Wrapped Around Your Finger [Pedro Pascal]

[9]

"Pedro, you're scared." He looked at Oscar before his eyes found Shiloh dancing with his sister Lux, her best friend Larsa, and Oscar's wife Elvira. "But with the way you're watching her right now, she's what makes you brave enough to indulge in this feeling."

"We got accidentally married, we barely know each other."

"You know I'm a very strong and firm believer in everything happens for a reason. I truly think she is your reason."

Pedro's eyes hadn't pulled away from Shiloh since they found her during the conversation. He watched her laugh and dance along with the three girls next to her, having the time of their lives. His heart skipped a beat when she would smile and let out a shriek of excitement when a song she really liked would play through the speakers in the club. But the room went dark and everything moved in slow motion when her eyes found his. She bit her lip trying not to smile wider after catching him staring at her. Neither of them were able to hide the blush on their cheeks. "Shit."

"What?" Oscar put his drink down thinking they were going to have to play good cop bad cop against a handsy fella until Oscar found Shiloh staring right back at Pedro.

"I do."

"Can we not say that casually anymore? I love you Pedro but I'm already married."

"Oh shut up. I think you're right."

"I know I'm right. You're as red as a cherry. I know you man. Been around you long enough."

"Do you think I'm crazy?"

"Have you not listened to anything I said like three minutes ago? I'm encouraging this you deaf cowardly lion." Pedro pinched his arm at the insult, not wanting to break the eye contact with Shiloh. "You might have been trying to hide those feelings but I saw them the second I met her after that night you guys got married. You might not have consciously felt it but Pedro, I knew you loved her from the very beginning. She makes you happy and obviously distracted as fuck." It was Oscar's turn to pinch him now. Pedro finally broke the eye contact and found Oscar looking at him so incredibly giddy. "You should tell her you love her."

"We just had our official first date like a week ago. Don't you think that's fast?"

"You're fucking kidding me right?" Pedro nodded with a chuckle before taking the last sip of his drink as a quick shot. "Do it at the right time and don't force it. Just let it happen."

"So don't force it but don't stop myself?"

"You'll know it, I promise."

Pedro made his way out to the dance floor where he took Shiloh's hand and dragged her to the middle. She was caught so off guard by his abrupt taking of her but looked back with a smile at the three girls she had been spending most of the night with. Pedro stopped them in the middle of a ton of people and just stood holding her hand for a moment. Neither of them moved, except for Shiloh's eyes trying to figure out what was going on. "Am I allowed to dance or is something going to happen?" She asked and Pedro widened his eyes realizing they were just standing in the middle of a dancing crowd.

"Sorry. Let's dance." She laughed at him and figured the alcohol was just getting to him. She took his hands in hers and moved them up and down to the music at the pace of her hips. Pedro's eyes never left her, watching the way she moved in perfect rhythm with the song. He started to unwind a little and let his body move to the same pace and pattern she was.

"I see you, Mando! You've got moves." She said pulling one of her hands down to push it against his form arm while tightly holding the other one. "I've been waiting to see you do this!" She shouted over the music before turning herself around, letting the alcohol get to her. Shiloh pressed her butt against Pedro's hips continuing the same rhythm she had before. Pedro's hands found her hips with no hesitation, watching the way she moved against him intently. She reached a hand up behind her and grabbed his face to look down at her. "Somethings tell me this is what got us in trouble last time."

The two of them laughed before Shiloh turned around again, this time placing her arms over Pedro's shoulders. She was moving her head around to the beat as they swayed unevenly to the music. She noticed Pedro was mellow with his movements compared to what they just were and she slowed hers down, picking her head up to look directly into his brown eyes. Even though they were dark in this room of neon lights, to Shiloh, they were the brightest thing in here. Though Pedro would argue that it was her eyes that lit up the space they stood in.

Pedro's arms slid around her back, locking together as he pulled her closer to his chest. Their breathing chambers touching as both of their breaths speed up. The room rapidly got hot and quiet as the two of them only focused on each other. Shiloh's hand grasping his neck gently as her other was locked into his curls. Her eyes shifting between his and his lips, the exact same path his eyes were taking with her. Is this really going to happen? They both thought to themselves. They stood in this embrace for what felt like forever but neither of them minded. Besides cuddling on the couch this is the closest they had been since this whole thing started. And this was the closest they had been in public.

Shiloh was sure Pedro could hear her heart pumping out of her chest each time his eyes flicked from hers to her lips. He wanted to lean in and so did she but why weren't they? What were to happen if this actually happened? Would this change everything? They were both too afraid to move. Too afraid to go into these feelings they've been trying to hide and push away for weeks.

Just embrace it. Ran over and over again in Shiloh's head from Elvira.

Just let it happen. Hasn't left Pedro's head since Oscar said it almost fifteen minutes ago.

Yet here they both were, standing still, holding the one they want the most because they didn't want to lose them. Pedro caught one last glimpse of Shiloh's eyes and decided to take the leap. Pedro's neck and shoulders leaned forward slowly. Shiloh took notice of his movement and decided to mirror it. She tilted her head so they wouldn't head butt each other heading in for this moment they've both desperately wanted. Shiloh's eyelids slowly fluttered shut as Pedro's breathing hit her lips from the closeness. They were right there, this was it. Hearts beating, bodies melting, and souls merging.

But suddenly the air was cold.

Shiloh opened her eyes to see Pedro had pulled back to his original stance in front of her. Hands now clammy on her back and muscles as stiff as boards. She didn't know what happened, maybe something distracted him. He wouldn't leave me hanging like that for no reason right? When Shiloh looked up at Pedro, she saw his eyes on the floor before shifting to hers in sympathy. Wrong.

Shiloh slipped herself away from him, completely embarrassed from the situation. Maybe he wasn't sober enough and wanted to wait? Or maybe he didn't feel the same and this was all for show. But why would he have pulled away with everyone watching? Shiloh pushed her way through the crowd, leaving Pedro in the middle of the floor to find their groups eyes on him. Larsa looking with a look of anger, Lux with a look of confusion, Elvira with a look of disbelief, and Oscar with a look of disappointment. Pedro hung his head low, hoping maybe she'd forget the whole thing, that she was too drunk to remember? Maybe he was too drunk to remember? He didn't even know what was going on. He wanted to forget the night entirely and ended up just heading home.

Pedro went to the couch to see if he could find Shiloh but she wasn't there. He went upstairs checking her room where he heard the shower running in the bedroom. "Shi?" His voice was like daggers to her. It was the last thing she wanted to hear. She stayed silent in the shower. "Are you in there?"

"No, I'm an intruder." She spoke plainly.

"Are you okay?"

No I'm not okay. "I'm fine." I just have to be okay though.

"You wanna watch a movie?"

"Not tonight, I don't feel good. I'm just gonna sleep up here." She didn't even want to look at him. This alone was breaking her heart, breaking her entire thought process on what any of this was.

Pedro's head sunk against her door. "I'm sorry you don't feel good, if you need anything I'll be downstairs." He waited for her to reply but there was nothing. He blacked out on what happened after he leaned in, it was like his body wasn't his own anymore. He had no control, his thoughts took over. His brain instead of his heart. What a dangerous thing.

For the first time since this entire thing started, Pedro would be falling asleep on the couch by himself. Falling asleep by himself period. It had been a few weeks of them sleeping side by side, at opposite ends of the couch, or as of late on top of one another or cuddling. He felt cold without her embrace, the room felt bland without her.