Secrets and Lies (a Les Twins fanfic)

Chapter 19: Break Up to Make Up

Gabby threw on a black one-shoulder tank with jeans and a chunky bracelet, grabbed her poetry notebook, and headed to the sidewalk café across the street from the hotel.

She had pushed her flight out a few days, but she didn’t cancel it. The next week would be mostly paperwork and red tape signing contracts with TVOne and the twins’ management.

That gave her plenty of time to fly home to Atlanta and break the news to Keith in-person that she’d have to be in Paris for another month.

Meanwhile things with Laurent were settling into friendship mode, but she was still on Larry’s hit list.

She was lounging at the café writing and people-watching when Laurent sent a text telling her to come over.

Lau: meet me at my place

Gabby: when?

Lau: now

“Okay, what was so important that I had to rush over here?”

Laurent led her into the living room and steered her to a chair across from where Larry was sitting on the couch wearing a black button-up shirt with pockets on the chest and black jeans. He looked less than thrilled to see her.

Larry stood up and started talking fast to Laurent in French.

“Vous avez ditque vous vouliez que je vienne pour regarder des films.” (You said you wanted me to come over to watch movies.)

“J’aiseulement dit que pour vous rendreici.”(I only said that to get you over here.)

“Cela foiré, l’homme. Je n’essaie pas de sortir avec elle.” (That’s messed up, man. I’m not trying to hang out with her.)

They half-heartedly shoved each other back and forth a few times.

“Whatever you’re saying, if it’s about me I’m leaving.” Gabby stood up.

Laurent positioned himself in between them. “I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but it’s clouding my chakra. You need to squash it.” 

He left them alone in the apartment.

Larry rolled his eyes to the ceiling then narrowed them at her. “Maybe my brother forgive you, but that doesn’t mean I do.”

He paced back and forth tugging at the hem of his shirt and flapping it up and down out of habit.

Gabby tried not to lose focus as his smooth, tight abs disappeared and reappeared.

“Believe me, this was not my idea to come here. But, Lau’s right. We can’t work together if we hate each other.”

Larry ignored her and continued to rant. “It was fucked up how you tried to blackmail me.”

Gabby perched on the arm of the chair and rested her hands on her thighs watching him.

She looked down at floor then back up at him. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“So, what’s up with you and Lau now?”

“Nothing. Just friends, I guess.”

He stopped pacing and thought about it for a long moment then his face softened.

“What you did was kind of gangster, though. I didn’t know you were from the hood.” He threw up some gang signs with his fingers.

“Why you gotta be like that, Larry?”

“I’m serious! I thought you were gonna stab me. I was like this.” He jumped around like he was ducking and running.

“Very funny. I wasn’t, but maybe I should have.”

He curled his top lip at her. She tossed a throw pillow at him and he dodged it. It got quiet again then Larry spoke.

“What we do until Lau gets back?”

“I don’t know. Whatever you want to do.”

He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “Okii.”

By the time Laurent came home they had watched Larry’s favorite movie Four Brothers and moved on to Fast Five.

Gabby was sitting on the floor with a big bowl of popcorn and Larry was on the couch happily playing in her hair. He had half of it in some kind of crazy braid and the other half was loose.

Neither of them looked up when Laurent came in.

“Well, I see you made up.”

They both shushed him at the same time. “Shhhhh…this is the best part.”

Laurent threw up his hands and left the room.

Larry called after him. “Pouvez-vous nous apporter un peu plus de Sprite?” (Can you bring us some more Sprite?)