We settle into the room at Jackson and Mariana's house and we both get comfortable on the bed.
"I think the fire was set on purpose." I state.
"You do?" He asks.
"The place the fire was coming from was a glass wall, there were no sockets or anything over there. The curtains and living room were set on fire. The fire alarm that is annoyingly good didn't go off, surely that's not a coincidence. And the worst part is, this isn't necessarily the mole or the person that set the other fire. It could've been anyone that was mad at me, which in case you haven't noticed is a lot of people currently."
"It wasn't Francisco. His time checks out, I'd only just sent him to your house like 10 minutes prior at most plus he tried to help you and called for help. It wasn't Vincent either, I was with him the full time." He tells me.
"This is all so fucked up."
"I think you should leave for a while." Blaine says out of the blue. "Take this and you can go almost anywhere." He says handing me back the Kashmir Sapphire. "You'll be safe."
I look down at it. "I....I can't."
"Yes you can."
"I won't. I can't leave now after everything, I'm in too deep." I say. "I'll constantly be in fear, not only for myself but for all of you. The only way through is to stop them." I put the Sapphire down on the side table, declining his offer to leave.
Only when I've finished talking do I realise that Blaine is staring at me. He doesn't look away when he gets caught he just continues staring.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing." He says, looking away.
I huff. "Just tell me."
"Why did you run away from me?" He asks. "I wouldn't have tried to kiss you if I'd had known it wasn't what you wanted."
"It wasn't anything personal." I state, moving to sit on the edge of the bed with my back facing him. "bien techniquement peut-être que c'était. Je n'ai pas couru parce que je ne t'aime pas, je l'ai fait parce que je suppose que j'ai peur." I say in French. (Well technically maybe it was. I didn't run because I don't like you, I did it because I guess I'm scared.)
"Je ressens pour toi d'une manière que je n'ai jamais ressentie pour quelqu'un d'autre auparavant. Je pense que ça se transforme en amour mais je ne sais pas comment l'arrêter. Je ne pourrais jamais te le dire cependant. Il n'y a aucun moyen que tu puisses ressentir la même chose parce que comment peux-tu m'aimer alors que je ne m'aime même pas moi-même?" I continue. (I feel for you in a way I've never felt for anyone else before. I think it's turning into love but I don't know how to stop it. I could never tell you though. There's no way you feel the same because how can you love me when I don't even love myself?)
It's silent for a moment until he speaks up.
"Comment saurais-tu si tu ne me donnes jamais cette chance?" (How would you know if you don't give me that chance?) He says in French and I turn to look at him in shock.
"What the fuck- you-" I turn away in embarrassment of what I just confessed to him. "How long have you known French?"
"Since I was a kid." He says and I can hear the smirk in his voice.
"So you've just let me continuously insult you in French and known exactly what I was saying all along. Why didn't you say anything?"
"I figured I'd find out something juicy if I acted clueless. Your undying love for me definitely counts."
"vous êtes le pire." (You're the worst.)
"Now, now Cassandra didn't anyone tell you lying is bad?"
With my back still to him I bury my head in my hands. I can't believe I just said that.
I hear Blaine shuffle on the bed until it dips beside me.
He pulls my hands off my face and turns my chin to face him.
The two of our faces are mere inches apart.
"I do feel the same so don't be getting all shy on me now. You're working towards loving yourself and until then I'll do it for the both of us." He says.
I glance down at his lips and when they flick back up to his I realise he's doing the same.
"If I kiss you, you're not going to run away again are you?" He asks and I shake my head no.
His lips inch closer to mine. I flutter my eyes shut in anticipation.
I feel the soft touch of his lips as they meet mine. Sparks fly when our lips collide and every nerve in my body reacts to his touch. My lips instinctively move against his. I never imagined a kiss would feel this magical.
I hope he's finding it as enjoyable and I hope I'm doing this right.
He deepens the kiss by pulling me closer towards him and I put my hand on the side of his face.
He slowly pushes me down on the bed and follows in suit, his lips not leaving mine for even a second. His body hovers over mine on the bed.
His lips leave mine and trail down my neck. My hands tangle in his hair. He keeps going down further until he reaches the neck of my shirt.
"Stop." I say breathlessly and he immediately does. He looks up to me. "I'm not ready." I state and he nods in response."In truth I've never...kissed anyone before nevermind anything else. I mean I've read about that kind of stuff so I know way more than you would expect but I-" He cuts off my rambling with another kiss on my lips. He then rolls off me and onto the other side of the bed. He pulls me against him with one arm wrapped securely around my back.
"So were you acctually never going to tell me that you liked me?" He asks.
"I might have in the future but I didn't have any plans on it....I'm kind of glad you do know now though." I say. "So you know French, huh? How many other languages do you know?" I decide to ask.
"More than you can count on one hand. I was trained to be the don so I had to know things. Languages were one of them, I had to be able to communicate with other mafia leaders and such like. I hated learning languages but I've got to say it's come in handy." He states. "It was worth it for that confession alone."
"Dick." I call him for his mention of my accidental confession.
"That's strictly reserved for you." My jaw drops.
I swat him on the arm. "Blaine Sousa, behave."
"Cassandra Harper, never." He says capturing my lips just as he finishes his sentence.
I feel him reach over to the side table and then I feel something cold on my boobs.
"What did you just do?" I ask pulling away from him. I look down in my bra to find the beloved Sapphire.
"I thought that's your hiding spot."
"While I'm sleeping? Do you want me to be impaled?"
I pull the Sapphire back out and give it back to him.
"It's yours, you won it fair and square." He states, giving it back to me.
"Maybe I'll sell it and buy a house, you know since-" I cut myself off when I start laughing and when I get going I can't seem to stop.
"You know I could just buy you a house?" Blaine says which makes me cackle more. Blaine could by a whole neighbourhood of houses...oh wait he already has.
"What's so funny?" He asks, clearly amused.
"You've brainwashed me into your cult, I knew this would happen." I say through the giggles.
"Don't fool yourself. Non ho bisogno di farti il lavaggio del cervello. Questo, proprio qui, sei tutto tu, amore mio. (I don't need to brainwash you. This, right here, is all you, my love.)
I stop laughing when he pulls out the Italian card. While I don't know exactly what he's saying, it sounds hot. He always sounds hot when he speaks Italian.
"Just because you secretly know french doesn't mean I secretly know Italian." I state.
"Stai solo aspettando che ti confessi il mio amore." (You're just waiting for me to confess my love to you)
"Mhm, mhm." I go along with whatever he's saying.
"Se non lo sai forse dovrei insegnarti." (If you don't know maybe I should teach you) I'm still clueless as to what he's saying.
"Are you done yet?" I ask.
"Perché? So che ti eccita." (Why? I know it turns you on)
"Cool."
"Cool? Really?" He asks.
"Oh so he does speak English."
"He speaks French also." He says, referring to himself in the third person.
"I'm never going to live this down." I state.
♡♡♡
"I hate this stupid mirror." I state, looking at Blaine's reflection in it.
"You already know how this goes."
"Yeah, you corner me and trap me in the bathroom until I compliment myself."
"I have all day." He states.
"I like-"
"Love." He corrects.
"I love not doing this."
I try and walk past him out the door but he turns me back infront of the mirror. I roll my eyes.
"I love being stubborn and not giving up....sometimes." I say. "Is that good enough?" I ask, looking to Blaine who gives me a nod of approval.
I start walking away when he asks "Do you want to go swimming?"
"Swimming? Why would I want to go swimming?"
"To help you get more confident in your body." He says and I freeze.
"I can't."
"Yes you can."
"Everyone will look at me."
"They won't. It's just you and me." He says.
"It's fall, it's too cold outside." I try.
"I have a pool downstairs that no one even knows exists."
I mean I want to go, it's only my insecurities that are stopping me.
Blaine takes my hand in his and brings it up to his lips.
"I promise you have nothing to worry about."
I give in. "Fine. Get changed and I'll meet you down there."
Blaine goes off in his closet to get changed and I go into my bedroom closet.
I pick out a one-piece bathing suit and take my time putting it on.
As soon as it's on I immediately don't feel like myself and all the doubts creep back in.
I already know I look horrible in it, I don't need a mirror to tell me that and yet I like to torture myself more and I drag myself over to it.
My eyes run down my body, scrutinizing every little curve that's made worse by the tight swiming suit.
I can't do this.
I feel like I'm suffocating in despair. I'm never going to like the way my body looks and it hurts so badly. Why do I have to look this way?
I sit on the bathroom floor and wrap my arms around myself.
How am I ever going to be comfortable with how I look when I look like this?
I hear a knock on the bathroom door. "Cassie, I'm coming in." Blaine says hurriedly before promptly opening the door and giving me no time to stop him.
He immediately spots me and drops down next to me. His eyes soften as he takes my face in his hands. He uses his thumbs to wipe away the fresh stream of tears. "Shh, it's ok." He says. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you into something you didn't want to do."
"No, I wanted to." I choke out. "It's just...this swimsuit looks horrible on me."
"Well I think you look beautiful. I really wish you could see yourself through my eyes because there's not a single thing I would change about you, well I might make you a dog person instead of a cat one but that's it." He jokes.
I let out a breathy laugh. "Said the one who bought me another cat."
"I'm never living that down am I?" He rhetorically asks.
"Never." I reply.
Blaine stands back up and holds his hand out for me to take. "The hardest part is over now, no one else is going to see you, I promise. Let's go and have fun."
My eyes go down to his abs and I find myself taking his hand.
As soon as I'm stood fully his hands go over my eyes and he starts walking us out of the room.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"We're avoiding the mirrors, keep walking."
He removes his hands from my eyes as we exit my room and go back into his. He takes my hand in his as we walk down the familiar steps to his hidden hideout.
He leads me into the water before turning to face me.
"I knew you could do it." He says with a smile.
"Cocky much?"
"Only for you." He says backing me into the wall of the pool.
He leans down to kiss me and I flick water at him, effectively catching him off guard.
I escape and as I start to swim away, laughing, he catches me and pulls me back to him.
He brings his face closer to mine, so close our noses brush. "You're not escaping me that easily. Now, if you want my forgiveness, you better make it up to me by kissing me." He states. "And it better be the best kiss I've ever had in my lif-" I cut him off by smashing my lips to his. My hands land in his hair and he hums in approval.
♡♡♡
A/n the chapter you've all been waiting for :)