Chapter 7
Freen's POV
It had been a week since the beach house, and I couldn't get Becky out of my head. Not that I was trying very hard. Every time my phone buzzed, I hoped it was her. And when it was, I'd grin like an idiot, rereading her messages like they were Shakespeare.
Our texts had turned into a battlefield of playful teasing and flirty jabs. She'd drop a sly comment, and I'd pretend to be unaffected, but really, I was blushing so hard my face probably looked like a tomato.
That evening, I was lying on my couch, scrolling through my phone when I saw Becky had gone live. My heart did its usual somersault. She was so busy these days with her work and shoots, but somehow, she always managed to look stunning.
"Let's see what she's up to," I muttered, tapping into her live.
The screen lit up with Becky sitting in her cozy living room, her hair falling perfectly around her shoulders. She was wearing a simple tank top, but somehow she looked like she'd just stepped out of a photoshoot. The chat was already exploding with comments from her fans.
"Hi, everyone!" she said with that bright, beautiful smile. "How's your evening going?"
It was fine until you decided to knock me out with your beauty, I thought.
Her voice carried through the speakers as she answered questions and joked with her fans. She was so natural, so effortlessly charming.
Then I did something stupid. I typed a comment.
"Looking good, Beck. You always steal the spotlight."
She saw it instantly, her smile faltering for half a second before she grinned wider. "Oh, hey, Freen!" she said, waving at the screen. "Look who's here to cause trouble."
The chat went wild. Fans started flooding the comments with messages like:
"Omg, who is Freen!"
"Freen and Becky sitting in a tree..."
"We ship it!"
I laughed, feeling a mix of pride and nervousness. Her fans ship us? Great, no pressure or anything.
"Trouble?" I typed back. "I'm just here to admire the view."
Becky raised an eyebrow, clearly holding back a laugh. "You're impossible," she said, shaking her head, but her cheeks were definitely pinker than before.
After the live ended, I barely had time to put my phone down before it buzzed. Becky was video-calling me. My heart did that weird flip thing again, and I quickly accepted the call.
Her face appeared on the screen, still glowing from the live session. "So, you decided to crash my live, huh?"
"Crash? I was invited," I said, leaning back and pretending to be casual.
She laughed, shaking her head. "You're such a flirt, Freen."
"Only with you."
Her smile softened, and for a moment, she just looked at me. "You're really something else, you know that?"
I grinned. "Good 'something else,' or bad?"
"Good," she said softly, her eyes sparkling. "Definitely good."
We talked for hours, flirting and laughing until my cheeks hurt from smiling. She told me about her shoots and how crazy her schedule had been, and I told her about my week, exaggerating everything just to make her laugh.
At some point, the conversation took a turn.
"So," Becky said, tilting her head. "When are you going to stop being a chicken and ask me out?"
I nearly dropped my phone. "W-What?"
She smirked, her expression smug. "You heard me."
"I... I'm not a chicken," I stammered, my ears burning.
"Oh no?" she teased, leaning closer to the camera. "Then prove it."
Prove it? My brain was screaming, but all I could do was stare at her.
Later that night, my friends came over, and of course, they picked up on my distracted mood immediately.
"You've been smiling at your phone for like an hour," Noey said, flopping onto the couch next to me.
"Who is it? Becky?" Nam asked, waggling her eyebrows.
I groaned, hiding my face behind a cushion. "Leave me alone."
"No way," Noey said, yanking the cushion away. "When are you going to ask her out?"
"She already knows you like her," Nam added. "It's obvious. And she's totally into you."
"You think so?" I asked, my voice small.
Nam rolled her eyes. "Freen, she flirts with you nonstop. Of course, she likes you."
"But what if I mess it up?" I admitted. "She's... amazing. And I'm just... me."
"Exactly," Noey said, grinning. "You're you. And she clearly loves that."
I sighed, looking at my phone again. Maybe they were right.
"Fine," I said, standing up dramatically. "I'll ask her out. Eventually."
Nam threw a pillow at me. "Not eventually, Freen. Soon."
I laughed nervously, my heart pounding. "Okay, soon."
As I lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, I opened my messages with Becky. My fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Just do it, Freen, I told myself.
But instead, I typed: "Goodnight, Beck. Sweet dreams."
Her reply came instantly: "Goodnight, Freen. Can't wait to see you again."
I smiled, clutching my phone like a total idiot. Maybe... just maybe, I could do this.
Next day
I was scrolling through Instagram like any other sane person on a lazy afternoon when I saw it. The picture. Becky was on set for her latest shoot, posing with another actress—some ridiculously gorgeous woman with perfect hair and an even more perfect smile. But it wasn't the photo itself that got to me; it was her hand. Her hand, casually resting on Becky's shoulder, and Becky's bright smile aimed directly at her.
My blood boiled, and I didn't even know why. Okay, maybe I did. Maybe I was jealous. Fine, I was definitely jealous. But come on, why did she have to look so happy? And why did this actress have to stand so close? Was there some kind of law against personal space?
Then the comments hit me like a truck.
"OMG, they look so cute together!"
"New ship unlocked!"
"Becky x Maya forever!"
Ship? Ship what? This isn't a cruise line!
I groaned, tossing my phone onto the couch like it was on fire. My head was spinning with irrational thoughts, and before I knew it, I was grabbing my keys and storming over to Noey's place.
"Why?" I burst into Noey's apartment without knocking, waving my phone like it was Exhibit A in a court case. "Why does she have to put her hands on Becky?!"
Noey blinked at me, halfway through eating a bag of chips. "Uh... what?"
"Look at this!" I shoved my phone in her face, the photo still glaring at me from the screen. "Why is she standing so close? And why does she have to smile like that? It's suspicious, right? Tell me it's suspicious!"
Noey squinted at the photo, then burst out laughing. "Freen, are you seriously—"
"I'm not jealous!" I cut her off, pacing back and forth. "I'm just... concerned. For Becky. You know? Maybe that actress is trying to steal her or something!"
"Steal her?" Noey echoed, biting back a laugh.
"Yes! You don't just casually put your hand on someone's shoulder like that unless you're plotting something!" I flopped onto the couch dramatically, burying my face in a pillow. "And look at the comments! Everyone is shipping them now. Shipping them, Noey! Becky doesn't need a new ship. She has me... not that I'm saying we're a ship... but if we were, it would be a better ship! A luxury yacht!"
Noey was laughing so hard at this point, she could barely breathe. "Freen, you're losing it."
I sat up, pouting. "I'm not losing it. I'm just... ugh, why is she so... touchy? And why does Becky look so... perfect?"
"You're adorable when you're jealous," Noey said, smirking.
"I'm not jealous!" I insisted again, but even I didn't believe it at this point.
While I continued my rant about Becky's co-star and her suspiciously perfect hand placement, Noey casually picked up her phone. I didn't think anything of it until later.
Becky's POV
I was in my dressing room, scrolling through my messages during a quick break when I saw a video from Noey. Curious, I opened it, and within seconds, I was grinning like an idiot.
The video was of Freen, pacing around Noey's living room, her hands flailing as she ranted about the photo from my shoot.
"Why does she have to smile like that?" Freen was saying, her voice a mix of frustration and something almost... cute. "And her hand! Did you see her hand? What kind of hand placement is that? It's too friendly! Too smooth! Suspiciously smooth!"
Noey's voice could be heard off-camera, laughing. "Freen, you're jealous."
"I'm not jealous!" Freen shot back, her face red. "I'm just... concerned! Becky deserves better than some random co-star stealing all her attention! What does she even have that I don't?"
At this point, I couldn't stop smiling. Freen's pouty expression, the way she crossed her arms like a sulking child—it was all so endearing.
The video ended with Freen flopping onto Noey's couch and dramatically saying, "This is a betrayal. I need ice cream."
I replayed the video twice, my heart swelling with a mix of amusement and affection. Freen was jealous. My tough, confident Freen was sulking like a big baby over a photo.
Grinning, I grabbed my phone and sent her a quick message.
"Hey, jealous baby. Miss me?"
Her reply came almost instantly.
"I'm not jealous."
I laughed, typing back.
"Sure, sure. But don't worry. You're my only ship, captain."
Her next message made me laugh even harder.
"We're a yacht, Becky. A luxury yacht."
I shook my head, still smiling. My baby was sulking, and I definitely needed to make it up to her. But honestly? Seeing her like this only made me fall for her more.