Enemies With Benefits

A loud thud echoed throughout the room as Jake’s phone slipped from his trembling hand and only then had he realized how eerie quiet was the house, the mansion in which he was alone.

All alone and he couldn’t help the chill that went down his spine and erupted his entire body because he realized that anything could happen to him if the stalker decided to break in. He didn’t bother to pick up the phone and rushed outside, scanning the house for any signs of intrusion.

He walked down the stairs carefully, one at a time even though adrenaline was making it harder for him to walk steadily. He reached down and checked all the doors, if they were properly shut and locked. With shaking hands, he even closed the window shutters, sun rays trying to pass through.

The room was much darker now, not totally dark but dark enough to make his skin crawl. As he was about to go upstairs after closing the window right beside the main door, he heard a sound- a human sound, like a throaty sound of disappointment or a chuckle in delight, that he couldn’t make out.

He froze, his hand tightly gripped the handrail as his leg was about to slip from missing a step. He had again heard a sound, not a humane sound but a thud, a thud on the main door. He looked back for a second, before hurrying upstairs in a rush while again looking back after each second, as if expecting someone break door open and chase him.

As he reached the room, he locked the door and looked around frantically for the phone that had slipped from his hand earlier. As he found it, he picked it up and quickly dialed Heesung’s number, the ringing sound matching the unsteady rhythm of his heart.

“Hello?” Heesung’s deep, velvety voice rang through the apartment and Jake could make out the faint chatter of people in the background.

“What’s wrong, princess?”

Heesung again asked, the voices were fading away now, as if he was in the corner. “H…Heesung I.. I- The thing is..” Jake struggled to form coherent words as the panic level in rose with each breath he took, he was shivering and if he didn’t compose himself soon, he was going to get a panic attack.

“You’re worrying me, Jake. Can you-” The rest of his sentence was unsaid as Jake finally replied, with a little and tremulous voice. “I think…. I think he is here. M .. my stalker, he is here.” His voice sounded as if he was going to cry and Heesung just had the thought to call off the meeting and rush home, but he knew he couldn’t, the meeting, that deal, was once in a blue moon offer.

“Heesung-ah, are you listening?” Jake’s voice sounded like a whisper, as if he was seeking comfort amidst the storm brewing in his life. “Jake, I think you should-” His voice was abruptly cut off, as if the phone had been snatched away from him.

"Whatever happened, stay there, I'll reach there in 45 minutes."

Sunghoon's voice was heard, and before the phone's charging went off, Jake could hear Heesung telling Sunghoon how important that deal that was for them and how they couldn't afford to lose an offer like this.

Jake sighed, throwing the phone on bed as he went towards the mirror to see his reflection. He had dark circles, his face was paler, his hair had overgrown and it looked like he had lost some weight.

"I look like I have some kind of eating disorder." He lightly slapped one of his cheeks before going into the bathroom. He had been sleeping in Heesung's room so he subconsciously entered the bathroom in his room instead of the one in guest room.

As he entered, he gasped at the luxurious bathroom. There was a white jacuzzi in the middle, adorned with golden strips on the corner on the upper and lower corners of it. In the corner of the bathroom, were two big shelves filled with expensive body washes, each of different flavor.