Glassheart |bruno mars.

13.

"Please don't tell me we're the only ones that are ready" I say as I took the final step down into the main living room slash kitchen of the villa.

I was wearing a light blue breezy dress and had sorted out my chlorine filled hair settling with braiding it to the side, I would stick with this hairstyle, it took me way too much effort to do it for me to just unravel it when I was bored with it.

Bruno had changed also into a button up army green shirt and casual chinos. He had a guitar casually strung across his lap and was eating from a bowl of grapes, I don't remember any of us bringing grapes.

"And please don't tell me you found those from the fridge here" And if he did, I don't even wanna think about how long they've been here for...

"No, most the guys are in the other room testing out the ping pong table and...no they're not from the fridge" Bruno said slowly withdrawing the grape that he was about to put into his mouth back into the bowl and slowly pushed the bowl back. I smiled and shook my head at him. "You look nice" Bruno stated looking me up and down.

"And why aren't you in there with them?" I asked ignoring the compliment, we're supposed to be platonic friends, we weren't at the stage where we could tell each other how nice they look. Bruno took off his fedora placing it next to the bowl of grapes and ran a hand through his head smiling.

"Because I kinda suck at ping pong" He answered, and I couldn't help but think how adorable he looked when admitting that. "And....I had another song idea"

Another? "Sticking to what you're good at, I see. Wanna share?" I ask coyly nodding to his guitar.

Bruno's breath hitched slightly and I could tell he was reluctant. He shook his head a little.

"...or not..." I said still smiling. I could understand that, I got pretty defensive about my writing. "That's okay..."

"I just...wanna work at it a bit more" Bruno said hesitantly looking down to his guitar "It's nothing personal, I swear"

"I'm not taking it personally! I'm pretty certain it's not gonna be as good as Valentina but hell, I'm sure you've accepted the fact that Valentina is the Bohemian Rhapsody of your career" I shrug taking a seat on the stool next to him picking up his fedora twirling it around in my index finger.

"Ooo, are you mocking me, Tina?" Bruno smirked.

"No way, you remember that..." I say wide eyed thinking back to the night after his show.

"You can take that as a yes way. Wasn't the deal that you do anything I say?"

"I was drunk when I made that deal...standard deal breaker"

"Obviously not drunk enough if you—"

"—whose ready to go shopping?!" Amelia cheered from the top of the stairs.

I instantly straightened up as if she had just caught us in the act. Shit, I really needed to watch myself this weekend.

-

"You know, I don't know why he's still with her" Fara whispered to me as we were walking through an aisle in a records store. Instinctively I looked in front to where Bruno and Amelia were walking ahead of us, Amelia had her arm around his shoulders with his fedora on her head. Bruno broke stride towards a couple of Prince records looking through them, breaking away from Amelia; she crossed her arms agitated, probably from the lack of attention.

"Because they probably love each other or something" I reply looking at some other records and tried hiding my sigh.

"And Santa Claus shot JFK" Fara rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're not seeing what I'm seeing" Fara snatched the Bob Marley record I was holding out of my hand.

"What?" I widened my eyes at her.

"Do you know how many times he's looked at you since we left the villa? He can't take his eyes off you." Fara stated. I bit the inside of my cheek trying to think of a way to avoid this conversation all together. "And don't give me that look either, Tina"

"Fara..." I sighed.

"I know you like him too, Tina. Don't try the whole friend card because I'm not bothered for any of your bullshit"

"Okay...you see right there?" I nodded to Amelia "That's his girlfriend, Amelia. They've been going out for like eight months now, eight months, Fara."

"And that's all fine and dandy but it's obvious he'd rather be in this place looking at records with you, not her. I bet that if she wasn't there when you told us about going to San Diego she wouldn't even be here now..."

"Yeah, well, I guess we'll never know" I shrug taking the back record from her. "And can we drop it please, he's with her, okay? I'm trying to be friends with him"

Never underestimate the power of saying please, always seems to work.

"That sucks" Fara pouted in resignation.

I put my free hand around her shoulders. "I know..." I say barely audibly, funny how I'm the one whose comforting her when it's my love life that's severely messed up.

-

"How do these earrings look?" I ask Raye pointing to the hoop earrings in my ears with a voila face.

"Ooo la, la" Raye replied touching them. "When did you get these?"

"When we were in the Bay shopping earlier today..." I say, after the record store and after Fara's so called intervention or whatever.

"They're gorge..." Raye said smiling. "I heard this club we're going to is great, the guys went there last year when they were on their U.S. tour"

"Oh that's cool; I trust their judgment when it comes to partying and drinking." I smile, the guys knew how to have a good time, and if they said they had a good time at the club we're going tonight then we're gonna have a good time there. Plus if I was gonna be in the presence of Bruno and Amelia I would prefer to have a few drinks in me, it was the best chance I had at having a nice time tonight.

"So do I" Raye laughed

"Brian's gonna flip when he sees you in that dress, Raye" I smile at Raye in her black sequined tube dress.

It was lovely that she was in a relationship and happy with him, it helped remind me that meeting Bruno freaking Mars wasn't a mistake. It was like kind of having an extended family, the Hooligans, and I guess it gives Kenneth and Trevor some more guy friends and Kendra has people she can be super wild with when she takes things a little too far for me and Trevor since we were the only single ones in our old group of friends.

"And all those single guys are gonna be all over you like a rash in that dress" Raye pointed at my black lace sweetheart dress. Compliments did wonders for my bruised ego.

"Oh, this old thing?" I twirl in my dress "It was just sitting in my closet begging to come with me to San Diego" I lied, I bought this today as well. "And did you just say they're gonna be all over me like a rash?" I raised my eyebrow slightly laughing. "C'mon, let's go downstairs" I nod and we make out way out of her and Brian's room.

"FINE!" A voice yelledas the door slammed across the hall way. Amelia had stormed out of her room and past us without making eye contact, she ran down the stairs and there was another slam of the door, I guess it was the front door.

"...the hell was that about?" Raye asked looking down the stairs where Amelia had vanished to.

"...no idea" I shrugged and looked back to her and Bruno's room, had they gotten into an argument or something? "Should we...?" I nod to Bruno's room

"Uh, no." Raye said a horrified look on her face for me even suggesting we go to his room to check on him "Let's just go downstairs"