Present Day
Monaco
Pierre
Pierre held Ginny in his arms, keeping a hand under her thighs and head. She pressed her forehead into his chest, slowly snaking her arms around his torso as they walked out of the club. His cheeks burned. The chilly night air hit his skin, sending goosebumps down his arms- though they might have been from Ginny's embrace. The music started to fade away like a forgotten lullaby. He climbed the steep hill, trying to keep a steady breath.
"I didn't realize you and Daniel were so close." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could even think about why he cared in the first place. Well, he already knew why. But he didn't want to admit it.
Ginny stirred, glancing up at his face with her eyebrows knitted. A line of tension creased her glossy skin. "We're not. He just was sitting beside me, Pie Face."
"Why don't you call me etoile anymore, huh?" Pierre clenched his jaw, staring down at her with his head cocked to the side. "Or is that too intimate to be said in front of your boyfriend?"
"Shut up." Ginny slurred, retracting her arms from his waist. He cursed himself for that. She sat up in his arms and lightly slapped his shoulder. "He's not my boyfriend. He never was..."
Pierre furrowed his brows together. He felt a vein protruding from his forehead. Anger twirled around in his gut just thinking about Charles and how he'd had every chance in the world to date Ginny. To take her out, hold her close, keep her all to himself, and he hadn't. He'd fucked up tonight... leaving her alone to go dance with some artist who was probably only into him for the money. Pierre wanted to punch his friend in the face. If only he knew...
"Good." Pierre finally grumbled a response. They'd gotten to his sports car, parked on top of the hill. He came to a halt, holding Ginny tight to his body. His fingers wrapped around her skin like a snake, not wanting to let her go. "I told you... he doesn't deserve you."
"Why?" She quipped, turning her head away from me. "Because I'm such a fat bitch?"
Pierre froze in his spot, feeling a wave of tension course through his spine. He felt chills down his skin. He chewed on the inside of his cheek before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Je pense que tu sais que ce n'est pas vrai."
She was becoming more and more sober with every second that passed. He needed to get her some water and food. She shook her head in dismay. "I don't know anything about how you think, Pierre. You're the most confusing person I know."
"So are you." He stared down at her with a frown. "Can I set you down now?"
"Am I too heavy?" She gritted out.
The alcohol really made her say whatever came to her head. No filter. No thinking ahead. She was feisty. Pierre felt a growing agitation in his stomach. In one swift motion, he threw her over his shoulder. She was screaming and kicking her feet out. She pounded her fists on his back, but he didn't care.
He had a point to prove.
He unlocked his car and threw her down in the passenger seat. He leaned into her space, bringing the seatbelt over her waist. "I can show you more ways you're light as a feather... throwing you around on my bed like a rag doll for example... but I don't think you're ready for that, etoile."
Ginny breathed in and out, heavily. Her skin turned a bright shade of red. She was embarrassed. She bit into her bottom lip as Pierre clicked her seatbelt into place. "I didn't think so. Be quiet. I'm taking you back to your hotel."
"You don't mean that." Ginny gulped, fiddling with her thumbs. She was nervous. She glanced at him for a second, frowning. "You don't want me on your bed."
"You were right, Ginny. You don't know what I think." He shut her door and walked around to the driver's side.
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Pierre didn't carry Ginny again once they arrived at the hotel. She made it clear she wanted to use her own two feet when she bolted out the passenger door right when he parked. She stood on the sidewalk with a scowl, watching as he took his time getting out of the driver's side. He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"Impatient are we? You sure do want me in your hotel room huh."
Ginny glared at him- the whites of her eyes more red than usual. She turned her back to him and stumbled towards the door. "Fuck off."
"Gladly." He grinned from ear-to-ear, catching up with her as they walked through the ghost town of a lobby. "Once I get you tucked in."
"And suffocated." Ginny groaned. "I'm not taking that chance, pie face."
"You sure are rude when you're wasted." Pierre placed a hand on her back, keeping her steady once again as they inched towards the elevator.
"I'm not wasted." She let the last word linger in the air. "What're you still doing here anyway? I can get to my room just fine."
Pierre's eyes darkened. "I'm well aware. It's other people I'm worried about."
"Like I'm going to get kidnapped." Ginny scoffed. "I didn't think you'd be such a little worrier, Pierre."
The elevator interrupted his train of thought, dinging with a shrill pitch. The doors slid open and the two of them got into the empty box. The floors were gold and glossy and reflected in the mirrored ceiling. Ginny leaned against the wall with a huff. Pierre pressed her floor button and they moved upwards. Ginny lost her balance from the momentum and fell into him. Pierre caught her swiftly, "I always worry about you."
"No you don't." Ginny pushed him off of her after a moment. "You don't worry about me, you worry about how I could live peacefully without you. That would be your worst nightmare, wouldn't it?"
The doors swung open again and Pierre gripped her arm, yanking her down the hallway. "That's what you've been doing, right? All these years... how do you like it, Ginny? How do you like the world without me?"
Ginny shoved his chest hard, sending him backwards into the wall. Her dark espresso eyes glimmered under the moonlight peaking in through the windows. They flashed with something like sadness too. "How do you like living in the shadow of Charles?"
That hurt Pierre. He felt the pain crack at his heart. His chest rose with tension. "Thought he wasn't your boyfriend?"
"He's not."
"Then why are you using him to hurt me, Ginny?"
She patted her pockets for the room key. She clutched the white card and pointed it directly in his face. "Why do you care if he is? You're not my boyfriend... You're not my anything."
"You keep making that very clear." Pierre clenched his jaw.
Ginny opened the door, but surprisingly didn't slam it before he could step inside. He made sure to clasp the external lock, not wanting anyone to try and get their way in. Even if he was mad at her... he'd always protect her. That's what he'd done all these years... in a weird way.
Ginny fell on her bed with a thud. She kicked off her shoes and squirmed her way beneath the thick comforter. Pierre crossed the room and made himself comfortable in the old-fashioned chair beside the window. Ginny was staring at him. "I'm in bed now. You can go."
"I'm comfortable." Pierre muttered under his breath, kicking his own shoes off and spreading his legs wide.
"Of course you are." Ginny whispered.
"Where are your fans?" He peeked around the bed.
Ginny's cheeks flushed pink. "I have an app."
"For the sound?" Pierre raised a brow. "Nerd."
"It makes my head quiet." She rested her head against the fluffy white pillow. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to sleep. My head is too loud."
Pierre thought for a moment about what she'd said. Her head had always been loud. Loud of thoughts and overthinking that led to a lifetime of anxiety. And Pierre knew he had only ever added to it. "Why not music? Some songs just put me right to sleep."
"Like what?"
Pierre grinned and started humming. He tilted his head from side to side, watching as Ginny sat up in bed. He opened his mouth and sang a few words. 'L'âme en peine, II vit mais parle à peine'
"You're relentless." Ginny's mouth hung wide open.
"If you had wanted to dance, I would've danced with you. I don't know why you asked Arthur."
"He was my friend."
"So was I." Pierre gritted his teeth. "And I thought we'd be something more."
Ginny stared at him for a minute before turning her back to him. "I'm going to sleep."
Pierre nodded slowly. "Goodnight, etóile."
And he continued humming the song until Ginny's tiny snores filled the room.