꩜ .ᐟ  𝑑𝑒𝑗𝑎 𝑣𝑢

“   i   don’t   have   time   for   this,   noah.   i   don’t   want   to   talk   to   you   and   i’m   going   to   be   late   for   work   so   can   you   just   fucking   leave   me   alone   ?   maybe   you   should   you   go   find   whoever   the   fuck   you   were   hooking   up   with   last   night,   i’m   sure   she   misses   your   dick.   ”   

          fuck. he could feel the guilt and regret deep in his gut. everything he did last night was selfish and thoughtless. it was like his body was moving on its own. the word official echoed in his mind. over and over and over. and so he ran like a fucking coward that he was. “ chloé, please. i — ” what could he say ? that he was sorry ? that she was a mistake and it’ll never happen again ? he steps in front of her, blocking her from the leaving the room. “ i don’t want her. never went home with her. i just — ” his eyes soften, frown tugging the corners of his lips down. “ i fucked up. royally. and i want to apologize, to make things right. ”

          doesn't handle her liquor as well as she used to back in her sorority days, so just about everything sebastian does makes her giggle out loud. the accent he tries on sounds nothing like the characters on screen, but she can't help humoring him, replying in jest with as polished an english accent as she can muster in her tipsy state, "why yes you may, kind sir." another giggle as she takes the bottle from his grip, finishing it off with ease. "you know..." takes on a thoughtful tone, "i think every proposal should be as romantic as mr. darcy's. even if he got rejected the first time." this coming from the girl who got proposed to over chinese takeout on a worn rug mid-love island episode, her expectations were pretty much on the floor.

         the corners of his mouth tilt upwards into a grin at the lilt of her laugh. it truly was his favorite sound in the world. prettiest fucking thing he’s ever heard if he was being honest. why else would he even put on the accent if it weren’t to hear her giggle ? “ you know me, the absolute gentleman. plus ... i think i’ve had my fill of wine. i just might end up passed out on the couch if i have any more of it. ” he catches himself right before a hiccup interrupts his thought. though, his brows rise at the mention of mr. darcy’s first proposal. “ the set up of both proposals ... still transparent in both, very clear in how he feels about her. but the gentleness and his ... insane look of yearning. shit, i’d want to be proposed to like that. ” maybe that last part should have been kept in the vault. he grins sheepishly at her from behind the rim of his glass. “ i won’t bore you again with how brilliant this version is ... but damn. that second proposal was so beautiful. ” something he would want his own proposal to be like. one his mind continues to conjure up in his dreams with a blonde that resembled the woman beside him to a tee.

            stumbling upon what he'd first presumed to be a junk drawer had been pure coincidence. he'd been rifling around, not to snoop, more because he was bored, waiting for nathalie to finish getting ready before they went out. seeing a flip phone for the first time in ages had struck him dumb, and curiosity took over as he turned one on, scrolling through a couple nondescript texts before he was caught red-handed. "in there," gabe pointed at the open drawer. "why do you have, like, ten of these?"

         fuck. this was just so fantastic. could she have chosen a better place to hide those burners ? probably. but for some sick reason, she hoped that he’d find something — anything — that would put her in this position. so that she can finally tell him who she is and why she was in this city to begin with. “ why would anyone ever have burner phones to begin with ? ” alright, that might have been a shitty lead into this conversation. the femme tips her chin down, avoiding his gaze. “ to talk to my boss and my team without anyone tracking it back to us. though, my personal phone is basically a fortress thanks to— that’s not the point. ” now looking out past gabe, trying to think of the right thing to say. “ i don’t know where to fucking start. you can ask me anything you want but ... nope. no buts. anything and everything is free game. ”

            hasn't even been a full twenty four hours, and there's already an article out there, a cover story no less. there's no use pretending she didn't catch what he was saying, can hear the voice on the phone just as clearly, too. "for christ's sake..." she mutters, though it's not like anyone in her circle doesn't know what happened. they were there, had sat through the ceremony — only for her to not show up. "do they know who leaked it?" doesn't want to believe that the one person most likely to have outed them was her now ex-fiance.

         his heart sank even further the second that he heard her voice. jaw tightened in frustration, a sigh passing through his lips. “ please do as much clean up as you can. not for my sake, but for lila. ” he pauses for a beat, listening to his publicist tell him that she’s trying her best though she’s worried about his reputation. not his ... newly rekindled flame. “ if you want to worry about me, then you need to also worry about her. please do whatever it takes. ” this was the inevitable. the story was going to leak. it was just a matter of time. but the day immediately after lila ran from the wedding and never looked back ? just plain cruel. though, that might have been him being selfish. he wanted more time in their blissful bubble. “ no names have come forward. just ... a source close to the groom was disclosed in the article. ” slow to stand from the chair in their hotel room and to walk up to her. it’s been a whirlwind of events since he practically crashed back into her life. “ tell me what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, angel. ”

god.  fuck.  digits  pull  up  the  side  of  her  shirt  —  a  gnarly  bruise  forming  right  on  the  top  of  her  hip.  everything  bad  that  could  have  possibly  happened  .  .  .  happened  today  on  the  field.  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  bruises  littered  her  body  like  a  canvas.  they  were  so  close  to  not  embarrassing  themselves  until  devon  fell  straight  down  on  her  face.  wasn't  like  that  play  would  have  saved  their  game,  but  it  would  have  felt  better.  she's  torn  from  her  internal  moaning  as  loud  voices  begin  to  fill  her  ears.  eyes flitting up as she slides  through  the  doors,  adjusting  to  bright  hues  from  neon  lights  contrasting  with  the  lower  shades  within  the  bar.  she  feels  the  heat  of  swarming  bodies  including  those  of  her  teammates  as  she's  dragged  up  to  the  bar.  and  of  course,  her  bartender.  only  thing  that  could  make  this  horrible  night  better  was  to  see  corrine.  eats  up  her  flirting  and  knows  that  one  day  she'll  crack  that.  that  is  until  the  stark  colors  of  gold  and  green  drape  against  corrine's  skin.  “  you've  got  to  be  kidding  me,  ”  lips  further  into  her  frown,  leaning  against  the  counter.  “  you  think  i  can  trust  someone  to  make  my  drink  who  wears  the  enemies  colors?  ”

          the  team  flocked  towards  the  bar  as  soon  as  they mentioned  free  drinks,   drink  orders  flying  in  from  every  which  way.   a  couple  of  overly  sweet  cocktails,   some  vodka  cranberries,   and  numerous   shots  of  tequila.   for  the  most  part,   they  ignored  the  jersey  that  draped  over  her  body.   some  would  glare  but  free  drinks  were  at  stake  so  they  didn’t  bother  to  take  it  further.   then  there  she  was.   chills  scattered  across  her  skin,   her  voice  like  velvet  the  way  it  smoothed  over  the  tension  in  her  shoulders.   for  the  briefest  of  moments,   there  is  a  flicker  of  guilt.   quick  and  inconvenient.   because  it  wasn’t  like  she  didn’t  like  her.   that’s  the  problem.   if  it  were  anyone  else,   this  would  just  be  a  joke.   but  this ?   it  was  targeted.   to  get  a  reaction  from  kyle.   to  get  her  to  look  at  just  her.   because  while  she  wills  her  to  only  pay  attention  to  her,   it  means  that  there’s  no  space  for  her  eyes  to  linger  to  the  other  patrons  at  the  bar.   “   what ?   you  mean  this  old  thing ?   ”   a  lie.   the  tag  still  sat  at  the  bottom  of  her  bag.   corrine  flashes  her  one  of  the  most  charming  smile  she  could  muster  that  night.   one  that  was  kyle’s.   they  place  one  shot  glass  in  front  of  kyle,   pouring  a  shot.   “   trust  me  enough  to  make  you  a  few  drinks  tonight  or  would  you  rather  have  laney  be  the  one  to  take  care  of  you ?   ”   it  wasn’t  lost  to  them  that  what  she  said  had  a  double  meaning.   that  was  the  sole  reason  why  she  even  asked  in  the  first  place.   though,   maybe  it  was  wrong  for  her  to  play  this  game  now.   to  test  the  waters  after  such  a  brutal  loss.