Cut!

Take 21 - Midnight Memories - Part 3

A/N: Please comment as you read. I need it. 

Despite my plan to ‘hang out’ with Diana, my breath was still taken aback by the crystal clear ocean. I remembered reading that most beaches in Milan were private, and this was no exception.

“Whoa,” I muttered.

“I know…” Zayn said from beside me.

“Meh.” Diana shrugged her shoulders. “It’s nothing special. If you want to see a really beautiful beach, you have to go to St. Barts. It’s really the only thing the jet set talks about these days.”

I rolled my eyes. I believed that St. Barts was incredibly beautiful. However, that didn’t mean that this beach couldn’t be too. “Well. I think this is mesmerizing.” I said.

This whole country was mesmerizing really. I’ve never used it so much before, but lately I’d been using it way too much.

“So…” Diana said. “Are you ready?”

I looked at her, seeing how she gestured to the street vendors in the distance. Glancing at Zayn, hoping he’d get me out of it, I finally sighed. “Sure. Let’s go…”

And to be completely honest, I really wanted to dip inside the ocean. It looked so refreshing.

We began to walk away from the group, and I noticed a bodyguard following me closely. Harry hadn’t been kidding—he really did increase the security. However, he bulky mountain of a man was a professional; he kept his distance, never taking his eyes off his surroundings.

“Anyway,” Diana began. “What’s swinging with you, darling?”

I stared at her, dumbfounded. Was she for real? I honestly couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. Part of me hoped she was. Anything else would just be tragic.

“Nothing much…” I muttered and averted my eyes back to the road.

An uncomfortable silence fell between us, and I began wondering why I’d even agreed to this in the first place. It was like shopping with Ludmilla, but without actually liking the other person.

Lucky for me, we didn’t have to walk that far before we saw the first set of swim wear. For a small booth at the side of the road, I was genuinely surprised at how many different kinds there were. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one stupid enough to forget swim wear.

I glanced at Diana, who cringed her nose at everything. Until her eyes sparkled with something, and a slow smile spread out. “How about this one?” She reached out and grabbed a bathing suit.

As I stared wide-eyed at the beige-colored, ruffle-filled monstrosity, I couldn’t believe my own eyes. Any belief that Diana had done this to reach out to me and improve our friendship vaporized into thin air.

“Why do you do that?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Do what?” Diana blinked. “What do you mean?”

Gesturing to her and the bathing suit, I shrugged. “This… Your whole… passive aggressive act is getting so old now. I don’t even know what I’ve done to deserve it. It’s annoying as fuck.” I widened my eyes at my own word. I hadn’t meant to curse.

“Oh…” Diana averted her eyes. “I… I’m sorry about that.”

Ignoring her, I turned to the rest of the swimwear. As simple black bikini caught my eyes, and I reached out to grab it before approaching the salesman. At the small, home-made counter, I spotted a stack of towels and grabbed a blue one.