Lilly & Leclerc ~ [CL 16]

5. Nice

"Where are you going?" Carlos asks Charles, coffee in hand eyebrows furrowed. Charles has sat himself down on a chair to my right, his trainers dropping to the ground in two small thuds. Charles raises a little as he takes the shoe in his hand pulling at the laces to loosen them a little a heavy sigh leaving his lips. As if Carlos's question is an inconvenience, a huge obstacle in his day. I fight a laugh, hiding the expression by dipping my head in my mug of coffee. I take a final sip of the drink (made with almond milk which was delivered early this morning) draining the mug completely.

"I need to fix Lilly's phone." Charles huffs out the words to Carlos with one of those shrugs that seems to ooze from his shoulders. I blink three times with the words, the realisation hitting me. Wait, Lilly's phone. My phone. He's fixing my phone. He is?

In all honesty I forgot it was broken. Yet, when I look to it on the table in front of me, the device with the glass all fragmented and sharp to the touch it's clear. It's in desperate need of repair. I've barely used the thing apart from to check in with Maddie, my roommate, letting her know I'm alive after arriving. I've also sent her a picture or two of the scenery. Admittedly, the images weren't great, giving that I could only see half of them because of the smashed screen. I should've looked into getting it repaired myself before now.

"You'll be able to get someone to do that, if you call Andrea I'm sure he'd do it for you." Carlos almost mumbles, rolling his eyes at Charles. Almost immediately the Monegasque has shook his head. I wish I still had coffee left so I could stare into the darkness of my cup instead of looking wide eyed at my nervous fingers.

"Andrea isn't an assistant. We'll go." Charles dismisses tying his lace and pulling on the other shoe. My eyes widen a little with the use of 'we'. Despite our conversation last night Charles has just volunteered my time, clearly having taken note of nothing I said. Instead of reacting I find myself just letting my eyes fall back to my broken phone screen. It needs fixing. He's just being helpful - at least that's what I'm telling myself. Even if I know that's not entirely true. It's also to remind myself that the burst of excitement which shot through me when Charles said the word 'we' wasn't right in the slightest. I hate that it even happened.

And yet it did.

'There's no point starting something here', I repeat the sentence in my head to remind myself.

"Ok, ragazzo innamorato..." Carlos huffs again, he shoots me a look, it's one I can't quite decipher. I haven't spent enough time with him to work it out, his expressions seem to hide more of his true emotions than Charles sometimes. Each time I think I'm working Carlos out he does something that makes me go back to square one - like challenge Charles so clearly over his plans for the day. Up until now he's seemed to be so laid back, ready to go with the flow. Today is evidently different.

"I thought we were going to the pool?" Amber asks pouting a little, gesturing to her outfit. It's hardly appropriate for an Apple Store (or something along those lines - I'm not sure where Charles is planning to take my phone).

"You guys go, we can join when we get back." Charles again bats away her concern as if it's nothing at all. "We won't take long, no?" The words leave him as a question which is posed at me but they're a statement. I chew down on my lower lip, eyes flicking between my best friend and the man who yesterday pushed me up against a wall in a quiet hallway and kissed me until we were both breathless. The man who argued with me in my room and told me he wanted me in ways he didn't understand. Is it wrong to say I'm excited to spend more time alone with him?

Amber's eyes narrow a little, first at Charles and then me. She tuts quietly and allows her gaze on me to soften. I feel hot, she can read me like a book - always has been able to. She's going to know somethings happened. I can't be bothered to explain it when I can't understand it myself; I don't want to. My eyes drop from her almost instantly to the device infront of me.