Unexpected (bayern munich)

Chapter 18

"Just doing some shopping, how are you?" Natalia recited again, rolling her eyes at Müllers' persistency.

"I'm good, just wanted to call and say hi, make sure you haven't forgotten me," Brian said sweetly.

"I haven't forgotten you," Natalia responded instantly, earning a glare from Thomas.

"Hang up," he mouthed.

"So how are you—hey!" she started to say, before Thomas ripped the phone out of her hand and hung up on Brian.

"Thomas! Explain yourself!" Natalia said, starting to get angry.

"He will call back in three...two...one," Thomas said, as Natalia's phone lit up once more with Brian's name on it.

"You can call him back tonight, keep the conversation short, and about him," Thomas advised.

"I'm capable of landing a man," Natalia protested, folding her arms over her chest.

Why do you care...

"Okay, you can land him, but can you keep him on the ground?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.

Natalia grumbled, knowing he was right, and walked away briskly.

"So the ugly truth, is that guys like Brian, guys in general don't care how nice and smart you are," Thomas said over lunch later that day, "You may be brilliant, Natalia, but unless you play coy, Brian won't stick around, especially since you're so far away from each other."

"So how am I supposed to act disinterested, when I'm actually interested, when I can't even see him?" Natalia asked stabbing her salad.

"We'll play it by ear," Thomas said with a crooked smile, "Tonight, ask him how his day was going, ask what he's doing tomorrow, and ask when he'll call again, but make sure to only talk about him," he advised.

"Also, start sending him pictures of yourself," Thomas added, looking over Natalia, "But first...lets get you a hair cut, and a push up bra,"

Natalia found herself choking on a cucumber, "What's wrong with my hair? What's wrong with my bra?"

An hour later, Natalia was in a lingerie store with Bastian and Thomas--the worst possible combination of friends.

"No, Basti!" Natalia said loudly, earning a glare from a sales associate, after Bastian offered her a lacey bralette.

Thomas enlisted the help of a sales associate, and they were currently discussing how to transform Natalia's breasts from giving a passing nod, to an outright greeting.

"You know, this is what single-Thomas was like," Bastian said sincerely, finishing his lap around the store.

"Really?" Natalia said, staring at him from across the store.

"Really," Bastian confessed, "I missed this part of him."

"Okay, Natalia, you're getting these," Thomas said pointing to the bra's the sales associate was holding.

"Fine," Natalia said throwing her hands up, "Will you also be organizing the photo shoot?" she asked sarcastically to which Bastian and Thomas widened their eyes in delight.

"No," Natalia quickly corrected herself, "No you may not." But Bastian and Thomas were already speaking in rapid German, laughing excitedly.

Their next stop was a hair salon, that was far too glamorous for Natalia, and she was washed, prodded, brushed, trimmed, blown dry, and styled, before Thomas and Bastian gave her their seal of approval (and credit cards. When Natalia pulled out her wallet to pay, they literally pushed her out of the way and blocked her from the register, all while flirting with the shampoo girl).