Forbidden - Pedro Pascal

Chapter 20: "of course i do"

Hey guys, I've published the first chapter of the Joel Miller fic!! It's actually a lot better than this one lol, pls check it out if ur interested ;)

As we sat and talked over the glasses of wine, we reminisced of that first time we saw each other over a year ago now. I was star struck by the set up that Pedro had organised, the soft buzzing glow of the fairy lights lighting the background behind him in a striking yellow aura that bounced off his face and lit him up. His dark, thick rimmed glasses framed his warm face that gazed intimately into my eyes as we spoke and caught up, despite it not having been that long between seeing each other, but we were in desperate need of a long conversation.

Our talks remained as long winded and strikingly unique as ever, as if we never ran out of things to say to each other. Despite our years of difference in age, Pedro had the same overly self conscious way of behaving that I did in my twenties and was common of people my age, but it didn't take away from his maturity; rather it meant he could get on with anyone, of any age within the limits of his self awareness, that in fact made him extremely likeable. I wondered if it was this trait that made everyone attract towards him like a magnet, and not just in a romantic way.

Working in this industry, I have heard almost everyone's opinions on anyone with any sort of reputable position, not to say all of those opinions were wanted. I had hardly met anyone who disliked Pedro, and if they did there was so true reasoning, just incoherent mumblings that were clearly sourced from jealousy. Most people he had a clear, positive effect on, and they hung on to his every word and presence as if it were gospel.

I set my wine down as we chuckled at our previous conversation, crossing my legs under the table and leaning in. He instinctively did the same, watching my face intently as he always did.

"Ok, I have to ask, just because I'm curious. When did you first realise you liked me?" I held back a grin. I was surprised at his flustered demeanour, suddenly flushing pink and rubbing his face with his hand, his shoulders shaking as he laughed a little.

"Umm," he trailed off, biting his lip through a smile as he looked down at the table.

"The honest answer," I interjected, prodding him playfully on the shoulder. He nodded, slowly looking up at me.

"You're gonna hate the answer." He grinned, some of his shyness melting away. I raised an eyebrow and waited. He sighed, blowing out his cheeks.

"It was the first moment I saw you, right here in this park," he said earnestly.

I scoffed. "Oh, fuck off no it wasn't," I retorted, but only softly, as a huge goofy grin began to spread over my face. He smiled back, and I knew he wasn't lying.

"What, so you're saying you weren't instantly in love with all of this?" He gestured up and down to himself, wiggling his eyebrows and I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment, laughing breathily.

"I mean obviously I was attracted to you, but I try to ignore most of those types of feelings for as long as possible, because the nature of my job means I see an awful lot of attractive men."

He opened his mouth to protest the latter comment and I giggled, but interjected; "But I just couldn't ignore you, Pedro."

His legs nestled into mine in a tangle under the table, one hand lightly tracing my thigh and my heart fluttered.

"So, when did you realise you liked me then?" he asked softly. My mind flipped instantly to the moment when I knew, and I smiled fondly at the memory which seemed so long ago now.

"That night at the bar, to celebrate the wrap on filming. We were on those stupid dance machines, and I nearly fell, but you caught me. Something about the way you looked at me... I don't know, I just- everything changed then,"