Averie was only halfway through packing when her phone suddenly chimed.
She sighed, immediately stopping her movements of folding her clothes.
The large suitcase was filled with all sorts of things—she wasn't sure exactly what she would need. Averie's never been to Italy after all, the weather there was unknown to her.
Her slender fingers reached over the mess of piled clothes, just enough to grab her phone that sat beside it on the bed.
Theo Nott
-Don't forget to meet me at Lana's Coffee House before your flight :) xx
Averie smiled at her phone, the little message sparking her memory of Theo asking to see her before she left the country. It was right after Malfoy had informed her and her co-workers of the arranged plans.
The team going to Milan would have to arrive at the airport by nine in the morning to board Malfoys private plane. He mentioned having to attend a business meeting at noon, which gave them a small time frame. Averie wasn't sure why he couldn't just make the flight time earlier—it was his plane, but she never understood him.
Averie was also dreading having to take the trip with Pansy. The two detested each other for completely different reasons—all due to Pansy's incessive behavior.
She just hoped the assistant wouldn't cause any problems there.
As soon as the plane landed, they were all to check in at a hotel plaza in the heart of the Italian city. Averie hoped that her room was pleasant enough for her. Hotels were something she absolutely despised, but she couldn't complain. Malfoy would probably set her up in the filthiest room if she did.
But even so, Averie was excited for this trip. Especially because she knew Malfoy would favor her designs this time.
He had to.
She had been constantly working day and night for this to be perfect down to the last thread and stitch. She made sure of it.
And she was ready- ready to leave, and ready to win.
But of course, Averie was packing at the last minute. After all it was what she did best—procrastinate.
She decided to pack most of her clothes last night, and just make sure she had everything in the morning. It was around seven in the morning now, and she was almost done. The suitcase looked as if it was going to explode open when she finally was able to close it, only after a frustrating struggle with the zipper to force it shut.
Once the tired girl was done putting her suitcase and extra bags by the door, she calculated that there was only time for a quick shower to calm her nerves, before having to getting dressed.
Averie almost forgot how much she hated flying. It was a wonder she made it to London in one piece from the flight, the thought of taking another plane completely slipped her mind. The fact that it was a smaller and unfamiliar plane didn't help her worries either.
But Averie still wanted to be as comfortable as she could in the air, so she just opted for a sweatpants set for the plane ride. It was just a flight, after all.
And by a quarter past eight, she was already sat in Lana's Coffee House with Theodore.
The cafe was just a block down the road from her apartment, so she walked there, dragging her luggage down the street. The building blended in with the rest of the city, but somehow she found it with a small wooden door that jingled as she made her way inside.
She knew that she didn't have much time to say goodbye to Theo, but Averie felt as if she just needed to. Phone calls were never enough to do anything.
Theo looked refreshed, as always when she spotted him. It appeared as though he never had a bad day in his life, or he just had a strict sleeping schedule. Either way he was just refreshingly handsome.
The petite waitress waddled over to their table with a notepad in her hand. "Anything to drink? Coffee?"
"Cream and sugar please," Averie smiled politely.
Theo was looking over the menu seemingly still deciding what to order.
Hurry up.
She wanted to tell him not to take so long or else she would miss the flight, the only flight there. Malfoy sure as hell wouldn't wait for her when he had responsibilities too.
"I'll take an omelette with ham and cheese," Theo ordered, placing his menu in the air for the waitress to grab.
The pen scribbled down the words until Theo cleared his throat, motioning for the waitress to take the paper that was dangling in the air from his hand. Averie furrowed her eyebrows slightly at his curt behavior.
That was something she hadn't seen before.
The waitress apologized softly before taking the menu from Theo, and walking away to prepare them what they ordered.
"So what time do you have to be there?" he asked.
Averie unfocused her eyes from the waitress, looking back to him as he asked the question she was sure he knew the answer to.
"Nine," she decided to respond anyway.
He briefly nodded, taking her hand that was resting on the table into his own. She smiled at the gesture, clenching his hand back.
"I'll miss you Aves."
She internally cringed at the name reminding her of someone.
But she put on a smile, he meant no harm by it.
"I'll miss you too," Averie slightly chuckled. "I'll only be gone for a week at most."
His coco brown eyes rolled, "That's too long."
Averie thought it was sweet that he didn't want to let her go, but it wasn't going to be for long at all. She didn't want to admit it to herself even, but he was a bit too needy sometimes.
It made her want to run, and she didn't want to feel like that.
The waitress came back shortly after with a mug in one hand, and a plate in the other.
Averie simply sipped on the bitter coffee, wishing it had more sugar.
She was a sugar girl.
Theo didn't speak any words while he ate, a bit too slow to Averie's chargan. Her foot tapped anxiously as she read the time. She was meant to be there in ten minutes, when the drive to the airport must have been at least fifteen.
Theo didn't seem to be in a hurry, which confused Averie.
Was he acting different or was she imagining it?
After the brunette leisurely took a few more bites, Averie had enough. Her coffee had been done for ages. She stood up, gathering her suitcase in one hand and the bag in the other, taking out some cash to pay for the meal quickly.
"I have to go now, so I'll see you later," she half smiled, leaving Theo in the cafe alone. She hadn't had much time to think about him before her mind started racing with possibilities of her being late.
It took less than a minute to wave a cab over to take her to the airport they were assigned to meet at. The drive felt like forever too, thinking of how ecstatic both Malfoy and Parkinson would be if she missed the flight.
Luckily when Averie arrived at the airport, a minute was left to spare. Her driver must have known the shortcuts because she was positive the time would be more than late.
Malfoy had told them to meet at a certain gate before they boarded, but Averie was there now and she recognized no one. It only took her a few minutes to get to the right area, so where was everyone?
Her eyes scanned the big room, it was nowhere near as crowded and hectic as the one in California. Plus that made it much easier to find the right gate, but it wouldn't matter if the plane already took off.
She peered out of the big window to her left, seeing small planes scattered in the lot. A flash of white caught Averie's eye. She knew that color—the snow blonde and white infused shade. Averie spotted Malfoy amongst the many things out of the window, he wasn't hard to miss. He was talking with what looked to be the pilot, in a tidy uniform.
Even from a distance he looked perfect.
What?
Averie didn't know where that last thought came from—or how it was so true—but she locked it up in her mind only.
As Averie looked closer she made out the figures of Zara sitting on her luggage nearby, and Pansy staring dreamily at Malfoy.
Averie rolled her eyes at the sight—could she be more obvious?
Lucas must not have been needed on this trip, because he was nowhere in sight. It would probably just be Averie, Pansy, Zara, and Malfoy.
How fun.
Her lips pursed as she then realized they were surprisingly waiting for her.
There was an exit within a few steps, which opened her up to the outside gates. Her sneakers slightly squeaked as she pivoted outside, making her co-workers' heads turn.
Malfoy was the first to speak up—naturally.
"Ah...well look who decided to join us today," he mocked as the girl sauntered closer.
"Finally. I've been waiting for like—an hour," cried Pansy.
Averie shot her a look, "It's only five minutes past nine."
"So can we go now, Malfoy?" Zara inquired from her suitcase-chair. She looked impatient as ever, Averie noted. "You said we'd leave as soon as Averie got here."
Malfoy faintly nodded to the pilot to board the plane, and the man gathered all of their luggage before the four of them entered.
The plane looked expensive—not a surprise. Draco Malfoy was a wealthy man. Even if he didn't parade his money around all of the time, everyone knew it.
Malfoy was humble with his money. Sure he was a complete asshole at all times of the day, but Averie had to admit that he was humble.
She wondered how much money he actually had in his wallet.
How much could he fit into it, at least.
Not that it mattered, he could have all the money in the world and he still couldn't buy her respect.
It was a cozy private jet, sleeked with a fine leather interior. There were more than enough seats for just the four of them, all plush and comfy. It may have only been a two hour flight, but Averie felt like royalty as she was served some fancy champagne.
Malfoy was the last to enter the jet stairs, looking as casual as ever. It would be casual for him though, it was his plane—he probably did this every Friday as far as Averie was aware. He immediately settled in the seat furthest from the rest of them, which wasn't too far considering it wasn't a large cabin.
Averie subtly studied him, his black t-shirt that defined his chest in all of the right ways. Surprisingly he was wearing jeans, she'd never seen him so casual, but she definitely wasn't complaining.
And she watched as Pansy tried to sit next to him but was embarrassingly shoved away.
She ended up sitting in a row far from where Averie and Zara were seated, luckily she wouldn't be able to torment them for the few hours they were forced to spend in the same place. She had expected Pansy to want to argue with them since they had nowhere to go, but she seemed to have fallen asleep in the first couple minutes of the flight. Thankfully.
When the plane finally took off, Averie expected to be way more nervous than the last time she was aboard a literal flying box, but that wasn't the case.
For some unknown reason, she felt safer.
Averie just stared out of the window, watching as the clouds got farther and farther just like her thoughts.
"So what do you think we'll even do there?" Averie distantly heard Zara's voice from her left.
"Not sure. It's always a surprise with Malfoy."
"I bet there's gonna be a party—like an after show event. I heard about them, they're common with big runway shows."
"An after party?" Averie inquired curiously.
That sounded like it could be fun.
"Mhm. I've also heard that Mature Divinity hosts some of the best, so we're in luck with that if there is one."
"If we would even be allowed to go there, you mean. Malfoy would probably keep us 500 feet away at all times—at least with me he would," she scoffed.
Zara smirked at her comment. "Maybe he thinks you're irresistible and that's why."
Averie just laughed back—it was hilariously untrue to her.
She quickly looked up to where Malfoy was sitting a few rows ahead, making sure he didn't hear that. His head was buried in a magazine, his eyes scanning the page, so she assumed he wasn't listening.
"As if."
—
Averie's rest was disturbed by the heavy shaking of the plane.
Naturally she was jolted awake, scared of it.
This was exactly why she didn't fly.
The rumbling continued, making Averie lose her breath. Zara noticed her blossoming anxiety, making her wrap her arms around the girl.
"It's ok Evie—just some turbulence," her hands stroked up her arms out of comfort. "Sometimes it's worse in private jets."
Averie gripped onto the seat armrests impossibly tight, her eyelids squeezed shut.
"Why would anyone fly this fucking thing?"
After a few minutes the plane gradually smoothed out, the harsh turbulence stopping—for now at least.
Averie let out the breath she didn't know she held in. She knew that she needed to feel cold water, that always helped calm her. As she looked around the small cabin she wasn't sure if there even was a restroom, but there had to be—it was a luxury jet after all.
"Where's the bathroom?"
Zara's head looked around as well, finally settling her light eyes on a place behind Malfoy's figure, to which she then pointed at for Averie to follow.
And she did.
Of course she made sure the flight was smooth enough before she got up, walking past Malfoy who didn't even acknowledge her.
The door opened allowing her to slip in, then she was observing the room. It was very nice—as it should be for how expensive she was sure the whole jet was. Small, but nice. Her hands fumbled for the faucet handles, gliding it to the coldest option.
It didn't take long for the water to turn almost ice cold, so she ran her cupped hands under it, splashing her face afterwards. It helped her nerves as she knew it would, and she made sure to focus on her breathing when she felt shakes again.
It was normal, this was a plane, she kept on reminding herself.
Averie gasped as she heard a knock on the thin door.
"Yes?" she weakly called out.
"Have you died in there?" the voice scoffed.
She defensively crossed her arms, though he wouldn't be able to see it.
"No." she sneered. "What do you want?"
"The bathroom—obviously," he emphasized. Malfoy tried opening the door again, to no avail.
It was locked, dumbass.
"Are you going to hurry or what?"
Averie refused to give him the space if he was going to be rude to her.
"I only just got in here, Malfoy," she huffed.
She nearly scoffed at his impatience.
"That's where you're wrong. You've been in there for ten minutes."
Ten minutes?
Has it been ten minutes already?
"Aren't you filthy rich? Why doesn't your plane have more than one bathroom?" she tested.
She heard him chuckle slightly, which surprised her as it was genuine. Her head shook, and she uncrossed her arms to unlock the door.
As soon as it clicked open, Averie meant to swiftly walk out and leave Malfoy behind. She almost walked straight into his broad chest, though.
It was even more defined up close.
When Averie realized she had been staring at his rippled chest, her eyes diverted to his face instead, seeing the proud smirk showing he noticed her stare. And she cursed internally when she felt her body temperature raise the slightest.
Before either of them could move or say anything else, the plane violently shook. Malfoy's footing lost balance making him plunge straight into Averie's smaller body, and she shrieked as she was about to tumble on the ground.
But she didn't.
He caught her—again.
In the midst of their tumble, a loud click could be made out in the small room.
Both of their heads turned towards the door, where it appeared shut. Malfoys hands dropped from her waist, and she unsteadily walked the few steps to the door. Her fingers grabbed relentlessly on the door handle, willing it to open.
But it didn't.
She tried again, harder.
This couldn't be happening.
"What's wrong?"
Averie kept on pushing the door, breaking a sweat so that maybe it would open. But again—it didn't.
"It's—stuck."
"Stuck? Just push harder, Wilson," he demanded.
Push harder?
She rolled her eyes, what did he think she was doing?
After a few minutes of him just watching her struggle, Malfoy shooed her out of the way, replacing her hands with his own, larger ones.
His veins visibly tensed as he tried sliding the door open. Averie was a bit entranced the way his arm muscles contracted making them appear much larger and manly.
He didn't try nearly as hard as she did, but he dropped his hands, sighing.
"It's locked," he stated.
"I know it's locked, Malfoy!"
He shot her a glare at her tone.
"This is your fault."
Her face twisted in confusion, "How is this my fault?"
"You took too fucking long—I could have been done in here already," his voice raised back.
"Well I'm sorry that your plane has shitty bathroom locks that get stuck at the worst possible times!"
Malfoy rubbed his chin stressfully, turning his back to her.
"How long will we be in here for?" she questioned after a few tense moments of silence.
He sighed and turned back around after he heard her voice, leaning on the wall opposite of the big mirror and sink counter.
"Forty minutes if we're lucky. It's been over an hour since we took off so we're either halfway there or a little over."
Averie bit her lip nervously.
There was no way in hell she was trapped in a small bathroom inside of Draco Malfoy's private jet—with him.
Her luck couldn't be worse, she thought.
"What, am I not fun to be around with?"
Averie realized her agitation was written across every feature of her face as he teased her. She crossed her arms over her chest once more, feeling uncomfortable with this whole situation.
She was locked in a tight space with Malfoy for possibly an hour?
"You could say that," she murmured as she hauled herself on top of the sink counter, across from Malfoy. He was smirking at her—as per usual—but in a different, less malicious way.
There was only a couple feet distance from where her legs were dangling off, to where Malfoy was leaning on the wall. Averie didn't know where to look, how to place any part of her body. She was tense, and that was obvious.
"Can I ask you something?"
Averie looked up at him, curious. Her head nodded softly, as Malfoy took a step forward, raking his hands through his white mess of hair.
"Do I...make you nervous?"
Averie's mouth opened to protest, but her words died in her throat.
He did make her nervous.
Was it that obvious?
"Is that a yes then?"
"No!" she nearly shouted. That just made him smirk again.
Asshole.
Both of his hands grabbed the counter beside her thighs, steadying him from the ongoing turbulence. Averie should have been paying attention to the plane, but she couldn't—not when he was right there, his eyes clear and hidden as the ocean.
"Are you sure?" he leaned in, as Averie tried her best not to look down at his lips. She unconsciously leaned backwards to try to escape his blinding hot gaze.
And she gasped when she felt his rough denim jeans in between her thighs. Thank god she was wearing sweatpants.
"I'm not nervous, Malfoy," she found some sense to breathe out.
"Good."
Averie then made the mistake of glancing down at his lips. Still pink. Still enticing.
Her hues flickered between his eyes then, watching as they dropped to her mouth.
She was just about to lean in, he didn't seem so hesitant either—when they both slightly jerked due to the turmoil. Averie could have sworn their lips brushed, but she would never be sure of that.
At that moment, she was only sure of him.
What?
Malfoy looked confused too, as he stepped back again, this time gliding down the wall to sit on the floor. He sighed, bending one leg to rest his arm across it. Everything he did was handled with elegance.
Averie's heart was pounding in her ears, she reminded herself to breathe again after what just happened.
What just happened?
"Tell me about yourself."
"What?"
Averie's mind was muddled, why would he want to know about her? According to him she was 'wet bread Wilson'.
"Do I always have to repeat myself?" his upper lip curled. "I said—tell me about yourself. We've got an hour left of being stuck here and I don't want to spend it in complete silence. So talk."
His hand waved, gesturing for her to start speaking.
"Well... I was born in California, lived there all of my life. Malibu specifically. It was nice," she smiled a bit, reminiscing every aspect of the beaches, the towns she grew up in, the friends she had.
"Ah she's a California girl, I should have known," Malfoy said. "What about fashion?"
It felt weird having a normal conversation with someone she usually was arguing with, but it was never weird to talk about fashion.
"Fashion has always been a part of my life, it's why I'm the best," she flipped her hair for effect.
"Don't get all cocky on me now, Wilson."
"You say that as if you're not cocky all of the damn time," she retorted.
"I have a right to be, I own my own company."
She huffed at his overconfidence. He was right though, he did have a reason. Averie did too, though.
It then dawned on Averie that the two have never actually had a real conversation in the months that she's worked under him.
Months.
They barely even knew each other.
She wanted to know a bit more of him.
"What about you?" she quietly asked after some comfortable silence.
Malfoy looked up at her from where he was sitting on the floor, "What about me?"
"Tell me about you," she rolled her eyes.
"What's to tell? I live in London and own a fashion company," he bluntly puts it. "And I own a private jet that likes to lock me in with my worst intern."
Surprisingly, Averie found herself laughing at that. It wasn't true after all, he didn't have any bad interns. Not her or Zara at least.
"How did you get into the industry, Malfoy?"
He audibly sighed, his hand scratching his knee for a short moment before he responded.
"My father hated the fashion industry," he started, much to Averie's disbelief. "He said it was useless, so here I am proving him wrong. That's it."
That definitely wasn't it, but Averie wouldn't push him. She was definitely not expecting him to give her a real answer in the first place.
"Do you really hate my designs? Or just me?"
"Both," he lazily smirked.
She didn't know what she expected from asking that question, but that was exactly the response she anticipated.
And they stayed there for a while—Averie dangling off of the sink counter, Malfoy straight across from her on the floor. Not that they could get out of the bathroom if they wanted, it was sealed shut. Occasionally their eyes would meet, and Averie got lost in his—as she always seemed to.
Something about him was too enthralling to stay away.
But she had to, for that exact reason.
Why the fuck did she not want to stay away?
Eventually the plane glided down, and gradually landed. Malfoy fell asleep somehow after their short lived civil conversation, and Averie made the decision to wake him up before they found a way to get out.
What if they were stuck here forever?
What if there was no way out?
Why didn't Zara come get her after an hour?
A knock was heard on the door, waking the sleeping man before Averie could.
"Draco, are you in there?" Pansy's shrill voice was heard, followed by another series of knocks.
Both of their heads turned towards the door.
"Open the door Parkinson, it's stuck," Malfoy demanded as he stood up.
After a few weak tries Pansy was able to open the door, standing there looking as if she won a nobel award. "Olsen said the wet bread was in the bathroom, you haven't seen her have you?" she asked, not looking where Averie stood—right behind the door.
Until she stepped out of course, her arms crossed with an evil glare.
Pansy's face immediately turned to a look of disgust. "What have you two been doing in here?"
Averie realized she thought of something completely different than what had actually happened. The sight of jealousy was quite an amusing one, though.
"The door was locked from the outside somehow," Averie complained. "There was no way out."
Pansy merely scoffed, obviously not believing it. "No it wasn't."
Did she think it was normal to have to forcefully heave a door open?
Before Averie could explain any more, the raven haired girl huffed loudly and stomped off towards the cabin again. Averie couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.
Malfoy made his presence known again, opening the door widely for her to leave first. "Thanks?" she hesitantly said. The civility was still strange, but she doubted it would last for long.
He was the arrogant Draco Malfoy, after all.
Averie found her way back to Zara in the same seat she left her in, with a smug look on her face. Did she know?
"Have a nice time in the bathroom?" she grinned, making Averie roll her eyes once more.
"Let's just get out of this thing while we still can."
Malfoy left first, in a hurry to get to the meeting he spoke of earlier. He didn't glance back even once as he strode towards the limousine waiting for him outside of the airport terminal.
Averie walked down the steep plane steps, breathing in the air of Milan. She'd always wanted to go to Italy, but the sight could have been placed anywhere—it was just an airport for now.
Pansy was quiet, almost too quiet for Averie. Not that she was complaining—but it was strange. This trip has been strange so far, she didn't even want to know what's to come. The three of them were instructed to go to the next limousine by Pansy, she knew the ins and outs of this lifestyle already. And so Averie and Zara had followed her into the sleek black car.
Averie presumed it was to take them to the hotel, but she didn't know how long of a drive it would be. She was just grateful to be off of the plane.
The ride was silent, so silent that Averie had fallen asleep on Zara's shoulder. She didn't realize it until one of the limo doors slammed shut, awakening her from the peaceful sleep.
"So you want to tell me why you and Malfoy were both gone in the bathroom for an hour?" Zara smirked once more.
Averie groaned.
"It's not what it looks like, I wouldn't do that."
"Mhm," she slightly laughed. "Let's go."
Averie noted that Pansy had no intention to wait for the two as they both climbed out of the limo. She was already confidently striding into the building that Averie had to double take.
Was this their hotel?
It was almost too elegant to be just a hotel, but Averie realized Malfoy didn't care about spending money on luxurious things like this, it was normal for him.
And so she and Zara walked up to the front doors, refined and golden. Inside held the same level of intricate designs, Averie was in awe of it all. Growing up somewhere casual definitely didn't have any classy hotels shaped like mansions. It was new, exciting.
Pansy was already talking with the receptionist at the grand desk, or flirting but Averie couldn't tell which. She was handed a hotel key, and was on her way without a moment to spare.
"Do you think we'll have separate rooms?" Averie asked.
Zara was still looking around the main lobby, in as much wonderment as the girl to her left. "Hm? Oh... probably. We know this company could afford it."
It was true—the company had the riches. Why wouldn't they get their own room?
"And what about our bags—how are we going to get them I don't know where—"
"Evie! Stop stressing there's nothing to worry about, I'm sure. Malfoy has maids and servants for everything so they probably have our things already, right?"
Averie realized she was overreacting, Zara was good at calming her down. "Right."
Averie stepped up to get her room key first, as Zara was still admiring the luxury of the place—they've only seen the lobby so far. She wasn't sure what to ask for though, and wished she had heard what Pansy said, but she didn't want to hear the flattering words that came out of her mouth. Was she requesting a room or just checking into one?
The receptionist was an older man, grey hair settled in his head and dressed in a fine attire. Averie opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.
"Name?" he asked, his voice rich with an italian accent.
She cleared her voice before responding, "Averie Wilson."
"Ah yes, our prime guest of the evening."
Prime guest?
She could get used to that.
His slightly wrinkled hands worked on a modern computer, clicking the keyboard faster than Averie could think. Before he turned back to the girl in front of the desk, he picked up a hotel key from the concealed part of his workspace. It looked different from the one Pansy received, Averie could tell even from afar.
"Buona giornata, Miss," he charmingly said with a small smile, then turning back to his computer and clicking once more.
She muttered her gratitude, assuming he spoke a farewell, and headed towards the elevators she spotted Pansy at not too long ago. She turned back to her fiery haired friend, giving a smile and a small wave to say goodbye for now. They would probably see each other later in the day, if not earlier. It was only a couple minutes past noon, they had the whole day. And she was lucky Zara and her were as close as they were.
Averie looked down at the key in her hand, trying to decipher which floor she would have to take before she stepped into the elevator. There was an engraved 11M Suite on one of the sides, indicating the floor and room number. So she pressed the elevator button for the eleventh floor, which was oddly the top floor, and waited for the elevator to halt.
One thing that briefly crossed her mind was that she desperately needed to learn a bit more common Italian phrases if she wanted to roam the city. Otherwise she'd be completely lost—she barely even knew English.
A familiar—yet much fancier—chime made Averie aware that she was arriving at the requested floor, she absentmindedly clutched onto her handbag as the doors slid open revealing a long hallway. There were few doors on this floor, she would have expected more from such a hotel as high quality as this one. Perhaps that's why though, more space for each room.
That's what she wished for at least—a big hotel room. She hated hotels, the least she could have was a roomy space to loathe more in.
Either way Averie would be ecstatic to be in Italy, but she expected nothing short of expensive.
And she didn't have a problem with that.
Her eyes sought out the door numbers engraved on the walls until she came across her given room.
11J...11K...11L...
11M
After using the small silver key in the door lock, she opened the knob eagerly.
A gasp left Averie's lips as she took in the room. It was almost dreamlike, indescribable. Light walls and marbled tiles coated the floors she was standing on. There was a creamy colored bed—one bigger than she's ever seen before. The comforter was puffy and matched the room all too well. There was even a plush couch that fit perfectly in the middle of the room, in front of a very lengthy television set.
She inspected the bathroom next. It was completely clean and shined, the mirror free from even a speck of dust.
What stood out to her the most was the windowed doors that opened up to a balcony. Immediately she wandered over and opened them, breathing in the warm, fresh air that caused a smile to creep on her face.
Averie loved it.
The hotel reminded her of the apartment in London, only the complete opposite. Where the black furniture sat in her room, creamy ones were placed instead. It held a much different, calmer, atmosphere.
And it was all hers.
As she walked towards the left side of the bed, she realized that her luggage had been brought up and placed on the side. Averie decided to settle in, starting by hanging her clothes up in the large closet. She didn't want to live through her suitcase for days, after all.
Averie spent around half an hour adjusting the hotel room to her liking, finally resting once she dumped her much needed products onto the bathroom counter.
She was resting on the balcony, sitting upon a bench that was placed outside along with a coffee table. Directly under the balcony was a grand patio surrounding a pool. The lot was vacant, though. So vacant that Averie wasn't even sure if there was anyone else here.
The girl wanted to soak in the sun, it was nearing August, so it was the perfect vacation weather. And although she was here solely for work purposes, she felt as if this was a vacation. In a way it was.
Averie was aware of nothing but the singing birds and slight breeze at that moment. It was a very peaceful moment indeed.
When she finally opened her eyes some time later, her eyes spotted a glimpse of red hair, a very familiar shade. Zara was laying on one of the lounge chairs by the pool, looking looking exactly as Averie felt—serene. Her friend seemed to be doing nothing but laying there, so Averie decided to join her—after changing into something more summery of course.
Zara looked to be asleep, but Averie wasn't completely sure due to the sunglasses that covered her eyes. She learned that Zara liked to sleep in the most random places, this apparently being one of them.
"Enjoying yourself?" Averie teased.
Zara stretched her arms out behind her, indicating that she was indeed asleep. "Oh very much so," she breathed out, followed by a yawn. "I've never been to Italy before."
"Me neither. It's beautiful so far." Averie made her way to the lounge chair next to her friend so they could continue to chat comfortably.
"My mother told me she went to Sicily once, does that count?"
"If you want it to," Averie chuckled. Zara didn't really talk about her family, neither did she though. She wondered if she was hiding anything. "Why isn't it just part of Italy anyway?"
"It's upset because Italy is kicking it," Zara joked. "So what happened in the plane?" she asked after a few silent moments of just hearing the quiet splashing of the waterfall inside the pool.
"Nothing hap—"
"Evie," she prodded.
A sigh left Averie's lips. The redhead was stubborn—wouldn't let it go and Averie knew it. But she knew Zara was safe to confide in as well. So she did.
"Well nothing too important happened."
"Oh? I don't think I would consider staying with him for an hour as unimportant."
"It wasn't my choice though—the lock broke!" Averie claimed. "But we did talk a bit," she finally admitted.
Zara giggled at Averie's newly flushed face, "Talk?"
"Yes, talk," she rolled her eyes. "Only talk."
"I still think he adores you," Zara sipped a fancy glass from a table on her right.
Adores?
"He doesn't adore me in the slightest. Is that an alcoholic drink? It's making you say the strangest things now."
Zara pulled down her sunglasses to better glare at the light brunette in front of her.
"It's water," she raised her eyebrow.
Averie didn't know what else to say about the subject. She might think about how it would feel like to be in compromising positions sometimes, but he was her boss. And he sure as hell didn't adore her.
He probably only adored himself.
"You're thinking of him, aren't you?" Zara's voice interrupted.
"No!"
"So what do you think of him?"
"Why are we even talking about him? Let's talk about you!" she desperately tried to steer the conversation away from a certain someone.
"Me?" Zara hummed thoughtfully. "Well I'm just hoping for a party."
"A party? Are you sure there's even going to be one?"
"It's literally all I could think about. Imagine how many pretty girls would be there," she sighed.
"Who needs any of them when the prettiest is right by your side?" Averie teased.
That's all it was—teasing.
But Zara's eyes changed subtly, right as she finally turned her head to assess the girl. Averie didn't know how she noticed under the sunglasses.
"Don't even go there, Averie. You don't understand what I would do."
They simply stared at each other, Zara daring Averie to say anything else.
"What are you two doing?"
The most annoying voice snapped them out of the bubble.
What was wrong with Averie today?
"What does it look like, Parkinson? We're lounging," Zara waved her hand to gesture at the poolside.
With a scoff, Pansy walked up to the both of them. "No, you both are supposed to be getting ready for the dinner tonight.
Dinner tonight?
"What dinner?" Averie asked.
"Like a dinner party?" Zara added in hopefully after Pansy didn't respond.
"No—the formal dinner you were both aware of," she sneered.
Averie and Zara shared an unsure glance at each other. They weren't informed of this. Why would they be? They weren't informed of anything—ever.
"Right! That one... Well gotta go bye," Zara rushed away.
Averie left after her, both of them headed to their hotel rooms. What mildly confused Averie was that Zara was on the second floor, and Averie was on the highest. It was confusing because they were basically the same person to Malfoy, why would he separate them so far?
But she didn't question it further—perhaps it was all the hotel had available.
Averie leisurely strolled back to the room, she wasn't going to rush and get all sweaty and messy looking because of Parkinson. For all they knew—she could be lying just to make them rush for something nonexistent.
The hall seemed colder than it was before, the air thick. Averie couldn't wait to go out and see people, and hopefully it was people of importance—she wanted to make impressions on everyone she could in this industry.
Her eyes trained down on her feet padding across the tiles, until she got back to 11M. She opened the door once more, but still didn't look up.
She only did raise her head once she saw a pair of black dress shoes. The same ones she knew and recognized. They weren't hers.
What the fuck was he doing here?
Averie made sure to shut the door quietly, not knowing how she wanted to approach this new situation. She rounded the corner into the bedroom, where she saw him—
Sprawled out on the bed, sleeping.
Completely naked.
His lower half draped with the sheets, just enough to not see anything above his thighs. Averie flushed immensely at the mere sight.
Her feet took a step back on their own, her whole body in a hot shock. The step creaked the floor, and she watched as he yawned, and his eyes stirred.
They opened not a moment later, immediately landing on Averie.
Malfoy jerked upright, covering his bare skin with the soft sheets—her soft sheets.
"What the fuck are you doing, Wilson?! Didn't get enough earlier?" he yelled.
"This is my room Malfoy! What the fuck are you doing!" she yelled back.
"This isn't your room," he stated as if it was a fact.
"I've already been unpacked in here for hours," she exasperated, walking confidently to the closet and opening it, revealing all of her clothes neatly put away.
"Then what the fuck is my stuff doing in here?" he questioned as he pointed to the side of the bed.
She failed to notice it before, but on one side of the bed was his own luggage. Hers was on the left side earlier, until she unpacked everything.
How could she have missed it?
"I book this room every damn year, that's why it's an M—for Malfoy," he explained.
"What am I going to do then? I've already unpacked everything."
He took note of her red face, and his naked body, the confident smirk inescapable for both of them.
Averie had expected him to shoo her away, say that he didn't give two shits what she was going to do. She'll probably have to pay for her own separate room now, pack everything up and unpack all over again.
Her fingers combed through her hair out of stress.
What the fuck was she going to do.
In the midst of her thoughts she didn't see Malfoy grabbing a black robe nearby, shielding his body from her with that instead of the transparent sheets.
"You can...stay," he breathed out as if it was the hardest thing to say.
She looked up shyly, peering her eyes up at him. He was so tall.
"I'm not leaving either though. You can stay if you don't mind sharing the room."
Averie bit her lip thoughtfully.
She shouldn't do it.
It's his room normally, she didn't want him to get annoyed with her for this.
But it wasn't her fault? The hotel probably messed up.
"I could get you another room if you want—"
"No, I—I don't want to have to repack and unpack again. If you don't mind I mean—"
"I've already said I don't. Stay or don't. Your choice," was all he said before storming into the bathroom suddenly.
"You have too much makeup shit in here," she heard through the thick walls. It made her laugh a bit. Maybe she'd stay here for the amusement—to purposely annoy him if she could.
"You could use it if you want, Malfoy. God knows you need it," Averie retorted back playfully.
Subconsciously she knew she would stay as soon as he offered, though she wouldn't realize it. Just like she would never realize the slightest bit of desperation in his voice asking the question.
Averie could have laughed at how she was now sharing a hotel room with her boss—the one she hated—hates. She still hates him.
Zara was going to get a kick out of this when she found out.
Between what happened on the plane and now, it was definitely humorous how things were going for her.
A/N
guys my friend found this book and i don't even know her wattpad account so i can't fucking block her 😭😭😭
liv if ur reading this (which u are bc ur obsessed with me) i hate u i know ur gonna make fun of this chapter too bc u just love it so much so i hate u
anyways this is almost 8k words and the longest chapter i've ever written so vote fuckers
also stream you right by doja bc its averie vibes
i adore u bye