy as he mentally confirmed whoever it was that was standing behind them in the busy line. "I'll explain because your dad's about five seconds away from squealing. It's a favorite cricketer of his. He's really famous." Apparently not famous enough because this guy was here in Wilmington and Sofia had no idea. Then again, she wasn't a cricket expert like her stepdad or her mother apparently. Meeting a supposed world famous athlete wasn't on her Bingo card for today, but Nikhil calling out to them made it clear that it was happening today. Sofia blinked at the tall man and then at her Jai who had stepped out of line as soon as he got permission to greet the man. "Um... You guys can go ahead, I guess," she said to the people right behind them.

[nikhilxkohli]

“Don’t say that,” he shook his head when Irza mentioning not knowing what else was left to happen in the city. Nik could hear the stress through Irza’s words and sighed softly because he knew a lot about running yourself into the ground and hoped the other man wasn’t doing that to himself because he definitely needed to prioritize his own health as well. “That is a definite option,” Nik told him with a soft chuckle before shaking his head at the other. “You’re doing enough, stop holding yourself to impossible standards.” And then Nik really just couldn’t hold it in anymore and so he told the man what had happened and when he saw the other’s reaction, he realized that maybe he should’ve been more tactful in how he let that bomb out. “Sorry—I uh yeah,” he cleared his throat before looking back at the other and nodding. “Okay I need to tell you something but swear you to complete secrecy, you can not tell anyone.” He said softly his eyes serious before he inched closer, “I—my marriage to Ruhi, it’s not—it's mainly for my expedited green card, so that I could play cricket here legally.” He didn’t tell the other that he had serious feelings for Layla, that was another bomb to drop of course but he needed to make sure Irza understood that Nik wasn’t some asshole who just disregarded his vows or something. 

Irza shook his head. "Man, this city's been a shit show lately. Makes you wonder what else is going to happen." He was glad Kim had Nik in her corner. God knew she needed someone watching her back. He mulled over Nik's take on his mayoral duties and had to agree. "Yeah, you might be onto something there. Maybe I'm trying to be Superman when I should just stick to being Clark Kent." He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident. "It's hard not to feel like I should be doing more, you know?" As his friend kept talking, he took another drink. And then bam—the bombshell dropped. He choked, nearly spitting his drink across the table as he coughed, eyes watering. "You did what again?" he sputtered, wondering if he'd heard right. "Damn, you're a brave soul. Not gonna lie, I would freak out too." The guy was married, for crying out loud. He wasn't about to judge obviously, but seriously, how did Nik think this was gonna play out? It couldn't end well, could it? "I'm guessing this is not a fluke, and you have feelings for her?"

[nikhilxkohli]

Nikhil let out another yawn as he stood in line for his preferred cup of coffee at The Cozy Cup. He glanced down at his phone, eager to see if Layla had responded to him but of course there were no unread messages there. With a sigh he glanced up and that's when he caught sight of an older Indian man looking at him in awe before looking away quickly that had him curious if he was actually being recognized in Wilmington which was a good feeling of course. When one of the women with the older individual glanced in his direction and the older man reacted, Nik suppressed a smile before deciding to ease the tension in the establishment. "Hi there," he called out with a smile and a quick wave. "It's alright if you wanted to say hello or something." Just because he was in a bit of an iffy mood didn't mean he couldn't be nice to the people around him.

"You sure you don't just want to go back home and I can make us all some coffee and snacks?" Sofia rolled her eyes at her mom's question, "No I'm sure. Plus, I don't think this place was here when you stopped by last time. It's been a while. You should try it." They were of course at The Cozy Cup. Sofia was going a bit stir crazy being at home all day over the weekend with her parents. She was half hoping her boss would call her and tell her they had to go on another emergency work trip somewhere, but there were rarely every "emergencies" in their line of work. "Jai, the chai here is pretty good and they don't call it a chai tea latte on the menu. Isn't that amazing?" she joked with her step dad who was too distracted by something or rather someone behind them in line. "What are you looking at?" "Sofia... Why is Nikhil Kohli in Wilmington?" "Why is who?" she asked, turning to see just who her stepdad was referring to. She barely managed to glance in the other Nikhil's direction before she was being chastised by Jai. "No don't make it obvious!" the older man hissed, forcing her to snap back to face the older couple. "What is happening?!" she muttered back at him.

@nikhilxkohli

[nikhilxkohli]

“Are you listening? Because it feels like you’re not sure why you’re really upset right now…” Nik pointed out before sighing as he inched closer to her, as much as he could when she was seated across from him. “I didn’t want to lie…but until I got you to sign the non-disclosure I couldn’t tell you I was married but not..in that way,” he murmured before sighing softly before shaking his head. “I am sorry for confusing you but you were never the other woman, you never could be. Irrespective of how it looks to others…” he tried hard to get her to listen but she had moved onto his sham marriage and so he had to pivot as well and explain that better. “I wanted to tell you, I was getting close to telling you as well, if you hadn’t run from me that day,” he told her softly before shaking his head. “I want you to say you understand that I’m not really married and that my feelings for you are genuine Layla. I don’t go around just kissing everyone,” he told her softly before shaking his head. “I don’t accept that. You need to listen to me…please.” Nik was desperately trying to get her to see his side but was clearly failing right now. "At least try to understand...please."

Her frustration mounted with every word Nik spoke. She must be an idiot. Not only had she been lied to, but even now after everything, she was trying to protect him. "I am listening," she hissed, her jaw clenching. What did he think she was doing now? Twiddling her thumbs? She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "You're right, I did care. That's why this hurts so much. You lied to me, Nik. And now you're saying you're not sorry for the kiss? Do you have any idea how confusing all this is to me?" Her voice lowered to a harsh whisper. "I felt guilty, thinking I was the other woman. And now you're telling me it was all for a green card? For cricket?" She shook her head in disbelief. "I get that you couldn't tell everyone, but I thought we were close. You could have trusted me." Layla should have known better. She'd let her guard down, only to be betrayed again. It didn't matter that his intentions weren't to hurt her. The damage was done. “I don’t know what you want me to say to all this. You’re married and I’m your agent. That’s all we could ever be.”

[nikhilxkohli]

Nik was so thankful to see that smile on Kim’s face. She had no idea. He had been so stressed as soon as he found out she was one of the people who had gotten kidnapped but then the relief that had flooded his entire being when he heard about them being found…none of that compared to the sheer happiness he felt when he saw her smile. She was his family and he would always be there to make sure she was alright. “You joke, but we know it’s true,” he told her with a subtle wink.

It made sense that she was deflecting from her won situation and choosing to observe him closely but he tried to brush it off. He was fine, he’d be fine. She was the one currently in the hospital. “I know you’ll always worry, we’re pretty much the same there..” he told her before nodding at her words and smiling at her, “Good girl, and I appreciate that, but just remember—it’s one thing at a time. No one’s expecting you to just bounce back, okay?” he told her calmly.

When she reached for his hand, he chuckled before giving her a quick shake of the head. “They’re meant to ruin your mood, it’s how they take care of you…or something like that. I’ve luckily only been in the hospital a few times,” mostly just from sporting injuries. It was good to hear that Kimberly and Benji had reached such a significant place in their relationship that she felt comfortable sharing her truth with him. “Hey—if someone doesn’t deal with it well—you tell them to come talk to me. I’ll knock some sense into them, with my cricket bat…sans helmet,” he said with a grin before hearing her words, not missing the way she averted his eyes. “You don’t need to thank me Kimmie, you’d have done the same for me and even if by chance you hadn’t…I’m here—no matter what.” 

Nikhil had a very good point, he was always willing to listen to whatever Kimberly had to say, even if most times it was nonsense. She always appreciated that about him given that she always felt like it was a safe space to be herself and say what’s on her mind. Scoffing slightly, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his boost of confidence, “Righhhht talented. You definitely could do it all." she replied with a hint of sarcasm before breaking out into a grin. He was one of the closest things to family that she could get in this lifetime and for that she was always grateful for his presence. 

At Nik’s reassurance, Kimberly pressed her lips into a thin line as she observed him closely. As much as she wanted to believe him, she wondered if he was saying all this just to make her feel better due to her current circumstance. However, a part of her was battling it out saying that she should trust his word. “I will always worry.” she deadpanned. “I mean it Nik…But because it’s you, I’ll focus on trying to get better.” She doesn't know how she’ll do that, especially when she’s already too far gone in her own thoughts and feelings, but at this rate she’ll have to take it a day at a time.

Reaching for his hand, she tugged gently to refrain him from getting the nurse, “Kidding my ass.” she muttered. “I’m okay! Don't get them, they'll ruin my mood!” As she let go, she nodded in agreement as she knew this was what she wanted to do. “I feel like it’ll help remove this weight off my chest that I’ve been carrying for too long…I just don’t know how I’ll deal with the aftermath, especially if some don’t take it lightly.” On the bright side, if all else fails, she had him at the end of the day and so she wasn't completely alone in all this. Shrugging, she glanced up at the ceiling and said, "Thanks for visiting me..."

[nikhilxkohli]

Nik actually took a moment to stare at the woman in front of him at her rather brazen response before giving her a smile before nodding, "I appreciate the compliment, thank you." He chuckled at her words about herself as well before continuing, "alright--well clearly you look like a woman with fantastic taste so I'll have to go with your recommendation. Maybe if you've got time, you can sit with me and tell me all the other place that are divine." Nik was nothing if not a proper gentleman and besides he was being polite. He may have an idea of some places in Wilmington from his previous residence but so much had changed in the time he'd been gone.

˙ ˖ ✶ Nikhil

"The best thing here is currently asking me a question," June simply replied as she smiled in his direction. "Sadly I'm also not on this menu, but if you really want a sweet treat then I suggest their snickerdoodles, and maybe their red velvet cake with white chocolate ice cream. Pretty divine if I do say so myself."

[nikhilxkohli]

[nikhilxkohli]

The glare was expected from her as he handed her the water, but lucky for him—she seemed to be in a relatively agreeable mood since she’d taken it and had a sip. He absolutely would count that as a win for now. “Of course…I mean you do yap my ear off a lot of the time but hey—I enjoy it.” A part of Nik was sure it came from always wishing he had a sister in life and never being lucky enough to have a sibling he felt that close to. But with Kim, that void was filled without either of them talking about it and he loved it. “Also I keep up with you because I’m talented, not everyone can manage right?”

“I know,” Nik retorted quickly when she told him he could talk to her and gave her a small smile before shrugging, “I’m doing okay—I promise.” And now that she was found and he could see the extent of her injuries for himself he really was doing okay. Before that though—he had been a bit of a mess because he’d been so worried about her. But now his mind was attempting to be a little bit more at ease. “But really—don’t worry about me, you focus on getting better…” He had to correct her terminology, chuckling softly as she stared at him in surprise when he mentioned making sure she wore a helmet if he came after her. “I was kidding!” He’d been ready to laugh until he saw her wince in pain and quickly stood up, ready to head out to find a nurse when she adjusted herself in the bed. “I think that’s a good idea…coming clean with the people you care about, is important,” he told her even if he hadn’t done any of the same seeing as he was living a lie every single day where his relationship status was concerned. 

Nikhil didn’t have to tell her, Kimberly just knew that she could rely on him regardless of what the situation was. He’d seen the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the heiress’ life that she was practically an open book and that goes to show how much trust she has in him. “I know.” she confirmed before glaring slightly at him as she took the cup of water to drink. Even with the banter he still managed to take care of her, “I could practically yap your ear off and you’d still listen…till this day I still don’t know how you manage to keep up with me.” 

Tilting her head slightly, she was a little suspicious of Nik’s reassurance when it came to himself. “You can hold space too, you know.” she reminded him. “I worry about you because of how selfless and loyal you are.” It was without a doubt that between the two, he had more of a heart than she did. Therefore, she truly wondered how he’s holding up. Hearing Nik correct her caused Kimmie to cringe slightly as she knew she’d made a huge error when it came to his own sport. “—And that’s what I meant…” she immediately replied in a matter of fact tone as she braced herself for some sort of cricket lecture. However, she was surprised that it didn’t come after. “Helmet?” she repeated as her eyes widened slightly. “—So you would hit me with a bat!?...Ow…Ow….!!” she exclaimed dramatically before wincing in pain and adjusting herself in the bed. Sighing, she laid there and accepted her fate moving forward. “Yeah…I hope. There's no going back now, I just want to get it off my chest and over with."

[nikhilxkohli]

Should Nik be a little pleased that his confession managed to ruin Noah’s shot? Yeah…he kind of was but he still knew the other man was annoyed at what he’s said or maybe he was just surprised that Nik had done something like that. “Yeah I mean—okay not a sort of kiss, I kissed her and she kissed me back before she pushed me away,” he murmured before sighing and rubbing his hand over his face, wishing he could tell the other his truth and have him understand it. “I wish I could explain it to you but I can’t,” he murmured before nodding at the other’s words about figuring it out. There wasn’t much he had to do there. He just needed to get a proper divorce from Ruhi as soon as they both could and move on with his life, both of them remaining friendly exes seeing as there were no feelings involved. But telling Noah all of that was out of the question, so instead he nodded as the other allowed the topic to go back to camping. “Yeah I think it could be a good time and yeah—I’d actually love a distraction. Layla’s avoiding me completely and I’ve been overly worried about Kim so leaving town for a bit—might actually help.”

Noah dribbled the ball, his movements smooth and practiced. But when Nik's confession hit his ears, he fumbled, the ball bouncing away. “Shit!” He said, going to grab the ball before he went back to his friend—his gaze on his friend, his mouth hanging open. "Did I hear it right, you sort of kissed her? First off, you either did or you didn't. There's no sort of kiss." He paused, processing the information. "Man, what were you thinking? You're married!" He shook his head, torn between concern for his friend and disbelief at the situation. "Look, I get it. Things happen. But you gotta figure this out before it blows up in your face." He might be hard on the guy, but this was infidelity, right? And things could get messy. "As for camping, yeah, the twins would love it. They're always up for doing something adventurous. Maybe we could make it a group thing? You know, if you need a distraction from—all this."

[nikhilxkohli]

It irked him at the way she chalked up what had happened between them and then suddenly was so annoyed that he wasn’t married? What was she really upset about? The fact that he’d kissed her? Or the fact that he’d lied? Because right now at this point Nik wasn’t even sure what to make of her anger. Not to mention having this whole conversation out here in public really wasn’t sitting well with him but he continued to do it anyways. “I didn’t expect you to let it go, no…I expected you to try and listen at least, because I thought we were friends and I’m sorry that I thought somewhere—you cared about what happened to me,” he sighed before looking away from her. “But clearly this is all just a mistake. I’m sorry for not telling you the truth Layla, I don’t go around telling people that I married a friend so that I could get my green card; something I needed to be able to play cricket in this country. But I’m not sorry for kissing you,” he paused before glancing back up at her. “I did that because I felt like…maybe you and I were both feeling the same things and now I’ve gone and fucked it up and I take responsibility for that…but just know, none of it was meant to hurt you like this."

Her blood boiling as she glared at Nik. She couldn't believe she'd fallen for his act. After what happened with Matthew, she thought she'd learned her lesson about trusting men. But here she was again, feeling like a fool. "Funny. Last time I checked, someone sane wouldn't go kissing another woman when he's clearly married," Layla spat out the word like venom. And here she thought she was an idiot for falling for her client—a married one to boot. She was beyond mortified when she found out the truth. Ember hadn't meant anything by it, of course. They were just chatting. She shook her head, trying to process his words. A green card marriage? It sounded ridiculous. Why would he need that? "And what did you want me to do with that information? Just let it go because you did it for a green card?" She lowered her voice—because even though he was pissing her off—she didn't want to get him in trouble. How stupid was she? Here he was lying to her, and she still felt compassion for him.

[nikhilxkohli]

As much as he appreciated Kimberly’s self-realization moment right now he didn’t think it was necessary. He wouldn’t ever fault her for being ‘difficult’ not that she was. If anything he was so glad she was being so open with her grievances and how she was truly feeling. “And I will continue to be patient and deal with it, you know why? Because I’m your best friend and that is what I’m here for,” Nikhil told her with another smile before shrugging. “Anything you need to say—you know I’m here to listen right?” He smiled at her before rolling his eyes at her reaction. “Okay really—that was a tad unnecessary,” he shook his head before handing her the small cup of water, praying she wouldn’t argue and take it. 

“I’m taking care of myself just fine, don’t you worry about that.” He told her before wondering how much he should tell her about the way he’d thought about rescheduling some of his games and withdrawing because he’d rather be in town if she needed him. “Okay so—first of all it’s a cricket bat not a racket,” he told her with a sigh, "and I’ll only do that if you’re wearing a helmet. I’m not planning on going to jail for murder, thank you very much.” He told her with a small smile back, “but I think you’re thinking as rationally as you can, just remember that if anything—Benji’s going to realize you’re still you, and the money and title changes nothing.”

Looking over at Nik, Kimberly held an apologetic gaze and said, “I’m sorry if I’m being difficult.” She’s been going through a whirlwind of emotions that she was grateful to have her best friend keep up with her. “You’ve been nothing, but patient and I’ve honestly been dumping everything on you…You don’t have to deal with all this…” He’s already done so much that she felt like he too needed a break from everything that’s been happening. He was a professional athlete for a living and the last thing she wanted to do was mess up his game. However, his reassurance said otherwise as he was set on focusing his support for her. “Supeeeeerrrrr luckkkyyyyy!” she replied by applauding with a high pitch tone before wincing in pain as she felt herself overdo the reaction a bit. “In all seriousness though, you should also be taking care of yourself too, you know. How are you holding up?” 

On the topic of telling Benji the truth, Kimberly didn’t think she’d reach a point where she was going to come clean with her identity. Truthfully, she was testing the waters when it came to her independence and expected to leave after a few years and return as the heiress. However, the relationships she’d formed and the joy she found in the little things as she continued to discover herself made her want to stay longer and not look back. Nik was right and as much as she wanted to have control over her life, something as big as this incident was completely out of her hands. “Maybe I’m being overdramatic…” mumbled the heiress with a frown. “I don’t know, whack your cricket racket at my head so you could knock some sense into me.” she deadpanned as she glanced up at him with a faint smile.

[nikhilxkohli]

Nikhil felt his heart deflate once again with the finality in her voice. She didn’t want to talk about anything else with him. She wanted this to remain a working only relationship and he couldn’t even deny that anymore. “Yeah,” he said softly, his own gaze now averting hers as he finally stopped trying to look at her and see what he was hoping to glimpse in her gaze. She couldn’t stand him and despite him trying to tell her that she didn’t know the whole story, it didn’t matter. However what he didn’t expect was the words that came tumbling out of her. She knew he wasn’t actually married? Who the hell had told her? Was it Ruhi? But she wouldn’t be telling anyone the truth—they’d actually spoken about it recently as well on how to handle the fall out when it inevitably happened. “I—nothing is wrong with me Layla,” he said with a soft smile, he was so incredibly thankful that he could be honest with her now. “I—didn’t lie, I wanted to tell you but other people were involved so I couldn’t but Layla—I kissed you because I wanted to and honestly I felt like you had wanted me to do it too,” he said softly, this time his gaze lowered again. “I don’t know who told you..but yeah they were telling the truth. The marriage between me and Ruhi—it’s not a real one. It’s for me to get an expedited green card.” And there it was. His whole truth out in the open. 

Layla's patience was wearing thin. She rolled her eyes, her annoyance evident in every movement. "There's nothing to talk about," she said, finally meeting his gaze with a glare. She couldn't believe he was pushing this. Her heart raced, anger boiling to the surface. "Can we just focus on work? That's why I'm here," she said, tapping her foot impatiently. She tried to ignore the hurt in his eyes, the softness in his voice. It was easier to be angry than to confront the mess of emotions swirling inside her. Anger was comfortable. It didn't leave her vulnerable like the other feelings threatening to break through her walls. But as he kept pushing—kept trying to explain—something in her snapped. The words tumbled out before she could stop them, her voice rising with each syllable. "How about you tell me why I had to hear it from my friend that you're not actually married? You lied to me and kissed me. What the hell is wrong with you, Nik?" He asked for her to talk. Oh, he was getting what he wanted—the lying jerk…

[nikhilxkohli]

Nikhil hadn't heard anything about this prior kidnapping so he was almost stunned this had already almost happened and shook his head at the other. "No it's not that--I'm just stunned this shit has been going on for so long and they can't find the one at fault," he murmured before shaking his head at the other's words of gratitude. "Nah don't thank me. She's one of my best friends, I'll always look out for her." And this was the truth even as he knew she would put herself in danger so long as it came to doing her job. "I believe that...the whole city is making me question why I chose to move here," he chuckled before shaking his head. "Yeah I don't think it's your job to protect the public Irza. That's not the definition of a mayoral candidate. You leave that up to the law enforcement and safety services. You need to find the right programs and endeavorers that help your population. At least that's how I see it..." He took a swig from his drink and looked back at the other man who clearly looked stressed, too bad he couldn't just take a quick vacation to reset but Nik knew how that would look to the public so he didn't even bother suggesting it. "I kissed Layla..." he blurted out with a groan, "sorry I had to tell someone...but she freaked out so not important, I guess."

He let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah, but at the time, we weren't dating." Irza could still remember that day. The panic he felt when he got the call from Ember to pick her up. The relief when he saw her safe, if a bit shaken. It had been a wake-up call, making him realize just how much she meant to him. "Thanks for looking out for Kim," he said. God knew he couldn’t reach her. "And you're right, she's probably itching to get back. That woman's a workaholic." He chuckled, but it was half-hearted. The guilt still gnawed at him, despite Nik's reassurances. He reached for a wing, and took a bite. "Hell if I know what’s happening around here. It's like the whole city's gone crazy." He shook his head, frustrated. "I've been working with the police, but we're all in the dark. It's driving me nuts, feeling this helpless. Sometimes I wonder if I'm cut out for this job. I’m not doing a great job protecting anyone."

[nikhilxkohli]

If Nikhil Kohli wasn’t such a diehard romantic, he might have been worried about the way she was looking at him right now. Or well—trying to look in his general direction. But he could still see the way she was avoiding his eyes. “I'd like to think we were that and maybe....something else," she said with a soft tone, hating the way his voice felt almost defeated right now as he looked back at her. “Layla—please can we stop this…just talk to me.” He sighed, wishing he could reach for her hand but right now it seemed like that would perhaps provoke her even more and he didn't want to do that. “I’ll handle the charity event, and do my best to not piss anyone off, and as for social media I’ll do a Q&A but can we start by you answering one of my questions right now? Why have you been avoiding me? It’s like even now—you’re here but you’re not even looking at me. Let me just try and explain… there’s so much you don't know about my life…”

Layla's jaw clenched as she fought to maintain her composure. She couldn't believe Nik had the audacity to bring up the kiss. Her eyes narrowed, focusing on anything but his face. "Friends? Is that what we were?" she scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Look, I'm here to do my job. Nothing more." She grabbed her papers back, shuffling them unnecessarily. "If you're not in the mood for selfies, fine. But we need to boost your engagement somehow. Maybe a Q&A session?" She was desperately trying to steer the conversation back to safer waters. She couldn't deal with the conflicting emotions his presence stirred up. Right now, she couldn’t focus on the anger, attraction, and betrayal. It was easier to focus on work, to pretend that kiss never happened. "And about that charity event," she pressed on, ignoring his attempt to discuss their personal issues. "It's in two weeks. Wear something nice, smile for the cameras, and try not to piss anyone off. Can you handle that?" Her tone was biting, but she couldn't help it. The sooner this meeting was over, the better.

[nikhilxkohli]

Nik couldn’t help the soft sigh that slipped past his lips when Noah asked about Layla and what he was trying to figure out. He shook his head before nodding at his words before letting out a soft laugh. “I’m glad you’re feeling fulfilled man but…yeah about Layla—I may have kissed her and I know what you’re going to say, it was a fucked up move but I…there’s so much I can’t admit to, but it's eating me up inside because I know she probably hates me now.” He grumbled softly before looking back at his friend and nodding. "Do it—camping with the right person can be super great. If they like the great outdoors especially,” Nik watched the other fake him out and knew that sure enough—the ball would pass through the basket.

Noah scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Sure it did." He caught the ball Nik passed, spinning it on his finger. "Figure her out? What’s there to figure? She’s your agent and friend, right? Unless there's something you’re not telling me…” He chuckled, clearly pulling the man’s legs. Of course, his friend wouldn’t go there, right? The man was married. “Women are complicated, man. Just when you think you've got them pegged, they surprise you. But yeah, I guess you could say I’m fulfilled. Exhausting too." He chuckled, remembering countless nights of bedtime stories and impromptu dance parties. "A reset on life sounds nice. I’ve been meaning to take the kids camping, get away from it all for a weekend." He pictured the twins' excited faces at the idea of sleeping under the stars. "Do you think they’d like that?" He dribbled the ball, faking left before darting right.

[nikhilxkohli]

“Oh what? It's rusted? The house is so new and it was remodelled too--I hate when people skip out on things like that." Nik frowned as she shook his head. This was definitely the type of thing he'd have to share with Ruhi. Whether or not she told her father--was up to her. “Yeah that works--I mean, I’m definitely going to be like an annoying assistant you don't want around when you're installing it for me. But yeah—let’s head out.” He told the other man this with a soft chuckle, hoping that Trey didn't mind. Because really--Nik wanted to learn these types of things for around the house.

treyvon pushed his sleeves up as the other spoke and shifted toward the shower head that his friend had been having issues with. focusing, he did as the other did and attempted to tighten it. "i can already tell what your issue is. the thing's rusted up and where it's supposed to tighten is stripped. you're just going to have to buy a new head. if you want, we can go grab one and when we come back, i can install it for you." he suggested.

[nikhilxkohli]

Nik had been trying to reach out to Layla since the infamous kiss but she’d never responded. Not to his calls, not to his texts. So when she reached out after what seemed like far too long—he’d jumped at the chance to see her. He hadn't gotten anything in the mail saying she was dropping him as a client so he was hopeful going into this meeting. As soon as he spotted her in the doorway, he stood up to greet her, a tentative smile on his face until he noticed the way she was looking at him, or rather—avoiding his gaze. He heard her quick words and took a sip from his coffee as he tried to stop himself from interjecting right away and apologizing for what had happened. “Okay sure,” he took the papers from her, hating the way she wouldn't even look at him for a second, and the way she almost dropped the papers as soon as he grabbed them so their hands couldn't even touch on accident. It was killing him how badly she probably wished she could be anywhere else. “I have a few questions,” he started with before looking back at her and shaking his head. "Yeah I'm not really in the mood to post workout selfies or something right now…Layla c'mon we need to talk about what happened. I know it was wrong, but going from friends to this—isn't okay.” 

closed starter @nikhilxkohli

location: the cozy cup

Layla stood the Cozy Cup, her jaw clenched as she tried to compose herself. She didn’t want to have to face Nik. Not only did she feel guilty for kissing a married man—thinking she was a homewrecker—but according to Ember, he wasn’t actually married in the traditional sense. Ever since that kiss—which he initiated—she’d been avoiding him because of what she was feeling. Now she had to see him again after being told he was a lying jerk. How could he do this to her? It was unfair. Yeah, maybe she was being dramatic, after all, he technically wasn’t a cheater, but he could have told her. It didn’t matter, he was just a client and she was only here for her job.

Taking a deep breath, she walked in and scanned the room for his figure—her knuckles white from gripping her portfolio too tightly. When she spotted him, she headed over and went straight to business mode. "We need to talk about your schedule for next month," she said, her voice clipped. She pulled out some papers, avoiding eye contact. "There's a charity event you should attend. Good publicity." Her hands shook slightly as she handed him the documents. Even in her anger, she found herself noticing how good he looked, and it only fueled her anger. "Any questions?" she asked, her tone professional but cold. She tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for his response. "We should also discuss your social media strategy. Your engagement's been low lately."