All the couples that Alaia Repond has gotten together have stayed happily together, and at this point, she really should consider matchmaking as a profession. So when her close friend Ollie asks her to set up a friend of his, she's more than happy t...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The two find themselves in Alaia's bed, clothes strewn across the floor.
Her fingers are raking through his hair gently, and Franco's got his eyes closed. All he can do is think about what they just did — if it was any other situation, he won't even think about it too deeply. But considering the kiss that they shared last time they saw each other? The implication that they could be something more?
Franco feels like he should ask.
Because he wants nothing more than for Alaia Repond to call him hers. And for him to be able to call her, his.
"What are we?" he asks.
Alaia's taken aback at the question. She doesn't know how to respond. "What do you mean?"
"What's... this. What this is between us."
She wants to tell him that they could be more than friends that hook up. But that wild, hammering fear hits her like a ton of bricks out of the blue.
She can't tell him about her feelings. There's no world where she can see herself being a good girlfriend — he deserves better. Deserves someone who isn't conflicting about how they feel, deserves someone who isn't emotionally unavailable, deserves someone who can actually fall wildly and deeply in love without fear holding them back.
"Friends." she gulps. "Are we not?"
Friends. He hates that word. It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, and Franco realises that this is what it feels like to have your heart broken. But why should he even feel this way? They weren't even dating.
He knew what he was getting into when he started this with Alaia — it was going to be a one time thing, but then it turned to more and more nights in hotel rooms.
But he can't help but feel hurt. Maybe he was being naive that they could've been something more than this. She didn't do relationships. What did he expect?
Suddenly Franco thinks he needs to stop this whole friends with benefits situation. And he realises right then and there, he's fallen far too hard. So hard to the point where love might even be the word to describe it.
"Friends." Franco repeats. No. He hates the word. Doesn't even sound right.
"Are we... not friends?" Alaia asks.
"No, we are." Franco says. There's no rational reason for him to be upset, but he is. He tries his best not to show it, but to no avail.
He'll stay the night, he thinks. And then... he needs to end whatever this is. Because all he's going to do is fall harder, and harder, and harder for someone who will never want him back.
He wants to be friends. Of course he wants her in his life, how could he not? But he needed to sort his feelings out first — as in, get rid of them.
"Just friends." he mumbles. Alaia doesn't seem to hear him.
Her words from that hotel room corridor in Spain ring in his head. This is only going to happen once.
And now Franco really wished it did, because it would've made letting go of whatever this relationship was so much easier.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Alaia wakes up alone.
She's confused, her eyebrows furrowed as she searches the room for any trace of Franco.
Nothing.
She pulls some clothes on, treading into the living room — she's hoping that he'll be there with Mimi on the couch, but she just sees her cat, alone, sleeping on her bed.
Franco left. Without telling her. This has never happened before, and for some reason Alaia has a dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Did she fuck up something last night?
She scrambles to unplug her phone from the charging cord, and sure enough, there's a message from Franco.
Sorry I left. Needed to head to Williams early and didn't want to wake you.
It's strange how she could somehow hear his tone from the text message — and it didn't seem like the Franco she knew. The playfulness was gone, this was a tone of seriousness, and Alaia thinks she's messed something up.
Is everything okay? she texts back.
Yes, he replies. A few minutes later than he usually does. Just busy.Don't worry about it.
