Bose POV:
It was Friday, Sage's birthday. I'd already sent her a GIF of a dog this morning, something I thought would make her smile. Around 2:30, I headed down to the lobby. I didn't see Chapa anywhere at first, but when I looked outside, there she was, sitting in my car.
"I'm driving," she said, smirking.
Confused, I asked, "How did you get into my car?"
"Oh, I grabbed your car keys from your office while you were having a break with Andrew," she explained, casually.
"But my security guard, Bruno, would've stopped you. He's there all the time," I said, still trying to process how she managed it.
Chapa started the car with a shrug. "Yeah, true, but I told him I left my phone in your office. He told me to wait for you, but I managed to convince him. Now we're BFFs."
I glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we were BFFs," I said, a little disappointed.
"You're my romantic BFF," she teased, grinning.
I rolled my eyes with a small "hmm" in response. Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to Swellview Junior High. The second we stepped out of the car, a crowd of students gathered around me, screaming my name. Meanwhile, Chapa was already scanning the crowd for Sage.
"Bose O'Brien! What are you doing here?" one girl shouted, her voice lost among the others demanding autographs and pictures.
Suddenly, Sage appeared through the crowd. "Hey guys," she said, smiling.
"Hi, Birthday Girl!" I heard Chapa say, but the noise was so loud, I barely caught it. I took a step back from the overwhelming group of students. Their jealousy was almost tangible as they watched me leave with Sage and Chapa.
We got back into the car, and I slid into the driver's seat this time. Sage sat beside me in the passenger seat. "Happy birthday to you," I said to her, smiling.
"Thanks! This is the best gift you guys could've given me. Everyone will think I'm so cool now," she said excitedly.
Chapa glanced back at her and warned, "Just look out for fake friends. There'll be a lot of them who'll try to mess with you."
"Thanks, Chapa," Sage said, grateful for the advice.
"I didn't know there were so many students here that knew me," I admitted, glancing at Sage.
"Seriously? You're like the most famous person in Swellview, Rivalton, and probably a lot more places. When will you ever realize that?" Sage said, laughing.
I smiled but felt Chapa's gaze on me. "I didn't like all the attention you got back there," she admitted, crossing her arms.
"Well, get used to it because your boyfriend is like the new Leonardo DiCaprio," Sage teased.
"Woah, that's a big comparison," I said, a little taken aback.
"I'm not kidding," Sage said, her tone serious. "You really like your new brother-in-law, don't you?" Chapa teased Sage, making me smile.
"Definitely. Mostly because he makes you feel loved," Sage said, looking at Chapa. "He does make you feel loved, right?" she added, turning her attention to me with a teasing grin.
"I mean, yes, I try every day," I said, feeling a bit awkward under their scrutiny.
Sage smirked. "I've already heard some good things about you," she said, glancing at Chapa.
I looked at Chapa, puzzled. "Like what?" I asked.
Sage laughed mischievously. "I asked Chapa if you were a good kisser," she said casually.
My heart skipped a beat. "And what did she say?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.
Chapa shot Sage a warning look. "I said you were okay," she said, shrugging.
Sage's grin widened. "She told me something totally different."
"Sage, don't you dareâ" Chapa started, but Sage cut her off.
"She said you were the best kisser she's ever had, and she didn't expect you to kiss like that," Sage revealed with a smirk.
I turned to Chapa, raising an eyebrow. She glared at Sage. "Not a word," Chapa warned me.
"I'm not saying anything," I replied innocently, though inside, I was cheering.
Sage wasn't done yet. "So... did you guys do more than just kissing?" she asked, her voice careful but curious.
"That's enough," Chapa quickly cut in. "Tell me about your love life."
Sage shrugged. "If you wanna hear about my crush on Bose's friend Andrew, I'm happy to tell you how great he looks."
"Nope, new subject!" Chapa said, quickly changing the topic. "What did Mom and Dad get you for your birthday?"
Sage laughed, clearly amused. "They got me some candies and a new jacket I've been wanting."
We finally arrived at Chapa and Sage's house. I congratulated Sage's parents, who seemed happy to see me. Sage wasted no time turning to us and asking, "So, what have you two got for me?"
"Me first!" Chapa said, handing Sage a bag. Sage opened it and her jaw practically dropped.
"No way! You bought me the newest cellphone I really wanted?" she gasped.
"Of course, anything for my little sister," Chapa said, smiling.
Sage continued rummaging through the bag and found a bracelet. "And a new bracelet! This is beautiful, thank you so much, Chapa," she said, pulling her sister into a hug.
Then Sage turned to me, waiting for her gift. "I've only got an envelope, sorry," I said with a smile.
She gave me a small, disappointed smile as she opened the envelope. But when she saw the concert tickets inside, her expression completely changed. "You're kidding me! I'm going to Olivia Rodrigo?!"
"You can bring someone with you," I said, and she immediately turned to Chapa.
"Thank you so much, Bose!" Sage said, beaming. "Wait, there's a letter in here too," she added, unfolding the note.
She read it and froze. "Is this real?" she asked in disbelief. Without warning, she ran up and hugged me tightly. "You're the best brother-in-law ever!"
Chapa, clearly curious, turned to me. "What did you give her?" she asked.
Sage jumped in before I could answer. "He gave me a personal meet-and-greet with Olivia after the concert!"
Chapa stared at me in disbelief. "Shut up. How did you arrange that?"
"Oh, well, I have a friend who's her manager. I got in contact with Olivia, and she said she'd be happy to meet Sage for her birthday."
"Don't ever leave my sister, thank you!" Sage exclaimed, hugging me tighter.
"Don't hog him all to yourself," Chapa teased, joining in on the hug.
Sage's parents came into the living room with a jelly cake, and Sage rushed over to tell them about the concert. Meanwhile, I snuck over to grab a slice. Chapa sat down beside me, resting her head on my shoulder.
"You're the best, you know that?" she said softly.
I paused, surprised. "You, Chapa De Silva, saying I'm the best?"
"You better have heard it, because I'm only saying it once," she joked.
I laughed. "Have you packed for tonight? We have to leave around midnight."
"Yeah, I can't believe we're going to Italy in a few hours," she said, her excitement matching mine.
After 10 minutes, Miles and Mika arrived, congratulating Sage. The evening continued, full of laughter, family, and a few more friends dropping by. By 9 PM, everyone had left, and Chapa and I helped clean up the place. We were both exhausted, so we decided to head back to my penthouse since we had to leave at midnight for our flight.
In the car, Chapa asked, "Is Cookie still at your place?"
"Of course, she's your replacement for the days you're not around," I teased.
Chapa laughed. When we arrived at the penthouse, she immediately jumped onto my bed. "I'm so tired," she groaned.
"Well, you can sleep for nine hours on the plane," I said.
"That's easy for you to say. You'll be in business class. I'm in economy. No offense, I'm grateful to even be going, but it's impossible to sleep back there," she said.
"I can try to get you a seat in business class," I offered.
"No, don't bother. The other students will notice, and I don't want to be treated differently. It's not fair," she said.
"That's thoughtful of you," I replied.
"It's not that, I just don't want any dating rumors to spread," she explained.
"But it's not a rumor, we are dating," I said, smiling.
"Yeah, but I need time to tell my family and close friends first. Everyone knows you, and the press will definitely come after me," she said.
"You're right. I'm sorry," I said.
"It's not your fault. I just need to figure out how to handle it," she reassured me.
"And I'll give you that time," I promised with a smile.
"Hey, have you figured out who sent Cookie yet?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Actually, no. I asked my mom this morning when I stopped by to give her the necklace I bought, and she said it wasn't her. It might've been a fan or a family member who's close with goats," I explained.
"Call me crazy, but do you think it could've been from your birth dad?" Chapa asked, and I froze. She had a point. My mom always said my dad's side of the family had a thing for goats.
"I don't think he'd send it. He doesn't even know where I live, and it's a weird way of reaching out. Besides, he left me. He wouldn't reach out like this... would he?" I said, feeling uneasy.
"Bose..." Chapa began softly.
"What?" I asked, feeling my nerves build up.
"Forget it. We're tired. We'll talk about it when we're back from Italy," she said, pulling me onto the bed. She rested her head on my chest, and within minutes, she was fast asleep.
Chapa POV:
I woke up to the sound of Bose's alarmâa dog barking loudly. My eyes shot open, and I groaned, pulling a pillow over my head.
"Seriously? Why is your alarm a dog barking?" I muttered, still half-asleep.
Bose laughed softly from the other side of the room. "Hello to you too," he teased. "We need to leave for the airport, remember? It's 12 a.m."
"I wanna stay here," I mumbled, burrowing further into the blankets.
I heard him walking closer. "You'll be with me for the whole trip. But we've gotta go if we want to make the flight." Without warning, Bose pulled the covers off me, making me shiver in the cool air. "Come on, lazy bones."
I groaned dramatically. "Ugh, fine. But you owe me coffee when we get there."
"Deal," he said, chuckling as he lifted me up from the bed and set me on my feet.
As we grabbed our suitcases and left his penthouse, I looked around at the insane security system. "You really think someone's gonna break in while we're gone?"
"Hey, you can never be too careful," Bose replied, locking the door behind us. "You know how things are with me."
"Yeah, you and your army of security guards," I teased.
He grinned. "One of the perks of being Swellview's biggest star, right?"
At the airport, we saw Andrew and many others waiting for us by the entrance. He waved, walking over to meet us.
"Finally, I thought you two overslept," Andrew said, raising an eyebrow.
"Blame Bose and his obnoxious alarm," I said, pointing at him.
"It worked, didn't it?" Bose shot back, smiling as he high-fived Andrew.
We waited for the three more others to arrive, and then headed inside to check in. I found myself mostly hanging out with Mika and a few of the other students while Bose and Andrew stuck together, probably talking about some project or something. Mika leaned in and whispered to me, "You think Andrew and Bose packed anything practical, or just their usual fashion stuff?"
I snorted. "I wouldn't be surprised if they have an entire suitcase dedicated to their jackets alone."
Mika laughed, shaking her head. "Them being them."
At the gate, we had a bit of a wait before boarding. I noticed Bose glancing at his phone, clearly getting a little impatient.
"You okay?" I asked, sitting next to him.
"Yeah, just ready to get on the plane," he replied. "Flying always makes me restless."
"Well, good news for youâyou'll be in business class with Andrew and Mika, living the good life," I teased.
"I'd trade places with you if I could," he said, half-joking. "I'd rather sit with you than those two who have a love-hate relationship."
I smirked. "You're stuck with them now."
When we finally boarded, I found my seat next to a couple of the students while Bose, Andrew, and Mika headed to business class. "Don't miss me too much." Bose whispered in my ear.
"Yeah, yeah," I said, rolling my eyes. He gave me one last wave as he walked down the aisle.
Settling into my seat, I pulled out my headphones and sketchbook. A few minutes into the flight, one of the students next to me leaned over. "What are you drawing?"
"Just some random stuff," I replied, keeping it vague. I wasn't exactly in the mood for small talk, but she seemed curious.
"Can I see?"
I hesitated, then shrugged. "Sure, why not." I handed over my sketchbook.
"Wow, these are amazing," she said, flipping through the pages. "You're really good."
"Thanks," I said, feeling a little self-conscious.
Bose POV:
We had been flying for about two hours when I woke up to the sound of Mika and Andrew whispering, clearly in the middle of some heated discussion. I groaned internally. There was no way they had been talking this whole time.
"Okay, that's a bet," I heard Andrew say quietly.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. "What's a bet?" I asked, still groggy.
They both turned to me, looking like kids caught doing something they shouldn't. "Oh great, he's awake," Mika said with a grin. "Bose, Andrew thinks you're going to propose to Chapa in a restaurant, but I think it'll be on a beach. So, we decided to make it a bet."
My eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what? Propose? Are you two serious? I'm not proposing!"
Andrew and Mika both stared at me in disbelief. "You're not?" they asked in unison, as if this was the most surprising thing they'd heard all day.
I laughed, shaking my head. "No, I'm not. What are you guys even talking about?"
"We just figured, you know, the trip to Italy... the romantic vibes..." Mika started, trailing off.
"It's way too soon for something like that," I explained, still chuckling at their wild assumptions. "Besides, you guys know what Chapa's like. I don't even know if she wants that kind of commitment right now."
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Come on, dude. You're telling me you're not even thinking about it?"
I scoffed. "No, and anyway, we haven't even done anything sexual yet. It'd be pretty crazy to propose without crossing that bridge first, right?"
There was a moment of stunned silence before Mika and Andrew burst into laughter.
"Yeah, right. You two have been staying at your penthouse, and you're telling us you haven't done anything?" Mika said, clearly not believing me.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, sleepingâliterally. Have you seen Chapa's apartment? Her bed is basically a rock. That's the only reason she crashes at my place sometimes."
Andrew shook his head in disbelief. "Man, I did not expect that."
"Me neither," Mika added. "You two seem so... close."
"We are close," I said, feeling a bit defensive. "But we haven't crossed that line yet. We're taking things at our own pace."
For the next several hours, they went back to bickering over random topics, from the most pointless things like which pizza topping was superior, to deeper subjects like politics and society. I groaned internally. It was driving me insane how they could have so many opinions and somehow keep the conversation going for the entire flight.
Every time they shifted to a new topic, I would glance over at them, silently hoping they'd run out of steam. They didn't. They even started playing cards, turning the game into another intense debate over rules. I rubbed my temples, trying to drown out their voices by focusing on something else.
I missed Chapa. Even though she was just a few rows behind, it felt like I hadn't seen her in ages.
Chapa POV:
Finally, we landed in Italy around 8:45 p.m. After what felt like a long flight, I was ready to stretch my legs and enjoy the fresh air. As soon as we got off the plane, I made a beeline for Bose, Mika, and Andrew, eager to catch up with them.
"Hey guys," I greeted.
"Oh hey, Chapa!" Mika said, turning to me with a smile. "How was your flight?"
"It was fine, I drew some sketches and listened to music. What about you?"
Mika smirked. "Oh, Andrew and I had some conversations and discussions. I won them all."
Andrew snorted. "She's lying. I won three of them," he corrected, towering over Mika with his ridiculous height advantage. Mika was tiny next to him at 5'2", while Andrew stood at a solid 6'3".
"Yeah three out of what? Fourteen?" Mika snapped back.
I chuckled at their usual bickering. "And you?" I asked, turning to Bose.
Mika jumped in before Bose could answer. "He just slept during the whole flight. We woke him up once to get his opinion on a debate we couldn't settle."
Bose shook his head, smirking. "Yeah, and I wasn't about to pick sides. They'd have killed me. I do not want to be on either of their bad sides."
I laughed. "Sounds like I didn't miss much."
Bose gave me a tired grin. "Trust me, you wouldn't want to sit next to them unless you planned to sleep through it."
"Got it," I said, still smiling.
We boarded a bus that would take us to our hotel. The drive was peaceful, and I stared out the window, watching as the Italian landscape passed by. We arrived in Fiumicino, a beautiful town near Rome, situated right along the beach. When we got there, a huge meal was waiting for usâspaghetti, of course. It was delicious, a perfect welcome to Italy.
After dinner, we checked into our rooms. I was sharing a room with Olivia Grimm from the art department and Paloma Cabrera from entertainment department. The room was amazingâhuge bathroom, three queen-sized beds, and plenty of space. Around 11 p.m., while Olivia and Paloma took turns in the shower, I decided to go check on Bose. I wasn't quite ready to sleep yet and didn't feel like waiting around.
I knocked on his door, and when he opened it, his hair was wet and he was in pajamas. I smiled. "You're always in your ugly t-shirts when I come to see you, and you've always just showered."
Bose raised an eyebrow, looking down at his t-shirt. "Ugly? I thought you liked them."
"It's ugly, but that doesn't mean I don't like it."
He chuckled, stepping aside to let me in, then pulled me into a warm hug. "Come here. I'm too tired to have an unnecessary conversation about this. We're not Andrew and Mika."
I smiled into his chest. "True."
"I missed you," he said softly, tightening his arms around me.
"Mmph, Bose, I can't breathe!" I managed to say, squirming in his grip. He finally let me go, laughing as I gave him a mock-annoyed look.
"You're so cute when you try to be mad at me," he teased, grinning.
I ignored his comment and walked over to his bed, taking in the room. "I thought my room was luxurious, but yours is next level."
Bose joined me at the bed, about to say something, but I grabbed a pillow and tossed it at him. He lost his balance and fell onto the bed. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Ouch!" he groaned, trying to play it off.
"Are you laughing at me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Nooo," I said, unable to stop giggling.
Before I knew it, Bose grabbed me by the waist and pulled me down onto the bed with him. "If I fall, so do you."
I landed on top of him, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. His eyes locked onto mine, and I felt his gaze linger. After a few seconds, I broke the silence. "How much longer are you gonna stare at me?"
Before I could finish my sentence, Bose leaned in and kissed me. His lips were warm and soft, and there was something almost desperate about the way he kissed me. It caught me off guard, but I kissed him back, feeling the world disappear for a moment.
Then, a sudden knock on the door jolted us apart. I quickly pushed Bose away.
"Ouch!" he yelped as I shoved him.
Andrew walked in without waiting for an invitation. "Whoa, sorry if I interrupted something," he said, looking amused.
I sat up quickly, my face flushed with embarrassment. Bose was just as speechless as I was. Finally, he found his voice. "Why are you here? And how did you get in?"
Andrew leaned against the wall, smirking. "Oh, the door was still open, so I decided to check on you. Then I saw you two idiots left it open for anyone to walk in. Not smart."
I rolled my eyes, trying to recover from the awkwardness. "Isn't Bose your boss? You shouldn't talk to him like that."
Andrew shrugged. "He's also my friend, and right now, I'm talking to him as a friend. Anyway, carry on with whatever you two were doing. I'm off to bed after spending hours talking to Mika. It's exhausting."
"We know," I said with a sigh. "It's impossible to have a conversation with her without ending up agreeing with her. She always convinces you she's right."
"It's like a superpower," Bose added, shaking his head.
"Exactly," I agreed.
Andrew waved us off. "Yeah well, I see you two tomorrow."
As soon as Andrew left, Bose groaned dramatically and collapsed back onto the bed, covering his face with his hands.
"Come on, it's not that bad. We were just kissing," I said, trying to cheer him up as I moved his hands away from his face.
Bose glanced at me. "You were hovering over me. He probably thought we were about to do something more."
I laughed. "Why would he even think that?"
Bose shrugged. "Maybe because he asked me about it earlier and assumed something would happen soon."
I frowned. "Why would he care? It's none of his business."
"Don't blame him," Bose said softly. "I told him and Mika that nothing sexual has happened between us, and they didn't believe me."
"Oh," I muttered, the frustration easing. "Well, I should probably go back to my room. I'm tired, and I don't want the others to get suspicious."
"Okay," Bose said, giving me a soft smile. "Sleep well."
"You too," I replied, lingering for just a moment before heading back to my room. As I came back into my room, I noticed Olivia and Paloma already sleeping. I climbed into my bed. But it took me a while to fall asleep after what I had heard from Bose.