Chapter Text
“Shan, listen to me. It’s easier to just go around the back, the opening back there, we can just- “
“No, look, I can do it, we’re disabling the alarms first and the cameras and then we’re just gonna- “
“Shan! We are not disabling or hacking anything! That is like illegal and dangerous, my dad’s gonna kill us if he finds out.” Ava stops the argument with her angry ultimatum. Shannon lets out a sigh and rolls her eyes.
“Fine. We’re going around the back.” Shannon says defeatedly while finishing putting her makeup on.
“Atta girl.” Ava teases while standing up. “Shall we?” Ava holds out her hands waiting for Shannon to grab it.
“We shall.” Shannon replies excitedly as she jumps from the bed.
They slowly made their way down to the kitchen, where they tiptoed around and tried not to make any noise. Once they reached the back door, Ava carefully unlocked it and opened it a crack, peeking outside to make sure nobody was around. Ava had done this many times before, and she knew exactly where to step to avoid the creaky floorboards. They then quickly slipped outside and closed the door behind them, trying not to let it slam shut. They made their way to the edge of the property, where they knew there was a small gap in the fence that they could slip through.
She led Shannon towards the usual opening in the fence, and they walked through it carefully. Once they were on the other side, they breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they were one step closer to the club.
“Good work, Sister Shannon.” Ava teases.
“We’ve done this a million-time, Ava.” Shannon says while chuckling.
“Yeah, the first time I found the opening, I had to crawl through it, guess drunk Ava tore it wider on my way home, it’s easier to walk through it now” Ava rambles as she starts walking away from the property.
They walk a few meters away from the property and Shannon orders an uber to get to the club. Once the uber arrived, they both got in and went into the club. Ava couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. She knew her father would be disappointed in her if he found out she was out drinking with Shannon. But at the same time, she felt liberated, like she was finally free to make her own choices. She’s 22 for God’s sake, going out to drink with her friend shouldn’t feel like a crime.
Ava’s dad meddles in politics, might not be the most successful politician but then again, no good politician can make it in that industry anyways. Her dad, Nicolas Silva, were one of the politicians competing in the election, although most politicians are corrupted and evil in some ways, Nicolas wasn’t. Which is why, it is crucial for Ava to be protected at all times. The threats and risk of her being out in public can conjure many life-threatening dangers and gossip that’ll discredit her father’s reputation. But then again, what harm can she bring towards her father’s reputation by going out for a couple drinks with her friend? Girls just wanna have fun, right?
“Whatchu thinking of?” Shannon asks to break Ava away from her overthinking session.
“Hmm? Nothing.” Ava hurriedly replied, trying to avoid her thoughts from spilling out.
“Aves, come on. We’re not even doing anything. It’s just a few drinks.” Shannon reassures her trying to lighten the mood and calm her nerves.
“Yeah, yeah. I know, I was just looking at that.” Ava gestured subtly with her eyes, directing Shannon's gaze towards a couple.
Shannon noticed Ava's gesture and followed her gaze.
“Damn, isn’t that JC?” Shannon says in a whisper. Ava shrugs and sips on her drink. Shannon is still looking at the couple, analyzing.
“Shan, stop that.” Ava whisper hurriedly.
“What? They’re cute. Wait- Is that?” Shannon says while keeping her gaze towards the couple. Ava ignored her, not wanting to get caught staring.
“Ava, that’s Jillian’s son.” Shannon continues then looks at Ava who’s ignoring her.
“Ava.” Shannon calls again.
“What Shan?” Ava answered angrily, then looked towards the couple again. The fuck?
“Is that Michael Salvius?” Ava asks in a whisper.
Jillian Salvius's son, Michael Salvius, is an appalling piece of work. He may be beautiful and bisexual, but his reputation as a man-whore who sleeps with anything that moves makes him a walking red flag. Jillian is Nicolas's rival in the election, and her attention to detail, hard work, and overall boss-bitch status definitely made it deserving that the odds seem to be in her favor, woman-power type of shit.
Speaking of shit, JC, Ava's ex, is no better. He couldn't handle Ava talking to Michael during an event, leading to their breakup, and now he's busy devouring Michael's face. What a mess.
“Shit.” Shannon murmurs as she turns towards her drink and sips it hastily.
“What?” Ava asks, confused.
“Might’ve stared too long, they’re coming over here. Act cool.” Shannon says while trying to act normal.
Goddammit. Ava shakes her head and clears her throat.
“Ava.” A voice greeted her and Ava’s body tenses, every inch of her body hates that voice. Ava turns around and looks at JC.
“JC” Ava says bluntly and looks at Michael. “Michael.” Ava says with a nod and an even more blunt tone. Michael smiles and nods back.
“What are you doing here?” JC asks and Ava lets out a sigh.
“Just having fun.” Ava replies casually.
“Hi Shan.” JC greeted Shannon who’s staring at the both of them since earlier.
“How did you get out?” JC asks.
“Well, we went around- “
“What’s it to you?” Ava interrupted angrily, not letting Shannon continue her explanation.
“Aves,” JC said softly.
“No. Don’t.” Ava held out her hand, palm facing towards JC. She maintained eye contact with him, her expression firm and unwavering.
JC nods and holds his hands up and back away. Ava turns away from him and sips on her drink. JC nods and walks away. Michael then leans towards Ava.
“I won’t tell if you won’t?” Michael whispers. Ava nods and roll her eyes. Michael then followed JC.
“You, okay?” Shannon asks.
“Yeah, just didn’t wanna talk to him.” Ava replied with a sigh.
“Got it. Come on,” Shannon says while standing up and grabs Ava's hand to pull her towards the dance floor.
Ava was hesitant, but Shannon's contagious energy and the music's lively pace quickly got her moving. Ava sensed her fears fading as they moved to the music. It didn't take long for them to start laughing and twirling around the dance floor.
Shannon then insisted for them to do shots together, so they did, and the dancing were a bit more vile than usual after a few shots. They continued dancing together and laughing when one of them stumbles. Ava tries to compose herself but then she sees Shannon stealing glances at a girl standing at the bar. The glances were requited along with flirtatious nods and invites, Shannon grabbed the stranger by her shirt and kissed her passionately. Ava shakes her head and chuckles. She then closed her eyes and felt the music pulsing through her veins. She swayed her hips, spun around, and moved to the beat with grace. She lost herself in the music, and all her worries and troubles faded away.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Shannon still kissing the stranger. She felt a little uneasy, maybe from the shots and the lack of oxygen prior to the dancefloor getting crowded. So, she continued dancing, letting the rhythm take her away.
“Hey Aves.” Shannon says in between the kisses with the stranger. “Think you can make it home alone?” Shannon asks and Ava nods while chuckling. Shannon kisses her then laughs as she pulls away and leaves with the stranger. Ava shook her head and walked towards the bar.
“Lemon drop.” Ava simply says as the bartender approaches her. The bartender nods and turns around to make the drink. Ava stumbly waits and pulls out her cash. She placed it on the table as soon as the drink were placed in front of her. She drank it in one go and nods before walking away to go home.
“Shit” Ava murmurs as she tries to order an uber to get home. She can’t order uber, her dad will get the notification, they had a linked account
“Caralho!” she shouted as she slammed her phone shut. She pushed her hair out of her face and squatted down, trying to clear her thoughts. The chilly night air sent shivers down her spine, but strangely, the ground beneath her felt warm. Giving in to exhaustion, Ava sank down and leaned against a nearby lamppost, desperate to stay alert. But no matter how hard she fought it, the weight of sleep pulled at her eyelids, threatening to drag her into unconsciousness.
Ava slips into unconsciousness, a few minutes later, she can sense someone lifting her gently, calling out her name. But the touch is unwelcome, no matter how gentle it feels, she recoils instinctively, murmuring a faint "don't touch me" before losing consciousness once more.
When morning came, Ava slowly opened her eyes and winced at the bright light spilling in through the window. She groaned and rubbed her temples, trying to shake off the throbbing headache. She sat up and realized that she was still fully clothed, and memories of the previous night came flooding back to her.
She had gone out with Shannon to the club and had way too much to drink. She remembered dancing, laughing, Shannon telling her she’s going home with a stranger then...nothing. The next thing she knew, she was waking up in her bed with a pounding headache and a feeling of nausea.
Ava got up slowly and stumbled towards the bathroom, trying to remember the events of the previous night. Her mind was a blur, and she couldn't recall how she had made it back home. She splashed cold water on her face, she tried to shake off the dizziness and regain her balance.
Feeling a little more alert, Ava made her way back to her bedroom and collapsed back onto the bed. She lay there for a few minutes, her mind racing with thoughts of the previous night. Oh. There’s also JC and Michael last night. Ugh. Not remembering that. Did I pass out? Wait. How do I get here?
Ava pulls out her phone and scrolls to find Mary’s name.
Ava: Mary Roux James.
Mary: Ava Estella Silva.
Ava: Did you bring me home last night?
Mary: Yes. You brat. Next time, I won’t be there. Do better.
Ava: Aw. You love me...
Mary: Get up, your dad is looking for you.
Ava: Roger that, stalker.
Ava felt a rush of excitement as she tapped the screen of her phone and locked it, placing it carefully on her chest. Mary, one of the bodyguards assigned to protect her, was never far from her thoughts. Both Mary and Beatrice were a few years older than Ava, Ava was a bit skeptical at first when she met them, they weren’t the typical bodyguards Ava used to have before, old, bulky, scary looking men. Mary and Beatrice were the opposite of that, not old, lean and looks like a cutie pie. But there was time when Ava followed Nicolas to an event and there were some guys that decided to grope Ava when she was interacting with the public, and Ava saw Mary and Beatrice’s fierce dedication to her safety as they handle the situation, it definitely matched the old bulky scary bodyguards she used to have before and Beatrice’s ability to dispatch any would-be attackers is beyond incredible.
From the moment Ava met Mary, she knew there was something special about her. Ava couldn't help the crush that had been building ever since that first meeting. At the time, she was just 20, while Mary was 27. Mary was not only Ava's protector but also her confidant and closest ally. Ava knew that she could count on Mary to have her back, even when she wanted to do something that her father would disapprove of. Mary was always there, ready to help her navigate the complexities of her sheltered life and to provide a window into the outside world.
Their conversations were more than just superficial chit-chat, Mary was the only person Ava could talk to about the burden of being Nicolas’s daughter, and the weight of constantly being under surveillance.
Despite the age gap between them, they had formed a genuine friendship that went beyond their professional roles. Ava developed a massive crush on Mary since the day they met, and Mary's kind and caring nature only intensified her feelings. Whenever Mary was around, Ava felt happy.
Beatrice on the other hand, was a stoic and disciplined figure who kept her distance from Ava. She’s one of Ava’s bodyguards too, Despite being five years younger than Mary, Beatrice seemed more like an adult in the way she carried herself. Ava had never really gotten to know her. Beatrice rarely spoke unless it was necessary, and her interactions with Ava were always strictly professional, despite all this, there was something about Beatrice that made Ava feel safe and protected whenever she was around. Perhaps it was the way she scanned their surroundings for potential threats or the confidence with which she carried herself. Whatever it was, Ava found herself drawn to Beatrice's presence, even if it remained a mystery to her.
Unlike Mary, who was like a best friend to Ava, Beatrice was more of a reserved, father-like figure. She was always looking out for Ava's safety and well-being, and although Ava couldn't always see it, Beatrice cared deeply for her. Whatever it was, Ava trusted Beatrice implicitly, even if she couldn't quite put her finger on the why.
But, if it had been Beatrice who had carried Ava home after her night of drinking, she knew that her father would have been notified and she would have been in big trouble. Thank God for Mary.
Ava makes herself presentable and make her way down towards the kitchen. She sees her mom cooking; Beatrice is helping her mom cooks too. Her dad as usual is scribbling on a notebook while reading the news on his gigantic iPad.
“Heyyo boomers!” Ava shouted as she approaches them. Her dad chuckles and looks at her.
“Bom dia, Estella.” Her dad says chirpily.
Ava walks towards her dad and kisses his cheek, “Good morning, fancy pants.” Ava teases.
“Euterpe!” Ava shouted as she approaches her mom and kisses her cheeks too. Her mom rolls her eyes and hums then continues talking to Beatrice.
Daniella Silva, Ava’s mom, also formerly known as Daniella Euterpe, the famous singer slash songwriter slash musician slash composer, stricter than her dad. Sometimes Ava thinks she’d prefer it if Beatrice was her daughter instead of Ava. No bad blood with Beatrice though, she was just doing her job but her mom seems to be fonder and softer towards Beatrice than her own child. Ava didn’t care that much though, she’s not that fond of the idea of pleading love.
“So…” Ava says while sitting down and grabbing a plate of the breakfast.
“What are we doing today?” Ava asks her dad.
Nicolas lets out a sigh and says, “I’m going out to meet a couple of friends after breakfast, I’ll try to make it home for lunch.” Ava rolls her eyes and sips on the coffee.
“See you at dinner, then.” Ava says while rolling her eyes.
“Ava.” Her dad pleads. “I’m sorry, it’s just the election are coming and I’m going to be quite busy with the whole ordeal.” Nicolas continues. Ava lets out a sigh and looks at her dad.
“Yeah, I know dad. I was just messing with you.” Ava says softly as she holds his hands.
“We’re going to the event tonight, right? I’ll see you when I see you?” Ava says teasingly. Her dad nods and smiles as he turns his attention towards the notebook again.
“Where’s Mary?” Ava asks and look around to try and find Mary.
“She’s out to get groceries, apparently someone use all three of our cheeses for a 3-way grilled cheese?” Daniella replies knowingly while glaring at Ava.
Ava almost chokes on her coffee and looks at Beatrice.
“You told her??” Ava asks Beatrice teasingly. Beatrice blushes and clears her throat then looks away. Hm. Cute snitch.
Suddenly, the front door opens and Mary gets into the house, holding bags of groceries.
“Mrs. Silva. They were out of your usual bread but I ordered some from the online bakery, it should be here in a couple minutes.” Mary says hastily as she brought in the groceries and place it onto the kitchen counter.
“Thank you, Ms. James.” Daniella says softly as she unpacks the groceries.
“Are you running this morning?” Mary asks Ava who’s staring at her from the moment she gets into the house. Ava nods and hums as she sips on her coffee again, raising her eyebrows at Mary.
“Good, Beatrice and I will be waiting for you outside.” Mary says simply then walks away. She stops then turn to look at Beatrice.
“Come on, chef. Duty calls.” Mary says firmly. Beatrice washes her hand and nods.
“Beatrice, come and meet me after Ava’s run today. We're discussing your song.” Daniella says softly while grabbing Beatrice’s arm to stop her from walking away. Beatrice nods and smiles as she starts to walk away again.
A few minutes later, Ava walks out and finds Mary and Beatrice already waiting for her.
“Geez, cool it. No one’s here.” Ava says teasingly as she stretches her body to warm up before the run.
“There are photographers on the east gate, Ms. Silva.” Beatrice says firmly, gaze still wandering assessing the environment.
“What?” Ava asks as she finishes warming up. “Why?” Ava asks again.
“Apparently there are rumors last night that you were seen getting drunk at a bar.” Mary says teasingly.
“Fuck, seriously?” Ava asks, panicking.
“Nah, I’m just messing with you.” Mary says while chuckling. Ava rolls her eyes and punches Mary’s shoulder teasingly and accidently stumbling towards Beatrice who manages to catch her before she falls. Ava looked at her and can’t help but notice the freckles on her cheeks with a hint of blush.
“Careful, Ms. Silva.” Beatrice only says as she steady Ava.
“Ava.” Ava corrected her, still trying to get her to leave the ‘Ms. Silva’ out of her mouth. “Or Estella, or Aves, or- “
“Alright alright, get on with your run.” Mary interrupts and gently pushes Ava forward. Ava rolls her eyes and starts running. Beatrice and Mary also run whenever Ava runs; Ava always felt bad that they had to run too but both of them assure her that they wanted to do it as much as Ava does.
When she’s done with her laps, she sat down and catch her breath. Mary sat next to her while Beatrice keeps on going with her laps, providing time for Ava and Mary to talk to each other without a third party.
“Did Beatrice knows about me sneaking out last night?” Ava asks
“Yeah.” Mary answered simply then turning away to find Beatrice.
“Oh.” Ava says, worried.
“Don’t worry, she won’t tell.” Mary says assuring Ava.
“You think so? Cause she told Daniella about the 3-way grilled cheese.” Ava asks, still worrying.
“What?” Mary asks, confused. Ava looks at her, even more confused.
“She didn’t. I did.” Mary continues. “Daniella asked, and I answered.” Mary says again, making Ava roll her eyes.
“Oh. The betrayal.” Ava says dramatically while grasping a fistful of her shirt on her chest. Mary rolls her eyes and chuckles.
Ava then tells Mary on how she met JC and Michael last night and all the details. Mary listened intently as Ava recounted the events of the previous night, a look of concern etched on her face. As Ava spoke, Mary's eyes softened with empathy, and she placed a comforting hand on Ava's shoulder.
"You know what," Mary said softly. "Fuck him and his insecure little ass." Mary continues, making Ava laugh.
Ava couldn't help but be touched by Mary's words. She always comforts and supports Ava, even when Ava is being a stubborn little bitch. Ava felt a sense of peace sweep over her as she rested in Mary's arms. She felt she could fully relax and let go of all her worry. They break from the embrace when they hear Beatrice clears her throat as she approaches them.
“Sorry. I’m done now.” Beatrice says apologetically. Mary nods and stands up.
“Come on, Ava.” Mary gestures ordering her to stand up. “Beatrice got a date with your mom.” Mary teases, making Beatrice shakes her head and chuckle. Ava smiles as she sees how Beatrice is blushing as she chuckles.
“You write songs?” Ava asks Beatrice and she simply nods. “Cool,” Ava continues. “What do you play?” Ava asks again.
“That’s a wrong question, Ava.” Mary interrupts. “The right one would be, what do you not play.” Mary continues and Ava frowns hearing this. Beatrice stays silent.
“She plays everything. Guitars, piano, violin, fucking cello, trumpets, sax, you name it, she can play it.” Mary further explains, making Beatrice blushes even more.
“Damn, really?” Ava asks and looks at Beatrice who’s trying to hide her blush now. Beatrice smiles and nods silently.
“That’s impressive.” Ava says as she walks into the door. “We should write a song together sometimes,” Ava murmurs before she walks up the stairs. Beatrice clears her throat and smiles as she looks at Ava walking up the stair. She chuckles to herself and clears her throat. She turns to look at Mary who’s already looking at her while shaking her head.
“What?” Beatrice asks with furrowed brows.
“You’re doing a great job hiding your feelings for her but I’m not sure if it’s healthy for you, kid” Mary says in a whisper. Beatrice rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“It’s better this way.” Beatrice says as she walks into her bedroom. Mary follows and closes the door behind them.
“Beatrice, seriously. Daniella and Nicolas wouldn’t mind, they basically worship you.” Mary says, trying to convince Beatrice. Beatrice lets out a sigh and takes off her t-shirt.
“We have rules, Mary.” Beatrice says simply.
“Fuck the rules. You deserve to live too.” Mary replies, making Beatrice shakes her head in disagreement.
“Be a friend first, then we’ll see how it goes.” Mary suggested.
“I can't,” Beatrice says firmly.
“The minute I submit, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.” Beatrice continues with an even firmer voice. Mary rolled her eyes.
“You’ve already submitted Beatrice. You’re just in denial.” Mary replies, making Beatrice’s blood boil.
“You were the one who followed her every time she sneaks out, you were the one who told me about her sneaking out and pretty much begged me to not let Nicolas and Daniella knows about it.” Mary continues and Beatrice inhales a sharp breath, composing herself.
“That was my job.” Beatrice replies shakily.
“No, your job was to report her to her parent when she breaks the rules but you kept it. Why?” Mary asks, challenging Beatrice.
“Because she deserves to feel like a person, she deserves to be free.” Beatrice almost shouted but quiet down not wanting other people to overhear their conversation.
“Okay, fair, but so do you. Why didn’t you tell her you were the one who carried her home last night?” Mary asks again. Beatrice stays quiet.
“Why did you hand the medal to me?” Mary asks, yet again, making Beatrice shudders as she takes a deep breath.
“Because she’s in love with you.” Beatrice says angrily. Mary eyes widened.
“How’s that for a change of plot?” Beatrice continues.
“She looks at you the way I wishes she looks at me, she touches you the way I wishes to be touched by her, her whole fucking face lights up whenever you’re around, she’s in love with you.” Beatrice says furiously and stops when she’s out of breath, she takes a deep breath in and lets out a sigh.
“She feels safer with you, Mary.” Beatrice says calmly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t-” Mary can only say as she looks at Beatrice who’s clearly hurt by this. Beatrice shakes her head and takes a deep breath.
“It’s okay.” Beatrice says. “You’re better for her anyways.” Beatrice continues and Mary lets out a scoff.
“What?” Beatrice asks when she heard the scoff.
“Do you seriously think I’m in love with her too?” Mary asks.
“Well, I don’t know.” Beatrice says casually. “How could you not?” Beatrice asks, confused.
“Because, she’s like a kid to me, like my little sister.” Mary says and Beatrice shrugs, unconvinced.
“Fucking hell, Soteria.” Mary says while shaking her head.
“Why do you think I stopped following you when we followed Ava and Shannon sneaking out?” Mary asks while looking at Beatrice.
“I don’t know, lazy?” Beatrice says teasingly. Mary shook her head and pushes her.
“No, you bastard.” Mary says while chuckling.
“I liked Shannon.” Mary says and Beatrice’s eyes widened.
“Now, how’s that for a change of plot?” Mary asks teasingly.
“I like the girl, and seeing her dancing and making out with other people boils my blood.” Mary says casually.
“So, for the sake of my mental health, and the risk of me getting my hands on whoever that kisses her, I stopped following you and them.” Mary continues. Beatrice clicks her tongue and walks towards her.
“If you don’t fight for your love, what kind of love do you have?” Beatrice says smugly, quoting Keanu Reeves, Mary’s favorite actor.
“Oh, piss off, Romeo. A minute ago, you were giving up your Juliet to me” Mary shouted as Beatrice walked away to shower. Beatrice chuckles as she gets into the bathroom.
When she’s done, she walks out of the bathroom and get dressed. She had to meet Daniella to talk about her song.
Beatrice never could have imagined the turns her life would take. She had spent her childhood in the orphanage, feeling like she never truly belonged to anyone and never wanting to. It wasn't until she was 13 years old that she was adopted by Suzanne, and she thought her life would finally become normal. But her new mother turned out to be on the lookout for a protégé for the OCS, and Beatrice was the perfect candidate. Years later, she found herself working as a personal bodyguard to a politician's daughter. It was far from the life she had envisioned for herself, but Nicolas and Daniella were different from the ruthless people she had encountered before. Despite the boundaries that existed, they treated Beatrice and Mary with kindness and respect.
Daniella Euterpe was Beatrice’s idol when she was growing up, she grew up listening to her songs on the radio and God knows how excited she was when she was told she was going to be the personal protector of Daniella’s daughter. Daniella was like a mother to Beatrice; supported her love for music and encouraged her to write her own songs. And it was sincere too, like now, Daniella’s producing a song that Beatrice wrote and it definitely is a big deal for Beatrice.
Suzanne, the woman who adopted Beatrice into the OCS, was nothing close as a mother towards her, she was more like a superintendent towards her but she does give Beatrice the privilege of doing what she wants with music, but of course, doing this is their main purpose. Music comes second.
Beatrice walks towards Daniella’s studio and knocks on the door.
“Come in.” A faint voice was heard prior to the knocks. Beatrice walks in and stops breathing when she sees Ava too sitting on the couch next to Daniella. Beatrice gulps and nods towards Ava.
“Ms. Silva” Beatrice says hurriedly. Daniella smirks as she sees how Beatrice squirms.
“Come here.” Daniella curls her fingers gesturing towards Beatrice to invite her to sit in between them. Beatrice takes a deep breath in and obeyed.
“I’ve produced the final version, there are some things that I tweaked to make the song more subtle towards the end.” Daniella then looks at Beatrice, who seems constipated.
“You okay?” Daniella asks, worried about why Beatrice is suddenly this nervous.
“Yes.” Beatrice simply replies, trying to not inhale anymore of Ava’s perfume.
“Are you sure about letting me release this and use my vocal in this song?” Daniella asks.
“Yes. If you want to, I don’t mind if you don’t, I was just- “
“No no. I want to. I’ll credit you on the lyrics and the song, it’s just I wish you’d sing it instead.” Daniella says while preparing to play the song.
Daniella hits the play button and Beatrice frantically pauses it.
“What’s wrong?” Daniella asks. Beatrice looks at her stiffly, gulping.
“I think she’s nervous.” Ava chimes in while chuckling. Ava then stands up and looks at the both of them.
“I’ll get going, Shannon’s gonna be here.” Ava says before walking out of the room.
Beatrice lets out a breath of relief as soon as Ava is out of sight. Daniella looks at her, confused. She tilts her head and clears her throat.
“Is there something you wishes to tell me, Beatrice?” Daniella asks. Beatrice shakes her head, trying to stop this conversation. Daniella smiles and shakes her head.
“Is it because you wrote it for Ava?” Daniella asks and Beatrice stops breathing again. She turns to look at Daniella with widened eyes and raised eyebrows.
“What?” Beatrice says nervously. “I- it’s- no- “
“Please, I see the way you look at her, I see how you blush every time she’s near you, I can hear your heart beat when she’s near you and I can hear them break every time she touches Mary.” Daniella says in all seriousness.
“I don’t- I’m sorry. I won’t- “
“You won't what? Surrender?” Daniella asks, making Beatrice let out a sigh.
“My dear, you’re young. You shouldn’t feel that hurt this young.” Daniella says softly.
“You have my blessings.” Daniella says and Beatrice coughs, surprised.
“I can’t, the rules.” Beatrice says in a whisper.
“We all broke our rules for someone.” Daniella says. Beatrice stays silent.
“What would you say if she asked you who the song was for?” Daniella asks and Beatrice shrugs.
“I’ve ignored her non-work-related questions lots of times already.” Beatrice says casually with a shrug.
“That’s unfortunate.” Daniella says while shrugging.
Daniella plays the song and Beatrice listens to it. Daniella's voice brings life to the lyrics. Every note, melody, and rhythm make sense, yet they also remind a deep sense of sadness within Beatrice, she leans back and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath to compose herself. (Song: Habits by Genevieve Stokes)
When the song comes to an end, Beatrice feels tears welling up in her eyes. She wipes them away quickly, not wanting Daniella to see her crying. But the sadness lingers, like a weight on her chest that she can't shake off. She wonders if she will be stuck in this heartbreak forever. Daniella looks at her and smiles softly. She holds Beatrice’s hand and caresses it gently.
“Talk to me, Beatrice.” Daniella says softly as she cupped Beatrice’s face and rubs her jaw with her thumb.
“How do you tell someone that the reason you’re sad is because you love them?” Beatrice says while chuckling and wiping her tears. Daniella takes a deep breath and looks at Beatrice.
“Do you know what ‘Estella’ means?” Daniella asks out of nowhere and Beatrice shakes her head.
“Do you know what ‘Esfir’ means?” Daniella asks again. Beatrice shakes her head, again.
“Stars.” Daniella simply says. Beatrice blinks and looks at Daniella.
“Beatrice Esfir Soteria, right?” Daniella asks, confirming Beatrice’s full name. Beatrice nods, still confused on where this conversation is heading to.
“Soteria means safety, deliverance.” Daniella says again.
“You’re a star protector, Beatrice, and my daughter is also the star you’re protecting” Daniella says with a smile.
“And what more could I ask for when the star protector herself is in love with my star?” Daniella continues.
“It’s an honor to have you fall for our star.” Daniella says and Beatrice smiles hearing this.
“Whatever it is, when you’re ready for the star, I’ll be here, through every step of the way.” Daniella says while kissing Beatrice’s cheek.
“Now, go on and rest up, you’re bringing Ava to the event this evening.” Daniella says and Beatrice frowns upon hearing this.
“I thought Ava’s going with you and the external team?” Beatrice asks.
“Well, yes, and Shannon, you, and Mary, too.” Daniella says while smiling.
“Will that be, okay?” Daniella asks.
“Yes. Of course.” Beatrice replies firmly.
“Good. I’ll see you later.” Daniella says while looking back towards the screen. Beatrice stands up and walks away.
“Oh.” Daniella says, making Beatrice turn to look at her and stop walking.
“The song will be released in the next few days. Keep an ear out.” Daniella says with a wink. Beatrice smiles and nods. She then continues walking out of the studio.
Beatrice walks towards the kitchen and saw Mary and Ava talking in a whisper at the kitchen, holding hands. Beatrice’s heart has been broken a million times already but for some reason it finds ways to hurt even more every time she sees Ava with Mary. Both of them stop talking and look at her, Mary lets go of Ava's hand and offers her a sympathetic look, as though she knew exactly what Beatrice was feeling. Ava, on the other hand, simply smiled and nodded at Beatrice in greeting.
Beatrice slowly made her way towards the two of them.
“Mrs. Silva requested for the both of us to tag along with the external team tonight.” Beatrice informs Mary.
“Oh. Okay. Thanks for the heads up.” Mary replied softly. Beatrice turns around and walks away.
“Fuck yeah, I was so bummed that you didn’t get to come with us, I have so many things to show you-.” Ava’s voice echoes through the halls as Beatrice walks away, Beatrice hurriedly walks into the room and closes the door so she could stop hearing whatever Ava had to say.
The less I know, the better.
Beatrice closed the door of her room, trying to shut out the world. She sank to the floor, her head buried in her knees, trying to push the thoughts away. Tears pierced at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over. She takes a couple deep breaths in and composed herself.
After a moment, she stood up, unlocked the door and made her way to her work desk. Her eyes fell on the brown paper packages, tied up with strings, that contained all the songs she had written for Ava but kept hidden. She stares at them for a moment but then something inside of her stirred, she reached for her notebook and began to write, pouring all of her emotions onto the page.
Writing songs was always a way for her to express all the feelings that she couldn't voice out loud. As she wrote, the sadness that had been weighing her down slowly began to lift.
When she’s all out of ideas, she sets down her pen and leaned back in her chair, looking at the words on the page. She then opens up the brown paper packages and rips the notebook with the lyrics and puts it in the packages then tie it with the strings. She needed to write them and keep it away, much like what she does with her feelings. She feels them but never surrenders to it, whatever it is, let it be nameless, let it be unknown.
The less I know, the better.
“Dammit Beatrice.” Mary’s voice awakes her from her nap.
“Thought you died for a second.” Mary continues as she walks away from the desk.
Beatrice looks around and checks the time. 2:00p.m
“Jesus, I slept for two hours?” Beatrice asks as she stands up and stretches
“Yeah, you missed lunch. But Danielle saves some for you.” Mary says as she gets ready for something.
“Where are we going?” Beatrice asks as soon as she sees how Mary is getting ready.
“Ava and Shannon wanted to hang at the mall before tonight,” Mary answered.
“Hey, I gotta ask you something.” Mary says out of nowhere.
“What?” Beatrice asks.
“Shannon’s been eyeing me and you know, subtly flirting with me.” Mary says nervously.
“Okay?” Beatrice says, confused on where this is going.
“Do you think it’ll be too early if I made a move?” Mary asks.
“Jesus, Mary.” Beatrice says with a sigh.
“What?” Mary asks, confused.
“Deal with your shit with Ava first then go and do whatever you want.” Beatrice says firmly.
“Whatchu mean? I don’t have shit with Ava, I’m a free woman.” Mary says and Beatrice shook her head as she walks towards the bathroom to get ready.
Ava and Shannon were upstairs, getting ready too. Ava is trying on different outfits while Shannon is sitting on her bed, forced to share her opinions on what suits Ava for this shopping errand.
“Do you think these screams ‘look at me’” Ava asks.
“Honestly Aves, this” Shannon pointed towards Ava, “screams I’m fucking crazy for thinking that no one will look at me” Shannon says teasingly.
“Fuck you, I need to look good for- “
A knock interrupts their conversation. Ava lets out a sigh and walks to the door.
“Estella, Beatrice and Mary will be coming with us tonight, don’t tire them too much, it’s outside of their working hours tonight.” Daniella says as she enters Ava’s room.
“Yeah mom, I know, Beatrice told us.” Ava says as she walks back to her closet to try out more clothes.
“Fuck yeah, I get to see your hot bodyguard in suits tonight? Now I really need to buy a proper dress.” Shannon says and Ava stops then look at her.
“My hot bodyguard? Who? Beatrice?” Ava asks, hoping she’s right.
“What? No. I mean- She’s hot too but too young and totally not the type that’d date me, I meant Mary.” Shannon says and Ava’s heart breaks.
“Oh.” She murmurs as she turns towards the mirror to avoid Shannon.
“Wait, why did you think it was Beatrice huh?” Shannon asks teasingly. Ava frowns and murmurs, “I don’t know, she’s cool too.”
“Yeah, I know, but like Mary is just the type that’d you know… ruin my life and make me beg for more. I’m way too long in my one-night stand era, I need someone like Mary to tame me” Shannon says again while chuckling.
“Shan.” Ava turns around hurriedly and gestured with her eyes towards her mom. Shannon widened her eyes and smiles as she clears her throat looking at Daniella.
Daniella laughs and shakes her head.
“Don’t have too much fun, be home on time.” Daniella says firmly as she leaves the room.
Ava zoned out when she hears Shannon talking more about Mary and how she was blind this whole time. Of course, Shannon liked Mary too. She’s there almost all the time too, she sees how caring and comforting Mary is whenever Ava cries when she’s fighting with her mom, she sees how Mary comforts Ava when she cries about JC. Shannon was there too. But she didn’t get to see Mary when she just woke up and freshly got ready to run with Ava, she didn’t know how Mary smells in the morning, she didn’t see how Mary laughs whenever Nicolas makes jokes during breakfast.
“Ava?” Shannon pulls her out of her zoning. Ava hums and look at her.
“Do you think it’ll be fine?” Shannon asks.
“Shit, sorry. Do I think what would be fine?” Ava asks.
“You know, me and Mary, if it works out, or if it doesn’t work out.” Shannon says, breaking Ava’s heart again. Ava takes a deep breath and exhales.
“I mean, yeah. If it works out, good for you, if it doesn’t, you can always avoid her, it’s not like you’re stuck living with her 24/7.” Like me. Ava thought to herself.
“Yeah, that’s pretty manageable.” Shannon says then walks towards the bathroom.
Fuck. Now how do I tell her I had a crush on Mary too?
The thing about Ava is that she never tells anyone about how she feels, the only one that knows about what she feels are her notebooks and pens that she uses to write her feelings and thought. She finds it easier to bleed on paper rather than on people. She never told Shannon about her feelings towards Mary, she didn’t want to seem weird for having feelings for someone that literally lived with her and were paid to care about her. But Mary cared for me when she wasn't even working. She followed me when I sneaked out, and she carried me home. That must mean something, right?
“Ready?” Mary asks as she stands on her door. Ava looked at her, analyzing her outfits. It was different, she never saw Mary like this. Usually, Mary dresses in a serious and formal manner befitting her position as a bodyguard.
However, today she decided to dress a bit more casually, she wore a fitted black blazer, unbuttoned, over a simple white t-shirt, paired with dark wash jeans and black boots. Her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and she had minimal makeup on, wait. Is she wearing makeup?
“Don’t you look ravishing?” Ava teases. Mary shakes her head and chuckles.
Shannon then got out of the bathroom and looks at Mary, in awe.
“Damn. You look good like this.” Shannon says blatantly and Mary blushes.
Oh. She blushes. Ava’s heart feels like it was torn apart and ripped to pieces. Mary blushes when Shannon told her she looks good. But chuckles when Ava calls her ravishing.
“Ready to go?” Mary asks softer as she looks at Shannon then at Ava.
“We’ll be ready in 10.” Ava says as she closes the door.
“Damn, she’s so fucking beautiful.” Shannon murmurs as she sat on Ava’s bed.
Ava walks towards her closet and put on the first thing she can grab, giving up.
“I mean, I don’t know. Did you ever feel anything for her? Like, you guys must’ve spent way more time together and all- “Shannon stops as soon as she sees Ava’s demeanor changes.
“Wait. Aves.” Shannon says and Ava turns to her. Fuck.
“Did you?” Shannon asks with a knowing tone.
“Did I what?” Ava asks back, trying to sound clueless.
“Have feelings for her.” Shannon asks again.
“Who? Mary?” Ava asks, still, trying to sound clueless and innocent. Shannon nods and furrows her brows.
“No. God no. That’s like, weird. I spent way too much time with her, she’s like a sister to me.” Ava says while fumbling with her phone and her purse. Shannon side eyed her and raises an eyebrow.
“Cause if you do, tell me. I’ll back off.” Shannon replies while looking at her sympathetically.
“What? No. Shan. You do you. I don’t mind.” Ava says again, trying to convince Shannon that she’s somehow unaffected by this when the truth is, she’s the most affected person in this conversation.
Shannon hums and stands up.
“Ready?” Shannon asks as she reaches for the doorknob. Ava nods and smiles, forcefully.
They got into the car, Ava wanted to sit alone, she didn’t want to see Mary and Shannon hitting it off, she didn’t want to hear them. They pile into the car, Ava decides to sit in the back with Beatrice, she glances at Mary, who is sitting in the front seat next to Shannon. The two of them seem to be in their own little world, laughing and chatting like old friends. Cool it Aves, jealousy is not a good color on you.
The ride is quiet, with only the sound of the radio playing softly in the background. Ava can feel the tension between her and Beatrice, it was awkward but she doesn't know how to break the ice. She looks over at Beatrice, who was assessing the environment outside of the car, as per usual. Lost in her own little world. Ava lets out a sigh and looks out of the window.
Beatrice on the other hand, is doing whatever she can to not talk to Ava. Why is she sitting next to me all of the sudden? Why aren’t she sitting in front with Mary and Shannon like she used to? Wait. Did she-
“Beatrice.” Mary calls her out, pulling her away from her thoughts. Beatrice nods once she realizes they have arrived at the mall.
They walk towards the entrance of the mall and Shannon immediately wraps her arms around Mary’s and guide her into the mall. Ava shakes her head and walks next to them, third-wheeling. Beatrice stands at the back of the group, looking a little lost. She then fastens her pace and walks next to Ava, as she should. To protect her. Yeah right.
As they walk through the mall, Ava tries to keep her distance from Mary and Shannon, not wanting to intrude on their budding romance. Beatrice walks beside her, her posture stiff and her eyes distant. Ava wants to say something, to reach out for comfort, but she can't find the right words.
Shannon then walks towards one of the perfume stores and insisted on Mary to come with her, Mary looks at Ava and Ava nods, letting her go. Ava sways back and forth as she waited for Shannon then saw Beatrice standing behind her.
“Hi.” Ava says as soon as she realizes Beatrice is looking at her.
Beatrice nods and smiles.
“Do you want to grab something to eat?” Ava asks.
Beatrice stays silent.
“Come on, you didn’t have lunch earlier.” Ava pleads.
“We’ll wait for the others, then we’ll go for food.” Beatrice only replies and Ava clicks her tongue, scheming for a way out.
“Or… we can go first and ask them to meet us there?” Ava suggested and waited for Beatrice to change her mind.
“That’s not possible Ms. Silva. You need to have Mary and me at all times when we’re out.” Beatrice replies and Ava roll her eyes.
Ava didn’t hate Beatrice. Hate is a strong word, but sometimes she really wishes Beatrice is less ‘Ms. Silva’ this ‘Ms. Silva’ that. Like now, she didn’t want to be near Mary and Shannon, she just wants some alone time, and she knows that Beatrice is perfectly capable of taking care of her alone. She’s seen it many times.
There’s this time where she was groped by an attendee at an event she went to, Beatrice immediately pushes that guy’s hand away a second after it touches Ava’s ass. She saw how Beatrice throat-punched the guy and lifted him off the ground by his collar. There’s also this one time where Ava was on her morning run and Beatrice charged towards a tree and climbed them because she saw a scope glint on the branches that turns out to be just a guy with a camera trying to get a closer picture of Ava during her morning run. There’s really no need for two bodyguards taking care of me, it’s not like I’m the president’s daughter anyways, right? Well, I could be, but it’s a long shot and Jillian’s winning the election. Sorry dad, but the future is fucking female.
“I’m sorry, they’re finishing up. We’ll grab something to eat after this, okay?” Beatrice says softly as she sees how Ava is upset by this.
Ava looks at her, brows furrowed. Is Beatrice comforting me? Beatrice then looks away, not wanting to look at Ava any longer. Ava smiles as she sees how Beatrice blushes. She wanted to tease her but then Shannon walks to her and wraps her arms around hers.
“Aves, let’s go eat something. I’m starving.” Shannon says as she guides Ava to walk to the food court.
Ava loves Shannon, and Shannon rarely wants someone to settle down with or tame her. Ava didn’t want to see her best friend kissing strangers and having one-night stands all the damn time. She’s happy for her, even if it’s Mary she chooses to settle down with. Ava’s totally cool with it, she’s calm, she can do this, it’s not like they’re dating already.
“Tacos and Sprite, right?” Mary asks Shannon and Shannon smiles widely then nods.
“You?” Mary asks Ava.
Fuck you, you know what I like. It’s-
“BLT and Coke.” Beatrice says as she walks towards Mary and pulls her away from Ava and Shannon.
“Mary asked me out.” Shannon says in a whisper. Ava looks at her with widened eyes.
“Already?” Ava asks, a bit frustrated, but she manages to hide it.
“Yeah, I was just joking around, telling her how cute she is in casual clothes and she said that we should hang out outside her work hours so I can see her in casual clothes more.” Shannon explains and Ava’s heart, whatever’s left of it, breaks, yet again.
“When?” Ava asks.
“I wanted to go tonight, after the event but she said that we’ll probably be tired, so she suggested tomorrow night, at 10, after her work hours.” Shannon replies.
“Well, I don’t think there’s any restaurant that’ll still be open after 10, why don’t I- “
“No worries, we weren’t aiming for a restaurant anyways. We wanted to grab a drink or two at a bar and see how it goes.” Shannon interrupts and Ava’s heart shattered.
“Oh.” Ava says softly. “That’s cool,” Ava says again.
“I know right.” Shannon says excitedly as she grabs Ava’s hand.
Beatrice and Mary approach them each holding a tray filled with food. Mary places the tray towards Shannon and Beatrice towards Ava.
“You didn’t get anything for yourself?” Ava asks Beatrice. Beatrice shakes her head and smiles.
“Why?” Ava asks then looks at Mary who chooses to sit next to Shannon and not Ava, damn, she used to sit next to me. Ava thought to herself.
Beatrice walks away and sits next to Ava, ignoring the question. Ava’s mood changes as soon as she sees Mary next to Shannon. She unwraps the sandwich and bites it while rolling her eyes when she sees Mary opening the can of Sprite for Shannon. She then heard her can opening and Beatrice was the one who opened it for her, Beatrice then pulled out her phone and started scrolling.
“Thanks.” Ava says as she takes a sip of her drink. Beatrice hums and clears her throat.
“How’s the song?” Ava asks and Beatrice takes a deep breath then look at her.
“What?” Ava asks with her mouth full. Beatrice shakes her head and turns her attention towards her phone again.
“Why are you ignoring me?” Ava asks as soon as she swallows whatever she was chewing.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Silva. Talking to you while your mouth is full puts you at risk of choking, and that’s something we have to avoid in public.” Beatrice says and Ava smiles. Cute.
“What if I liked being choked in public?” Ava asks teasingly. Beatrice gulps and look away, trying to hide her blush. Ava laughs and nudges her shoulder gently.
“I’m kidding.” Ava says softly. “But really though, how’s the song?” Ava asks again, now with an empty mouth.
“It’s finished.” Beatrice replies simply.
“Already? When’s the release?” Ava asks excitedly.
“In a few days, if everything goes right.” Beatrice replies.
“What’s it called?”
“Habits.”
“What’s it about?”
Beatrice stops breathing. You. It’s about you.
“Habits.” Beatrice answers again. Ava chuckles hearing this.
“Fine. Don’t tell me.” Ava teases. Beatrice clears her throat and look away.
“You’re releasing the song?” Mary asks. Beatrice nods.
“When?” Mary asks again, and Beatrice lets out a sigh.
“What? I can’t ask now?” Mary asks teasingly.
“Well, if you weren’t busy flirting, you’d know the answers already.” Beatrice snaps.
Ava laughs as soon as she hears Beatrice snap. Beatrice never really snaps when they’re with Ava but her nerves are well triggered now and she’s getting agitated by everything suddenly.
All of them then finish up and walk towards the exit. They had to go back home to prepare to go to the event. The group made their way out where their car was waiting for them. Beatrice checked the surroundings, making sure everything was safe before allowing the others to get in. Ava walked ahead, Beatrice walked with her, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
Shannon and Ava got in the back seat, chatting and laughing about something that happened earlier in the day. Beatrice gazed out the window, lost in thought, while Mary looked at Beatrice and smiled knowingly to which Beatrice responded by rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
When they arrived at the house, Beatrice got out and waited for Ava and Shannon. All of them then walked into the house. They were greeted with Daniella standing next to the microwave in the kitchen, glaring at them.
“Mom?” Ava asks as she sees Daniella aggressive glare. “What’s wrong?” Ava asks again.
“Nothing, Estella. Go get ready.” Daniella says simply and Ava shrugs then walks towards the stairs with Shannon.
Beatrice and Mary approaches Daniella, worried.
“Is there something wrong?” Mary asks.
“Yes.” Daniella simply answered, Mary and Beatrice immediately tense up.
“Well, no. Nothing serious.” Daniella continues, calming Mary and Beatrice down.
“Geez, I forgot you both are trained like robots sometimes.” Daniella turns around and pushes the button to the microwave door to open it.
“You,” Daniella says while pointing towards Beatrice while placing the plate onto the kitchen counter.
“Skips lunch and didn’t eat before you go out to work.” Daniella continues and Mary chuckles as she walks away from this conversation. It’s a common occurrence, Beatrice getting scolded for skipping meals.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Silva.” Beatrice says while chuckling. “I had a pretty filling breakfast.” Beatrice continues, assuring Daniella.
“Yeah right, a toast, a bacon and an egg aren’t big breakfast Beatrice,” Daniella replies firmly. “Especially after the extra laps you did during the morning run.” Daniella continues. Beatrice smiles as she sat down on and grabs the plate to start eating.
“Good.” Daniella says before walking away.
Beatrice finishes up and hears footsteps coming from the stairs, she turns around to look and immediately regrets her decision. Ava, wearing an oversized t-shirt that covers her whole body down to her mid-thigh. She stops and looks at Beatrice.
Stop staring, Beatrice.
“Oh good, you’ve ate.” Ava says as she sees Beatrice looking at her. Beatrice clears her throat and nods.
“Is that why you didn’t eat when we’re at the mall?” Ava asks and Beatrice look at her, confused.
“Cause you want mama’s food?” Ava asks teasingly and Beatrice smiles then turns away, not wanting to accidentally stare at Ava’s thigh, legs, calves, everything.
Ava then walks towards the dress room, like she usually does whenever she gets ready to go out.
Beatrice washes her hand and walks towards her room. She makes her way towards her room, as usual, she has to pass the dress room first, which she never thought much of before.
However, today, Beatrice regrets every decision she makes today. She walks past the dress room and something compels her to turn and glance into the room, she turns to look at the room and sees Ava, in nothing but her underwear, having just removed a dress and tossed it carelessly onto the floor. Beatrice is mesmerized by Ava's messy hair, her heavy breathing, and the soft frustrated moans that comes with it. Jesus Christ. Beatrice couldn’t stop staring, it was her room door opening that snapped her out of the trance.
“Soteria,” Mary whisper shouted. Beatrice turns to look at her as fast as she can.
“Get in.” Mary says while pulling Beatrice towards their room.
Beatrice got in and took a deep breath. She looked at the room and was confused as to why everything was scattered. There’re clothes on the floor, on her bed, on Mary’s bed, on her work desk.
“What the fuck happened?” Beatrice shouted.
“What?” Mary asks, clueless.
Beatrice tilts her head and look at Mary.
“You did this?” Beatrice asks. Mary looks around and shrugs. “You made this mess?” Beatrice asks again.
“Well, yeah.” Mary says before she starts clearing up Beatrice’s section of the room.
“Did you lose something?” Beatrice asks, still confused on why the room’s a mess.
“What? No. I was trying out clothes for tonight,” Mary explains.
Oh.
Beatrice fixes her eyes on Mary, who is carefully considering which shirt to wear – a light blue or navy blue one – for tonight. "We're tagging along as Ava's bodyguards, not for your date with Shannon," Beatrice says, emphasizing their purpose for being there.
“I know that, I’m just-” Mary says then stops when she sees another shirt with a different shade of blue.
“Which one?” Mary asks while holding up two shirts.
“Mary.” Beatrice calls her out to grab her attention. Mary looks at her and raises her head.
“You’re hurting Ava.” Beatrice says softly.
“What?” Mary asks, confused.
“I know you don’t have feelings for her, but she does. You know she does.” Beatrice says again.
“We’re not entirely sure about that,” Mary says casually.
“What? What do you mean?” Beatrice asks, confused now.
“Well, it was just your observation, she never made it clear that she’s attracted to me.” Mary replies, smugly.
“You’re kidding, right?” Beatrice asks, blood almost boiling.
“No, I’m not.” Mary answers as she puts on her usual white shirt.
“She cried in your arms, she holds your hand when you’re talking to her, she looked at you when you’re- “
“And she does that to Shannon too.” Mary interrupts Beatrice’s nag.
“Oh, come on, that’s stupid.” Beatrice says angrily, almost shouting.
“Look.” Mary says as soon as she’s done dressing up.
“I love Ava, yes. But she’s like a sister to me. And the hurt she’s putting herself into, isn’t on my accountability. She did that to herself. I’m not in love with her, and that’s that.” Mary says and continues walking towards the bathroom.
Beatrice shakes her head and starts to get ready for tonight.
A few minutes later, Beatrice and Mary waited for the rest of them to come downstairs.
Daniella was the first to come down, she’s beautiful, as always. She smiles as she sees Beatrice waiting for her and nodding as soon as she sees her.
“Sometimes your nod is all I need, to feel young and beautiful.” Daniella says teasingly.
“Did someone put on Lana Del Rey while dressing up for a charity event?” Beatrice replies teasingly.
Daniella laughed. Beatrice wanted to continue teasing Daniella but she heard Ava and Shannon coming down.
Shannon is smiley as usual, but Ava seems a bit off. She was smiling, and laughing along but all of that stopped as soon as she looked at Mary.
“I wish you’d dress up more freely for these events,” Daniella said softly as she cupped Beatrice’s face.
“I am freely dressed up, what do you mean?” Beatrice replies teasingly knowing damn well she isn’t freely dressed up. She was wearing a black suit jacket with a plain white dress shirt underneath buttoned all the way to the top, giving off a very serious ‘bodyguard’ vibe. The black pants elongate her legs, giving her a powerful stance. In other words, not freely dressed at all.
Daniella laughs and wraps her arms around Beatrice’s as she walks out of the door.
When they got outside, a car was already parked in front of the entrance, waiting for them. Nicolas gets out of the car and smiles as he sees the group.
“My beautiful girls!” Nicolas says excitedly and goes towards Daniella to give her a quick peck. He then turns towards Ava and smirks.
“Estella, beautiful as always.” He says while kissing Ava’s cheek.
“You too, Shannon.” He continues as he looks at Shannon and gives her a nod.
“Beatrice.” Nicolas says while chuckling, looking at Beatrice.
God, what now
“Sir.” Beatrice greeted firmly, confused on why everyone finds her too seriously dressed tonight. It’s still work, right?
“I believe Daniella forgot to mention that you’re coming as a guest, not as Ava’s bodyguard tonight.” Nicolas says knowingly.
“Oh,” Daniella chimes in. “I did forget to mention that.” Daniella continues, making Shannon and Ava giggles.
God, why have you forsaken me?
“We still have time for you to change, would you like to?” Nicolas asks.
“That’s not necessary sir, I’m quite comfortable already.” Beatrice replies firmly, hiding her blush, mainly because Ava is looking at her teasingly.
“As you wish.” Nicolas says with a nod.
Nicolas then guides them towards the car and piles them all up carefully. Ava insisted on sitting next to Nicolas, leaving Daniella no choice but to sit next to Beatrice. Daniella smiles and holds Beatrice’s hand as she sits down. Mary and Shannon sat at the back, talking and giggling.
When they arrived, the car pulled up to the grand entrance of the venue, it was like a gallery, with arts and sculptures. There’re a lot of cameras, and the news team was waiting for them outside of the car.
Ava's a bit moody for some reason. She hears the sounds of the music playing from inside and she didn’t even react adequately. She took a deep breath and adjusted her dress, to get ready to face the public.
Beatrice led the way out of the car, her confident strides commanding the attention of everyone around her. She guided the whole team out of the car and stood in front of the group waiting for them to be ready to walk towards the building.
“Darling, you’re a guest too, remember?” Daniella whispers as she rubs Beatrice’s back, calming her down.
“No problem with the cameras?” Beatrice asks.
“No, they flatter me.” Daniella teasingly replies, making Beatrice shake her head and chuckle.
Daniella then walks towards the building alongside Nicolas, waving and greeting the host and the attendees.
“You know, if you keep on whispering and chuckling with my mom here, you’ll end up having an article written about how you’re her secret lover.” Ava teases as she walks beside Beatrice.
“If you keep on pouting and sulking here, there’ll be an article on how you hate a charity event for orphans.” Beatrice teases back and walks away, smirking.
Ava’s eyes widened as she locked her gaze towards Beatrice who’s walking away from her. Did she just- tease me back? Ava chuckles and tries to catch up with Beatrice, but to no avail, she is bombarded with her dad’s acquaintances that’s dying to meet her.
Beatrice surveyed the room with a sharp eye, making sure to keep an eye out for any potential threats. Shannon and Mary chatted with some of the guests, flashing their charming smiles and making small talk.
Although they came as a guest, Beatrice still wears the earpiece she was wearing before she was informed that she’s supposed to be a guest. She manages to team up with the external team, asking them to fill her in on the procedure so she can be an extra pair of hands tonight. The external team was, of course, delighted. Less work for them anyways.
Ava was tired of talking to strangers, she wanted to go outside but was stopped by a man dressed in a sharp suit.
“Excuse me, Miss Ava Silva, right?” The guy asks.
Ava politely smiles and says, “Yes, and you are?”
“I’m Eric, from Weekly Echo.” Eric says enthusiastically while holding out his hand, offering for a handshake.
Ava shakes his hand and continues to smile.
“Nice to meet you Eric, what can I do for you?” Ava asks as she pulls away from the handshake.
“Can I ask you a few questions?” Eric asks.
“Sure, go ahead.” Ava replies.
"Would you mind sharing a little bit about your involvement with this charity event?" He asked, his tone professional but his eyes started to look her up and down.
Ava started to feel a bit uncomfortable but kept it to herself and answered politely, “Well, I've always been passionate about supporting causes that help those in need. And this charity event is a great way to do that, there’s-"
“Were you just here tonight to show your face to the public despite not contributing anything towards society?” He asks again, catching Ava off guard.
“Excuse me?” Ava asks, tone now firmer than before. No polite smile seen.
“Michael Salvius were seen doing charity work all the time, but you were never seen to do any, we’re just trying to tell our listeners if you really are contributing, maybe behind the cameras?” He asks again, making Ava’s blood boil.
Beatrice sees this interaction and walks towards Ava, she wants to intervene but she lets Ava handle it first, Ava hates when they intervene in a situation, she’s capable of handling.
“Well, Eric. Maybe phrase your questions politely next time so you don’t catch heat.” Ava says while trying to walk away.
Eric stops her by gripping on her arm and pulling her backwards.
“We’re not done yet.” Eric says with a smirk.
Beatrice smoothly intervened, standing in front of the man, pushing his hand away from Ava’s while glaring at him.
“Yes, we are,” Ava says as she lets go of her hand and walks towards the external part of the gallery.
She turns around and sees Beatrice holding the guy by his collar and pushes him away, stirring the crowds behind him. Ava smiles seeing Beatrice, as much as she wanted to deny it, she wishes someone did that to him.
And fuck Michael Salvius and his pompous, fake act. How she wishes the public or the fucking media sees how that brat is only doing all that for his fucking allowance. She remembered their last conversation after the millions of events she attended with him.
“Yeah, my mom basically forces me to do all that shit for my allowance, I couldn’t care less about all that,” Michael says smugly.
“You couldn’t care less about that? About giving food to homeless people and helping starving kids?” Ava replies angrily.
“Geez, relax, don’t tell me you’re one of those too?” Michael says teasingly.
“One of what? Human beings with decency?” Ava asks angrily, again.
“Nah. Feminist.” Michael says and Ava’s blood boils.
“Yep. Never gonna talk to you again.” Ava says while walking away.
“You okay?” Beatrice asks and immediately pulls Ava back into the present time.
“Yeah.” Ava says with a smile. “Thanks,” Ava continues, Beatrice nods and clears her throat.
“Do you happen to catch his name or where he’s from?” Beatrice asks.
“Oh.” Ava hesitates then continues, “He said his name was Eric, from the Weekly Echo.” Beatrice nods and turns around while placing a finger towards her earpiece and pressing it.
“Eye out for Eric from Weekly Echo,” Beatrice says in a whisper, then walks away.
“Wait, Beatrice.” Ava almost shouted, stopping Beatrice from walking away.
Beatrice stops then turns around.
“Yes?” Beatrice asks softly.
“Can you just- “Ava stops and composes herself.
“I want to walk around out here, can you come with me?” Ava asks and Beatrice looks at her for a second before nodding and walking towards her again. Ava smiles and waits for her before walking along the sophisticated futuristic garden.
The walk was silent, no one was talking. Ava wanted to talk but she didn’t know what to say, she rarely talks to Beatrice, she didn’t know what to say to start a conversation. Damn it, this is awkward, I want to talk to her but I don’t know what to say. Come on Ava, think. What do we have in common? oh! music. We both loves music.
“So,” Ava starts and Beatrice gulps.
“What kind of music do you write?” Ava asks and Beatrice stays silent.
“Come on, do you also write all kinds of music?” Ava asks again, teasingly this time.
Beatrice chuckles and clears her throat.
“The normal one, I guess.” Beatrice says softly then looks away.
“Wow, you’re really fun to talk to, you know that?” Ava says sarcastically.
“Sorry.” Beatrice apologies and Ava immediately felt bad.
“No, don’t be. I sometimes forget that not all people love to talk. I grew up meeting people like my dad and Shannon and then my mom who for the love of God thinks everyone’s in love with her and I- “Ava stops as soon as she sees Beatrice smiling and chuckling.
“What?” Ava asks and Beatrice shakes her head. Ava rolls her eyes and scoffs.
“Don’t go around and tell Daniella that I talk shit about her,” Ava says teasingly while turning around to look at Beatrice.
“Well, it’s not talking shit. Everyone is in love with Daniella.” Beatrice replies teasingly but then she stops when she looks behind Ava and sees two figures making out behind the bushes.
One of the figures was shorter than the other ones, and damn it to hell, if her calculations are right, she knows damn well who those two figures are. Ava is looking at her, saying something that Beatrice can’t seem to hear now, she’s busy looking at the figures.
Ava turned around to walk again and Beatrice panicked, she couldn’t let Ava see this, Ava was already in a bad mood before they got here, and the Eric guy just added salt to the wound. Beatrice grips both Ava’s shoulder and stops her from turning around.
“What?” Ava asks almost angrily.
“Let’s maybe walk the other way, Ms. Silva.” Beatrice says softly, still not letting go of Ava.
“What? No. The other way is going back to the gallery, I still want to walk a little bit more.” Ava says then turns around. She walks a few steps then stops as soon as she sees what Beatrice was trying to stop her from seeing earlier.
“Is that- “Ava says then stops. Her blood boils as she walks closer. Beatrice followed her slowly, not wanting to make the wrong move.
Everything inside Ava just wanted to stop them from kissing and scream at Mary for kissing her best friend when Ava was the one who’s in love with her all these years, but another part of her felt happy for Shannon, her best friend, the ones who made sure it was okay for her to go ahead and make a move, to which Ava assure was okay.
Ava stops then turns around, she takes a deep breath and shudders as she exhales. Beatrice gently grabs her wrist and tries to guide her towards the other way.
“Let go of me!” Ava shouted while pulling away from the touch, startling Beatrice, and the two figures behind Ava.
Beatrice lets go of Ava and lets her walk away. Mary comes out of the bush and looks at Beatrice.
“What happened?” Mary asks. Beatrice takes a deep breath.
“I told you; you’re hurting her.” Beatrice says with a sigh before walking away, leaving Mary and Shannon alone again.
Beatrice walked towards the gallery, looking for Ava, but she was nowhere to be seen. She stops to think and hears the music. Music. She’s somewhere near there. Beatrice walks towards the live band and lurks to find Ava. She finds her standing in front of the live band, lost in the crowd. Beatrice lets her.
She watches Ava sway her hips and move to the beat with grace, much like how she always does when she’s dancing at the club.
At first, Beatrice never meant to fall in love with Ava, she was just doing her job, keeping Ava safe from threats and risks. But every night, when she’s writing her songs, she hears Ava’s footsteps above her room, she hears how Ava paces back and forth, she hears the thumping, the stomping and eventually it stops. It used to piss Mary’s off but they’ve grown accustomed to it after years of having to listen to it every night.
What baffles Beatrice was that every Friday night, Ava’s room was silent, no pacing, no thumping, almost like no one’s there. Beatrice went to check on her and lo and behold, no one was in her room. Beatrice went outside and scans the area, maybe Ava wanted to run alone at night, dangerous, but something she’d definitely do. Still, no sign of Ava outside. Beatrice walks around and analyses everything, she then finds the opening on the south gate, along with fresh tracks of very weird prints on the ground. Got you. Beatrice backed up and waited for Ava to come back, she found the nearest tree that’s far away from the opening but not far enough to lose sight of it, and climbed it. She spent 4 hours on a tree, waiting for Ava to come back.
As soon as she comes back, Beatrice sees her stumbly crawl onto the opening then stands up once she’s through. Oh, that’s why the prints were weird. Beatrice chuckles as she sees Ava struggling to walk towards the house. She climbs down and walks towards the house again. Mary is already awake.
“Where were you?” Mary asks.
“Out, Ava wasn’t in her room last night.” Beatrice replies simply.
“What? Why? Where did she go?” Mary asks, panicked.
“She went out to go for a drink I guess, she got home a few minutes ago all drunk and wobbly.” Beatrice says while chuckling.
“Damn, that girl is determined.” Mary says while shaking her head.
“Wait, Shannon’s gonna be here today. Do you think she’ll sneak out again?” Mary asks.
“I think so, I’ve been noticing that there were no footsteps or thumping from her room every Friday night and every time Shannon’s here, she must’ve sneaked out then too.” Beatrice says while taking off her shirt to prepare for a shower.
“Should we tell Nicolas? or Daniella?” Mary asks, worried.
“Well try to follow them first tonight, if they sneak out, then we'll see.” Beatrice says as she walks towards the bathroom and showers.
That night, Beatrice widened the opening, making it wider so Ava could go through it easier. She and Mary waited for Ava and Shannon to sneak from outside of the property, observing what mode of transportation they’re using after sneaking out. She saw a car arriving at a landmark near the property and then saw Ava and Shannon getting into the car. Both her and Mary followed the car, and stopped as soon as the car stopped at a club. They let Ava and Shannon get in first and then followed.
Beatrice wore a hat and a mask to cover her identity while Mary wrapped her head with a scarf, almost looking like a nun.
“Nice to finally see you, Sister Mary.” Beatrice teases.
“Shut up, Joe Goldberg.” Mary barks back, making Beatrice chuckle.
They saw both Ava and Shannon laughing and doing shots. They were both so carefree and happy. Beatrice can’t help but feel her stomach tugs as she sees Ava that happy and unburdened. Ava's hair was loose and wild, her eyes sparkling with joy as she threw her head back in laughter. Beatrice couldn’t take her eyes off of her. It was Mary’s scoff that breaks her from the trance, she turns around and sees Mary walking away from the club. She followed soon enough.
“What’s wrong?” Beatrice asks.
“This is ridiculous, what are we doing?” Mary asks angrily.
“We’re making sure Ava’s safe.” Beatrice replies.
“Yeah right, we’re entertaining your infatuation towards Ava.” Mary replies then scoff again.
“What? That’s absurd.” Beatrice justified.
“Please, you don’t think I notice? The way you look at her? The way you care about her in silence? You literally followed her and didn’t tell her parents that she sneaked out.” Mary says angrily.
“Look. I don’t expect you to do the same, you can go home if you don’t want to do this. But please, don’t tell Nicolas or Daniella about this. Ava deserves this” Beatrice pleads.
“Whatever Beatrice, have fun.” Mary says while taking off her scarf and walking away. Beatrice lets out a sigh and walks back into the bar. Ava was still dancing but Shannon was busy kissing a stranger. Beatrice chuckles and sits at the corner of the bar, observing Ava and Shannon, making sure they’re safe, and falls in love with Ava along the way.
She went home as soon as both of them were safely tucked in their beds upstairs. Beatrice sat on her work desk and started writing, it was initially supposed to be a poem, but then as days went by, it turned into a song. Beatrice kept every piece of it in a brown paper package, then tied it with string. (Song: She- Dodie)
Beatrice does that again every time she hears no sound from the ceiling above her, she follows Ava every single time Ava sneaks out, alone or with Shannon. Ava takes the cab when she’s alone but books an Uber when she’s with Shannon. Probably because her Uber account was linked to Nicolas’s. Smart. There was one night where Ava couldn’t find a cab though, so Beatrice asks Mary to tell Ava that she’s the one who follows Ava whenever she sneaks out so Ava knows who to turn to in case of an emergency.
Beatrice falls in love more and more as days went by, the brown paper packages surrounded her, up until now.
Back to the event.
Beatrice stands still, mesmerized by the sight of Ava completely losing herself in the music. She's seen Ava in all sorts of moods and situations, but there's something about the way she surrenders herself to the beat and melody that is truly enchanting.
It's like all her walls come crashing down and she becomes this beautiful sophisticated person. Ava can have a full-on screaming fight with her mom one minute then calms down the minute she puts on her favorite music. She can wake up on the wrong side of the bed and get all cranky and moody in the morning but wiggles when she hears Bambola on the radio. She can sulk and pout whenever Nicolas scolds her for being rude to Daniella but then have an impromptu karaoke session with Shannon upstairs, singing Dolly Parton’s or Talking heads’ song. Music was her way to escape the world, to escape her pain.
While Beatrice was busy looking at Ava, she heard a commotion on the other side of the gallery, Beatrice walked towards the noise and tapped on her earpiece, asking for insight.
“10-10 Daniella involved, hall 4” Beatrice heard from her earpiece.
Beatrice rushed into the hall, her eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. She followed the sound of raised voices and saw Daniella in the middle of a heated argument with a guy, a familiar guy.
“You do not speak of my daughter like that!” Daniella shouted, the guy, Eric, chuckled smugly.
“Please, another rich, pretty faced girl who gets everything handed to her on a silver platter surely would do anything to make the world revolve around her, with or without talent.” Eric says while chuckling, making Daniella’s blood boil. Daniella steps forward, wanting to slap the guy’s face, but Beatrice steps in front both of them, simultaneously pushing Daniella backwards.
“Sir, you need to leave the gallery, now.” Beatrice says firmly as she glares at the man.
“And who are you supposed to be? Her bodyguard?” The man says with a scoff.
“That’s right, and I offer mercy if you walk away now.” Beatrice says in a whisper. “Stay, and you’ll never walk again.” Beatrice continues, making the guy scoff and pushes her, she stands her ground, her body immovable. He swung a fist at her, but she easily sidestepped him and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back.
“That is two offences, Eric.” Beatrice whispers with a smirk then pushes the guy towards the nearest wall, and keeps him pressed against the wall, unable to move.
“Let me go!” The guy shouted, struggling against Beatrice's grip. Beatrice didn't flinch. She tries to find someone capable of immobilizing the man properly but fails. The guy then threw his head back with force, hitting her in the nose, creating a sickening crack. Beatrice stumbles back, but quickly regains her composure, she then kicks his legs with such force that makes the guy kneel to the ground then pushes the guy towards the wall knocking his head on the wall, making him unconscious in the span of seconds. The whole crowd gasps as Beatrice pulls back from the man. The external team then came and lifted the guy up, taking him away from the crowd.
Beatrice clutched her nose as blood gushed from it, staining her clothes and the floor. The crowd was murmuring and some were nodding towards her as a sign of gratitude. Beatrice looked around to find Mary but her eyes locked into Ava, who’s looking at her, worried. Ava wanted to say something but Beatrice looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed, then spotted Mary, who’s rushing towards her.
“Bathroom.” Beatrice says firmly and makes her way towards the bathroom, with Mary following her from behind. Along with Ava, and Shannon, and Daniella.
As she entered the bathroom, she went straight to the sink to spit out the blood that’s making its way towards her mouth, she turns around and sees not only Mary, but Ava, Shannon and Daniella are here too. She ignores them and looks at Mary.
“Can’t breathe.” She simply says then turns around towards the sink and spits blood again.
“Jesus, we gotta go to the hospital, Bea.” Ava says,
“You’re like, puking blood,” Shannon says,
“Beatrice, come, we’re going to the hospital.” Daniella says, all of them were panicking.
Beatrice smirks as she hears Ava call her ‘Bea’, she shakes her head and gestures towards Mary to take a closer look. Broken nose was one of the things she and Mary had grown accustomed to.
Mary took a closer look and nodded her head. “Shit, it's out of place, Beatrice.” Mary says with a worried tone.
“I know.” Beatrice says while trying to hide the fact that her voice was slightly nasally from the bleeding.
“Ready?” Mary says as she cupped Beatrice’s face gently.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Ava says worriedly as she approaches them. Mary looked at her and chuckled.
“Relax, Ava. We’ve done this a million times.” Mary says smugly as she positioned her thumb and her index finger in a pinch-like form on both sides of Beatrice’s nose bridge.
“Done what a million times?” Ava shouted, while glaring at Mary.
“This.” Mary says smugly as she twists Beatrice’s nose bridge, repositioning the slightly crooked bones from the collision earlier. Ava screamed a worrying ‘Jesus Christ’ as she witnessed the situation.
“Fucking hell.” Beatrice shouted as she felt the sharp pain of the unwarned nose bridge repositioning from Mary. Mary chuckles and steps backward, looking at Beatrice.
“There you go.” Mary says while chuckling as she dusts off her hand from the imaginary dust, she gets on her hands from doing something cool in front of Shannon. “Now, you’re pretty again.”
“Fuck you, a bit of warning would be nice.” Beatrice says as she washes her hand and face. Ava’s still shocked by all this but she can’t help but smile as she hears Beatrice curses, it’s her first time seeing her so humane.
Daniella shakes her head, looking at the both of them cracking and twisting bones like nothing.
“You two are the most fascinating kids I've ever seen.” Daniella says while chuckling.
“Kids? She’s like a hundred years old.” Beatrice says as she points towards Mary, still frustrated about the fact that she snaps the bone without warning.
“Fuck you, I’m not that old.” Mary says while chuckling. “You’re just mad that I snapped your nose.” Mary continues teasingly, making Beatrice roll her eyes and turns towards the sink to spit the blood out again.
“Beatrice.” Daniella says as she walks towards her. Beatrice turns around and look at her, worried.
“Thank you,” Daniella simply says as she kisses her cheek. Beatrice blushes and lets out a breathy chuckle.
“Now, come on, let’s go home. Nicolas can stay here if he’s still not done talking to these pretentious snobs.” Daniella says as she walks out of the bathroom.
Shannon happily walks towards Mary and wraps her arms around hers as she walks out of the bathroom.
Beatrice is still washing her face and gurgling water in her mouth; she hates the taste of blood. She turns around and sees Ava, looking at her, waiting.
“Oh.” Beatrice can only say while hiding her blush.
“What?” Ava asks.
“I thought you left already.” Beatrice continues, making Ava scoff.
“And leave you here all alone? What if you pass out?” Ava says as she frantically rummages through her bag. Beatrice looks at her with furrowed brows, confused on what she’s looking for.
Ava then lets out a loud ‘a-ha’ before she pulls out a pink band-aid. Jesus Christ. Beatrice widens her eyes as she looks at Ava, who’s walking towards her proudly showing her the band-aid. It's a pink band-aid with the word "owie" printed at the center of a dozen tiny cute cartoon doodles. Beatrice chuckles as soon as she sees the band-aid and shakes her head, avoiding Ava’s attempt on putting it on her.
“What? Come on, you need this.” Ava says with furrowed brows.
“No, I will never hear the end of it from Mary.” Beatrice replies, refusing to put it on.
“Beatrice, stop being childish.” Ava says as she attempts again.
“I don’t need them, really.” Beatrice fought while chuckling.
“Bea,” Ava says angrily but softly. Beatrice stops breathing.
“Come on, let me put it on, I feel bad already for being a bitch to you earlier.” Ava says as she leans in closer and peels the band-aid cover off and places the band-aid onto the bridge of Beatrice’s nose. Beatrice refuses to breathe her in, she stops breathing and stays that way. This is too close. Dangerous.
Ava smoothes her work and steps back, looking at Beatrice giddily.
“There, you’re even cuter now.” Ava says with a smile then turns around.
“Come, let’s go home.” Ava says again while walking out of the room. Beatrice catches up with her and walks beside her.
“You weren’t a bitch, earlier.” Beatrice says in a whisper.
“You say that because I’m your boss’s daughter.” Ava says teasingly.
“No really, I know how it feels like.” Beatrice says again and Ava stops walking.
“How, what feels like?” Ava asks, curious.
“To love someone who’s in love with someone else.” Beatrice says then walks out of the gallery, approaching the car waiting for them. Ava stands still for a second to think, she walks towards the exit and stares at Beatrice.
Of course, she noticed I’m in love with Mary. She’s Beatrice for fuck’s sake, Beatrice noticed everything.
The ride home was almost silent, no one talked, except for Nicolas, who thanked Beatrice for what she did earlier and keeps on rambling on how the external team failed him tonight and if it weren't for Beatrice, the night will probably be worse.
When they got home, everyone went to their respective rooms and changed. Daniella ordered everyone to gather around for breakfast tomorrow to discuss more about what happened during the event.
Beatrice paced in her room, waiting for Mary to finish showering. She saw the brown paper packages and smiles. She walked towards her work desk and sat down, retrieving her notebook and flipping to a blank page despite having another song unfinished. Her pen began to dance across the page, crafting yet another song for Ava. (Song: Love Letter from The Sea to The Shore-Delaney Bailey)
After Mary finished showering, Beatrice took a shower, dressed her wound and tried to scrub off the blood stain from her shirt.
She failed to get the blood out of her shirt and there was no detergent in the bathroom, so she went to the laundry room after getting dressed. She tries to scrub off the blood, murmuring her frustration towards herself.
“Fuck, should’ve fucking wash it off before it’s all dried up, this is my favorite shirt.”
“Should’ve fucking knocked his brains out for being a dick.”
“Fucking asshole”
“Why is this shit not working?” Beatrice mumbles as she violently rubs the detergent towards her shirt, trying to get the blood off.
“You know.” A voice says, startling Beatrice who’s busy being frustrated towards the bloodstain.
“Jesus Christ.” Beatrice almost shouted as she heard the voice, she turns around and catches her breath.
“Sorry.” Ava says while chuckling. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” Ava continues then walk towards Beatrice.
“I didn’t expect you to be someone that curses when you’re mad.” Ava says as she grabs the shirt from Beatrice’s hand. She grabs some detergent and a scrub brush, and starts to scrub the blood out of the shirt.
Beatrice stays silent, admiring Ava. She can’t help but smells the lemongrass scent from Ava’s neck. Her hair, pulled back in a messy bun, and her eyes, focused on the shirt as she scrubs them. Her delicate fingers seem incredibly sturdy as she works the brush, Beatrice blushes as she takes in every detail of Ava in the dark. Thank God it’s dark.
“There.” Ava says as she showed the shirt towards Beatrice. It’s clean now, not a stain left.
“How did you- “
“There’s a reason why scrub brushes are made Beatrice.” Ava interrupts Beatrice’s question with an answer, Beatrice nods and smiles.
“Thanks.” Beatrice says softly.
“Please, it’s nothing.” Ava replies while chuckling.
Beatrice smiles and squeezes the shirt to dry it out, Ava’s eyes couldn't help but linger on Beatrice’s hands. She noticed how the veins on the back of Beatrice's hand were visible, it looks so strong yet so delicate, the way her fingers look so soft even though the tips of her fingers were slightly calloused, she felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach, a fluttering feeling that she couldn't explain. Ava reluctantly tore her gaze away from her hands as Beatrice finished squeezing the shirt.
“Does it still hurt?” Ava asks while pointing towards Beatrice’s nose, to avoid the fact that she just stared at Beatrice’s arm for a whole minute.
“Not really.” Beatrice replies simply.
“It’s not your first time? Having a broken nose?” Ava asks again. Beatrice nods.
“Did it hurt the first time?” Ava asks.
“It did,” Beatrice simply replies. “But you should’ve seen the other guy,” Beatrice continues teasingly. Ava rolls her eyes and chuckles. Beatrice clears her throat and looks at Ava, trying to find a way out of this room politely.
“Who was it?” Ava asks out of nowhere, making Beatrice looks at her with raised eyebrows.
“The ones you said you were in love with.” Ava explains, making Beatrice stops breathing.
Shit.
“Uh.” Beatrice can only say as she tries to come out with excuses.
“Okay, not like I would know him or wait- is it a her?” Ava asks excitedly.
Beatrice chuckles as she hears this.
Him? Jesus, do I give off straight vibes?
“You definitely don’t give off straight vibes, but you know, bisexual exists.” Ava says while chuckling. Beatrice smiles and walks towards the door.
“Come on, is it a her or a him?” Ava asks as she giddily walk towards the door too.
“It’s always a her, never a him.” Beatrice only says as she looks at Ava.
“Oooh, I see how it is.” Ava says while smirking, Beatrice shakes her head and walks out.
“Is it like, just a girl or like someone I’d know?” Ava asks again. Beatrice lets out a sigh and chuckles.
“It’s a nun.” Beatrice says simply.
“What?” Ava asks while holding herself from laughing. Beatrice shakes her head and chuckles.
“A nun?” Ava asks still holding herself from laughing. “What do you mean a nun?” Ava asks again.
“Nunya business.” Beatrice replies smugly as she walks towards the kitchen for a glass of water, leaving Ava laughing in front of the laundry room.
Ava then skips towards the kitchen while laughing, she shakes her head as she looks at Beatrice who seems calm and collected after dropping the lamest joke that somehow works.
“Do you want grilled cheese?” Ava asks.
“Your famous 3-way grilled cheese?” Beatrice asks teasingly.
“Yeah, want some?” Ava asks excitedly.
“Hard pass.” Beatrice replies as she washes the glass.
“Fuck you, why not?” Ava asks while chuckling.
“You’ll finish up all the cheeses and Daniella will flip tomorrow when she realizes she’s out of cheese for her omelets.” Beatrice says as she places the glass back onto the drawer.
“Well, that’s good right? So, I don’t have to look at Mary tomorrow cause she’ll have to go get the cheeses while I stay here, peacefully eating my cheese-less omelet.” Ava replies smugly.
Beatrice tilts her head and smiles towards Ava.
“I really am sorry for shouting at you earlier,” Ava says apologetically.
“It’s fine, Ms. Silva.” Beatrice says softly.
“God, stop with the ‘Ms. Silva’ already.” Ava says while groaning. “And how did you notice I was in love with Mary anyway?” Ava asks.
Because you can’t stop smiling when she’s around.
Because you look at her the way I wishes you look at me.
Because your eyes were always looking for her in the crowd.
“The eyes, chico. They never lie” Beatrice teases as she walks away from the kitchen, leaving Ava laughing alone at the kitchen.
“Wait, wait.” Ava hurriedly says before Beatrice manages to walks out of the kitchen.
“I really am hungry; can you stay with me for a while?” Ava asks. “And maybe like, make sure I didn’t finish all the cheeses?” Ava continues, making Beatrice chuckles as she walks back into the kitchen. Ava smiles and excitedly turn towards the fridge and pulled out three different kinds of cheese: cheddar, Swiss, and gouda. Beatrice watched as Ava expertly buttered the bread and layered the cheeses between the slices.
“Is Scarface your favorite movie?” Ava asks as the sandwich sizzled on the stove.
“I don’t know, I never have a favorite.” Beatrice replies simply. Ava turns towards her and frowns.
“What do you mean you never have favorites?” Ava asks, genuinely curious.
“I don’t.” Beatrice says again. Ava is still frowning.
“If I like it, I like it, if I don’t, I don’t.” Beatrice explains.
“You’re telling me, you don’t have favorites?” Ava asks again and Beatrice nods.
“Like favorite colors? Or songs? Or like sights? Times? Things?” Ava rambles.
“Times?” Beatrice asks while chuckling.
“Yeah, like your favorite time of the day?” Ava asks. Beatrice shakes her head and shrugs.
“You’re so like- weird.” Ava says while chuckling.
“Geez.” Beatrice teasingly says.
“No, no. I mean, no offense, but like, how could you not have favorites? That’s like impossible.” Ava says as she turns around and flipped her sandwich.
“It’s not impossible, I just- I want to be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate.” Beatrice replies casually.
“No one’s judging what you hate.” Ava says as she turns to look at Beatrice.
“So, If I told you I hated Dolly Parton, you wouldn’t judge me?” Beatrice asks.
“Seriously?” Ava asks, offended.
“Exactly.” Beatrice says while chuckling.
“You hate Dolly Parton?” Ava asks, in all seriousness.
“No, I don’t, that was a test, and you failed.” Beatrice replies teasingly.
Ava rolls her eyes and chuckles.
“So, you wanna be defined by the things you love and not the things you hate-“
“Or the things I’m afraid of, or the things that haunt me in the middle of the night.” Beatrice interrupts.
“I refuse to be defined by all of those things, so, no favorites. I find things that I love and I don’t limit them to a single category.” Beatrice continues.
“Okay, Shakespeare.” Ava teases.
“But, like. Do you like the mornings?” Ava asks and Beatrice nods.
“Then your favorite time of the day is the morning.” Ava says confidently.
“But I also like the nights as much as I liked the mornings.” Beatrice replies, making Ava roll her eyes.
“Okay then” Ava said as she placed the perfectly grilled cheese onto the plate and grabbed a knife.
“What’s your bête noire?” Ava asks. “Something you hate.” Ava continues.
Beatrice thinks for a moment then says, “Coffee.” Making Ava widened her eyes.
“Really?” Ava asks, shocked.
“Yeah.” Beatrice replies with a shrug. “I think it’s an acquired taste that I am not capable of enjoying.
“You really are weird,” Ava says while chuckling, she then cut the sandwich in half and offered a piece to Beatrice, who gratefully accepted.
Beatrice took a bite and smiles as she tasted them.
“So, is it something you’re capable of enjoying?” Ava asks teasingly.
Beatrice nods and says, “Definitely not my bête noire.” Making Ava laughs as she took another bite.
They ate their sandwiches in comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s company. Beatrice couldn’t help but think of another song in her head but she couldn’t help but think that there was nowhere else she’d rather be than right here, in this moment, with Ava.
After finishing their grilled cheese sandwiches, Ava and Beatrice headed to their room to sleep. Ava wanted to climb into her bed and just sleep, ignoring whatever she’s feeling right now, but she couldn’t sleep, so she takes the notebook on her bedside and her pen then starts writing a new song, leaving the one unfinished song hanging around. Beatrice is also writing on her work desk. Both of them couldn’t stop thinking about each other.
As Beatrice finished the last line, she rips the page out and place it in the brown paper packages like she usually does. (Song: You-Zeph)
Ava’s also done with writing her songs. She closes the notebook and place it back onto her bedside. She tucks herself into the bed and hums her song’s melody as she tries to sleep. (Song: Softly-Clairo)