BITTER LOVE || arthur tv

Chapter 3

AN/ This chapter is a bit longer I hope you guys like it!! Thanks for reading so far <3

Dervla's POV

Horror. That's the only thing coursing through me as I lock eyes with Arthur'. Pure and utter horror. There was no hiding what I was doing. I was caught red-handed. Redness spreads across my cheeks making me look like a tomato. A fucking tomato! I'm sitting here, in front of an insanely attractive man, and I look like a piece of disgusting fruit.

My mouth bobs open and closed, desperately trying to form a coherent sentence. He looks at me expectantly, eyebrows slightly raised. The small smirk he wears only makes my blush deepen. He knows, and he knows I know.

"Do you mind if I sit?" he says gently as if talking to a child.

My jaw snaps shut and I nod slowly. I move my body to the edge of my seat, nearly hugging the plane window, hoping it will somehow open and pull me away from the most embarrassing moment of my life. Anything to put some distance between us.

Watching him from the corner of my eye, I notice the way he clumsily sits in his seat. Well, really he falls into his seat. Then it hits me. The unmistakable scent of alcohol slaps me in the face. I hold my breath, fighting the urge to gag. Could this situation get any worse?

Completely unaware of my discomfort, Arthur grins over at me, some mischief in his eyes. I can still see the slight smug look on his face. I narrow my eyes into slits, giving him a death glare. How dare he feel smug while I sit here moments away from launching my breakfast all over him?

I stare out the window like it's the most riveting view I've ever seen, refusing to look at him. Hopefully, he'll just put on a pair of headphones and ignore me for the duration of the flight. But of course, I would never be that lucky.

He clears his throat and pauses before asking, "So, would you rather see it in person or...?"

My eyes double in size. I whip around to face him, probably giving myself whiplash in the process. "What?" I practically screech, earning a small chuckle from him.

"Well, you seemed rather interested in my picture. I was just being polite by offering the real deal," he slurs with, what I think, is meant to be a sultry smile.

I relax and take a deep breath. He's just drunk. He doesn't even know what he's saying. Maybe he'll forget all about this awkward episode by the time we land.

"You're drunk," I say flatly.

"My offer still stands," he replies, licking his lips.

I scoff, looking away from him, and shake my head. He can't be serious. Does he think I'm going to sneak off and join the mile-high club with him? Not a chance! Don't get me wrong, he's an attractive guy, but airplane bathrooms are tiny and smell like piss. What if he has an STD? Or worse, what if the air hostess bursts in and everyone gets a front-row seat to us doing the deed? Even just imagining it makes me want to crawl into the overhead cabin and hide.

When I turn back to look back at him, he's grinning like a cat, trying to stifle his laughter. I can't help but let out a small laugh.

"See, now I've said something embarrassing. We're even," he beams, seeming proud of himself.

I look down at my lap, trying to hide my smile. Maybe he's not the drunk, cocky guy I initially thought.

"Thank you," I mumble, stealing a peek at him.

I don't know what to make of him. He's surprisingly sweet. Most guys would be trying to hook up at this stage. After matching on a dating app and catching someone ogling their pictures like I had done to Arthur's, sex was the next step for most guys. But not him. He saw how embarrassed I was, and tried to make me feel better. He's more focused on making sure I don't drown in my own mortification than trying to get in my pants.