Beautiful Disaster

Freedom

As I sat in the gym on the first floor of my house, I was unable to keep my gaze from straying to Loren. When I'd decided to spend some time in the gym with my best friend, Sophia, Loren had immediately said that he'd hang out in the gym too, which was why we were here now.

I sat in the corner of the room on a small couch with Sophia by my side, while Loren stood at the other side of the room, punching a punch bag furiously, his bare back flexing with each move.

I was snapped out of my admiration of Loren when Sophia waved a hand in front of my face, bringing my focus back to her.

"I'm surprised he hasn't noticed the fact that you're completely hung up on him." She said, shaking her head slightly with a teasing smile on her face.

Sophia was the only person I spoke to about my doomed fascination with Loren. No one else knew and I wanted it to stay that way because if Loren ever found out, it would ruin everything.

I felt a blush spread across my face as I chewed on my bottom lip, struggling to keep my gaze from straying to him once again.

"I am not hung up on him. I just find him attractive, that's all." I insisted, although I knew that wasn't the whole truth.

Sophia laughed, making her whole face light up in the process.

"You can't fool me, Rosa. You want him. It's plain to see every time you look at him, which is why I'm surprised he hasn't noticed yet." She said, as she glanced in Loren's direction with a puzzled frown, as if she couldn't figure out why he hadn't noticed my fascination with him.

"He's never going to know. If he found out, it would ruin everything, Sophia. There is no way that he is ever going to find out." I said, my tone adamant that this must be kept between us. The thought of Loren finding out terrified me because I knew that there was no way that he would ever see me than anything other than someone he had to protect as part of his job. He'd never see me the way I saw him, which was why he could never find out.

"I don't know why you're so convinced that it will ruin everything, Rosa. Maybe you're overreacting. Maybe he might feel the same way. You'll never know if you never try." She said, as if I were acting like a silly little girl with a crush.

Every time I tried to explain the reasons to her that Loren could never find out, she didn't understand. I'd eventually given up trying to explain, just hoping that she'd stop insisting that I should tell him how I feel.

"You don't understand because you have the perfect boyfriend who loves you more than anything and who your parents treat like their own son, Sophia. Can you really not see the problems it would cause if Loren found out about this?" I said after a moment, trying to convince her one last time that she was wrong about the fact that I was overreacting.

"Did I hear someone mention me?"

I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face when Romeo suddenly appeared, practically throwing himself onto the couch beside Sophia, wrapping an arm around her as a huge smile spread across her face. I always felt a little jealous whenever I saw Sophia and Romeo together, because I'd always wanted someone to love me the way they loved each other.

"So, how's my amazing girlfriend and my crazy best friend?" Romeo asked, smiling at us both crookedly, which only made him look more adorable.

"We're fine. I thought you were spending time with your parents today?" Sophia asked him, a frown fixing onto her face.

Romeo shrugged his shoulders as he twirled a strand of Sophia's dark blonde hair around his finger.

"They decided that they needed to spend some time together instead, so I told them I'd spend the day with them another time." He said, then before Sophia could say anything, he kissed her, halting whatever she'd been about to say.