~perfect for pictures~ (luka couffaine x reader)

☆ chapter fourteen ☆

(Y/N'S POV)

~at the Musée de Arts Forains~

After leaving the park, we grabbed some food at The Frog and Underground and drove to the museum.

"No fucking way!" Isaac practically shouted. "How did you guys get a tour appointment? I tried to look into visiting but all the visitor days were booked up. I glanced at Luka, who had a smile playing on his lips.

"We have a friend who's the curator. She got us in after a cancellation." I said proudly. Our friend Chloe got the job almost two years ago, and she had been able to pull some strings for us on occasion.

"Couffaine, Y/N! Is that you?" A high pitched voice exclaimed.

"Speak of the devil." Luka muttered under his breath before turning around to face the yellow-clad blonde who was walking towards us with her arms open. "Chloe!" He opened his arms for a hug.

"That's Chloe, the curator friend." I whispered to Isaac. He nodded in recognition.

"Do we like her?" He asked, leaning in so I could hear him.

"Yeah, we like her. She's just a bit...much sometimes." I shrugged before addressing Chloe. "Chloe! How are you?" I smiled at her. Her big sunglasses rested on top of her head, her hair in a bouncy ponytail. She smiled wide, showing her perfectly white teeth. Chloe Bourgeois had been astoundingly clean and perfectly manicured for as long as I'd known her. Maybe since birth.

"I'm just great. The museum has been doing wonderful– just wonderful!" She exclaimed. "I hired a new butler, but nothing much else is new."

"What about your family, how are they?" Luka asked, crossing his arms– something he does when he doesn't know what to do with his hands.

"Daddy's enjoying his retirement in Morocco, my mother is in New York, and Zoé is studying film in Chicago." Chloe rattled off the list of family members like it was a locker combination she had to memorize.

"What school is she studying at?" Isaac interjected. Chloe seemed to finally notice his presence.

"Columbia– who are you exactly?" She looked at him with an eyebrow raised in hesitation.

"I'm Isaac. I think I might know your sister– Zoé Lee?" Isaac stuck out his hand to shake Chloe's. Chloe leaned closer to me with her eyes still trained on Isaac.

"Who is Isaac and why does he know my half sister?" Chloe looked suspicious.

"He's a friend from Chicago. He also studies film at Columbia." I whispered to Chloe– not to be actually quiet, more to just play along with her actions. Chloe looked at me and then back at Isaac before a smile broke out on her face.

"Lovely to meet you, Isaac." She seemed genuine, and I heard Luka let out a breath I wasn't aware he had been holding in. It wasn't every day Chloe adjusted well to a stranger unless they were both rich and famous. Isaac nodded and smiled at her.

"Shall we get on with the tour?" Luka put his hands together and rocked forward on his feet.

"Oh yes! The tour! I couldn't get the schedule cleared for today, so there will be other people around the museum today." She sounded disgusted at the sound of other people, which was an interesting quality for a museum curator to have.

"That's fine, Chloe. We don't need a private tour." I half-laughed, finding the idea hilarious.

Chloe spent the next hour or so giving us a tour, making sure to highlight her favorite parts of the museum. Luka and I had been plenty of times, but watching Isaac light up at the different rides and installments was entertainment enough for the both of us and the twinkling bulbs that decorated the ceiling made for a lovely atmosphere. Chloe eventually let us wander around and left to do whatever a curator has to do.

"This is so fucking cool!" Isaac gushed, running up to Luka and I. A couple visitors shot him a few nasty looks and he lowered his voice to a hush. "This is so fucking cool! I wish I could bring my camera in– but I will admit it's kind of a good break to take in things firsthand without the looming thought of how to capture it."

Luka turned to me. "He's like a little kid on Christmas– did you know he was this down bad for carnivalcore?"

"Nope, this is new." I said.

"I can hear both of you, and I choose to ignore your comments. Let me live." Isaac said with his back to us as he studied the intricate carousel seats designed to look like animals.

"He's a man in his element." I shrugged at Luka.

"It appears so."

(LUKA'S POV)

"I'll be right back." Y/N shouted over her shoulder as she headed for the bathroom. I sighed, feeling the awkwardness set in. Our mutual friend left us with no link, and I had no idea what to say to Isaac.

We stood in silence for a few minutes, totally over-observing the museum display in front of us before he finally spoke.

"So how long have you liked her?" Isaac continued to look straight ahead, but his words felt like a direct stare-down.

"Hmm?" I stalled. I hoped I heard him wrong.

"So a while, then." Isaac guessed. I didn't correct him. I could feel his frustration hanging in the air mixing with my own. My hands balled into fists at my sides and I looked over at him to find him turned towards me with a withering stare.

"What do you want?" I shot back more aggressively than I should have. He smirked, still holding the intensity in his eyes. He opened his mouth to reply with something (something snarky, no doubt), but I'll never know what it was because Y/N chose that moment to return.

"Miss me?" She stood in the middle of us and rested each of her arms on our shoulders.

"You have no idea." Isaac muttered. "Ready to head out?"

"I think so. Luka– are you ready?" I snapped out of my tense state.

"Yep!" I dug out my keys from my pocket and swiveled around towards the doors, not waiting for the other two to follow.

The ride home was unpleasant. Y/N and Isaac spent the whole time talking to each other, with Y/N only occasionally including me. Their chemistry was apparent, and it occurred to me that Y/N no longer needed me with him around. Was I just replacement Isaac? Isaac: Paris Edition?

Who was I kidding– thinking I had a chance at all? 

(A/N: Chapter fourteen! I'm trying to move along quickly and get these chapters out cause who likes to wait for updates anyway. More to come soon, and in the meantime-- let me know your thoughts!)