𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 ME|| 𝐓IMOTHÉE 𝐂HALAMET

11 | bad impressions

"Hey! Wow you look incredible?!" Lou answered the door and gave me a hug as I stepped inside. I passed over the tequila I'd bought over. "Oh... So it's one of those nights then." She said smirking. I sent her my wary eyes and sighed. "Indeed it is."

Vivien and Adele were in the kitchen which gave me and Via some alone time to catch up with each other, it was overdue and much needed. "How've you been anyway? I feel like you're barely home now and I miss our sleepovers." I asked pouring us two shots and she lined us up some lime and salt.

"Mmm." She licked the salt. "I know!" She took the shot and made a face. "It's been so odd, now I have a proper girlfriend and we do proper girlfriend stuff, like look at this," she took the lime out of her mouth to get out her phone. "We're each others emergency contacts, how weird is that?"

"I think for other people it might be fast, but with you guys - I don't know it looks so easy and natural with you guys. It makes me jealous." I took my shot.

"Yeah, it does definitely feel really relaxed it just can be bit - change is always hard isn't it?" I nodded. "But, don't say that, we both know you'll find someone - besides what's going on with you and Cameron?" I lit myself a cigarette before I got into it.

I exhaled. "I don't know man, I like him - I do, it's just-" I paused.

"Not the same as Timothée." Lou finished.

"Don't I hate hearing his name out loud." She poured me another shot and I took it before continuing.

"It's ridiculous isn't it, I've got such strong feelings for a guy who I know basically nothing about and have only met twice." I ran my hands through my hair feeling frazzled. "But fuck. Jesus christ, with him it was insane."

"Did you guys fuck?" Lou asked straight up.

I nearly choked on my lime. "No, no, we only ever talked." I had to squeeze the words out I was so taken aback.

"You didn't even kiss?" Her face was smug.

I rolled my eyes. "No."

She took a cigarette for herself and leaned in closer so she was barely above a whisper. "And you're this hung up?" I nodded ashamed. "Damn. Fucking hell the sexual tension must've been insane."

I tied my hair up to keep it off of my back in the late summer heat. "It was. It was indescribable,"

I said remembering how intense it felt when I was with him. How I felt like I was playing games that I'd never heard of before. How I felt naked from just his eyes. I exhaled trying to gain composure.

"It was like we had our own little language, but god when I'm telling you my whole body felt on fire and freezing at the same time just from looking at him I'm not joking."

"What about with Cameron?" Ah yes, the gorgeous Italian guy who doesn't ghost me after two very odd encounters.

I blushed a bit at what I was going to say. "I mean, the sex is great. Really great, and I definitely enjoy the before and after of that as well. But there just never feels like there's much ... more than that. But it is early you never know." Lou nodded just as Vivien and Adele bought in our plates.

"What're you talking about?" Adele asked handing them over to us.

Adele pecked Lou and sat next to her with Vivien next to me. "Cara's love triangle." Lou answered holding her hand. They looked so comfortable, so natural.

"Ah." Vivien answered. I budged her shoulder with my elbow.

"Hey, it is not a love triangle." I replied. "A love triangle implies that there is a third part who wants to be involved." I raised my eyebrows.

Adele moved forward in her seat. "Speaking of which." She said her voice lacking in a little confidence which was very unlike her.

"We need to talk to you." Vivien carried on.

I looked to all of them confused. "Okay?" I gestured for them to continue. Secrets made me nervous...

"You might want to take a shot." Vivien replied as Livia passed one over.

"Before or after you tell me?" I countered.

They spoke in unison. "Both." They all just nodded at the two shots in front of me.

"Fuck, okay." Now I was beyond panicked.

"We just want to remind you that we love you and that this did not happen on purpose and we would never want to hurt you." Lou said trying to defuse any possible conflict. It would've been sweet if I wasn't fucking sweating.

"Right, can you just tell me already because you're freaking me out." I said taking a shot as instructed.

"You know last Saturday where Cameron was all over you and you were kissing and going back to yours ..." She paused, "for reasons only one can imagine?" I nodded.

She needed to hurry up before I freaked out.

"Well that weekend, the reason I was being weird was because Timothée was coming back. And we thought it would be a good idea to reunite you guys so I told him where you were gonna be." She finished.

"And I got you ready." Vivien added.

"And when we were calling you over as you were leaving it was because Timothée had just landed and came straight from the airport to see us." Adele included.

"To see you." Lou corrected.

I looked at them in disbelief. "No."

"Yes."

"You're lying." My mind was jumping from one blurry memory to another of that night so quickly I couldn't think straight.

"No." They shook their heads sympathetically.

"What the fuck?" None of us knew what to say. "What did he say? When he saw?" I needed all the details. Now.

"Nothing. He watched, got a cab went straight back home." Via said holding my hand across the table.

"Home to New York?"

"No, his apartment." Adele answered.

"Why did he come back to see me?"

"He really likes you." She answered again

"Why didn't he text me or tell you guys to tell me he'd gone back to NY, why didn't he see me before he left? What the fuck?"

"Because he's got obligations, you know what contracts are like. And with the contacting part, we didn't want to upset you or seem like we were intruding." Vivien smiled trying to reassure me.

"I gave him your number." Lou winked.

"So why didn't he call me?"

They shook their heads.

"So he's here?" My heart rate was picking up.

"Yup." They sung in unison.

"In Paris."

"Yup."

"And he thinks ..."

"He thinks that Cameron is your boyfriend, that your very happy and that brunette really suits you." Vivien said before sipping her drink.

We all sat in silence whilst I collected my thoughts for a few minutes. And then finally clarity struck and I knew exactly what to do.

"Can anyone drive me right now?" I asked taking my last shot. I was going to need the alcohol.

"Oh fuck yeah." Lou jumped up grabbing her jacket. "Adele." She chucked her car keys over.

"Where are we going?" Adele asked.

"Where the fuck do you think we're going." She replied grabbing her and kissing her quickly. They beamed at each other.

Vivien linked arms with me and led me out of the apartment.

"To go get Cara her man." She spoke.