Falling With Style {Chris Evans}

twenty-six

Mila should have known that school would never be the same for her again. She was surprised that her idea of "normal" had lasted this long, months after all of the rumors with her and Chris started to circle, but now things were really getting shaken up. The fashion show with Sofie Willow was one thing that really put her on the map, but the after party with Chris was a whole other type of spotlight. And now what? They were official? Or was he waiting for the movie premiere later this month to really set it in stone?

Either way, she was happy with only the two of them known and she was also finding herself more and more comfortable with the idea of Chris being public about the two of them at some point. She was so into him, more than she would have previously allowed herself to admit. They had so much in common, yet they contrasted everywhere they should to make it interesting. At the end of the day, one of her favorite things about how they fit together was how much they found beauty in the smallest of things.

The importance of the little things in life meant everything to her because she grew up not having it all. She had a profound ability in finding beauty in everything, which was both an advantage as well as disadvantage. The importance of the little things in life meant everything to Chris because being wealthy was a privilege. He had seen how great things could be with money, but for even longer, he had seen how great things come out of some of the least expensive ideas and a good imagination.

No matter what they agreed or disagreed on, no matter how much adjusting she would have to do once it all happens, and no matter what was going to be said about pictures of her taken on the runway or with him at the after party, nothing could change how she felt waking up next to him that morning. She had never felt so whole, even considering how little she slept the night before.

All she could think about was his body and his muscles framing her every inch like he was supposed to be there. She started to feel silly and even tried to get herself to stop thinking about it, but her mind kept drifting off to something she finally got a taste of that she didn't know she needed for so long. She could only wonder if he felt the same way.

The truth was that nothing could describe how it felt for him, except for the fact that it was long overdue for him as well.

It had been years of sleeping in hotel rooms and in a bed at a house that didn't feel like home. It had been years of being surrounded by people who were there just to be there, who were wanting to be next to him just to say that they were. It had been years of seeing through people who didn't see him for him. For too long, he was seen as the guy from interviews that lasted a few minutes to an hour. For too long, he was seen as the well kept guy on the red carpet events, or the nicely dressed superhero with muscles on set. He could be those things, but no one could truly know him just from those interviews. No one could truly know him just from the characters he played.

All he could think about was how Mila took the time to know him past that. Chris knew he was taking a chance as soon as he realized she was a fan of his work, but it was one of the best chances he could have taken. No matter how many of his movies she has seen, no matter how many of his interviews she has watched, she took advantage of talking to him for him, not for who he was when the camera was on. She found it in her to understand that he had to act a certain way both on and off set. Above all, she had always been so willing to know him. She could have read any good or bad tabloid on him from a month ago or ten years ago and used that to assume his character, but she had shown just how judgement free she was and it was such a rare thing for him to find.

Chris didn't want to let her go to classes that morning. Neither of them really had it in them to get up. Even when they were awake, they spent the first hour just wiggling around holding each other and occasionally holding each other's gaze and talking. He didn't want to talk her out of going to school, but he knew his time in Georgia was limited considering he was leaving early the next morning and he knew he wouldn't be able to see her probably until the movie premiere itself. He also reminded himself of the importance of their own individual careers and that he would have the entire afternoon and evening and night to spend with her.