three step plan - fillie

8. what a first impression

finn

"what the fuck are you doing here? are you following me?" i ask, disdainfully.

gaten scoffs. "no, you ass. like youre even worth it!"

"so what, its just a coincidence?"

"um, a random chick called me asking for romeo, i think shes a scammer, or a fucking retard - "

"wait what?" i ask, frowning.

"a random girl called me up asking about romeo and stuff. of course i didnt tell her anything." he says, crossing his arms, when all of a sudden i feel unfamiliar arms wrap around my neck.

the girl from the mall.

"finn!" her voice is flirty, airy and light, like shes forcing herself to sound like so. "baby, im sorry i was late," she giggles into my neck, making my eyes go wide, and gatens are too.

"what the fuck - you know her?" gaten shrieks.

"i-"

im about to speak but then she looks at my eyes, peers from my chest, with an evident plea. 'lie,' her brown big orbs are saying. 'lie.'

"i do," i stutter. "shes my.."

"..ex."

gatens eyeballs almost bulge from their sockets, "what?!"

"from boot camp a year ago, you remember?" i make up. "i met her." i lie.

he frowns, "then why is she asking all about romeo?"

"because i was trying to reach out to finn," she says, removing her arms from my neck and intertwining our fingers together. it feels weird. an odd sensation.

"ex is a big term," the confidence in her voice stuns me. "more of a summer fling. i thought romeo was finn, since i never really knew his name. im sorry for the misconception. you can leave now," she says. her tone sounds lazy, bored, as if shes explained this to every one.

gaten's frown is gone but replaced with shock, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. he closes it, swallowing, until he walks away.

"what - "

"im so so sorry," she mumbles. "i had to do that. i had no choice. i needed to be connected with gaten, and im sorry - " i interrupt her, my eyebrows furrowed. "what? why? can you explain everything to me first, because everything that happened a while ago did not make sense at all." i look at her expectantly. im surprise at how my voice sounds. stern. instructive. autorotative. like it doesnt sound like me at all.

she takes in a breath. "look, i went here to vancouver not as a tourist," she inhales. "truth is, i went here to find someone. we.. we had some things to fix in the past, and he blocked me everywhere. im not even talking like, on media. hes blocked me from his life." her eyes turn glassy. "and, i had no choice, but to come here, and to clear things out. but i need gaten." she lets out a breath. "i needed an indirect connection to romeo." suddenly, her eyes widen in surprise as her right hand flies to her mouth. "oh! youre the third guy," she whispers.

"huh?" i say, perplexed.

she snaps back into reality, teeters her feet before speaking. "never mind. but point is, yeah. i couldnt bring much things to save money," she continues.

im stunned. "thats why you had so many shopping bags," i murmur to myself as she nods. "i packed light. i decided to just get resources from here." she says, biting on her upper lip.

for a moment, im speechless. i cant say anything. my mind has processed everything she said but it all feels wrong to me.

she exhales, "enough questions for today, if i can ask that of you." she says softly. "im really tired right now and i have to go over my plans,i have to - "

"can we talk?" i ask. "properly?"

she swallows. "i said no questions."

"you owe me answers," i tell her. "you used me right there," just as im saying it, i feel like im indirectly talking about iris to myself. "and i hate being used."

she closes her eyes. she grits her teeth together. "okay." she says. "lets talk."

i frown as she walks over to the door towards the shoppe, as i stand in my position. i feel glued to my feet. are we going to talk in the shoppe?

just as she's a meter away from the door, she turns her head, sensing im not following her. she pushes her neck forward, raising a brow before rolling her eyes almost irritably.

this girl seemed okay yesterday. huh.

we sit in one booth, im facing her, my back against the door. "so," i say, "explain."

"its really none of your business, but okay." she mutters it under her breath, making me cock my brow, which sets her off edge obviously as she brings her hands on the table, twiddling it in front of me.

"im sorry," she mumbles. "im here for a guy. im from london, and i flew all the way here.. for a guy." she states, which makes my jaw drop and my brows knit together, to which her eyes widen in shock as she says something quickly to try to add more information, "but its all for good reason," she adds, "and its what i want."

my face turns sour automatically. desperation? never looks good on a girl for a guy.

"you dont understand." she says firmly. "its something.. very hard for me to explain."

"wait this guy, is romeo beckham?" i almost laugh as i say it, "for romeo you did all that?"

she frowns. "is there a problem?"

"are you blind, or you hit your head?" this time, i cant control the laugh. they erupt from my throat, and all the more she looks more mad.

"i thought you are friends," she says under her breath.

"were," i corrected. "nope." i say with finality, enough conviction to make it clear that i dont want to be asked any questions.

she gets the hint, swallowing. "well, that doesnt matter. im doing this all for him. all for romeo."

"well, you should know he is in a relationship." theres this scowl on my lips as  i say it. the anger returns to my system.

"i know that. but i dont care. im taking him back."

'back'. so she was his.

i dont find that shocking. she is pretty, truth be told. brown hair that reminds me of hazelnuts. short though, reaching only barely the back of her neck.

but there are dark bags under her eyes, chewed nails, that tells me she is serious about romeo.

making me scoff. how undeniably stupid.

"thats dumb," i retort, "stupid and dumb." i scoff. "first of all, going from europe all the way here for that piece of shit - "

"dont call him that!" she hisses angrily. "and shut the fuck up, will you, shut up!"

"why? cant bear to hear the truth?" i sneer.

"it isnt true!"

"is too!"

"is not!"

"come on," i roll my eyes. "we both know."

she stands up, her face scrunched up and tears glistening in her eyes. for a moment, a small feeling of guilt burrows all the way down my stomach. "youre an asshole," she grunts, a tear rolling down her cheek, landing on the collar of her shirt.

she exits the booth, walking all the way to the door.

all i can say?

so much for first impressions.

- 

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