Betrayed (Book 2)

7. FLASHBACK - Marquilla

I don't see how I'm supposed to steer clear of the eye candy when it's dangling right in front of me, begging for attention. Nils may be my boyfriend, but Josh and Freddie aren't hard on the eyes. Of course I'm going to be attracted to them! One is Nils' older brother while the other is the definition of an Italian stallion. Any sane girl or gay guy would think they're hot!

There are two teensy problems: Nils Bouhous and Sofia Giante. I can't flirt with my boyfriend's brother for obvious reasons, and I'm here to visit Nils. Besides, there's the risk of my growing reputation falling to pieces if anyone suspects a thing since this is the boys' tour. And Sofia...she's protective of her older brother. She's pint-sized, but she won't be afraid to speak her mind about anything she thinks is wrong. If Sofia says something, word can relay back to the Bohous Brothers, which means Nils would know if I flirt with someone else.

You shouldn't let any of them affect your game plan, I think as Freddie and Josh walk by, shooting acknowledging nods in my direction. Look at them, Marquilla! There's no harm in a little fun. If Nils notices anything suspicious between you and Freddie, he'll blame him. Just walk over and tell Josh to fuck off for a sec. You got this!

I smooth my hair and stand tall in preparation. I glance at the pair, who seem to be in good spirits, laughing and smiling at each other. After a deep breath and assuring myself it'll be okay, I strut over to the boys.

"...Sofia's new show," Freddie extols. "She has to dye her hair for it, though. Oh, hey Marquilla! What's up with you?"

"I'm alright. I just need to talk to you about something,' I say as casually as possible. I eye Josh, who's giving me a look of disgust. "I promise it won't take long. I won't break your bro chat for long."

Despite the warning glance from Josh, Freddie joins me on the other side of the room and sits. I know Josh is carefully keeping guard; he knows I like Freddie. Thankfully Freddie's completely unaware and can't read the signs. He regards me with an innocence that makes him appear younger than his nineteen years. He ruffles his hair and smiles small as our eyes meet.

"Did I hear you correctly, or did Sofia actually land herself a role in a TV show?" I ask as I casually scoot closer.

"Yeah, she did! It's for a show called Glory and her character's named Valentina Patrick," he proudly responds. "It'll air on that other kid's channel—the one All That was on. They say it's gonna be huge!"

"Good for her. Maybe she'll be more famous than me."

He chuckles and shakes his head, amused at my playful dig at his sister's irrelevancy.

"So what's so important you had to pull me away from Josh? He told me Sofia's on her way a—"

I grab Freddie's face and kiss him. He stares at me, shocked, once I pull away, and his eyes widen. Guys are so cute when they're scared. I turn towards Josh, only to be faced with a livid Nils. So...I guess he saw us lock lips. My bad.

"WHAT THE HELL, FEDEZ?" Nils fumes. "THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND!"

Freddie blinks back at Nils, frightened and hurt. He doesn't say a word. He just sits there and Nils glares at him with the purest form of hatred. Looks like someone is about to be fired. That wasn't my initial intention, but it'd be fun to see Sofia get defensive and try to come at me. It's not my fault Nils happened to see us kiss.

"I can't BELIEVE you'd fucking do that to me after how nice my brothers and I have been to you! I thought we were friends, Fedez! How would you feel if I just went over and kissed your girlfriend?"

"I-I don't have a girlfriend," Freddie shakily mentions. "But my ex and I a—"

"Well, how would you feel if I kissed her?" Nils furiously presses.