Timidly

09 | is this love?

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Manny P.O.V

HIS LIPS ARE parted as he eyes me suspiciously. I feel every bone, every muscle, in my body tense and shrivel up. I don't know how he has this affect on me.

But Sebastian Hunt just does.

His jaw line is sharp, and naturally contoured with a dark shade. His body is slim and manly. Sebastian is anything but a boy. Unlike me, this male is full of power and class.

He has a future in the business of beauty.

I can't think about him like this; I cannot. Our lives are so very different. His is filled with stacks of cash, tall sky scrapers and expensive watches and wine.

Mine is late nights down at the karaoke bar, crying into my pillow comforter, barely surviving exams in my shitty school.

We are so very different.

Donna looks at me and I know that she knows. Her gaze is warning, full of protection. She doesn't want it to happen again. But neither do I.

Falling hard, falling fast, for someone who may or may not be homosexual; who may or may not be a homophobe. It's dangerous for my self-esteem and my heart.

So with every inch of strength in my fragile body, I turn and look away.

I focus on anything but him.

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A LIMO AWAITS on the curb outside the airport. It's exterior is a frosty white. The same men in black clothing stand guard the vehicle as people walk by.

Costello, Nina and Manny hand the Hunt's bags to the bodyguards, who effortlessly lift the luggage into the boot. Karen just stands there, like her mind is somewhere else.

"You alright?" I ask, nudging her shoulder with my own.

My judgement of character may not be the most accurate, but Karen looks at me like a lost puppy, or an indecisive adult.

"I guess. I'm just dealing with some things"

Sebastian and Viktoria chat with the bodyguards intensely.

"Well, if you ever want to talk, I'm here. It would be nice to get to know you more, Karen. Apart from your love of books, I'm unaware of who you are"

Karen blinks, her eyelashes long and coated in a thin mascara. She has moisturised skin, and faint dimples that look adorable on her love-heart shaped face.

"Thank you, Donna. I might take you up on that offer someday soon"

With that, everyone dusts off their palms and regroup over by the limo. Manny blushes when Sebastian catches his gaze, while Viktoria and Nina converse about white overalls and a yellow sunshine necklace. Okay, I'm confused.

"So, what's the plan" Costello comes up beside me and hooks his pinky with mine. I feel my heart leap inside my chest.

"I need to contact a few people at Hunt & Pristine Co. before anything else. A new business deal is opening up and It would be nice to be on top of it" Sebastian states, racking a hand through his gelled hair.

"Come on, bro. Take a break. Don't tell me that little vacation in New Zealand was what you called time off. I spoke to Leon, and he said you were working the entire time" Viktoria wraps her arms around the neck of her brother. He shrugs her off.

"Shut it, Vik. Not everyone can shop all day and forget about the real world because the hangover was too extreme-" Sebastian spits. Turning to us, he holds the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "-sorry guys. We'll hang out later. Right now, I have important business to attend to"

One of the men in black pull open the limo door, and Sebastian slides right in. He leans back into the leather seat, resting his feet on a velvet footrest.

"I should probably go to. But I promise to meet up soon." Viktoria flips her hair to the side, looking at me. "Because you and I, new girl, have to spend some time together"

Viktoria joins her brother inside the limousine, where she grabs a bottle of vodka and tips the liquid into her mouth, the burning alcoholic travelling down the back of her throat. Sebastian rolls his eyes.

Then, the limo disappears from view, leaving nothing but a trail of dust.

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"SO ARE YOU two like, together now?"

Nina exits the kitchen with a fresh jug of brewed coffee; the one strong liquid I've consumed more than water so far on this trip. She sets it down in front of Costello and I, oblivious to the deer-in-the-headlights stares we are giving her.

"Come on! Don't pretend that there's not something going on" Nina flops down into a chair covered in hideous plaid fabric.

Being in the apartment of the Quinn's for the second time, makes it feel a little more cosy. But not any less compact and squished. The drapes shield the sun from melting the skin off of our bones, the dark carpet probably has absorbed numerous cups of cappuccinos and tea spills.

Costello softly places his hand on my thigh. "We don't know what we are yet. Though I hope Donna here is willing to find out"

I feel myself blushing from his words, my smile desperately wanting to break out into a goofy grin. Costello must have seen this as a yes, and I feel his soft lips press against my forehead.

"Well, either way you have my approval. It's great to finally see you giving love a shot" Nina says, pouring the deep sienna liquid into a 'greatest sister' mug.

Love?

I've never known what love has felt like before. Not the friendship, brotherly type Manny presents me with each day. Not the same as what my father used to share; what my mother once bestowed upon me.

But teenage love? Young love? Where butterflies would fly around in your stomach? Where all you cared about was them, and how they felt? Where the thought of touching them, kissing them, would automatically make your day better?

Never that love.

"Did I say something wrong?" Nina asks, pure paranoia settling on the surface of her face. I shake my head.

"Not at all. In fact-"

Am I...falling in love?

"-you said all the right things"

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