Falling for the Leclerc's

3. It's Him

Grace's pov

"My name's Arthur by the way."

My face falls as soon as I hear him say those words, my eyes widening as his voice rings in my ears, my head spinning but I finally start feeling sobered up. I get away from his embrace and sit on the bed, just right on the edge, putting as much distance as I can between us. I can't help but feel cold now that his arms are not wrapped around me, but it's not a good idea now that I know who they belong to...

Arthur...

It can't be, can it? I look at him and study his features. How could I have been so stupid? It's him. Arthur. Charles' Arthur. His little brother. Charles' brother.

Now it made perfect sense. The familiarity in his voice, his touch, his smile, the way he held me just like Charles used to.

I was either too dumb or too drunk to realise it but I was in bed with my ex's brother. How did I get myself in this situation? Out of all the people in the club, why did it have to be him? I sigh, realising about the colossal mistake I almost made. Not that sitting in his hotel room right now, almost naked it's not a mistake.

Arthur tries to read my expressions, his brows furrowing and looking all confused. He is probably trying to figure me out but I can not make sense of the situation myself. I cover my hands with my face, already wanting to leave, to get out of here, as far away as possible. I can not stay here any longer.

"Did I do or say something wrong?" Arthur softly asks and reaches towards me, pulling my hands from my face. I just look at him not being able to respond.

We kissed...it couldn't get any worse than that.

I should have known better. I was drunk but...I should have known better. A nauseous feeling fills my entire body as I start stressing out.

"It's alright, we don't have to do anything. We could cuddle if you want?" he says and gives me an apologetic smile while sitting up as well.

I can see him trying to calm me down but it's not working. He still hasn't recognised me yet hut I have. I know who he is now and I wish the ground would open and swallow me whole.

"Arthur..." I begin slowly, unsure of how to break it down to him "Do you not recognise me?"

He looks at me confused but then his face falls as if something clicked, his pupils growing large, his lips parting open. He knows. He remembered who I am.

"Grace?" Comes out of his mouth but barely just a whisper, almost like he's talking to himself. I watch his face shift and plunge into realisation and I swear I can almost see all those thoughts racing in his head.

I can see that he begins to panic now.

He reaches for my face slowly, pushing the hair away from my face. The room is dark but the moon reflection from the window makes enough light for him to be able to see me.

Arthur lets out a slow sigh and without saying anything gets up from the bed, turning his back on me. One of his hands runs furiously through his hair like he doesn't know what to do. He's just as lost as me.

What do you do when you find yourself in a situation like this?

But then Arthur grabs his shirt that was sitting on the ground and puts it on, walking towards his closet and looking for something.

I just sit here, on his bed, still in shock, trying to convince myself that this is real... that it is not just a dream or my worse nightmare.

How could I do this? What's going to happen now? How do we move on from it?

Arthur walks back to the bed and interrupts my thoughts. He hands me a white shirt but never looks my way. He refuses to ask his eyes are glued to the floor and the cold sholder he's offering me makes me feel ten times worse. I'd rather he'd say his thoughts out loud so I wouldn't feel like I'm going insane on my own.

"You can wear this....and I'll take the couch." He says shyly, talking about a small couch on the corner of the hall before the room which is definitely not made to be slept on. He can't possibly feel comfortable spending the night there.

"Arthur, it's fine you can sleep on the bed I-"
I say softly, not wanting to cause any bad reaction by saying the wrong thing but Arthur interrupts me.

"Grace, please don't make this more difficult than it already is." And with that he walks towards the door.

I pull his shirt over my head while he stops in his steeps and turns his head slightly to the side. He takes a final look at me before he says
"Good night Grace." And with that he leaves the room and shuts the door behind, leaving me feeling more alone than I did at the beginning of the night, the darkness in his room engulfing me.

"Good night Arthur." I mumble to myself and lie back on the bed.

The pillows smell just like him.

I can't help but think of what would have happened if he hadn't told me his name. I would have made a bigger mistake that I had already made...

I shut my eyes tight close, pretending I'm lying on my own bed and nothing from tonight actually happened. Maybe if I think of it long enough, I might actually start believing it, but it's hard when the actions of tonight won't stop playing in my head like a broken record player.

Sleep engulfs me soon enough and I dream of those beautiful eyes. Those beautiful green eyes.

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