Adoration: Book Two of the Infatuation Series

Chapter Eleven: Astute, Part One

Charles' PoV:

It's hard watching the two of them from across the party; he snaps at her, and her eyes grow bigger. You warned her a million times that he would turn on her, and that he'd start treating her like this at some point or another, but you never thought he'd start this early.

They seemed totally okay at the launch, and now he's chugging his drinks, being visibly tense and watching her walk away from him. He calls her name once or twice, but she just runs off...

Every protective fibre in you is on high alert, wanting to check on her, but your mind returns to the conversation you had with George. You can't interfere. It still hurts to watch her run off like that though, knowing she's probably upset - the same goes for him, fuck.

If you were on talking terms with her, you'd give her a hug, you'd tell her he'll get his shit together at some point, and that she should just let it go. If you were actually talking with Pierre, not just this bullshit faking it, you'd tell him that she always does that, and that she'll cool off in a bit... To not worry...

y/n's PoV:

Kim and you start talking with some other girls on the team - back in the day you had met some of them, but not all. They discuss some things they've recently seen on TikTok, and Kim is highly engaged, while you continue nipping at your drink, processing what just happened with Pierre.

It's barely ever like that, but sometimes he just snaps a little. The entire day was really great with him, and now he's in a shit mood, for God knows what reason, but it's probably about Charles.

His eyes are glued to you for the rest of the night, while he's nonetheless distracted with other people. You didn't want to give him any attitude, since this is still a work-related event for him... So putting some distance between the two of you was the smartest bet.

---

At quarter to one, he pulls you aside, asking if you're ready to go back to the hotel. You simply agree, say bye to your friends, and the two of you head back. It's only a ten minute walk to the hotel, so the two of you slowly walk alongside each other. The air hangs low, as the bad energy from before is still present.

Pierre: How much did you have to drink?

You glance up, surprised he's even initiating a conversation right now. He's trying though, and you should know better by now than be surprised when he's attempting to fix something.

y/n shrugs: Two or three? I diluted it down in between with some water.

Pierre nods: Yeah, I saw.

y/n: What about you then?

Pierre sighs: Too many probably.

y/n softly: Hmm...

He comes to a halt, grabbing ahold of your hand as you continue, subsequently also making you stop.

Pierre softly: I'm sorry- I-

His hand is tightly holding onto yours. You move a little closer to him, running your hand along his beard.

y/n quietly: It's fine mon amour, let's just go to sleep, and it will all be okay in the morning, okay?

Pierre softly: Are you sure?

You nod softly; he's also allowed to be mad about what has happened with Charles, so you'll let this thing go. There's no point in holding a grudge about this.

y/n: I promise, by tomorrow morning everything will be good again. So, c'mon, let's get some sleep.

A soft tug sets him in motion again. The two of you keep your hands intertwined, not letting go of the other one, until you've reached the hotel room. He's properly drunk.

Pierre practically dives onto the bed, falling asleep within a matter of minutes. The last few weeks have given you more than enough time to think about everything, and so has seeing Charles today. You pull off Pierre's sneakers, chucking them to the floor.

You've come to the conclusion that this thing that has brought you together, and made you feel so close so quickly, could also be the thing that could potentially tear you apart again. It's dramatic to think about it like that, and you're slightly tipsy right now, but it's the truth.

You saw the first glimpse of that today, when he snapped at you ever so slightly. It's not your job to reunite them, nor does Pierre ever give off the impression of wanting to properly reunite with him, but you know how much Charles' texts, presence and hang-outs meant to him.

You stroke back Pierre's hair, as you press a soft kiss onto his forehead, before turning him to his side, in case he'll throw up.

Snapping at you like that, while discussing Charles feels like the beginning of a crack forming in your relationship. You don't know how to bring it up, or how to address it properly, and whenever you try to, he deflects the topic, making it impossible for you to talk to him about it.

Why are your drunk thoughts so deep and insightful right now? Jesus fucking Christ.

You do your best to cover Pierre with the remainder of his blanket that he's technically lying on top of, before slowly making your way into the bathroom.

The light flips on with a click, and you turn on some soft music. Sometimes (Backwood) by Gigi Perez. You slide the earrings from their respective holes, undo the bobby pins that held your hair in place and you slip out of the dark green dress you decided to wear.

The hotel's bathrobes are a little too long on you - to be honest they're all designed to fit a tall ass man - you tie it tightly, ensuring it won't slip.

You hear Pierre softly muttering something, but stopping again. You don't even know how you want to proceed with Charles from now on. The no-contact rule is all good and great, and it's doing okay for now, but it won't be sustainable forever. You tie up your hair.

Lorenzo's birthday party is already making you feel bad enough, but it's too much to have your entire family there, including Charles, and also Pierre, especially after not having seen any of them in a while, because of all the travelling that you've been doing. You're pretty sure Enzo understood that though. Sparks by Coldplay.