Cause and Effect

Six

^this gif gets me every time :) <3 (I hope it actually works as a gif lol)

It was dark outside now, but the weather was still beautifully warm, as we walked in the direction of the dessert parlour that Neymar was apparently taking us to.

"It's odd," I commented. "I'm walking through the city I grew up in, yet I feel like a tourist."

"Moving away will do that to you," Alexis nodded.

"Yeah," Hector added. "I know exactly how you feel. It's weird."

"How old were you guys when you moved?" Asked Neymar.

"We were both sixteen," Hec nodded, glancing at me.

I nodded, in confirmation.

"So young, so fragile," I smiled. "We've come a long way since then."

"Defence is a long way from attack," Hector grinned. "But I don't know that you've moved too far, Nia!"

"I don't know," I chuckled. "I think I've come a long way. I mean, I've had comparisons to this guy called Sanchez, but he's not very well known."

"Spuds Sanchez or real Sanchez?" Hec laughed.

"Which do you think?" I snorted. "The Real one, of course."

"I'll just pretend you didn't say I wasn't well known, and move on," Lex rolled his eyes at me playfully.

"Oh, was that your ego I tripped over? Sorry," I smirked.

"Shut it, you!" He chuckled.

His hand reached for mine, as we walked side by side, and he took it, intwining our fingers together. I felt him squeeze it softly, and I looked up to meet his eyes, which were smiling at me. I smiled back, although it felt forced, which puzzled me, and as I turned my head, I noticed Neymar looking at our enjoined hands, and frowning. His eyes met mine, but they were expressionless.

I didn't see why my intuition told me it was so wrong to hold hands with Lex. I mean, it was fine this afternoon, when we walked up the beach for ages.

'That was before you met Neymar,' my subconscious reminded me.

How could meeting him make such a difference? Sure, he was confident, and his sense of humour was even darker than my own, two traits that I always liked on a guy. He was fun to talk with, undeniably gorgeous, and had somehow decided instantly that he wanted us to be close friends at the very least.

But Alexis?

I had known him for three years, and he had always been the sweet angel of a person that he was today. We had somehow slowly decided that we liked each other, and he was easy to understand, meaning that with him, I always knew what to expect.

Neymar surprised me every time he opened his mouth.

But why was I comparing them already?

"I don't think she heard a word of our whole conversation," Hector smirked, walking the other side of me.

"What?" I asked, returning to earth with a jolt.

Neymar smirked at me, knowingly.

"How was the daydream?" He asked me.

"Confusing," I sighed, honestly. "Allow me, I was about to go to bed before you two showed up wanting midnight snacks."

"It's like 10pm," retorted Alexis. "And you want them as much as we do."

"Or, she just wants to be with us because she loves us," Neymar laughed.

His laugh was almost childish, but it suited him well.