The Closer I Get To You

HARD PLACE

The couple walked a few feet hand in hand until they reached the lobby where the rest of the girls were relaxing, waiting for the day's activities to start.

To Anntonia's surprise, Michelle immediately let go of her hand. That was weird, she thought.

Why had she done that?

Ann brushed the sudden worry away, but definitely felt it lodged in her brain. She sighed to herself, knowing that her actions would eventually haunt her sooner rather than later.

Or maybe she could ask Michelle about it when they would be back in the confines of their room.

"Ladies," one girl greeted them. "Woke up late?"

The pair looked at each other, "Y-yeah. This one set the alarm, and it didn't even help wake us up." She lied, an awkward chuckle came out of her throat.

"The tour bus is not here yet?" Asked Michelle, diverting the conversation to a different direction.

"Yeah, something must have come up, or it got stuck in traffic."

The short-haired girl hummed in response, relieved at the change of topic. Ann instinctively reached for Michelle's hand, holding it on a tight clasp, grazing the pale skin with her thumb.

"So, Michelle," Ileana spoke, getting Michelle's attention. "How did that thing go?"

The short-haired brunette's eyes widened.

"What thing?"

"Well, little birdies from Mexico and Australia have told me, you know.. that thing with that someone."

Anntonia looked at the two girls back and forth.

"What is she talking about?" Ann quietly asked, her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowing with curiosity. And Michelle simply shrugged her shoulders, albeit tensely, and shook her head.

Mentally slapping herself for spilling her guts to Melissa and Moraya about Anntonia.

Dude, stop talking. Please, just shut up.

"Oh, Michelle has a special someone? Let me see, who's the lucky guy?"

Miss Germany played and smirked at Michelle, but the woman on the hot seat looked down, racking her brain to think of something to say.

"You should have let us meet him in El Salvador, Mich." she teased.

"Because there is no him." Michelle answered back, her voice coming out shaky, as opposed to the snarky tone she had practised in her head. Well, at least she didn't lie about that.

"Oh, come on. Quit playing with us, lady. Spill the beans." Ileana encouraged, making the other girls giggle as they nod their heads in agreement.

Michelle felt herself blushing as she turned to look at Anntonia who's standing to her side, grasping her hand a little tighter than it was earlier, as if asking her to save her and as always, Ann read her mind, and so she was quick to step in.

She playfully huffed, "Ladies, please, I think you all know who Michelle's new eye candy is." Ann felt Michelle squeezing her hand. "Me."

The girls broke out into laughs, and Michelle could relax. Because as much as she wanted to shout their relationship to the entire universe, Michelle's only concern was Ann. Everyone knows she's in a long-term relationship with Irfan.

Even though her stomach had churned when she heard the words that came out of Ann's mouth. Her secret girlfriend observed her reactions, studying her face if she had done a good or a really bad thing by saying that. But she was glad that she stepped in, because she knew no one would take her seriously.