after meeting for the first time, she didn’t expect them to develop the friendship that they did. matter in fact, she thought she wasn’t going to see him again after the first night and it was just going to be one of those memories from her childhood that she would cherish, however, the more she attended those big fancy parties with her parents (involuntary), the more she saw him and they’ve developed an understanding with one another. “yes, at least for a later time… remember i went to sleep at three am that day and you texting me at seven wasn’t ideal.” she pointed out, scrunching up her nose as she laughs with a shake of her head, “i was half asleep reading your messages, i expected a good morning text not a hey come practice with me.” although, it was no surprise that she still showed up, kalani had a hard time saying no to cieran and she knew that he knew that. she easily became one of her weak points and there was no coming back from that. “i don’t know… because when i’m laying on your chest at night i swear i could hear it growing each second,” she teases him, eyes meeting his as she grins brightly, giggling escaping her lips every now and then. his question took her by surprise as she nibbles on her bottom lip, “my ex written me one before we were dating…” she trails off, “and i gotten a few from fans when i had meet and greets that i still have, i don’t have the heart to ever throw them away.” she admits, eyes meeting his as she smiles, “but i do have a feeling that your love notes will top ever single one of them. don’t tell my fans.” she places a finger to her lips as she lets out a small ‘shh.’ “i better be or else i’ll be completely heartbroken,” the thing about kalani was when she dated, she saw it as a long term thing and whenever she looks at cieran she saw her future with him, saw how they’ll grow old together and sometimes it was a scary thought not knowing if he reciprocated those same feelings. with each shared kiss, she found herself falling deeper and deeper, she really couldn’t explain it. she felt as if he captured her and to have him there in that moment forever was something she longed for. as his hand meets her cheek, the other tangled up upon her hair as her arms wrapped around his neck, playing with the ends of his, tugging on them ever so slightly. her sparkling eyes that never seem to dim with the sight of cieran softens as she nods her head, making her feel all the better about her asking him to move in with her later on in the night, “i think i’ve slowly became attached to you..” her voice was soft and sweet as her lips forms into a warm loving smile. after her ex she was certain that she wasn’t going to find anyone that matched her perfectly, feeling as if her feelings for cier would die as soon as he got his next girlfriend, what she didn’t expect was her being his next girlfriend and those feelings she thought were going to die intensified. “oh, don’t be so hard on yourself,” she shakes her head, her eyes filled with stars once more as she looks up at him, “i can assure that you’re truly the greatest thing to happen to me and that many people are jealous i got to snag you up.”
“i don’t doubt that they will… i mean your fans did show up at the zoo we were at after we posted a few stories of one another.” she pointed out while laughing, finding it amazing and scary how the internet works sometimes. a gasp fell from her lips as her head turns to face him, instantly taken aback by how handsome he was in the drivers seat, in his button up and her heart swells before she clears her throat, “please, you’re obsessed with me. you love when i’m swimming in your clothing,” she teases, but she came to realization that they were both a bit obsessed with one another and she couldn’t be happier about that. “my cier-bear and kai-oala forever,” she smiles at the nicknames that she adopted from his mother, something that she always loved and it seem that she got a free pass from calling them that. rubbing her lips together, she nods her head, “i definitely feel like kai would come to the realization sooner or later… he just needs time to figure things out, it’s kinda common with the brooks’ brothers..” the younger female trails off, in a teasing tone her eyes flickering over towards him as she smiles. her eyes sparkles at the thought of being in paris with him and she could really see her traveling the world with him. it was what she loved to do, especially with her traveling with her parents at a young age and her occupation requires her to travel a lot as well. it was nice that she could share that with him as well and follow him along each place he had to visit for his tournaments. “i’m so excited, i’ve always wanted to visit paris.” she beams, feeling the rush run through her body as she hums happily. “well, let’s hope for forty then and i’ll love you later after your match,” she teases back, picking up on the tennis terms just so she understood what was going on when he was on the court. “i actually got invited to paris fashion week, i wonder if it’s the same time we’ll be there? ooh speaking of exploring, can we go see the eiffel tower glowing at night?” she inquires, turning to face him once more as she was already planning multiple things to do in her head. sitting across from him with the amazing view, she felt like she was on top of the world. she recalls the many occasions where she went to parties with the brooks’ brothers where she was underage and each time someone offered her something to drink, he would intervene and state that she was too young, until recently, when she wasn’t. “how taboo of you to slip it under the table for me,” she teases giggling as she opens up the menu and glances at the many many dishes there were to offer. “there’s so many great options, i’m not sure what i want yet…” she trials off, eyebrows slightly knot as she read what dish contains what before looking back up at him and taking hold of her own champagne. her cheeks slightly flushed as he gave her the option to say what they were toasting to. “to… our first valentine’s day together and many more with my ever loving love for you grows each day.”
“i’m glad you didn’t,” cier states, honestly. “i know you said i wasn’t, but i still felt like i was losing you.” he thinks back to how he’d felt that morning, feelings and fears all pent up. yet for the first time in a long time, feeling free because he knew. it would’ve been hard holding onto those feelings for longer if lani rescheduled. “i was up before six, so i did try to spare you a little,” he adds in, lightly amused “and i did make good on my promise to let you nap later,” he points out, as if this helped make up for it. even though he’d stayed up to start making her flashcards, quiet and not wanting to wake her, the anxiety and pain of the previous weeks had lifted away watching her face soft with sleep, knowing they were finally okay. he lifts his brows in playful challenge, even though they both know his heart’s grown so full lately it'd be more accurate to say it might explode out of his chest any second. “hmm, sounds like you’re falling asleep before you realize and your dreams are conjuring up all kinds of fabrications about me,” he teases. but as her gaze meets his, his soft smile widens too, accepting that he’s full of it and that she’s won. he’s weaker than he ever was for her. he nods at the mention of her ex, trying to keep the expression from his face. he likes to think he can avoid being that jealous of a person, but he feels a pang in his gut every time he thinks of lani being heartbroken by him in the end. “hmm.. might be the same fans who keep telling me you belong with them, not me,” he says, lightly amused. “what did the letters say? the ones from the fans, i mean,” he perks a brow, curious. an amused sigh leaves his lips and he shakes his head lightly, “that’s way too much faith you have in me. that mine would be the best. i’ve never been that romantic,” he feels the need to clarify. “but i guess if i did write you one...” the emphasis on the ‘did’ was teasing “you’d know it’d be sincere. i really can’t stand anything fake just for the sake of saying it.” that would at least be something in his favor, he thinks. cieran usually didn’t muse on ideas of long-term when he was dating. it just wasn’t the first thing that came to his mind. that is, until lani. “you will be. at least if it’s me who has a say,” he says, calmly and surely reassuring her. he looks down at her intently at her admission, gaze burning and one corner of his lips pulling upwards. “good. i’ve started wanting you with me everywhere.” when he’d flown to australia ahead of her, he’d felt all too aware of the days until her flight got in too. “okay, fine,” he chuckles, accepting the words she spoke with starry eyes fixed on him. “they can stay jealous for good. i’m not going anywhere.”
“are you sure they were my fans? i thought i was never going to get you back,” he teases. although the truth was she’d been a part of his life for so long that a lot of his fans had become her fans and vice versa. like that day at the zoo, every time he watched her with fans, so genuinely and sweetly lighting all of them up, he felt there wasn’t a way he could ever stop being in love with her. he chuckles as she teasingly calls him out, sure even she doesn’t know how true the words are. “okay, guilty. i am. and i do love it,” he glances over and holding her gaze for a moment. he smiles softly as she refers to him by the nickname he only ever let her call him outside of his mom, mari and kai. “forever,” he says, “only for you.” even though she’s wearing a smile, tone teasing, part of him still knots up inside when he thinks about how much he wishes he could take back the span of time between lani’s confession and his own, letting her cry or wonder where she stood with him. meeting her humor slightly, he says, “we’re more similar lately than i thought. i guess it could be kind of a brooks brothers thing.” then, turning more pensive, “i just... want him to be happy? and not telling you how i really felt and leaving you feeling the way i did... i think it’s my biggest regret. i was scared of losing our friendship, but i ended up doing so much wrong. i know things are different with kai and thena. but...” eventually he shrugs, trailing off, simply worried his brother might make some of the same mistakes. his brows come together in thought, “i couldn’t remember if you had. it’ll be your first time?” he likes the idea of her first time in paris with him. “ooh. it’s hot when you talk tennis to me,” he pops his brows over at her and jokes. although, honestly, his chest does swell with a little pride every time she catches onto the rules and scoring. “oh? when’s fashion week? the tournament’s in may. and of course,” he grins at how much it seems she’s looking forward to it, “especially if it’s your first time in paris. i’ve actually never seen it at night. and we can spend a day seeing the louvre..." as she giggles across from him, he teases along, wiggling his brows, “have you met me? i’m nothing but taboo.” although the bad boy reputation he’d had with the media was fast dissipating. it takes him more than a moment to pull his eyes away from the adorable knot in her brow as her deep brown eyes trail over the menu. he can’t help it, like there’s always something invisible pulling his gaze to her. he quickly settles on something, more interested in the company and whether this whole valentines date was making her happy. the taste of the food would probably be more lost on him than it should. they’re able to order after the champagne is brought out. holding her gaze as the glasses met with a satisfying ‘clink’, it’s then followed with another raise of his eyebrows and a playful smirk as he takes a sip. “hmm, that was a little cheesy,” he teases. “are we that couple now?” but the smile is comfortable and settled on his lips, because surprisingly, he couldn’t care less if they were that couple, the one with heart eyes that made everyone want to look away. it was everybody else’s problem. he let himself feel the light buzz of the first glass of champagne, before he’d sober up to drive again. “you know, i might keep slipping you champagne like it’s contraband, as long as i don’t have to end up carrying you to your door again,” he teases, smile rising on his feature, soft and sweet, moments before plates were placed in front of them.
