𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐓; pedro pascal

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

       As Amelia's phone alarm rang in her ear, Amelia rolled over and covered her ears, but the beeping remained noisy in her ears. She sat up and sloppily grabbed her phone to turn the alarm off. Her eyelids hung low as she pushed the hair out of her face. The warm sun beamed as golden rays poured into the room through the balcony's glass door. The light shined upon the golden bed frame and the glass coffee table, feeding the pink tulips that sat on the stack of decorative books. Amelia groggily stepped out of her bed in her pink and white lacy pajama set and dragged herself into the bathroom.

       She dug through her makeup bag to find her face wash, then turned the golden knob on the sink to wash her face. The cold water from the sink woke Amelia up as she scrubbed away the dirt and grime from last night.
       She dried her face and used the complimentary face cream to moisturize her skin. Her hair was a tangled mess, so she combed her hair as she searched through her suitcase for an outfit. She landed on a pair of wide leg blue jeans and a white silk button down that she tucked into her jeans and unbuttoned to create a v-neckline. She did a natural makeup look and did loose curls in her hair.  Before she left for breakfast, Amelia slipped on her pair of black loafers with the gold chain across the top of them and grabbed her purse.

       She walked down the long hallway, admiring the wallpaper and carpet as she made her way to the elevator. The elevator opened, and a couple walked out. They were hand in hand, talking to each other and smiling. Amelia felt a wave of sadness overcome her as she stepped into the elevator. She pressed the first floor button and thought about the couple. She compared them to her love life, which was really nonexistent. While her sex life was booming, no one wanted to settle down with a girl like her. On the bright side, she got attention from men all the time.

       The elevator doors opened and she walked out into the foyer and onto the street. She walked a couple blocks down to a small café her father had invited her to. She walked in and spotted her dad sitting at a big table with a bunch of other men. They were all in business casual, button-downs and slacks. She waved to her dad, who got up and brought her to an empty seat.
       The men stared at her lustfully, their eyes wandering from her big brown eyes to her exposed collarbone. Every one of them, except for Pedro. Pedro stared directly into her eyes. She gave a weak smile to the group and sat down, once again reminded of her desired sexuality.

       "This is my daughter, Amelia. She will be joining us on this trip." Tim said to the men. They all stared at her, smiling. "How are you, little lady?" The man sitting next to her says. He was tall with dark skin. His hair was short and neat, his face smooth and chiseled. He was conventionally attractive, and Amelia was a little intimidated by him. "I'm doing good, excited to be here. And you?" She said in her cutest, most innocent voice. "I'm doing great. What are you doing here in Paris?" He said. "My dad invited me. He says I need to meet you guys, since I'm on track to becoming a lawyer." Amelia says.

       From the corner of her eye, she sees Pedro watching her intensely. He was watching the both of them, Amelia and the man, almost as if he was waiting for something. "Oh, that's nice. What was your name again? Amelia?" He says. "Yep. And yours?" She asks. "Walton," He replies, "oh, you've got an eyelash on your cheek, let me just-" he brushes his finger across Amelia's cheek and blows the lash off of his finger. Amelia blushes. "Thank you." Amelia says.

       "There it is. I told you he would." Pedro says to his colleague. "Man, she is gonna get eaten alive." The other man says. "I know. Part of me wants to warn her and tell her to run." Pedro says. He watches Amelia as she giggles with Walton. She's beautiful, but Pedro couldn't possibly admit that to himself. He feels bad for her, he sees how the other men treat her, like she's there only for their pleasure. Like she is at their disposal, like she's not a person outside of her looks.

       A woman in a tight waitress uniform approaches the table. She says something in French, Tim replies to her since he is the only one who speaks French. "What do you guys want?" He translates. Each of the men give their order and Tim translates. Most of them pick water or coffee and a baguette, but Amelia picks a chamomile tea and a lavender scone. Such a delicate meal for a delicate girl. Pedro admires Amelia's beauty. He tries not to identify his feelings as desire, but pity, for such a beautiful girl in an ugly world.

       Amelia gets to know the people around her. She already met Walton, who left a good first impression on her, and the others slowly started introducing themselves to Amelia. The man on her right was George, a sophisticated short bald man. Then there was Winston, an elderly man with white hair that was slicked back, and Beau, a charming silver fox, with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a gray beard.
       "How are you, I'm Beau." The man said to her, holding his hand out, his peircing deep eyes staring into Amelia's, seeing through her disguise. Amelia was startled by his rawness, feeling as if he was the only real person out of the crowd of people. "I'm doing great, thank you. My name's Amelia. But you probably already know that. It's nice to meet you." She stutters. Her face flushed red as she took his hand. The touch of his skin sent shivers down her spine. The eye contact was intoxicating, feeling as if with every second that passed by, he was crawling deeper under her skin. "It's nice to meet you too." He said putting his other hand on top of theirs. So, are you ready to be a lawyer?" He asked. "Yep! I can't wait to get this over with." She said with as much confidence as she could. The thought of actually becoming a lawyer tripped her up.
       Beau saw right through her mask of certainty. "Well, I'd be happy to share an office building with you someday, let's hope you make it." His cold tone echoed in Amelia's mind. What if she didn't make it? Was this gap year the only thing Amelia needed to make her life crumble into little pieces?

       Amelia didn't have much time to ponder this idea, because her tea and scone were being served to her. She found a good balance between sugar and tea and stirred her drink. She sipped her tea and stared across the table at the men, trying to get an idea of who they all were. She stared at Pedro, infatuated with his mystery. He was a very attractive man, tall with slight muscles, dark curly hair, deep brown eyes, and an unforgettable mustache. Her eyes wandered down to the unbuttoned v-neckline of his ivory white long sleeved shirt, gazing at the tanned skin peeking from underneath his shirt. The couple from the hotel crept into her mind. She bit her lip, afraid of the feelings she was feeling towards him.