treat you better // pedri

thirty two

"Surprise, surprise!" Ferran calls out as I look up from the couch as all the guys come inside with bags.

"Oh this is nice." Gavi says as he begins looking around.

"I'll show you all to your rooms." Nico says as he gets up off the couch, everyone following behind him.

"No jude?" Daria asks as she gives me a look and I shake my head.

"I heard he was busy." I say as she tilts her head and I stand up as I clear my throat. "It's fine."

"Mae." She says quietly.

"You and Nico should go out tonight or something, you need that since yesterday you were babysitting me all day." I say as she smiles.

"Your turn to babysit all the guys then." She scoffs.

"I will, don't worry." I reply as she laughs, "I'm going to go get ready for the beach or something." I add as she nods and I go down the hallway to my room as I quickly look in the room next to mine as Pedri is in there.

Great.

I go in my room and quickly put on a bikini, putting on a pair of shorts and a tank top over top as I go back out in the hallway, lightly knocking on Pedri's door as it's already half open. He pokes his head out of the bathroom and he nudges his head as I go in. "You wanted to talk, right?" I ask as I go in the bathroom and he's washing his hands as I lean against the counter.

It took me this long to realize he's not wearing a shirt since he's already in swim trunks and I shake my head, trying to pay attention to him and what he's about to say.

"Uh, yeah." He says, his focus on the water as I bite the inside of my cheek, "I just have something to tell you." He adds as he turns off the water, quickly drying his hands before placing them against the counter.

"Okay." I say quietly as he tenses his jaw.

"I didn't intend for it to go on as long as it did," he begins quietly as I immediately furrow my eyebrows together, "there's not another girl." He adds as I cross my arms.

"Why lie about it?" I ask as he shrugs.

"I don't know, in my head it felt like a way for you to actually convince yourself you feel the same way, even if you don't, but then after awhile it just felt wrong or something." He says as I scoff.

"You lied about a girl to make me jealous?" I question as he nods slightly.

"Yeah." He says quietly as I sigh.

"I'm not gonna say I agree with what you did because obviously it struck a chord, but I don't care now." I say as he tilts his head.

"How'd it strike a chord?"

"I mean obviously you saying she was a ray of sunshine got me to react poorly, but I'm sure you intended that so it'd happen that way, right?" I ask.

"It was Gavi and Ferran's idea." He mumbles as I laugh.

"Of course they were in on it." I say as I begin walking out of the bathroom but he immediately grabs my wrist, pulling me back towards him.

"Please, please just listen to me." He pleads as I back up against the counter as he lifts me up, and I cross my arms as I'm now sitting on the counter, "it was wrong and went longer than it should have, but I needed you to figure out how you felt, and if that meant making you jealous then that's that." He says.

"How do I know you're not lying? That there wasn't actually a girl who's the opposite of me?" I ask as he scoffs, lifting up his hand, "what are you doing?" I question as he nudges his head down to his bracelet.

"This has been on the bracelet for days and you never realized." He says as I rotate his bracelet, looking at the small lightning bolt charm, "I meant it when I said I want your thunder over anyone else's sun, you're so complicated yet I cant stay away from you, that's what kind of hold you have on me right now." He adds as I stare down at his wrist.

"Oh." I say quietly as he lifts my chin before cupping my face.

"The only person who is convinced that you've been a problem lately is you, get it out of your head because it's obviously wrong." He says as his thumb brushes over my bottom lip.

"I think I'm supposed to be mad at you." I mumble as he smiles, shaking his head.

"Now can we please kiss? Talking about a fake girl has been draining me when all I've wanted to do is-" he says before I cut him off with a kiss.

"Just stop talking." I mumble into the kiss as he smiles, placing his hands on either side of me against the counter as I wrap my arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry for it all, but I hope you can forgive me." He says in between kisses.

"I can manage." I say as I slide forward so I'm closer to him as his hand finds its way to my thigh, squeezing lightly.

"That's good." He says as I run my hands up his back.

"Wait so what are we?" I ask as I pull away and he takes a deep breath.

"Up to you. I mean I faked talking to a girl so you'd get jealous, so it's safe to say I only want you." He says as he brushes a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I don't know." I say quietly as he nods, placing a soft kiss against my lips.

"That's okay, it's okay." He says as he comes closer to me, wrapping his arms around me in a hug, "I don't know when it happened, but somewhere along the line you were the only one I could picture myself dating. Waiting for the right girl, it was you, I hope you know that." He adds as I hug him tighter.

"I kind of figured." I say as he rubs my back.

"Glad I was totally subtle." He jokes as I smile.

"Pedri?" I ask as he pulls away.

"Hmm?" He hums as he gives me a look.

"I want to be mad at you," I begin as I play with his bracelet, "but I'm scared if I am you'll get bored waiting and leave." I add as I look at him and he shakes his head.

"That first day at the beach when you opened up to me changed something in me, I wouldn't do anything that would make you think I was leaving. Not now." He says as he puts his hand against my jaw.

"You faked talking to a girl, that was you leaving." I say as he shakes his head.

"I'm here now, right in front of you." He whispers as I begin tapping my leg but he immediately grabs my hand, "you opening up didn't drive me away, it only made me want to be closer to you."

"I can't do this." I say as he shakes his head.

"You're scared to open up more, stop being scared of it, please." He says as I grab his wrist, moving it away from my face.

"I'm not talking about being in a relationship." I mumble as I move so I'm off the counter, "I can't be in front of you right now, it makes me want to do things." I scoff as I walk past him out of the bathroom.

"Don't scare me like that." He mumbles as he follows behind me, "so what does this mean for us then?" He questions as I turn around.

"Friends." I say as he frowns, "who like each other."

"Usually when it's like that people date." He says as I smile slightly.

"Fine, then dating." I shrug as he nods slowly.

"Now what?" He asks as I give him a look.

"I don't know, I've never dated anyone. Remember how I have an aversion to letting people in?" I say as he nods.

"I know that, I just don't know how to go about it now." He says as I smile.

"You're so dumb." I laugh as I walk out of his room.