Leone's pov
It had taken me a good 1 and a half hours to get there and I mentally thanked god there wasn't any traffic though it was already getting dark. I marched through the doors of the photostudio hurriedly. Most of the crew members were gone and the set was cleared up so I assumed the shoot and editing had ended . It was just some of the directors left including savannah who upon noticing me plastered that flirty smile on her face as she waltzed towards me .
"Hie savannah," I managed a smile as I looked past her figure for signs of Syd.
"Hie there,"she replied in a sweet tone , too sweet.
Maybe she hadn't gotten the hint of me ghosting her after we hooked up two months ago.
Yeah she was stunning, very, but as I mentioned before what went down that night , I just wanted to get off . Nothing serious. Have a good time and never meet again , that's always the plan .But I wouldn't want to be rude and tell the older to back off since bumping into her wasn't part of my agenda. Regardless, out of respect , I went along with small talk.
"How are things going for you?" I asked her as I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my slacks .
"Splendid actually,"she grinned ,"upgraded to a manager and life's pretty peaceful I guess,"she replied,"how about you? How are things turning out?"
"Very busy actually,"I responded vaguely trying to get to the point,"um have you by any chance seen Syd?" I went on to ask
"Yes she was just in the dressing room with her boyfriend"I heard her mention with a spark of curiosity vividly laced in her tone .
She wanted to know something
"He's not her boyfriend,"I said out of impulse,"at least not anymore "
"Oh I see” she nodded slowly, tapping her manicured nails against her forearm,"why are you looking for her anyways?"
"She called me to come pick her up ,"I simply answered .
"You know she's supposed to have security with her right?" She insisted,"it's part of the rules "
"Yeah I know ,"I answered,"she's just not in the best mood right now . That and she genuinely doesn't like a group of unknowns following her around"
"It's just protocol "Savannah shrugged,"I'm her manager . My job is to keep her safe and that's what I intend to do "she spoke in a softer , more reasonable manner.
She was being fair honestly. It was protocol here and every other agency .
"I understand,"I said with a small smile,"but just for today I need to take her home myself. She's not in the best mood and I'm her friend .I also wanna keep her safe . Trust me in this . I promise I'll get her to agree on security escort,"I offered my best smile
Savannah rolled her eyes,biting her lower lip ."fine," she huffed loudly,"just avoid the paparazzi at all cost. I don't want to be behind any made up TMZ scandals"
Works every time
"You won't . Promise,"I guaranteed as I dashed past her, towards the dressing room.
Once I got there , I took a few shaky breaths and gently knocked on the door,"cupcake,"I called out cautiously,"may I come in?"
After hearing a faint 'yeah' resounding from behind the closed door I opened the door and peeped inside .
"Hie,"I tried to sound cheery as I slowly shuffled to where she sat by the couch. Her face was flushed and cheeks tear - stained .
What did he say to her?
"Hie,"she sniffled as she stood from where she was,"you didn't have to come here Leone . I could've managed,"she held out here arms silently asking for a hug which I gladly gave . I could feel her figure slightly trembling and my heart ached at the sight of her puffy eyes.
"I told you that I wanted to come,"I insisted," I couldn't just leave you like this "I cupped her cheeks,"I said I'd take you home so that's what I'm going to do"I offered a smile which she faintly returned.
"Now let's get you home , it's already dark outside"I told her and she simply nodded .
I slid my hand and interweaved it with hers before stepping out of the dressing room , headed for my car.
•••••
I discreetly watched Syd as she stared out of the window . She hadn't said a word since we'd gotten in the car and it worried me greatly. She'd usually be all smiles, teasing me nonstop but right now she was hurting ,again , because of my friend ,again.
I cleared my throat to break the silence,"so,"I licked my lips nervously as I looked straight ahead ,"are you okay?"
I heard her sigh loudly and took a quick glance at her,"you wanna talk about it or .?" I asked cautiously. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable by being invasive . If she wasn't up for talking about it then I'd respect that too.
"I don't even know how I feel at this moment,"she said softly,"I don't know whether it's a curse or I'm just genuinely bad at love,"she scoffed bitterly,"or maybe....maybe I'm the problem in all of this"she blinked her tears away.
"No you're not"I immediately answered,"you're never the problem"I tried to reassure her.
She fiddled with her fingers as she bit down her lip to stop herself from crying again .
"You know,"she breathed out ,"after Luca just disappeared I felt my whole life crumble before me eyes,"her voice cracked a bit as she spoke,"he was my literal everything . He was my first love after all .I had become so dependent on him such that when he left I didn't know how life would go on from there. Tried picking up the pieces by myself, that surely didn't work,"she forced a laugh.
If opening up was what it took for her to get better then I was willing to listen so I remained mute as she continued talking,"then Hardin came along," a painful smile formed on her lips, one of love and betrayal at the same time.
"He offered to help me find him , help me find my boyfriend that was one of his best friends and in the process I ended up falling for him and I thought he fell for me too . Guess it wasn't reciprocated .All the times he claimed to love me I believed him because I couldnt handle otherwise. I thought with him it was to be different. In such a short amount of time I had fallen so hopelessly in love,"I heard her voice crack a bit as a lonely tear trickled down her cheek.
Seeing her like this made me angry at my friend for doing this to her and at myself for not being able to do anything to numb her pain.
She continued,“so hopelessly in love with someone I was ..and regretfully still am. And then Luca came back only for me to find out that relationship was also based on a lie .Imagine how I felt Leone.. and then .. and then I'm starting to feel for another one of your friends , funny isn't it? He's all I ever wanted .. But there's something missing in that feeling .. maybe because my stupid heart keeps delivering unreciprocated love .."
I know how that feels
Then she finally looked my way with pain in her eyes.
".....it hurts Leone . It hurts really bad and I'm not okay. I just want him to come back and tell me he didn't mean any of what he said but I know he won't and that hurts even worse." my heart clenched as I heard her chocked sob
"Hey ,"I reached for her hand and intertwined our fingers,"I'm here for you, okay? Everything will be okay trust me."I brought her hand up and gently kissed the back of her small hand.
I meant every word of what I said . I would always be there , no matter what. I would be there for her even if it meant leading myself on in the process. I would never want her to shed a single tear irregardless of who caused it.
"There's nothing wrong with you . You're not the cause of this " I tried to reassure her,"it's not a crime to fall in love Syd"
She remained quiet as I drove on for a couple of minutes before she broke the silence once again," I don't want to go home" she suddenly notified
"Excuse me ?" I looked at her once I reached a red light and came to a stop,giving my full attention to her.
"I'm just...not in the mood to answer any questions when they see me like this,"she explained,"I know their my friends and they care for me but I just can't handle anymore questions at this point or i might just burst."
"So what do you want to do then?" I questioned as I drove along the almost-congested highway
"I just need to get away. I need to forget everything that happened today"she stared out the window , wiping away yet another tear,"I need to get wasted or something. " she dragged ,"Take me to Cheryl"she suddenly suggested
I didn't like the sound of this idea. The reasonable side of me knew there'd be consequences to this action. For crying out loud Rose works there. If I happened to bump into her with Syd then it'd be the end for me .
"I.. I don't think that's a good idea Syd,"i hesitated a bit . A frown formed on her lips at my response.
"Leone please . I don't want to party or anything I just need a stress reliever and I can't go home in this state."
"But you can't go home drunk either" I tried to argue
She squeezed my hand gently,"tomorrow is a weekend anyway Leone . Please"
I bit my lower lip as I contemplated
I sighed,"I'm going to regret this decision very much but fine"
I didn't like the sound of this
•••••••••
I hesitantly parked outside Cheryl club and switched the car off.
Great . There was a heller load of people I presumed from the lengthy queue outside the entrance. That wasn't good.
The threats from Savannah earlier resounded in my head. I couldn't let her get out there or else she'd get spotted by the paparazzi.
Plan
I restarted my car and drove just a short distance back where the private entrance of our club was. This was the path we used with Adam because he too wasn't to be spotted by the paparazzi. This entrance would lead straight to the VIP room , away from the crowd
I removed my seat belt and glanced at the passenger seat where Syd was spaced out , brows furrowed in concentration. I quickly got out of my car and dashed over to open the door for Syd .
"Thank you for doing this," she managed a faint smile as she hoped out of the car,"i really need this"
I simply smiled back,"let's get you in the VIP room before anyone spots you or Savannah will literally cut my head off"
Using my passkey i opened the door to the VIP room and much to my relief there wasn't anyone there and didn't seem like anyone had been there for quite a while which was very queer
I glanced at Sydney who slowly walked in front of me . She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt vigorously - she was nervous and I understood why. In this very room was where her relationship with my friend fell apart. I remember every single detail of it . I understood that that wound was still fresh and what happened today just added salt to that wound.
I heard her suck a deep breath and she turned to me with a smile I figured to be forced,"if I didn't have such sour memories here then I'd say you've got quite the nice place " she released a shaky laugh as she hugged her frame.
"Thanks .. I guess,"i returned a faint smile,"make yourself comfortable and I'll get someone to serve you some drinks"
I watched her simply nod ,walking over to the velvet sofa .
I hurriedly walked out of the VIP room and fortunately bumped into one of the security guards and requested for the waiter. Afterwards I went back into the lounge just to find Syd scrolling through channels of the lounge tv. Not surprised at all.
"Y'all got a heller huge ass tv,"she commented casually as if she hadn't been crying her eyes out less than an hour ago .
She might have seemed flaccid on the outside but I knew her too well to believe she was already good - she just wanted a distraction. I dragged myself towards the sofa an flopped onto the space next to her
"You feeling better?" I asked with concern.
She glanced at me for a split second then looked away but I'm that moment I could see it on her face - pain.
"Um,"she pressed her lips into a line , picking the right words to say ,"not really but let's not get into that . I've had enough sobbing for today, yeah?"
Before I could ask anymore questions , much to her relief , the waiter came in with drinks .
Thank God Rose had taken a day shift today otherwise I wouldn't live to tell the story.
"Finally ,"she sighed as she recited a small 'thank you' to the waiter then poured herself a drink. She raised her glass in the air and turned to me ,"cheers to a fucked up relationship , yeah?"
"Cheers .... I guess" i raised an empty glass alongside her.
Without hesitation she chugged down the entire shot in one go.
"This stuff is strong,"she scrunched her nose at the sour taste,"but I like it " she nodded to herself then proceeded to pour herself another shot.
"Don't you think you should dial down on the alcohol Syd?" I asked warningly .
She didn't even respond and chugged down another shot - she must've really wanted the pain to go away but this wasn't the way to go.
I knew her level of stubbornness so I knew she wouldn't listen to me anyways. I just watched her with caution as she inhaled one shot after the other .
Oh Lord
•••••
"Hmm,"I heard Sydney Humm besides my as she lazily placed her head on my lap.
In just an hour she had consumed several shots and her eyes were a little droopy signaling that she was pretty drunk.
I watched her lazily scroll through tv options and them came to a sudden halt.
"Ooh,"she raised her head from my lap and abruptly stood from the sofa,"there's..... there's a kareoke option,"she slurred,"fun." I watched her stumble towards the tv ,her eyes wide as she stared at the song options .
She glanced over her shoulder at me and I could've sworn my heart skipped a bit when she smiled widely at me , her dimples in full display ,then she said," a stress reliever...l-lemme have some fun" then clicked on a random song
I sunk in my seat and watched her intriguingly as she sway her hips and hummed to the tune of the song .
|needed me- Rihanna|
♪ I was good on my own
That's the way it was
That's the way it was
You was good on the low
for a faded fuck
on some faded love
Shit what the fuck
you complaining for?
Feeling jaded huh?
Used to trip off that shit I was kicking to you
Had some fun on the run though I give it to you
But baby don't get it twisted
You was just another n* on the hit list
Tryna fix your inner issues with a bad bitch
Didn't they tell you that I was a savage?
Fuck your white horse and a carriage
But you never could imagine
Never told you you could have it
You... Needed me
Ooh...
you needed me.....
Feel a little more
Give a little less
Know you hate to confess
But baby ooh
You needed me..♪
She danced by herself as she drunkenly slurred the lyrics to the song , sparing me sly glances here and there.
"Oh I'm definitely Rihanna's biggest fan ,"she yelled over the music ,"you wanna dance with me Leone? ,"She smiled drunkenly at me , offering a dance.
I shook my head slightly,"nah I'm good . I'm into watching,"i politely declined
A small pout formed on her lips ,"you're a party pooper ,"she turned away from me and continued her one person party.
I couldn't dance if it were to save my life. Plus I just wanted to watch her and make sure she didn't trip over and hurt herself so that's what I proceeded to do.
•••
"Can you please lower the volume please?"i requested irritatedly as I drove along the highway .
After much coaxing she'd agreed to leave the club but apparently she still wanted to 'party' so she took it upon herself to annoy the shit out of me.
"Nope,"she giggled over the loud music from her phone,"You forced me to leave so I'm bringing the party with me ,"she yelled as she swayed in her seat "lemme call rose so she can party with me too!"she slurred
As soon as she started dialing her friend's number i quickly yeeted the phone from her. I couldn't let rose find out she was drunk , she'd kill me.
"Hey,"she whined reaching for her phone,"give it back now"
"Just as long as you don't call rose "i offered,keeping my eyes on the blurry road due to the showers .
"Okay fine,"she agreed and I gave her phone back.
I can't let Rose see you like this , I thought to myself as I pulled my phone out of my blazer
Lemme text Vanessa , maybe she'll know what to do
__________________________________
|Vanessa '_'|
> I need your help
> Well hello to you too
> Hardin broke up with Syd
>Syd called me to get her from work
> She got drunk *apologies*
> I don't want rose to see her like this
> What to do?
°°°°°°°
>Mr rich is soo gonna pay for this
> Rose is here so yh that's a problem
>Take her to your place, I'll come up with an excuse
>Thank you so much
>Just don't fuck her ...or whatever
> That wasn't the original plan
>But now that you mentioned it
>;)
>I will fucking kill you -_-
>Noted
__________________________________
I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and made a swift turn for my place as the loud music continued to blast from a drunk Syd's phone.
"Wow," i heard Sydney gape as I pulled over by the front gate
"This place is huge,"she said as she gazed outside the window whilst i punched in the passcode and the gate opened .
"Is this your place,"she switched off the music.
"Yeah actually,"i nodded modestly, parking by the entrance,"wow! You must be really rich."
"I'm.... comfortable,"i released myself from the seatbelt ,opening the door . I walked over to the passenger seat to open the door for Syd who held on tightly to my forearm so she wouldn't fall.
"That's exactly what a rich person would say" she concluded as she stumbled out of the car,"so you got like ..security guards here?"
"A few ,"i answered, opening the front door and letting her in first.
"Oh ma gaaad!" She yelled dramatically as she stepped into my home.
I couldn't help but feel flustered a bit. I had worked my ass off for everything I had so I guess I'm a bit proud of my accomplishments,"I guess the restaurants are doing quite well."
"Yeah no shit,"she replied as her eyes travelled around the area,"you live here alone? Like the prince from beauty and the beast or something?,"she asked,"i could be the beauty if needed,"she wiggled her eyebrows jokingly
I wish you were
"No i live with Elenore actually,"i answered,"though she isn't here right now "
"No wonder you can afford to buy that expensive suit,"she pointed at my outfit
"I had work today"
"I see,"she hummed as I led her to the kitchen
I exhaustedly took of my blazer and placed by the counter .
"Even your kitchen is huge,"she slurred, leaning against the counter
"Here, drink this," i handed her a glass of cold water and she gulped it down almost immediately
"Thank you so much,"she smiled ,"what am I even doing here?"
"Well since you wanted to get drunk so bad , i can't take you to your place now because there is a monster named Rose who will eliminate me from the face of the earth if she found out that you got wasted on my watch. She already isn't my biggest fan and you know how that will turn out,"i spread my hands across the counter,"and we don't want to ruin my pretty face now do we?"
"Anyways....."she sighed,"how long have you lived in this place?"
"I think three years now,"i estimated ,"i bought it for Elenore and I . I want to give her the life she deserves"i smiled to myself as I thought of my mother.
"You really adore her , don't you?"
More than anything
"Yeah,"i answered
"Follow me,"i took her hand and led her to my bedroom.
"My b-bedroom looks like shit compared to this,"she hiccuped as she flopped onto my bed .
I simply let her do as she pleased as I removed my shoes,opting for something more comfortable ,"you can always come and live with me , as you said you said you can be the beauty and I can be the beast" i teased and I heard her scoff
"You wouldn't like a princess like me,"she sat by the corner of the bed and from the corner of my eye i could see her pulling on the hem of her shirt ,"this shirt is irritating...."she slurred
"Wait ,"I hurriedly pulled her shirt down ,"what do you think you're doing ?"I felt my face heat up when I caught a glimpse of her bra.
"I wanna ..."she closed her eyes thinking of what she was gonna say, then she smiled,"i wanna take a shower,"she pulled once more trying the get her shirt off but I immediately stopped her
"No you gotta sleep,it's already late,"i refused strictly
"No,"she whined jumping to her feet,"i gotta shower and take off this make up, i feel irritated and sweaty!" She pouted stepping closer to me .
I was beginning to feel flustered by the proximity of her body to mine.
This isn't good
"Um..."i began to say but immediately went mute when I felt her finger tips touch the side of my neck. I gulped nervously.
The moment I looked at her in the eye i saw it - a spark of amusement . This wasn't going to end well.
I stepped a but back only for her to step forward leaving less that a few inches between us.
She giggled drunkenly,"what,"she batted her lashes at me,"you scared you might like what you see?" She brought out slowly
I already like what I see
"Syd,you're drunk . Let's get you to bed , okay?"
I stuttered a bit
"C'mon baby,"she said in a seductive tone
Damn.
I could feel my dick twitch at the sound of her voice
"Syd , it's already dark out. You should get some rest o-" my breath hitched once I felt her place her palms on my chest.
Just that simple touch alone got me weak in the knees
What was she doing to me
I had to try and calm myself down or else things would get out of hand . She wasn't thinking straight so I was supposed to be the responsible one.
"Um.. Syd , let's get you to bed , huh?" I took another step back and a sly smirk crept on her lips.
She looked at me straight in the eye,smiling lazily,"isn't this...i -isnt this what you've always wanted,"she batted her lashes innocently
"Not this way-" my words were interrupted when her lips brushed mine slightly
Oh Lord
There's no harm if I just..
"Are you always horny when you're drunk?" I spoke in a low tone
She giggled,"maybe?"she snuck her her hands around my neck
And that's when I lost my self control
"It's....it's just you and me in here,"she whispered ,her hot breath against the crook of my neck .
Her eyes were dark with lust , only driving me over the edge with want .
The tip of her nose brushed against mine ,the tips of her finger nails tracing up and down my neck .
Was i being selfish for wanting this?
Yes
"You want this , don't you," she kissed my jawline and a low moan escaped from my lips .
She wasn't in her right senses and honestly neither was i .
She proceeded to kiss the corner of my lips,"you want me,"she declared lowly ,"take me"
Shit
"Leone!"
"Leone!"
I blinked profusely at the sound of my name being called .
"Were you like.. dead ..or something?" I heard Sydney slur
as she played with the corner of her shirt.
It was just my imagination?!
"God kill me now," i could feel the heat rush up my face at the thought of my delusions .
Was i really that horny?
I was in the exact same position when I was untying my shoes and there she was ,still fully dressed. I needed to get a grip on my self
"You're weird,"she giggled drunkenly
"You said something about taking a shower?"i snapped myself out of my trans as i stood up straight
"Yah ,"she whined ,"this make up is irritating so is the sweat so i wanted to take a shower "she talked speedily,"but first i gotta pee"
"Um okay," i sighed,"the bathroom is in there so you can go pee..and I'll try to find something for you to wear, how's that?"
"Splendid,"she grinned cheekily as she staggered into the bathroom.
Meanwhile I ruffled through my closet in search for something suitable for her to wear and narrowed it down to a simple black T and matching shorts for her to sleep in .
"Leone!"i heard her yell from the bathroom,"yeah!?" I answered
"I need help,"she whined
I scoffed as i marched towards the bathroom door,"are you taking a shit or something? "I joked
"Seriously!? No ,"she opened the door for me , letting me in
"What's the matter?"
"Can you take my make up for me? Please?" she requested.
Of course I couldn't say no
"Fine,"i huffed,"just sit there and I'll get you some wipes or something"
Just as i was about to head out she went on to say,"wait .what if I fall into the toilet," she smiled lazily.
Seriously?
"That's why there's a stool right there"
She facepalmed, laughing to herself,"oh right. Why didnt i think of that?"
A minute later i returned with a box of wipes and saw her sitting cross legged on the stool , humming to herself and i smiled. She looked so tiny and cute.
"I'm back,"i notified as i kneeled in front of her , pulling out one of the wipes. Sydney's eyes widened, a drunk smile plastered on her face .
"All my friends they tell me they see ,"she sang lazily pointing between the two of us,"you're planning to get in one knee!"she laughed throwing her head back at the confused expression on my face till i realized what she meant.
I was literally on my knees in front of her.
"I will walk out that door right now"i deadpanned , squinting my eyes at her.
"Fine fine,"she sighed coming down from her laughter,"I'll stop"
She closed her eyes contently as i gently removed the make up off her face.
"So tell me ,"she started,"how did you meet the rest of the run down Avengers ?"
I chuckled,"you will never stop calling us that will you?"
"Nope,"she tried not to move as i wiped off her eye - liner
"Well i already told you how I met Elenore....um..when I turned 18 ,i thought I'd become less of a burden to Elenore so i went out looking for a job .I worked as a waiter for this other restaurant for a while and i became friends with Dayn and Hardin who used to go there ,then they linked me with Adam a couple of weeks later . During that time Adam's father was the owner of Hybe back when it was just called BigHit"
"I remember those days when I was 13"
"Are you trying to say that I'm old?" I snorted
"Maybe,"
"Anyways, Adam got me funds to start my own restaurant so i worked my ass off till i was able to pay him back and start being independent . Then i met Jake through Adam . Then i met Jordan and Seth later on during that same year and ..yeah"
"So Adam is like captain America sort of ,"Sydney teased,"he was like ' avengers! assemble' and y'all just popped up"she laughed to herself,"marvel movie worthy"
"I guess so " i shrugged
"You must really care for these people in your life "
"Them plus Elenore make up my entire world .. just like Rose , Vanessa and you" a small smile formed on her lips upon hearing her best friends' names
"Yeah , just like them and i. In this world it's just us...and i wouldn't have it any other way" she spoke genuinely.
"Done"i said after removing all her make up
Even her bare face was breath taking
"Thank you so much,"she smiled
"You're welcome"i responded,"I'm sure everything you need is in here .. but if there anything else you need I'll be in the bedroom"i turned on my heels ready to leave when she stop me in my tracks
"Leone,"she called out,leaning against the bathroom door,"thank you , for everything"
"What are friends for"
••••••
"You done?" I asked upon hearing the bathroom door open. I couldn't help but coo as she waddled out of the bathroom in the clothes i had picked out for her. She looked so adorable.
"Yeah I'm done ,"she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest
"Why do you look angry?" I raised an eyebrow
"Look at me!"she waved her hand over her outfit,"i look like a fucking emo chick"
"Well youre a pretty emo chick "i teased
"Hahaha . Not funny"she deadpanned whilst looking at the bed,"wait are you sleeping in here too?"
"Well it's my bed dumbass" i snorted,"but if you wanna sleep on your own i can go somewhere else. It's fine"
"No i don't mind,"she shyed away from my gaze ,shifting from on foot to another,"i don't mind sharing. Scoot over".
"My pleasure,"i rolled over giving more space for her to fit ,"i hope you don't try to fuck me or something"i joke
"Wow you caught me," she said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"I hope i haven't been a burden to you lately,"she spoked up once we both lay on our sides such that we faced each other
"You're never a burden"i replied with a faint smile,"you're going through some stuff and i get it.Im just happy to be there for support"
"I'm glad you're here too"
[A\N - don't forget to leave a vote♥⭐]