& 𝔦 𝔣𝔦𝔱 𝔯𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔦𝔫

there was a weight between them, thick as summer heat before a storm — something unspoken, something undeniable. sam had never been one for pretty words or grand confessions, but even he knew when enough was enough. he exhaled, slow and measured, like he was steadying himself before stepping off the edge of something he couldn’t come back from. " you can’t keep pretendin' there's nothin' going on here. " he said finally, his voice quiet but thick with conviction. his gaze found theirs, holding. " i mean you could, but you'd be a liar. and probably a miserable one, at that. "

another night spent in each other's company. sam's place had originally just been a stopping point. one night — if that, on the way back into the city. that was the initial promise anyway. two nights had gone by since then. she was now on her third night and her second pair of his extra clothes to sleep in. it was all too easy to let familiar emotions bubble over at this point, though neither of them had ever crossed that line. yet the more time they spent together, the stronger their pull seemed to feel. seeming impossible to refuse. she's almost paralyzed by his words. locking eyes with him for a moment before the intimacy nearly kills her. she sighs, her gaze faltering down to her hands momentarily. " that doesn't mean it changes anything, sam. we both know that. "

AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON. Venice Film Festival.

tate mcrae via instagram

without delay he steps through the threshold , swinging the door shut behind him . resists the urge to close in on her and use his differing height as an intimidation tactic . instead remains a few feet away from her . it's still close enough to touch . close enough that he could reach out and pull her in . " my friend invited me over to hang out , we were just supposed to chill . " already stressing over how bad it sounds . knows it's a flimsy excuse . " turns out he was throwing a party and i ended up having a drink or two and then i had a line and " frustrated sigh parts his brims , " fuck , i'm sorry . "

now they're alone. she looks up at him as she centers herself, preparing for whatever he had to say. each breath felt like a passing century. her deep brown hues widen in shock as he explains himself, jaw falling slack momentarily as his story spirals more and more out of control. she's furious, perhaps a mask for the hurt she felt so sharply— but furious none the less. at herself, mostly, for letting herself care this much. " unreal... " she replies with a scoff and the shake of a head, " sorry doesn't fix it. sorry doesn't make me feel like i mean anything more than jack shit to you. "

leo can hear her near the door . knows her voice a little too well , the shift in volume . prompts his knuckles to whiten as digits wrap around the doorknob to wriggle it vigorously . snarls when it doesn't budge , as if it had magically become unlocked within the thirty seconds of trying it last . " i'll explain everything when you open the goddamn door . " tolerance for the situation beginning to run thin , patience bleeding from his tensing muscles .

she doesn't want to give in, but can feel her resolve wearing thinner with each passing moment. she had a weakness for him, as much as she tried to deny it. she doesn't reply, letting his desperation linger in the air for what felt like an eternity before she reaches forward and unlocks the door. she turns to step a few steps back and crossing her arms over her chest once again— anything to gain more of a barrier between them. " well ? talk. "

when he isn't immediately granted access he has to fight against his h o t b l o o d . it urges him to throw a tantrum till she finally gives in [ pound against the door , break a window or two . ] but admittedly a shred of him actually cared about what she thought of him and he knew that wouldn't go over well . " baby please , " implores her with the most pathetic sounding song he can muster . " i'm an idiot . a stupid idiot but i can't l o s e you . now open the door . "

she padded over to the door, arms crossing over her chest. she kept her stance defiant even though he couldn't see her. mocha hues roll at the pet name, listening to the timbre in his voice change. " you can't lose me but you can humiliate me in front of a restaurant full of people ? " she asks incredulously, feet planted firmly three feet from the door. " you are an idiot. what were you even doing that was so important, hmm ? "

based ; leonardo was too busy getting cross-faded into the next century and missed a very important date !

the dress she had picked out for the night was now strewn across her floor, peeling it off in frustration the moment she got home in favor of her pajamas. she had made sure she looked perfect just to find herself alone at the dinner table for an entire hour before she left the restaurant. humiliation and anger ran hot through her veins and she found herself pacing, unable to relax. the banging pulled her out of her maelstrom, sighing as she listens to leonardo beg. " do you think i'm an idiot ? i mean why should i even believe you ? "

♡ MADISON BEER via tiktok ( madisonbeer )