𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐄𝐑, 𝖽𝗂𝖾𝗀𝗈 𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗓

𝟒 ் ༘ ༉

I CAN'T STOP thinking of Louis.

Azure slept over last night to help me get ready. Louis told me the restaurant was nice, and he'd be wearing a suit— so I'm wearing a dress, one that makes me look fancier than I actually am.

My hair, per usual, is curled, and as I separate the final curl, Azure runs into my room. "Kevin just left. He'll be home in twenty minutes with some of his teammates, and Louis should be here any second."

I nod. "Okay." I exhale, flattening out my dress. Then, the doorbell rings. "Holy shit!"

"Don't freak out, Lua!" She shoves my arm. "Breathe in," I inhale deeply. "And out."

"Okay. I got this." I force my confidence to boost as I open my door, and as I'm leaving, Lua calls out to me.

"If he doesn't have flowers, I'm not letting you go!"

I laugh at her before opening the door. Louis is standing there with neat hair, and white roses in hand. "I, uh," His accent becomes visible. "I saw you like white roses in one of your posts. I hope I was right." He offers them, and I nod.

"You are." I smile, and he returns the expression while handing me the roses. As I turn around to place the roses in the kitchen, Lua winks at me with a bright grin. I shake my head.

As I turn around and approach Louis again, he offers me his arm— in such a British way. I loop my arm around his as he escorts me to his honestly nice car.

As we drive to the restaurant, I can't help but think about Diego

꧁★꧂

"I hope we can do this again," Louis says the next morning, smiling at me. After the restaurant, we went to a club and went to his apartment for the night. Azure kept texting me that it's a red flag— the fact that he seems to be moving way too fast— but I ignored her.

"Of course." I nod, turning away to my house. I had my heels in my hand and my dress slung over my arm. Louis let me use his shower when we woke up, and I was also in his clothes.

When I walk in, everyone turns to me.

It's only Kevin, Azure, Katie, and Diego.

Diego.

"So, how was it?" Katie smiles.

Diego and Kevin furrow their eyebrows in confusion.

"It was fun." I shrug. "He was a nice guy."

Diego's face drops.

Kevin smiles. "You went on a date? With who?"

"That explains the roses." Diego mumbles.

"You'll never guess." Azure ignores Diego as I run to set my clothes into my room, then back into the living room. I sit on the couch next to Katie.

"Louis Partridge!" Katie announces.

"No way." Kevin says. "You guys are lying."

I shrug and pull out my phone, showing Kevin a selfie from the club.

His jaw drops. "I'm shocked. What's he doing in Russia? Going on a date with you?"

"He's in Moscow for a film, but he likes football. When he figured out about Kevin Álvarez's sister, who's his age, he texted her." Azure says.

"He texted me!" I exclaim, and everyone besides Diego laughs at me.

"What did he say?" Azure frantically asks, more interested in my love life than I am.

"He's asking for the second date to be next week." I smile, and Kevin slaps my arm in a form of congratulating me as Katie and Azure are quite literally squealing.

But Diego does nothing. He's leaned back on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest.

"So, you're saying yes, right?" Kevin asks.

I nod. "Of course."

꧁★꧂

Guilt can quickly consume someone.

I had my arms folded over my chest as I was keeping myself warm, quickly walking on the sidewalk. Just trying to clear my head.

Louis actually likes me. I'm not sure if Diego does.

But I'm also unsure if I like Louis.

He's nice. Charming. Not that it matters— but rich. He's been in multiple movies, but he's also freshly out of a relationship. Maybe he's treating me as a rebound.

But maybe I'm doing the same thing.

"Damn it's cold." I hear a voice sharply whisper from behind me, and I turn around.

Diego stops when I do, now looking down at me with his hands in his pockets.

I furrow my eyebrows. "Oh, hi." I say. "Why are you..?"

"I was thinking." He shrugs. "About you. The dude you're dating."

What?

"We're not dating. We just went on a date. Why are you thinking about that?" I tilt my head to the side.

"I don't know, honestly." He presses his lips together, then begins speaking again. "I think—"

He cuts his own words short, as if he was interrupted by his own thoughts. He buries his gaze into mine, furrowing his eyebrows.

We just stare at each other. I wait for him to continue talking, but he never does.

Not another word is muttered.

Diego swiftly steps closer to me, placing his hands on my face and pressing his lips against mine. My eyebrows jolt up in shock, and he pulls away shortly, staring at me.

I falter my expression to breathless and at a loss for words.

"I've barely known you and yet I can't get you off my mind." He says under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear, before diving in to kiss me again.

This time— though I'm still shocked— I welcome the kiss. His hands move to the small of my back, so I take this to place my hands against both sides of his face, resting on his jawline. My eyes flutter shut, and regardless of the temperatures, I feel warm.

Soon enough, he pulls away. Smiles. "You're brother's gonna kill me."