Chapter 9, Milo

Why is it so hot in here ?

I open my eyes and the first thought that crosses my mind is why the fuck do I have a boner first thing in the morning, then the realization of where I am, and who I am with strikes me so hard I almost gasp.

Esmeralda Hernandez, my nemesis in every possible way is snuggled in the sheets against my chest, one leg around mine, and I have my arms around her waist, closely holding her to me.

I want to say "what the fuck", because how in the hell have we ended up tangled up together, but I feel like it has become my favorite sentence when I am in her presence.

I look over at her, and she is still asleep, her head resting against my shoulder-blades. I know I should move her, or get up, but this moment feels so intimate and reminds me so much of the good old days, that I find myself relaxing into her embrace. She looks so peaceful and- is that drool on my chest ?

Oh, God.

Boner is supposed to be gone, but it's not, and I do not want to know what that means.

As if my thoughts summon her, she shifts against me and accidentally stirs against a very sensitive place in my body. I groan.

Esmeralda opens her eyes, and they immediately widen when she realizes what position we are in.

She tries to move and stirs that area again, this time, I grit my teeth, trying to make a very inappropriate sound.

"Do that again, and I don't think we'll be leaving this suite for a long while, Esmeralda."

She becomes so red, I think she might implode, then I finally let her move out from my arms, trying not to frown when my arms feel cold and empty.

"I am so sorry, I must have rolled in my sleep- I don't usually move but-" She starts mumbling, then sits up, scratching the sleep out of her eyes.

"You're fine." I simply say, sitting up as well.

I wait for her to go to the bathing room, because there is no way I am getting up for her to witness what she does to me even when she's asleep.

"You should get ready, or we'll miss breakfast." I inform her.

We are supposed to be meeting with the cast in an hour, and I am honestly curious of what she will think of my friends and the people that I will get to spend a lot of time working with.

She narrows her eyes, then slowly get up from the bed, goes to the closet and silently picks up some clothes.

I can't help but let my eyes linger on her perfect curves.

I feel like a fucking teenager again.

Keep it in your pants, dude.

When she closes the door behind her, I sigh.

As much as I try to, I cannot understand the nature of the feelings I have for her. I know I am supposed to hate her, i really do, but I think her being a part of my life again makes it more than difficult for me.

I guess there really is a thin line between hate and something else that I will not allow myself to think about.

When my teenager's hormones finally calm down, I get up, and put on a plain black turtle-neck sweater, black pants, and a dark colored coat.

I am tying my shoe laces when Esmeralda emerges from the bathroom, her hair wet from the shower she just took. She is wearing a green oversized sweater and white cargo pants. She has made herself more presentable by wearing some mascara and painted her lips a red color, as usual.

She's way too beautiful for both our sakes.

As soon as her eyes meet mine she says, "Is it a funeral or breakfast we're going to attend ?"

I roll my eyes at her joke, and make a show of looking her over.

"You should wear a coat, if you don't want to freeze that beautiful ass off."

It is her turn to roll her eyes, then she actually listens to me, grabbing a coat, and her purse before heading towards the door.

I follow suit and as I close the door behind us, I wonder what Esmeralda will think of Samantha.

⌁

Esmeralda hates Samantha.

She tries not to show it, but I can see it in her strained fake smiles at her, and the death stares she sends her every time the redhead isn't looking.

Samantha Claire is my co-star, and my on-screen girlfriend. Even if she has always been flirty with everyone, even me, I have to admit that she's a good actress, great even. But as soon she saw me, she gave me a big hug and kiss on the cheek, my brunette nemesis-amazing nickname, by the way- winced.
I tried as best as I could to hide my spreading smirk.

She has had conversations with my producer Flynn Rider, and some of my other co-stars, including Vincent O'Malley and Lydia Ernest. They are some of the few people I call friends and we have worked together on multiple projects. They were very kind to her, and even though she was a bit shy at first, she got used to their presence very fast.

After we had breakfast, Flynn invited us to his house for lunch.

The first thing Esmeralda said, when he introduced himself to her was, "Your name is Flynn Rider ? As in the hot guy in Rapunzel ?"

He only gave me a confused and wary look before saying that he didn't know what movie that was.

"Who the fuck doesn't know Rapunzel ? Did he even have a childhood ? He's a producer !" She looked pissed.

And, since Esmeralda has been mad at me for whatever reason since morning, I pull her into my lap as I sit in my producer's living room, and she squeaks, but clears her throat, and rests her back against my chest, forcing herself to relax when she remembers that we have an audience.

As everyone gets seated, and conversation starts to flow around us, I am not surprised at all when I feel my pants growing tighter and tighter. Esme, on the other hand, starts breathing so heavily I think she's suffocating.

I slowly bring my mouth to her ears and whisper, "See what you do to me ?"

Her breath hitches and she tries to rearrange herself on me, but she obviously has no idea that she is making it way worse.

I swallow my groan and murmur in her ear again, "That is not helping, love."

She blushes and I press a kiss on her neck, in an attempt to calm her down.

"It's not something I can control." I only say.

"I know." She answers, voice hoarse.

As a painfully slow hour passes, I try to distract myself by speaking with Vincent, while Esmeralda engages in a conversation with Lydia.

When it's lunch time, I have to excuse myself to the bathroom to calm Milo Jr down, and by the time the evening is over, I start to wonder how I'll manage to spend another night in the same bed as her.

We bid everyone goodbye because we leave tomorrow morning, and Samantha hugs me for a long minute before letting me go. Esmeralda looks smug as ever after witnessing it.

When we go back to the hotel room, she silently changes then gets ready for bed.

"What is it ?" I ask her when she sighs frustratingly for the third time in a minute.

I start unbutonning my shirt, while she looks at me, then shakes her head.

"I just don't understand how that Samantha girl could be so flirty with you when she knows we are together-supposedly. It just doesn't make sense to me."

She shakes her head again, sitting on the bed.

I don't hide my smirk this time.

Esmeralda is scandalized when she sees my grin.

"Why are you smiling like an idiot ?"

I take my shirt off and I can clearly see her eyes roam over my body.

"You're jealous." I state.

"What ? No, no way. Why on earth would I be jealous ? I mean we aren't even really together, it's just that I don't understand why she was acting the way she did, and why you didn't brush her off, since I'm supposed to be your girlfriend."

My smile is still plastered on my face as I move towards her. She immediately moves back on the bed.

I keep walking, until I am only a few feet away from her.

She swallows soundly.

"Samantha's gay." I say. "She wanted to make Lydia, her ex-girlfriend jealous."

Her grey eyes widen as the information sets in. She frowns in embarassement, and I lick my lips, feeling the electricity and heavy tension in the air.

She's not my friend.

I block the thought out.

I shouldn't do this.

I block that thought too as I slam my lips into hers.

She freezes, startled, then kisses me back with the same burning fervor and passion. I kiss her like my life depends on it, her lips are soft and she taste like sugar and honey, and I cannot get enough of it.

She opens her mouth, giving my tongue permission to slide in.

Her hands roam over my naked chest as I put my hands under her shirt. She moans when I reach her bra, and it is the sound that makes me go back to reality.

What the fuck am I doing ?

This is supposed to be fake.

I cannot trick myself into thinking that any of this is real, because it's not.

I was too blinded by my attraction towards her.

This is only mutual lust. Nothing else.

If I let her in, if I give her my heart, she will shatter it into pieces again.

I will not make the same mistake twice.

I pull back so suddenly that she almost falls over. I put two hands on her arms to steady her.

She is breathing heavily and confusion mares her face.

"This was a mistake."

Her face falls, hurt and sadness like I've never seen before in her eyes.

"What do you mean ?" She asks, her voice small and broken.

"This was a mistake." I repeat, making my voice steady. "This meant, nothing."

Tears swell up in Esmeralda's eyes, and, even if it hurts like hell to know that they're my fault, I force my face into a cold mask of indifference.

I grab the first t-shirt that I can find, and get out of the room as fast as I can needing a distraction.

Hours later, when I enter the suite again, her pillow is wet, and her eyes are so red they look like they're bleeding.

This time, I think I can hear the crack in my chest at the sight.