Looks Can Be Deceiving

Chapter Twenty

"You don't think you were a little harsh?" Erick asks Stella once all the boys head back to Chris' room to play games.

"What was?" Stella was genuinely confused.

"Zabdiel basically grabbed your ass, Richard was clearly upset and then you acted snappy with him." Erick looked at her like she should know all of this.

"I didn't think the Zabdiel thing was a big deal? Then I thought Richard was just acting like we normally would around everyone."

"I don't think so nena."

"I should go speak to him." Stella looks down sadly.

"I'll head off." Erick pecks her cheek before walking out of her room.

Stella changed so she was ready for bed. She was thinking about the situation as she dressed and she realized just how upset she made Richard. She walked to the door slowly but was too nervous to open the door so she knocked awkwardly. Then she felt stupid for knocking on a connecting door and opened it slowly. "Hey Richard?" she calls out.

"Hmm?" he responds.

Richard was lounging on the couch scrolling on his phone. He didn't even look up to meet her gaze.

"Do you wanna sleep together tonight?" Stella asked timidly. Sleeping together usually meant staying up until the early hours of the morning talking, making out and cuddling.

"You sure you wouldn't rather sleep with Zabdiel?" he bites back.

"That's not fair." she frowns walking towards him on the couch. She settles on a small space at the end of the couch and places a hand on his leg. "I'm sorry. When I asked someone to grab a key from my back pocket, I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't realise you would be so jealous?" she cringes at her own words concerned that the word jealous would set him off.

Richard sighs. "I don't think I'm actually jealous of Zabdiel, I think I was just upset that I couldn't be the one to have that physical touch with you. You know? Chris is already cautious of us and then if I had reached for your key, it would've set him off. I think that's what upset me. Then I was being a brat and you were just trying to play the role we have against each other and I lost it. I should be the sorry one."

"I think this is both just so new to us. We don't know how to handle it."

"I agree." he nods, "I also shouldn't have used that connecting door hey?" he smiles moving his legs out of the way so that Stella had more room on the couch.

"Definitely! Maybe in the next city, we stay in rooms that aren't near each other?"

"But I want to be with you." he pouts, grabbing her by the waist and holding her.

"I know. I want to be with you too."

Richard and Stella spend the night as they have any other night. Kissing, holding each other and sleeping. The next morning, Stella and Richard decide to stay in the room without Stella sneaking away. When they eventually wake up, Stella traces Richard's shirtless torso, her fingers moving around the crevasses along his abs and chest.

"I wish we could wake up like this every morning." Richard smiles looking down at her.

"Well for the next few days we can."

"Unless Chris tries to walk in."

"We should try not to talk about Chris." Stella comments cutting the conversation. "It just makes me upset that I can't talk to him properly about us." Stella rolls on top of Stella, holding himself up, with his knees between her legs.

"Should I try and distract you?" he smirks.

Stella smiles and pulls Richard in for a kiss. They spend most of the morning in the same position but decide they should get dressed and find everyone else. By the time they are out of bed and ready, it's time to head to the venue. Ali knocks on their seperate doors so they would hurry up and meet the lobby with the rest of them.

"I haven't seen you all day." Chris comments entering the greenroom. Stella was sitting on Erick's lap, at first she was nervous when Erick pulled her onto his lap but Richard looked over and smiled signaling it was okay.

"Did you miss me?" Richard smirks.

"I was talking to Stella, idiot." Chris rolls his eyes jokingly. "I did miss you though." he speaks to Stella. "Maybe we can have a sibling day again soon?"

"Mmmhmm." she smiles.

"Stella, we have that meeting with Ali now." Richard walks over to the three of them holding his hand out.

Stella knows she shouldn't take it but she does anyway and lets Richard lead her out of the room.

"We have a meeting with Ali? I didn't realise."

Richard pushes her into another nearby room. When they enter it's empty except for a small bed placed in the corner.

"Nope. No meeting." He smirks.

"I thought you said-"

"Oh I did." he smirks. "I just thought we could take some time together. There's a bed if you want to nap since that's pretty much all we do together." he laughs.

"We could. Or," she smirks pulling at Richard's shirt, "we could do something else."

"Here?" Richard blushes.

"Why not?"

"Well it's our first time together and your brother is about 7 meters away from us."

"I guess." she rolls her eyes.

"Maybe tomorrow night, we can go on a date and then sleep." he winks.