We'll Be Alright

My back ached. My neck was sore. I woke up on the sofa, tired and still upset. It didn't seem that uncomfortable to sit on, but to sleep on it was awful. I reached for my phone and saw it was 5:38am. I kept waking up during the night, my sleep as broken as I currently felt. Liv had text me to tell me she had redesigned her garden and asked me if I could ask one of my Dad's friends to give her a quote. When I text her back, she replied instantly. I decided to call her. I needed to see her. I needed her to make me feel better.

"Hey bitch." She beamed at me through the phone. Her hair was in a messy bun and she was in her pyjamas. Looking naturally beautiful and elegant. It was 11pm at home.

"Hey bitch." I chuckled, laughing how we always greeted each other with the same intro. Just seeing her on my phone made me feel better. I missed her so much. And tonight, I missed her a little more.

"You look like shit. What are you doing awake so early on a Saturday? I don't think I've ever seen you out of bed before 9am on a weekend." She teased, letting out a laugh. Which quickly fell when she saw me sheepishly smile back.

"I feel like shit. Me and Pedro have been arguing a lot lately. I slept on the sofa last night."

"What? Why are you on the sofa?" She screwed up her face. I hadn't even detailed what happened, but I knew she'd take my side. She always did, and always would. I did and would do the same for her.

"He just keeps moaning at me all the time. There's this guy at work, you know Matt? He keeps moaning about him, saying I'm spending too much time with him. Seeing Matt more than I see him. I think he thinks something is going on."

"You work a full time job. The reality is you're going to see a lot of the people you work with."

"I know, I know. I think, because me and Matt went for a run yesterday, he thinks we spend too much time together. He doesn't like that we go to lunch together. It's so not anything though. I really don't see Matt that way-"

"You don't need to explain that to me, Elle. I know how you feel about Matt and I certainly know how you feel about Pedro. Have you told him?"

"Of course I have. It's hard to get through to him though. When he's in one of those moods, he just doesn't listen."

"That's men for you."

"I get that Matt and I spend a lot of time together. But it's just cos he's my only friend here. I've even looked into starting yoga classes just so I can make more friends hoping it'll make Pedro feel better."

"You're joking? Even still, you could have 100 more friends but that doesn't mean you have to stop being friends with Matt."

"Yeah I get that, too. I just don't know what to do. It's weird because Pedro tells me he likes Matt and they get on well. But then it causes arguments. I feel like I should stop going out on work nights out and stuff. Because it's not worth the arguments."

"Doesn't he have that hairdresser woman that goes everywhere with him for work?"

"Oh yeah, Coco."

"He's getting mad at you for a friend at work but he takes her around the world so she can do his hair. Not saying there's anything going on there at all, but surely you have more to be mad about. It's not like you're  bringing Matt to England to go running with. You know what I mean? Maybe moan at him about that and see how he feels."

"You know, I'd never thought of that." Shit. "Maybe it's worth me bringing up. Not to cause an argument, but like, yeah I guess that is weirder than me being friends with someone at work."

"You're a better person than me, Elle. I'd be kicking off!"

"I just don't have the energy to. I feel exhausted all the time. And this isn't helping."

"Have you felt any better?"

"Yeah I've been doing OK. I felt ill yesterday, but then all the arguments and stuff, I didn't have much time to think about anything else but that."

"Remind me why you're the one on the sofa if Pedro is being a cunt?"

"We argued and he went out and got drunk. I had to go pick him up and put him to bed. I didn't feel like sleeping in the bed with him. And his spare room is basically his sisters room now, so I don't wanna go in there with all her stuff."

"I'd have dropped him off and gone home."

"I was going to. But he wouldn't let me drive home whilst it was so late. To be fair, I don't think I'd have made it back. I could barely keep my eyes open when we got back." I had a sudden feeling of being watched and looked up to see Pedro at the end of the room, staring at me. Shirtless. Arms crossed against his torso. Leaning on the doorframe. Unreadable. Shit. How much of the conversation had he heard? "Anyway, you should be going to bed. I'll leave you to sleep. I love you and miss you. I'll see you soon." I leant forward, hiding myself on the sofa so Pedro couldn't see me. "I'll text you, Pedro's watching me." I mouthed to her, so she knew why I was abruptly ending the call. She laughed and nodded and replied,

"I love and miss you too."

"Are you alright?" Pedro's voice was deep and full of sleep. His face still unreadable.

"Yeah. Just on the phone to Liv."

"It's early, you should be asleep."

"I know. I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep."

"Because the couch is uncomfortable. You shouldn't be sleeping on there. You should get in the bed." I went to interject, telling him I didn't want to. I still didn't want to sleep in the same bed as him. But he cut me off. "I know you don't want to sleep with me. So you get in the bed, and I'll go on the couch for a bit."

"No, it's fine. I should probably go anyway."

"No, Eleanor. You've not slept. Get into bed and please try to sleep for a little bit. Then you can go home. But please just try and get some sleep."

"OK." I sighed, and got up. I timidly walked past Pedro and climbed into his bed. He stood in the doorway and watched me settle down into the bed. I was hit with the scent on him on the sheets. The smell of Pedro and the heaviness of the last week of arguing became too much and I felt my heart sink. I started to cry, I tried to hide my face and sobs from Pedro. But it didn't work.

"Elle, baby. Stop crying please. Please stop crying." His voice was light and pained. I knew he was upset too and that made me feel worse. "Please don't cry. I hate seeing you upset. Especially when I know you don't want to be near me so I can't hold you." Fuck. I looked up at him and held out my arms to him like a child, silently asking for a hug. Pedro almost lunged at me and was on the bed next to me within seconds, wrapping me tight in his arms. "I'm so sorry baby."

"I love you so much. But I'm so upset with you." I nuzzled myself into his neck, wanting to be as close as I could be to him. He smelt of Pedro, sweet and woody. It made me cry harder.

"Shhh, baby. We will sort this, we'll be OK. Please don't cry because of me." He cradled me in his arms. After a few minutes, I managed to control my tears. "Do you want some water?" He asked as he pulled away to look at my face. The pain between us was evident all over his face. I hated it. But he still l, somehow, looked incredibly beautiful.

"Please." He nodded his head, kissed my forehead and left the room. I went to the en-suite and grabbed some toilet paper to dry my eyes and blow my nose.

"Here you go. Do you want anything else?" He handed me the cold glass. I shook my head as I sipped the water. I felt sick, my head hurt. I felt hot. "OK baby, try get some sleep. If you need anything, you just let me know OK?" He held my head in his hands as his thumbs stroked my face.

"Don't sleep on the sofa." I couldn't look at him in the eyes and I couldn't let him sleep on the sofa. "Just stay with me." Pedro looked lost, like I was teasing him.

"It's fine, I don't mind-"

"Just shut up and get into bed please. I don't feel great and I want to sleep. Just, come on." I shuffled over the bed and put the glass on the side. Usually when we'd get into bed, we mould into each others bodies, wanting to be as close as possible. But we both lay on our backs; flat, straight and nervous. Minutes passed with neither of us saying anything. I hated it. I hated being mad at him. I hated how he made me feel. I hated myself for wanting to crumble and run straight to him and let him hold me. Instead, I reached over and gently held onto his fingertips. A small gesture that showed him I still loved him, that I still needed some intimacy with him. I felt Pedro sigh, then my hand was at his mouth and his lips were at my knuckles.

"You're my whole fucking world, Eleanor." My heart hurt. We could get through this. I'd do whatever it took. I closed my eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

I kept my eyes closed but moved my legs through the sheets, trying to make contact with Pedro. I reached my leg to the other side of the bed and still couldn't feel anything. My eyes sprang open to see the open space he wasn't occupying. I checked the time, it was 9:38am. I pulled back the sheets and headed to the living room, hoping to find him there. He wasn't. He wasn't in the kitchen. Or outside. Or anywhere. I went back to the bedroom to grab my phone and saw if he had text me. Nothing. Shit. I quickly made the bed and retied my hair up just as I heard the front door go.

"Hey." Pedro softly spoke as he placed brown bags onto the kitchen counter. He wore his favourite yellow Lakers T-shirt, jeans and New Balance. A classic Pedro outfit.

"Hey. Where were you?" I asked, though the instant smell of food gave me the answer.

"Went to grab some breakfast for us. I've basically been living at yours, so I had nothing in. And you need to eat." He didn't take his eyes off me as unloaded the bags.

"That's, ugh, that's kind of you. Thank you."

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really. But I didn't eat much yesterday so I should probably eat something." I couldn't look at him in the eyes. I felt nervous. I saw Pedro open his mouth and close it, feeling the need to internally keep whatever he wanted to say. Probably to tell me I should be eating, or ask if I was OK. "Thanks for this. Smells good."

"It's from a little cafe down the road. You'd love it there. Maybe we could-" He stopped mid sentence, knowing we couldn't go there right now. "Eat, please." Pedro slid over the container with toast, eggs and bacon towards me. I idly picked at the crust of toast and put it into my mouth. "I'm sorry, for last night."

"How do you feel this morning?" I asked Pedro. My head started to spin and I felt hot.

"Hungover, honestly. But doesn't feel as bad as how I feel about us." Pedro continued to look down. "When you're ready, I wanna explain. Everything. You deserve to know."

"Tell me now, then." Why wait? There's no time like the present.

"Over breakfast?"

"Yep."

"Fine. Where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning. Why you're so against me being friends with Matt. Why you keep moaning at me?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I've never felt so possessive about anyone in my life. I just want you to myself. I've never felt that before. I've never been scared to lose anyone, even when they're already mine. I have this fear, you know...I love you so much. And I get scared that one day you won't love me enough to stay with me. I can't lose you like I lost my mom."

"Pedro-"

"What if my love for you isn't enough? What if my love isn't enough for you both to stay with me?"

"Pedro stop-"

"Let me finish, please. Matt, he's good looking and he's funny and you like spending time with him and he'll be there for you when I can't be. What about if that's more than I can offer? What if you need that more than you need me? It's so toxic of me, but I can't help feeling that if I let your world start and end with me, you won't leave me."

"My whole world already starts and ends with you. You're the first person I think of when I wake up and the last I think of when I close my eyes. And I know that's cheesy and cliche but it's so true. I am so lucky to have the friends I do, but that doesn't change how I feel about you."

"I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you." Pedro's voice broke mid sentence. The unbearable sound of him in pain, hurt.

"Why did you lie about Robin?" This was the bit that was going to hurt.

"Cos I'm an asshole." He waved his hand through the air. "Really. You know we er, used to hook up. But we both quickly learnt that it wasn't right. I didn't want her like that. I closed myself off for her emotionally. But we stayed friends. And we see each other occasionally. Maybe a couple times a year. Apart from when we saw her at the meal the other day, I couldn't remember the last time I'd saw her. It had been so long. At the meal, she asked if I was free soon for a catch up and I said yeah but didn't think anything of it. She text to see if I was free, on the Tuesday. And I just said yes. I was so angry with myself. For how I'd been with you. I thought it would be a good idea. You know. She's female and she's a friend. She could give me a female perspective. Help me to help us. I didn't want to tell you because I'd seen how you were with her when we went out for food. And I'd been moaning at you for Matt, I just thought about how hypocritical I was to do that. I was telling her about it all, about us and what I was doing. Unsurprisingly, she took your side. Just like Javiera. Just like Lux. But she talked me through my feelings. Opened my eyes. Nothing I ever had with her was a fraction of what I have with you. And she told me I'd lose it if I carried on the way I have been. I promise nothing happened. And I must have been with her for 2 hours, maximum. Then I went home and watched Beef. I haven't text her or spoke to her since. If I have to cut her out my life to prove what you mean to me, I'd do it."

"You don't need to cut anyone out of your life. Just don't fucking lie to me."

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I was thinking of myself. Putting up my guard so I didn't get hurt. I'm so used to doing it. I didn't think. And I hurt you. I can't stop carrying that around with me."

"Thanks for being honest." I pushed the food away. I couldn't eat anything else.

"I don't expect you to forgive me. But please don't leave me." His voice broke mid sentence and I looked up at him. He was crying.

"I'm not going to leave you." I got up off the stool and made my way to him. "I might punch you in the throat if I'm drunk called in the middle of the night to come rescue you, though." I teased as I wrapped my arms around him. "Please never lie to me again. Even if the truth is ugly."

"I promise. I love you so much." He nestled his head into my chest and squeezed me head.

"I love you." I hadn't forgiven him. But I appreciated what he said. I was letting my fingers run through his curls when a sharp pain went through my side again. "Fuck!" I gripped onto the side and hunched over.

"Eleanor, what's wrong?" Pedro pulled away and looked at me concerned. "You alright?"

"Let me get a drink of water." I felt sweat form on my brow and lip, my body started to tingle. "Fuck, I don't think I can walk." I felt all the energy drain from my body as I tried to take another step towards the fridge. Pedro was stepping towards me, arms wide open. Just as I went to take another step, the pain shot down my right leg. "I'm going to be sick." I dropped to the floor and instantly vomited.

"Shit, Eleanor. Fuck! I need to call a doctor. You stay there." Pedro ran to get his phone from the side. I tried to stand up but my vision started to go. I could see coloured spots in the corners of my eyes and Pedro's faint voice ring in my eyes before...darkness.

I woke up with a splitting headache. I was in the back of an ambulance. There was Pedro and a paramedic next to me and a blanket over my legs.

"Hey." Pedro's face was full of worry.

"How are you feeling?" The paramedic asked. Pedro's eyes darted between me and the guy.

"My head hurts. I feel a bit sick."

"OK, well you let me know if you need to be sick. I'll give you one of these just in case." He handed me a paper bowl. "We're going to take you to hospital, alright? Your test results aren't the best. They'll be able to take a better look at you there. Get you better." My heart started to thumb in my chest. Pedro reached forward and grabbed my hand.

"You'll be OK, baby." He knew I knew he was lying. He had no idea what was wrong. Neither did I.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked. My fingertips felt numb and tingly. I felt panicky.

"We think you have sepsis. You're lucky we caught you early. They'll do full tests at the hospital to confirm." He read the machine I was connected to and wrote something down. "Try to get some rest." I nodded my head and closed my eyes. When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed. Pedro was next to me. Watching me. Bitting on his nails.

"Hey!" He shot up out the chair and came to my bedside. "Hey." He said softer, grabbing my hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Just tired. And a bit sick. My head is killing."I looked down and noticed the IV in my inner arm. A needle, in my arm, tapped down. I started to panic. "Oh my god."

"The doctor said you don't have sepsis but you were very close to being really ill. That bag there with the clear liquid in you're connected to is antibiotics."

"I don't like that. I don't like seeing and knowing there's a needle permanently in my arm. I'm panicking." I could feel my heart beat thud so hard it felt like my chest was shaking. There's a piece of small metal stuck in your skin, Eleanor.

"It's OK baby, you're good. Don't think about it. Don't look at it. Look at me. Look at me. It's OK." Pedro was squeezing my hand and trying to talk me out of a panic.

"Anti-biotics. Ant-eye biotics? You're so American. It's anti, ant-tea biotics." Pedro laughed at my comment. His sweet laughter made me feel a little better.

"You're ill in hospital and you're still cracking jokes." He laughed as he brought my hand to his mouth.

"If I don't laugh, I'll cry. I've never been good in serious situations. Humour is the best medicine. Or in my case, antibiotics!" I joked, watching him smile at me. "Did they say how long I'd be here for?"

"They didn't say. You'll definitely be in over night." He kissed my hand again. "Fuck. I was so scared. I still am. I hate hospitals."

"I get it." I squeezed his hand. They reminded me of mom. "What time is it?"

"Almost 7:30pm."

"Fuck, I've lost a whole day."

"You've been asleep for most of it. You should keep resting. I guess you've not been getting enough of it lately."

"You should go home and rest too."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying in that chair. Keep an eye on you."

"You are not sleeping in a chair. With your old man bad back, you won't be able to move in the morning."

"Old man bad back! Cheeky shit. Lucky for you, you've got your get out of jail card right now!" He gestured towards me in the bed.

"Or else what? You'd punish me?" I bit my lip.

"Eleanor! My god! None of that for you for a while. You need all the rest." He put my hand against his cheek. "I feel like it's all my fault."

"How is any of this your fault?" I shook my head.

"Because I've put you through a lot the last few weeks and if I wasn't such an asshole you'd have taken better care of yourself."

"Yes, you've been an asshole. But none of this is your fault. It's my dodgy body!"

"There's nothing dodgy about your body, baby!" He winked at me, just as there was a knock at my door. A doctor poked his head around the door.

"May I come in?" He asked. I laughed, as if I'd turn him away. "I just need to check on you. We took some blood tests earlier and we're waiting on the results. We just need a urine sample too, if that's OK?"

"Yeah sure." I took the sample bottle from his hands.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he looked at the monitor with numbers and letters and lines I didn't understand.

"A little bit sick, just tired mainly. Like exhausted. But better than I have been feeling." I slowly got up in the bed.

"And how have you been feeling?"

"Just headaches, needing the toilet a lot, throwing up, sweats, my body has just felt exhausted."

"And how long has this been happening?" He was writing something down, taking notes from the screen. Pedro watched him the way I watched him; with concern and eager to know more.

"Maybe 2, 3 weeks, wouldn't you say?" I asked Pedro, needing him to confirm. Time had slipped away from me lately.

"And you didn't go and see a doctor before now?"

"I called a week or so again, and I have an appointment next week."

"Right. Keep that appointment for now. But we'll do our best to fix you as best we can here. If you could do that sample and then just hand it in at reception down the corridor. I'll be back in 30 minutes." He left the clipboard at the end of the bed and walked out.

"I don't want to be here. I just want to go home." I whined, throwing my head back.

"I know baby, but you need to stay if they're saying it. You need to be better."

"Fuck, I hope my insurance covers this bill. I thought I'd only ever need it if I fell over and broke a bone or cut myself. Not for something like this. You know how much this would cost me back home? Nothing."

"You don't need to be worrying about that right now, Eleanor." Pedro leant forward on his thighs.

"That's easy for you to say." I wanted to roll my eyes but stopped myself.

"If it doesn't cover it, I'll take care of it. Your health is most important."

"Absolutely not! No way!"

"Not up for discussion, Eleanor. I'm serious." His tone was sharp. He wasn't messing.  "No go pee in that bottle. Do you need a hand?" Whilst I knew he was just trying to care for me and the IV in my arm, there was no way I'd allow him to do that.

"I think I'm good, thanks babe." I got up out the bed and walked over to the en-suite. It felt weird to have my own private room with my own private toilet. UK hospitals were never like this. Well, the NHS ones anyway. I wrapped my sample in toilet paper to hide it from Pedro. It was embarrassing.

"All done?" He asked when I entered the room. I nodded my head. "Give it to me, I'll take it for you."

"No way!" I laughed, wrapping both hands around the bottle.

"Eleanor, you need to get back to bed. I'll take it."

"Pedro, I love you with every inch of me, but I could not let you see me carry a bottle of my own pee. Never mind touch it!"

"It doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that you're in fucking hospital and you're not well and you won't rest. Give me the bottle, and get into bed. Please. For me." His brown eyes softened as he used them again me.

"I'm not arguing with you and your big brown eyes. Whatever you say, beautiful." I sheepishly handed over the bottle. "Those eyes, they can make me do anything. You beautiful human." My words caused Pedro to blush. He watched me get back into bed and leant down to kiss me.

"Thank you." His lips were firm, but soft. I wasn't sure what he was thanking me for, but I could tell he meant it. He went to back away but I put my hand on his cheek and kissed him harder. It had been so shit between us lately, and I'd missed this. Him, his tenderness. His love. Maybe it was the setting, maybe it was the heat between us over the last few weeks, but I just needed to tell him I loved him. I needed to show him.

"I need you more than I've ever needed anything. I love you." I put my forehead against his and said those words as I looked into those brown eyes. He burst out laughing.

"You say the most romantic thing, the words that hit straight to my heart. As I'm holding a bottle of your pee!" He laughed harder and hid his face in the crook of my neck. Once he had finished his giggle fit, he kissed me again. Then ran his nose down the length of mine and kissed my forehead. "I think I need you more than you need me. I'll be two seconds." He left the room. I looked around to see my clothes folded neatly on the table on the side. My phone was next to them. I was tempted to get up to grab it, but I'd just got comfortable. Moments later, Pedro was back. "I just asked the doctor if you could eat and you've been given the green flag as all your tests have been done. What would you like?"

"Not sure, what's my options?" I wasn't particularly hungry.

"Anything. Whatever you want, I'll go find it." My heart burst. The things this man would do for me.

"I'm not too hungry. So maybe just a sandwich or something. I'd like a drink, more, though. I don't want you going far I don't want you to leave me for too long." I reached out to grab his fingers.

"I won't be long baby." He kissed my head, then my lips, then my head again. "Try and get some sleep. I'll be back before you know it." I did what I was told.

I woke up to the smell of fast food and Pedro on his phone on the chair next to my bed. His hair was fluffy and wild, his glasses balanced elegantly on the top of his beautiful nose. His mouth twitched as he thumbed the screen, lost in whatever he was doing.

"Something smells good." I said, causing Pedro's head to shoot up and look at me.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" The same question again. Needing to know how I'm feeling, if I feel any better.

"Better. The same. But better. If that makes sense."

"I got you a McDonald's cos I know you love nuggets but I didn't think you'd be asleep as long as you have been and I didn't want to wake you and it's definitely cold now."

"That's OK."

"I'll go grab you another one-" He went to get up.

"It's fine, I'll eat them." I tucked into my soggy cold nuggets and laughed as Pedro scrunched his face up in disgust. A short while later, there was a knock at the door. The doctor poked his head in.

"Hey, Eleanor. Can I come in?" He asked as he was already stepping into the room. "I just want to talk about your results." Pedro moved off the chair and came to stand by the bed. "So, the results came back and you had a kidney infection. We want to take a scan of your kidneys, and potentially your other vital organs, just to make sure there's no lasting damage. The infection could have spread to the round to other organs, so we just need to rule those out. If it has spread, we're looking at possible sepsis and I'm afraid you'll be in here for a little while." Pedro's neck almost snapped as he twisted to look at me. "If I'm honest, judging by your results, and how you are at the moment, my guess is it's just a nasty infection and we can send you home with some antibiotics. But we can't take any chances with sepsis. So we'll keep you in tonight, continue to observe you and do your scans in the morning. Is that OK?"

Obviously not. I want to feel better and I want to go home. "Yeah sure. Could I get this out of my arm, though? It's making me panicky every time I look at it." I pointed to the needle in my arm and felt woozy.

"I'm afraid not. That's the quickest way we can get antibiotics into your system. It'll help fight infection quicker. We will review tomorrow. But if you need anything throughout the night, please just pull on that red cord. I'll check in on you later. Keep resting." He nodded his head at me, then at Pedro, who thanked him and left the room.

"Fuck babe." Pedro ran both hands over his face.

"You look worse than me. You should go home and sleep."

"I'm not going anywhere." Pedro scoffed.

"Honestly, I'm fine. I'm in the best place. I can't exactly move far." I help up my pin cushioned arm but smartly didn't look at it. "You're not sleeping in an hospital chair. Please."

"I'll stay with you till you fall asleep. Then I'll go home."

"What time is it?"

"9:38pm. I haven't text your family, I didn't want to scare them and I didn't know if you'd want me to that. You know, it's quite personal."

"Well, I suppose you're my next of kin here. And I have no problem with you speaking to my family." I grinned at him. "I'll text Dad later. He'll be at work. I don't want to worry him. He'll only protest to catch the next flight over here."

"I'd be the same. I'm gonna speak to my agent, see if I can get out of New York."

"Absolutely not. No way. I'll be home by then and-"

"You don't know that."

"I do. And you're going. I'll break up with you if you do that I'm serious."

"That's not fair, Eleanor." Pedro scolded me. I wasn't playing. There was no way I'd allow him to back out of anything work related for me.

"Do you think the doctor was judging me for eating cold soggy nuggets?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Maybe a little. I'm sure he's seen way worse than a pretty poorly girl eating cold nuggets though."

"You still think I'm pretty?" I pouted, feeling that warm fuzzy feeling from his words. I definitely didn't feel pretty.

"Always. I mean, you've looked better. But I'd still have a go on you." He playfully shrugged nonchalantly; then giggled like a child. He was so intoxicating.

"José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal!" I scolded. "Come here." I opened my arms for a hug. He moved over and cuddled me. He smelt clean, he smelt of heaven. He smelt like Pedro. "My Pedro."

"Your Pedro." He nuzzled into me. "What am I going to do with you?" He breathed into my neck.

"Urm, watch TikToks and cuddle with me before you go home and rest?" I asked. Pedro laughed as he shook his head.

"Move over a little bit. Watch yourself." His hand went straight to my right arm, which hosted the IV. He gently moved me over and sat next to me on the bed.

"Are you comfortable?" I asked, throwing the thin blanket over his legs.

"As comfortable as I can be. Come on, show me these TikToks so you can hurry up and go to bed." He tapped my leg. I tried to stifle my laughter at his annoyed Dad tone.

"Alright dad." I rolled my eyes. I opened the app and giggled like a schoolgirl, giddy that I was having TikTok time with my favourite person.

"Keep scrolling!" Pedro tried to finger my screen, attempting to move onto the next clip.

"Nooooo!" I laughed, moving my phone out of his reach. "Never, and I mean, never, skip past a Pedro Pascal edit on my TikTok. I like them all so it doesn't mess up my algorithm and keeps you on my for you page."

"I don't know what any of that means!" He was so confused, which made me belly laugh.

"The more videos I like of you, the more pops up for me to see."

"I've seen more of myself on your TikTok than I have looking in the mirror this past week! Show me more of the animal ones."

"I can't control what we watch. We get what we're given, Mr Pascal." I thumbed onto the next video and saw Mr Harry Styles.

"Ohhhhh hell no, NEXT!" Pedro laughed, trying to remove Harry from the screen. "Quick, go back onto the videos of me! Not him!" I erupted into laughter. Pedro. He always made me feel better.

"Honey, you're falling to sleep." Pedro voice was gentle when I opened my eyes.

"I'm not." I lied. I knew I was. But I didn't want him to go home.

"We've watched this video on loop 5 times now. Gimme your phone, I'll put it on the side for you."

"I'm fine, I'm good." I tried to snatch it back but everything was slow. I was too tired to move. I didn't want Pedro to go home. But I definitely didn't want him hurting his back on the chair.

"Bed time. Phone, please." He leant over and took it from me. I didn't defend myself. "Right, I'm going to go home. I'll be back before you know it. If you need me, you call me OK? I love you so much." He leant down and placed a soft kiss on my lips. His moustache brushed my lip. The best feeling ever.

"I love you. Sweet dreams." Is what I hopefully said. I don't remember exactly what I did say. I was too tired to function.

The hospital room was still slightly dark. The blinds didn't do much for shutting out the night. I saw the shape of Pedro on the hospital chair near my bed. As quickly as I could, I tried to grab my phone from the bedside table. Pedro must have brought a charger as my phone was fully charged. I looked over at him and noticed my Harry Styles tote bag by his feet. He'd brought me some things. My heart. He was slouched in the chair, his head rested on his hand. I had no idea how he'd managed to stay in that position. My head would have rolled off my arm and I'd have a crick in my neck. I wanted to wake him so he wouldn't ache when he got up. But he needed to sleep. It was 6:39am. I put my phone down and went to grab a drink of water that Pedro had poured for me. It must have been from a while ago, it was room temperature. As I went to put back, I missed the side and spilt the water everywhere.

"Shit!" I tried to get out of bed before Pedro noticed, nervously watching the water go everywhere. And directly towards the bag. I shot forward to try and get the bag before it was soaked and felt a sharp pain in my arm. Shit! I'd pulled the IV out of my arm. Typical, clumsy Eleanor!

"What? What's wrong?" Pedro was wide awake and on his feet. "Eleanor what did you do?"

"Dropped my water then pulled this out my arm." There was a slight cut on my inner arm, where the needle had ripped through my skin. Though small, the idea of the needle ripping through my skin made me lightheaded and woozy. "Oh god."

"Wait here, I'll go get someone!" Pedro was out the door before I could say anything. Within a minute, he was back with a nurse.

"I'm sorry. I spilt my water and I rushed to clean it up and it's come out." I panicked. From being too clumsy. And because I'd just ripped a needle through my skin and it was all I could think of.

"That's OK. You're not the first, and you certainly won't be the last." She smiled at me sweetly. She wiped the area on the back of my hand and told me they'd be a sharp scratch as she reinserted it in the back of my hand. Which, in my opinion, was worse than the arm. I couldn't stop staring at it. I kept staring at it, till I felt myself spin. And blackness.

I woke up still in the bed. Pedro back on the chair. On his phone.

"What happened?" I tried to recall my last memory.

"You passed out when you saw the needle in your hand." Pedro smiled softly at me, as he tried his best not to laugh.

"That would explain why it's bandaged up?" I looked at the flesh colour gauge around my hand.

"Yep. So you couldn't see it and pass out again." He got off the chair and kissed my forehead. "I've never known anyone so chaotic as you."

"Chaotic, but never boring." I pouted, which elongated Pedro's laughter. "Did you sleep OK?"

"Barely. I got home and couldn't relax. I'd got your keys, so I just dropped by yours to get things from your place. I didn't want to be there without you for too long. It felt wrong to try and sleep in bed when you were here, all by yourself. I couldn't settle. So I came back on sleep on this thing." He ran his hands over the arms of the chair. My eyes were fixed on watching his long fingers glide and twist over the wooden arms. Those fingers.

"I'm so annoyed at you for sleeping in that chair. I bet you're sore now."

"A little. But my back always hurts so it's nothing new. I'd rather be here with you. Keep my eye on you." There was a moment of gentle silence between us. "Anyway, I got you some things. I hope I did good." He picked up the bag and came over to me. "This was the first bag I could find. And it's Harry, so I thought it'll cheer you up." My heart. "I got you your favourite pyjamas." He pulled out the silky comfort pair I loved and worn too much. "I got your book, thought you'd wanna do some reading. Some Reeses cups, I thought you could share those with me. I got your phone charger. And some skin care. But I had no idea what anything was, so I just brought a few things in this bag." He pulled out a makeup bag I'd not seen for ages. I took it off him and looked through. He packed 3 different kind of moisturisers, an eye cream, a lip balm and a make up primer.

"You did so good." I lied and he could tell.

"I fucked up, didn't I?" He wobbled his lip before he laughed uncontrollably.

"Nooooo. No. You did good."

"Don't lie to me, Eleanor!" Pedro rested his chin on my forearm as he continued to giggle.

"You just brought some wrong products. But I can use them. It's all good. I appreciate everything you've done for me. Thank you." I leant forward and placed a kiss on his hairline, allowing his curls to stroke my face. Even his curls tenderly touched me. Every part of this man was tender. I ran my fingers through the curls that I was obsessed with. Watching my digits glide through the strands of browns, blacks and greys. "You've got quite a few greys now, Mr Pascal."

"I think I've gained more since knowing you." He closed his eyes at my touch.

"How so?"

"I stress so much about you. If you're OK, if you're happy, if you're healthy. If you've eaten. If you've slept well. If you still want me. If you still love me. Just so much stress." He teased, looking me in my eyes. Straight to my soul. "I'm really sorry about the last few weeks. I promise I'll do better."

"No more apologising. I don't think you did anything to intentionally hurt me. Just no more lies. And just try your best to control your jealousy. It's hot, you know, that you care so much about me. But believe me when I say you're all I want and we'll be alright."

"We'll be alright." He happily scoffed at my words.

"If it helps, I won't go out with work as much. And I'll stop going running with Matt and-"

"No. No, don't do that. I don't wanna be one of those boyfriends. It's not that I don't trust you, cos I trust you with my life." His gorgeous eyes glossed over as he confessed. "I just, you are just so beautiful. So perfect. I see how men look at you. You are a dream. And I, I-I-I I don't want them to have you. Because there's so many men out there better than me. And you could get anyone you wanted. I, nothing fills me with dread, nothing scares me like the thought of losing you. I depend on you."

"Soppy old man. Come here." I moved over so he could get on the bed next to me. "If Harry Styles asked me on a date, if I had to chose between him and you, not gonna lie I'd still pick Harry Styles. But just know he's the only person I would choose over you."

"Little fucker!" Pedro's deep laugh echoed through my entire my body. "I'll take it. I'll try my best to believe my only competition is Harry fucking Styles."

"Believe it cos it's true. You're my favourite person in the world."

"And you're one of my favourites, too." He sleepily grinned at me.

"I can take being one of your favourites." I could tell he needed to sleep, his eyes were red and heavy. I continued to weave my fingers through his locks, hoping to coax him into a deep sleep.

"I'm kidding. You're my favourite too." I felt him lightly squeeze me, his voice was sparse and sleepy. Soon, he was sound asleep on my chest.

I was flickering through, and crying again, at TikToks, when Pedro woke up.

"Shit I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, I just...Elle, why you crying are you OK?" He shot up as soon as he saw my teary eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just TikToks." I quickly showed him the one I was looking at.

"I'm going to ban you from that app." He shook his head as he rubbed his eyes. The sweet gesture melted my heart. "What?" He asked, like a child being caught doing something.

"There was something fragile and vulnerable when you rub your eyes. I think your curly hair helps, but it just, like hurts my heart. It makes me wanna squeeze you and protect you." My comment made the dimple come out.

"What do you even watch on there for you to cry so much at it?"

"Dunno, a mix of stuff. Animals, mainly. Like cute dog stories of them being rescued. I can't watch the ones where they pass away cos they hurt and I can't stop thinking about them all day. I like the slideshows, have you seen them? The ones where they show how good and kind humanity are and it's just little snippets of people doing kind things? Always seems to be to Coldplay Viva la Vida and that makes me emotional too."

"Everything makes you emotional. You have such an emotional kind heart. Come, settle down. Get some rest please. It's late. I'll lie with you till you fall asleep."I snuggled into Pedro and closed my eyes. He fell asleep before I did. But it wasn't long before I was fast asleep.

I jumped awake, heart racing and sad. I dreamt about my Mom. Meeting Pedro for the first time. She looked flawless; in her favourite denim swishy dress and brown wedges. Her long brown hair perfectly styled to perfection,  her make-up immaculate as always. She was in the kitchen, wiping down the surfaces nervously waiting for Pedro to turn up. I woke up before they met. I slid out of bed, needing to calm myself down. I looked out the window, watching the city buzz below.

"Everything alright?" Pedro's deep voice startled me. I turned around and saw him lying on the slither of bed I'd left him with. The moon shone on him like a spotlight. Highlighting the man of my dreams; the man was so kind and thoughtful and loved me. Who was fixing my broken parts.

"Yeah. I dreamt of mom." Even saying her name out loud made my voice wobble. "I barely dream of her anymore. It makes me feel like I'm losing her. When I really miss her, when I need her, you know, I force myself to go to sleep and hope I meet her in my dreams. She's always so clear in my dreams. Almost too real. And I'm not sure if it's even possible but I feel like I can feel her and touch her and feel her touch me. The dreams are never long enough and I never want to wake up. Because they're all there. Oli, my Dad, Mom. We're all there and it's normal and it's home and it's everything to me. But it's not real. And I wake up heart broken because that's the closest I'll ever be again to having her and her being real again. And it's all in my fucking head." The tears were pooling in my eyes because I hadn't blinked the whole time I spoke. I knew that when I did, I'd start brawling. And I just needed to vent. "I-I-I wonder, if she could hear me when she lay there. Do you think she did? When we were begging for her to stay? It hurts to think about but I never stop thinking about it. Because what about if she could? And what if she regretted what she done? And what if she was trying her hardest to pull through and come back to us? And she couldn't make it. That hurts the most. I don't think if she could. Because I think if she heard me, if she heard us all. She'd realise how much we needed her. And she wouldn't have left. If she heard me I knew she'd stay because I am so miserable without her."

"Come here baby." His arms were wrapped around me tighter than I'd ever felt them. He moved his hand to grip the back of my neck, forcing me closer to him. My fingers gripped his shirt. I heard him sniffling and pulled my head back to see him crying too.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Eleanor. I get it. I really fucking get it. It never gets easier. But I am so in awe of you. The way you speak, the way you love. I've never met anyone like you. And I'll never know what I did right in this life for my path to cross with you. My whole life, I'd seen people like you on the screens and in books and I fell so in love with these characters and I always thought that they'd stay fictional and I guess that's why I could get through my adult life so independently. Because I had them and even though they wasn't real, they were real to me and they understood and they couldn't hurt me. And then you come along and you're better than the movies and shows or the words in any book I've read and you're real. And you love me. You loving me is surreal to me. You could have anyone in the world and you chose me. With your perfect face and perfect heart and your perfect healing words and your perfect smile that gets me through every day. And when you look at me with your perfect eyes, I get it. What all of this is for. Who all of this is for. Never stop coming to me, please. Never not need me. Never stop spilling your heart and soul to me. I'm going to keep you safe, forever."

"Isn't it the most terrifying thing in the world? To fall in love?"

"Yep. I guess it means we're doing it right. That it's meant to be." Tears dropped off of Pedro's chin and I watched them land gracefully onto his shirt.

"It's weird to think if she didn't go, I wouldn't be here. I'd still be in England and I'd never have met you. As painful as it is, everything really does happen for a reason."

"I'd like to think we'd meet each other in every life. In some way or another."

"You definitely got that from a film or a book." I teased as I dried my face and then collected his tears.

"Maybe. You're probably right. I do love you though."

"I love you too."

"How are you feeling?" He brushed hair from my face and stared at me. His beautiful eyes darted over each of my face. And I felt his love.

"Alright. Probably look as tired as I feel. I just feel exhausted. The more I sleep, the more tired I am."

"Well, let's get you back to bed." He wrapped his arms around me as I lay on his chest. Our breathing in sync, our heartbeats wild and steady. We had each other and that was all we needed.

"Yes Dad, I'm fine. I'm home." I repeated myself for the 7th time this call. I took my eyes off the screen momentarily to watch Pedro float through my apartment. Carrying my overnight back and a carrier of snacks.

"Are you sure, Eleanor? Cos I can come out to you."

"There's really no reason to. I feel much better. Im home now. I'm resting. Pedro is here and he's looking after me." I looked up to see Pedro smiling at me. At the mention of his name. To my Dad. Who he was nervous to meet.

"When am I going to meet this Pedro?" Dad ran his hand over his salt and pepper stubble.

"Maybe when I come back for my birthday, he just needs to check his schedule. You can say hi now if you'd like?" I looked from the phone and over to Pedro who had froze on the spot. I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at the sheer panic on Pedro's face.

"Yeah. Put him on please." I nodded at my Dads command and walked over to Pedro, who was in the kitchen grabbing me some water.

"Babe, I look like shit. I haven't done my hair. I've not showered." Pedro mumbled as I handed him my phone. With his spare hand, he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to mould it to look more presentable. Little did he know he had made it more messy, but he looked delicious. Realising he couldn't stall much further, and with the help from my hand, he held the phone in front of his face. "Hey Mr Parker." Pedro smiled at the screen.

"Please, call me Steve." I heard Dad's thick accent through the phone. "How's it going?" I walked over to the fridge, wanting to give Pedro some space as he spoke. He was already nervous, he didn't need me looking over his shoulder.

"Good. Well, good now. It's been a bit shit the last few days." Pedro's eyes darted up at me, panicked, when he realised he'd swore in front of my Dad. Dad wouldn't care. But Pedro didn't know that. He wanted to make a good impression.

"I can believe that. Thank you for looking after her."

"It's no problem. It's all I wanna do."

"So Eleanor tells me. I've heard a lot about you. I get daily updates of the kind things you do for her. Thank you."

"That's really nice to hear, Steve. Thank you. You have a great daughter. She's always keeping me on my toes, but I wouldn't have her any other way." I turned away and went back into the fridge to grab the oat milk. I decided to make a coffee, seeing as I hadn't had one for 2 days.

"Oh, you better get used to it cos she won't stop that. 28 years and she's still keeping me on mine. Between that and her awful singing, it'll be enough to drive you mad."

"I'm still here Dad." I called out.

"I know, Jellynor."

"I get the pleasure of hearing her sing all the time. Usually Harry Styles-"

"Oh she hasn't got you with the Harry Styles shit, too, has she?" The exasperation in my Dads voice made me laugh.

"Unfortunately. She dragged me to his concert the other day-"

"I did not drag you, you took me!" I corrected him, watching him smile at me with his cheesy grin and swoony brown eyed combo.

"She put you through that? I am so sorry mate." I looked over Pedro's shoulder to see my Dad rolling his eyes at my Harry infatuation. "When she was younger, she was in love with this guy from a band, they weren't massive, I don't think they ever reached the States, but she begged me and her mom to take her and her friend to see them. So we did. And she cried the whole time. So much so that she threw up in the car on the ride home because she didn't want to leave him."

"Dad!" I buried my face in the crook of Pedro's neck as he laughed hysterically, which made my head wobble.

"I have plenty of embarrassing stories for you, Pedro. Like the time she got her head stuck in a garden chair at a family BBQ and we had to saw it off, the chair, not her head." Pedro continued to laugh at my Dad. My heart melted at the sight of them. "Or the time I had to pick her up from a night out and take her to hospital because she slipped over in a fast food shop and broke her wrist."

"Ouch! You must have been pretty drunk!" Pedro looked up at me with big eyes and a powerful smile.

"Nope. It was the beginning of the night. I'd been in the pub with my friends. Had a couple of drinks, maybe one or two. I was hungry, went to get some food before we went out to the bars and it happened. Didn't even make it out. Worst part was I never got my food either. They left it in the shop."

"Broke it in two places." Dad interjected. "Gave herself a black eye on Christmas Day playing charades."

"I think that's enough embarrassing stories, Dad!" I chimed in, but he didn't listen. I could always count on him to be embarrassing.

"I've not finished yet, Elle. Gotta let this young man what he's getting himself into!"

"I think he knows now-"

"Do you remember the restaurant incident, Eleanor?" The use of my full name let me know he hadn't quite forgave me about that.

"What happened?" Pedro looked up over his shoulder at me.

"I went on a date with this guy. I was 22, almost 23!" I quickly looked at my dad, hoping to justify myself. "And he was 46. And I didn't tell Dad because I was scared he'd go mad. So I told him I was going for food with my friends. Anyway, half way through the date, I went to the toilet. Thought I'd locked myself in the cubicle and started to panic. So I started punching the lock off the door whilst I was on the phone to Dad. Turns out the door opened the opposite way of how I was trying to open it. I got out. With a broken hand. And this scar." I showed him the small deep scar I had on my right hand. "Dad had to come and get me to take me to hospital cos it ballooned up and went bruised straight away. Couldn't finish the meal or date cos of the pain and my hand being so swollen I couldn't hold the fork. And of course, Dad found out I'd lied to him." I tried not to smirk, not wanting my Dad to see and scold me in front of Pedro.

"Did she tell you how we met?" Pedro shook his head in disbelief and turned to the screen again, beaming.

"She fell over and nearly took you out. I've heard. Im not surprised. Sounds exactly like something Eleanor would do." Dad's dismissive tone made us both laugh. "She's the queen of breaking bones. She fell off a bike and cut her chin open, broke her wrist again. Fell through a fence, another broken wrist."

"How many times have you broke your wrists?"

"This one," I held out my left hand, "Once. This one," I held out my right, "3 times."

"Jesus!" Pedro shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm telling you, Pedro. Handful. Always on your toes with her. But I have a feeling she's in good hands with you. You're doing a great job at looking after her. And I'm really grateful."

"I'm happy to keep her safe." Pedro leaned into me and rested his head against my stomach in a makeshift hug.

"Are you going to be coming over any time soon?"

"I'm going to try and make it over for Eleanor's birthday. I just need to triple check with work stuff. But it should be all good."

"I look forward to it. Maybe we could grab a beer together? Just us lads."

"I'd really like that, Steve." My heart broke at the look on Pedro's face. He stared at my Dad through the screen, happy. He'd just realised he'd won my Dad over.

"Burger and a pint or 5 on me when you're over. I'm sure Oli will wanna tag along though. That's Eleanor's brother. My son. Good lad. He's fucking annoying but his heart is in the right place." The statement made both me and Pedro laugh.

"I'm obviously your favourite, aren't I Dad?"

"You're fucking annoying too." Dad didn't hold back, and Pedro was in hysterics again. "But yes you're my favourite daughter."

"I am his only daughter." I mumbled to Pedro who hadn't stopped grinning and laughing the whole encounter.

"Anyway, I'm going to go eat and shower and watch Succession. Have you seen that yet?" Dad directed the question to us.

"Nope." I replied.

"Yes, it's so good." Pedro replied.

"Right? I won't spoil it, because Eleanor hasn't seen it yet. Though, I doubt she'll watch it. Always on that bloody TikTok."

"I know! I catch her multiple times a day crying at something on it. I've told her she's gonna be banned soon!" I could feel both Pedro and Dad's eyes on me as I sheepishly walked away from the phone to get my coffee.

"Good lad! Anyway, I will leave you to it. It's been great to finally speak to you, Pedro. I look forward to seeing you soon. Elle, I'll speak to you in the week. Check up on you."

"OK Dad. Love you."

"Love you Jellynor. Take care, Pedro." He waved at us before ending the call.

"Jellynor?" Pedro raised his brow at me, trying to stifle a smirk.

"Don't ask."

"I'm definitely going to ask."

"It's a nickname from when I was little. I was obsessed with jelly. Was one of my first words. I think you Americans call it jell-o?"

"That is so cute! Your Dad is a really cool guy."

"Cool is not what I'd used to describe him." I rolled my eyes. But secretly loved they got along.

"He is. He's a very handsome man. There's some strong genes in your family. He doesn't have the same accent as you, though."

"He's from London originally. He moved up when he started his property business. Hated the city. Then met my Mom and settled down." I handed Pedro a coffee and sat next to him at the breakfast bar. "He seems to like you. I was a bit nervous."

"Cos of the age gap?"

"Yeah." I sipped my coffee, enjoying the familiar taste I'd been deprived of. "I think after my string of dating older men when I was younger, he just come to learn that I was gonna end up with a guy older than me."

"Was he really annoyed that you were on a date with an older man?"

"I think maybe a bit at first. I think most of his anger was because I lied to him. Mom wasn't around to calm him down and make him understand like she usually was. I think that didn't help either. When I was home and I told him about you, he was more surprised of who you are and what you do rather than how old you are. He thought we were pranking him."

"I'm glad he likes me. I'm excited to meet him. And your brother. Become part of the family."

"They're going to love you." Annoyingly, everyone did.

"How are you feeling?" Pedro asked, as he watched me intensely.

"Much better. I feel like I can go back to work tomorrow." I watched his face twist.

"No chance. I spoke to your boss. He agreed that you should have the rest of the week off. It's only 2 days. They'll manage."

"Are you all ready for New York?" I asked, putting my mug down.

"Nope. Been looking after you."

"You can go home tonight if you need to. You've done so much for me this week, I can't thank you enough. I won't be mad if you need time alone. And a good nights sleep. In a bed."

"I'd much rather stay with you. If you want, you can come stay at mine for a few nights? Change it up a bit cos I'm always here. And I can start to get ready for New York. But if you wanna be at home, I'll understand."

"I'll be wherever you are." I offered my lips out for a kiss. Forever thankful for the man who always looked after me.

I'd just finished my first yoga class. It was Saturday. Almost time for Pedro to come back from New York. I'd barely heard from him, but he checked in daily. Usually before bed. Even last night, when he'd gone drinking with friends, he went outside the bar and FaceTimed me before I went to sleep. It always blew my mind how much he cared for me. I was walking to Starbucks to treat myself for getting up early to work out. I decided to FaceTime Pedro. He answered on the 3rd ring.

"Hey babe." I felt my body tingle when I saw his face on the screen. He was still in bed. Hair fluffy, eyes puffy. "Have I woke you up?"

"Yeah," He grunted as he stretched out his body. Even though an iPhone screen, I could see his muscle twist and clench and it drove me wild. "Don't worry about it, though. Everything alright?"

"Yeah all good. I've just been to Yoga. Are you proud?"

"I'm always proud of you. How was it?"

"Really good. I know I didn't stretch properly so I'm gonna hurt tomorrow. But it was fun. I'll definitely be doing it again. The people there are really nice too."

"I'm sure I can be on hand to rub out any muscle cramps you have." He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"I won't reject you putting your hands on me. How was last night? Are you hungover?"

"A little rough, but not bad. I feel fine. Just a little, you know." He stretched his lips wide and I strangely knew exactly what he meant. "What are you doing today?"

"I've just grabbed a coffee, then going shopping, then clean the apartment. My boyfriend's coming home from a work trip tomorrow and I don't want him to see the mess I've been living in."

"Is he? Have you missed him?" He gave me a wide toothy grin. I watched him readjust himself in bed, needing to find a more comfortable position.

"I've missed him a lot. My fingers-" I was about to detail something x-rated when I heard my name being called from behind me.

"Eleanor. Oh my god! Hi!" Two young girls stood behind. They looked mid to late teens. I racked my brain trying to remember if we'd met before.

"Hi." I smiled, still trying to piece it all together. I looked down at my phone to see Pedro grinning at me. What is going on?

"Could we get a photo please?" The other asked, tapping at her phone screen. Pedro.

"Urm, sure. Sorry it's just a bit weird to me." I confessed. People knew me because of Pedro. They didn't need pictures of me. I'm just me.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to have a photo of you don't want one. We're so sorry!" The blonde dropped the camera.

"It's fine." I tried my best to push past the weird feeling in my chest and bent to get in the photo.

"Thank you so much. You're so pretty. Please tell Pedro we said hi."

"Do you want to tell him yourself?" I bit my lip knowing that these girls were about to lose their minds when they realised who I was on FaceTime to.

"What? Are you serious?" The red haired girl gasped. It never failed to amaze me the impact Pedro had on people. Globally.

"Of course. Say hi, Pedro." I held up my phone not get us all in. The instant "oh my god" and muted screams were a tell tale sign of how much these girls loved this man.

"Hey ladies!" Pedro waved from the screen. Thankfully he was now wearing a T-shirt. He must have heard the interaction.

"Oh my god hey Pedro! We love you so much!" They looked between each other and the screen, in awe. I took a back seat, allowing just their pretty faces to occupy the screen. This was their moment. "Could we get a photo?"

"Sure!" Pedro laughed. The girls took a step closer to me, implying they wanted to get me in. When we all posed, I screenshot the image. The girls took a fair few amount of pictures with different poses. I don't blame them. I'd wanna capture my face with his multiple times.

"I have to go girls, I'm sorry. But it was so great to virtually meet you." He waved to them with a massive grin on his face. My heart burst at this man. "Elle, I'll call you later. Love you." His words of affection made the girls squeal and me embarrassed. The thought of this man not being embarrassed to say he loved me in front people made me swoon.

"Speak to you later." I hung up the call with flushed cheeks.

"You two are so cute." One of the girls cooed, which made my cheeks blush more.

"Thank you. It was lovely to meet you?" I paused waiting for them to say their names.

"Sophie."

"Katelyn."

"Do you have Instagram?" I asked, opening up the app. I watched them look between each other and grin.

"Oh my god, yes!" Sophie looked me dead in the eyes.

"Here, put your usernames in." I handed over my phone. Was that a stupid move? They could run away with your phone? Sophie typed in her username and I locked my phone. "I have to go. But really lovely to meet you. Have a great day!"

"You too! Thanks so much! Omg!" I heard as I walked away and put my AirPods in. As I got to my car, I sent Sophie the screenshots from our FaceTime so she'd have better quality pictures. Whilst the experience was all new to me, I could still feel a sense of anxiety every time it happened to me. I don't think I'd ever get use to it.

"Hey babe." Pedro answered the phone as I called him back when I got back to my apartment. He was still in his hotel room.

"Hey. Sorry to call you again-"

"Never be sorry for that, Eleanor. You alright?"

"Yeah I'm good. Thought I'd phone you from the car so it saves you having to be exposed to the world when I'm trying to speak to you."

"You were real sweet earlier. How you look after everyone, ugh, you're so caring."

"It's fine, I don't mind. I was just calling cos I wanted to know what time you'd be back tomorrow. What time is your flight?"

"I get back to L.A for 7:30pm."

"Want me to pick you up?" I just really wanna see you ASAP!

"No it's fine baby."

"I'd like to." Please.

"I have a driver booked for me. Going through the airport can be, er, it can, you know, it can be a little crazy." I could tell he was embarrassed to admit that his fame caused issues in large public areas. "I don't wanna put you through that."

"Can I see you tomorrow?" Please. Please. Please.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to see me." He smirked.

"Stupid question, you know I can't wait! I'm so excited. I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

"I know, I just wanted to hear how much you missed me." He looked gloriously proud.

"I missed you so much. You and those fingers and that dick. All of you really." 

"Ugh, Eleanor. Don't. I've thought about you multiple times over this past week. I can't wait to have you and your delicious body. My hand doesn't feel as good as your mouth does."

"My fingers don't feel as good as your mouth." I hadn't expected the conversation to turn this way, but I was glad it did.

"Eleanor!" Pedro's eyes widened as his breathing deepened. His reaction encouraging me to continue. "I can't wait to bury myself in you."

"I can't wait either. I'm a very lucky girl."

"I think I'm luckier. You're so hot. You make me wanna cum just looking at you." His eyes were almost black as he stared at me through the screen.

"Maybe you should cum for me now?"

"Fuckkkkkk! Right now?" His voice shook. I could tell he was turned on and it drove me crazy.

"Like, right now. And I think you should show me."

"Fuckkk. OK! God, this is so hot. You are so hot!" He stared at me as he spat on his hand. "Take your top off."