Level 72: “Just smile, I really need to see you smile right now.”
Connected to Level 53
Bei Weiwei heard her door open to her room. She had moved into Xiao Nai’s penthouse in the middle of the city a few weeks ago once she decided to turn against the person who paid her. Weiwei gripped the gun under the pillow next to her. Her finger ready to go on the trigger, just waiting patiently until the footsteps stopped. When the nightstand turned on she sat up and point the gun directly into Xiao Nai’s forehead. He didn’t flinch, only sat on the bed next to her. His body sinking into the mattress. Even though she had agreed to move into his penthouse for protection, being with him wasn’t apart of the deal. Xiao Nai tipped the point of the gun away from his forehead. She uncocked the trigger putting the safety back on.
“What are you doing?” She looked out at the window the sun just coming up over the horizon. Xiao Nai reached over tilting her to look at him. Weiwei was shocked at his touch and the way his eyes seemed more hollow then usual.
“Can you just smile, I really need to see you smile right now.”
“You know it’s not nice to ask a woman to smile?” Weiwei felt insulted, even though she knew he didn’t mean it in that way .
“I know. I just need to see something bright before my day begins. Your smile always made me happy. Even the fake ones.” For the first time she noticed the small droplets of blood splattered against his button up. Some even seemed dried on his collar bone. Spots he had missed cleaning.
“We only went on Five dates, I highly doubt that I smiled enough to brighten your mood.”
“Six. You always forget the first one.”
“Xiao Nai-”
“When you would eat chocolate ice cream, you smiled when the rainbow sprinkles were tossed on. Your smile was genuine when you won the claw machine toy bear. It was fake the first time you met me and any time you would be putting on a smile to lure me in, but it was real on the first night when you gazed up at the stars. It was real when you thanked me for protecting you.” Weiwei held the duvet cover tighter in her hands. She always thought she was better at masking but to Xiao Nai, the master of deceiving, she failed.
“I didn’t know you were so observant.” Weiwei felt the corner of lips pull up. It wasn’t a real smile more of an awkward one from her, but Xiao Nai’s eyes still got a little brighter. They weren’t as hollow as they had been. Leaning forward his forehead lightly touched hers. Weiwei felt her breath hitch at the contact.
“Thank you.” He whispered before standing up and leaving her stunned on the bed. Her eyes glancing to the toy bear sitting on a chair in the corner, the morning sun hitting it to make the necklace he had won her glisten.
Masterlist
