Chapter 16

Zoya's POV

Once Ezra exclaimed, "That's a wrap for today!" I sprang up from my chair, brimming with excitement, and made my way toward Olivia. Looking up at her, I knew my grin was the widest it had ever been.

"How was it?" she asked, a genuine smile reaching her eyes.

"How was it? It was absolutely magnificent, enchanting, and simply breathtaking! I can't wrap my head around the fact that I just filmed alongside you," I replied, my hands gesturing enthusiastically as if unable to contain my excitement. At that moment, all I wanted was to hug her, a desire that had been building since the day we met. But a voice inside me held me back, whispering reminders that I won't be hugging her as a friend.

Olivia burst into laughter, her head shaking in amusement. "You did incredibly well, Zoya," she reassured me. "But let's go and check with Ezra now," she suggested, gently nudging me toward him.

Together, we strolled toward Ezra, who was reviewing the scene we had just captured.

"Do we need to shoot it again?" Olivia asked, taking a seat beside him. Her team swiftly moved in, tending to her touch-ups and offering a refreshing bottle of water.

"No, we're good with this take," Ezra replied, briefly glancing at her.

"Thank goodness! I feel utterly exhausted," I exclaimed, releasing a relieved sigh.

Olivia playfully teased, "You're such a pussy," disguising it with a cough.

"Hey, I am not a pussy , but I do know a thing or two about them," I retorted before realizing the words that left my lips. My cheeks burned crimson, and I averted my gaze, fearing the consequences of my increasingly inappropriate comments. As our comfort around each other grew, I found it increasingly difficult to stifle my thoughts, I was scared of leaving her uncomfortable.

"Touché," I heard Ezra's hearty laugh before he shot me a playful wink.

Ezra's calm and relaxed demeanor helped ease the racing of my heart, even though I couldn't shake off the awareness of my recent string of inappropriate comments. Trying to reign in my impulses seemed pointless, I have an 'Unfiltered syndrome' and there was no cure.

Shifting my attention towards Ezra's screen, I found myself fascinated by the unfolding scene on the tiny review display.

Suddenly, Olivia's voice interrupted my observations with an exclamation, "Hey! What are you doing here?" I glanced beside me, only to be met with frustration at the sight of Elijah – the very person she was addressing.

"I came to take you out for lunch. I missed you," Elijah declared, followed by a nauseating kiss. Although I couldn't blame him, deep inside, I wanted to be in his place, taking her out every day, showering her with endless kisses, and cherishing every fleeting moment.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Olivia responded seductively, sealing the sentence with another kiss. At that point, I wished I had a bottle of bleach handy.

The sound of Ezra's voice snapped me back to reality, jolting me out of my daydreams and the horrific mental images I played with ideas on how to remove my own ears and eyes.

"Don't you have to go to your exam?" Ezra interjected, reminding me of my own schedule as it matched his brother's.

"I still have three hours," I replied, my gaze fixed unwaveringly on the screen.

"Perhaps you should spend that time doing some exam preparation with Sebastian. We're finished here anyway," Ezra suggested, his hand gently resting atop mine, offering a silent reassurance.

Why did he say that? Could he sense my discomfort? Did Sebastian say something to him, or was my emotional struggle painfully obvious? Torn by confusion, I nodded in approval and gathered my bag,  deciding not to linger and find out whether or not my face had betrayed my inner conflict. I had no place to act in such a way. Yet, against my own wishes, my rebellious heart refused to listen.

I headed to the library to meet Sebastian, determined to follow Ezra's advice and focus on my upcoming exam. As I entered, my eyes scanned the room until they landed on Sebastian, surrounded by towering piles of books. The sight made me acutely aware of how ill-prepared I was.

"So, on a scale from 1 to 10, how screwed am I?" I half-jokingly asked, taking a seat beside him and reaching for a book to flip through.

Sebastian lifted an eyebrow and swiftly snatched the book from my grasp. "Did you even finish all the notes I made for you?"

I sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt. "Most of them," I admitted sheepishly.

"Well, at least you made some progress, Squishy" he teased as he ruffled my hair.

"You were awake this whole time?" I asked, playfully swatting his hand away.

He smirked, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Not entirely. I woke up to the sound of her laughter and your feeble attempt at flirting. It was quite embarrassing, if you ask me."

"Well! I didn't ask you!" A blush heated my cheeks as I rolled my eyes at the reminder of my failed flirting attempt. With a frustrated sigh, I pushed my chair back, not paying attention to my surroundings. My chair collided with someone, and a sharp groan escaped their lips, snapping me out of my embarrassment.

"Oh god, I am so sorry," I blurted out, immediately feeling guilty as I watched the girl massage her leg with a pained expression.

"Don't be, I was zoned out," she reassured me with an embarrassed smile. My eyes drifted to the books she was carrying, realizing she was studying for the same test Sebastian and I were preparing for. She must be in our class.

"We're in the same class," I pointed out, gesturing to her book.

"Yeah, we are," she replied with a chuckle, still not meeting my gaze.

"You should join us then. I was just going to grab us some coffee," Sebastian offered, coming to my rescue and relieving some of my guilt.

"You can sit here and read a little. God knows you probably need it more than me. I'll get us the coffee," he continued, getting up and leaving me behind with the girl.

"I'm Cadence," she introduced herself, offering her hand for me to shake.

"Zoya," I replied, shaking her hand.

"I know," she said, her eyes still avoiding mine as she took a seat beside me.

"You do?" I asked, puzzled by her statement.

"Yeah, you're not exactly hard to miss. The professors are always scolding you for zoning out during lectures, and a lot of people saw the conference of Ezra Gael. You're acting in his new TV show with Olivia Lopez and Anthony William," she explained, finally raising her eyes to meet mine.

"You're kidding? I thought no one saw that," I said, rubbing my neck as anxiety started to creep up.

"Of course everyone saw that. We're all in the same university, aspiring to be in the industry one way or another. Where you are now is like a dream to most of us," she said with excitement, her face lighting up with enthusiasm. I couldn't help but notice her beautiful light blue eyes and freckles scattered across her face.

"Not to mention you hang out with Sebastian Gael," she added, chuckling.

"Oh yeah, I forgot he can be dreamy to most girls," I replied, laughing along with her.

"Not to me," she said, shaking her head slightly.

"Why is that?" I asked, leaning my chin on my palm, genuinely curious.

"Aside from the fact that he is super gay, so am I," she said, laughing. I couldn't help but feel a pang of embarrassment at my lack of gaydar skills.

"Oh, I see," I replied, grabbing the book that had been in front of me, attempting to change the subject. I didn't want it to seem like I was flirting or making assumptions.

"It's actually very simple. Here, let me show you," she said, grabbing the book from my hands and proceeded to explain the concepts. Her explanations were straightforward, and suddenly everything started to make sense as my memory recalled the few pieces of information I remembered from Sebastian's notes.

After a couple of hours of studying, I felt more confident as I walked to the exam alongside Sebastian and Cadence. Sebastian would occasionally wiggle his eyebrows at me when Cadence looked away, but I dismissed it, thinking she was just a shy person.

As I went through the exam questions, I felt fairly confident about my answers. I did way better than I expected, and a huge burden was lifted off my back once the exam was over.

"I can't believe I didn't fail. I can't thank you both enough," I exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement.

"It was really nothing," Cadence replied modestly, while Sebastian beamed at me proudly.

"It really was. I don't think you realize how much you helped me," I insisted, shaking my head in gratitude.

"Well, maybe you can buy me drinks tonight then," Cadence suggested, her gaze fixed on her feet. "If you want, of course," she quickly added.

Was she asking me out on a date? Should I go on a date when I'm still hung up on Olivia? Would it be fair?

"She would love to go on a date with you," Sebastian interjected, elbowing me in the side and bringing me out of my silence.

"She didn't mention a date," I murmured under my breath, feeling embarrassed by Sebastian's boldness.

"It can be if you want," Cadence confirmed, and suddenly, I felt like I couldn't reject her. Maybe going on a date would be a good distraction for me.

"How about 8 o'clock? There's a club two streets down, Ezra gave me and Sebastian VIP access we can use that," I suggested.

"8 sounds great," she replied as she balanced herself on her heels and adjusted her shirt slightly.

We exchanged numbers, and Cadence went her separate way, leaving Sebastian and me behind.

"Really?" I asked Sebastian, unable to contain my confusion and disbelief.

"What? I'm your wingman!" he proclaimed confidently.

"So you bring Oli to my house, and now you're pushing me towards another girl?" I cross my arms, feeling a mix of annoyance and vulnerability.

"Olivia is married. She is happy. She is probably fucking right now. Just let it go," he said, his words striking a painful chord in my heart. I winced at the truth behind his words, knowing deep down that he was right.

We returned to my house, and Sebastian insisted on helping me pick out a dress for the club. As much as I wanted to wear something simple, he convinced me that the club had a fancy atmosphere, and I needed to dress to impress. I couldn't help but regret not choosing a normal bar for our date.

After trying on various dresses for about an hour, I settled on a backless red dress. Sebastian dropped me off at the club, making sure to remind me during the entire car ride to prioritize myself and stop chasing after Olivia.

Determined to enjoy the night and get Olivia out of my head, I left Sebastian's car. She was waiting for me outside the club since she needed my access to enter. I caught a glimpse of her slightly parting her lips and a subtle flush creeping onto her face as she saw me. It gave me a boost of confidence to see her reacting to my appearance, instead of me always blushing in Olivia's presence.

"Hey," I greeted her with a kiss on the cheeks. In return, she gave me a shy smile, and I placed my hand on the small of her back, guiding her inside the club.

We made our way to the VIP lounge, where I ordered us some drinks. The music was loud, but in the VIP section, it wasn't loud enough to drown out a conversation.

"So, tell me about yourself," I said, trying to ease her tension and initiate a conversation.

"I never know how to answer that question," she chuckled nervously. "I guess my name is Cadence, I am 20 years old," she rubbed the back of her head and glanced at the dance floor before returning her gaze to me. "And, I actually happen to be a very good dancer," she said.

"Oh, really? Care to show me?" I responded, attempting to infuse a hint of seductive playfulness into my voice.

"Yeah, just let me finish this drink so I can muster up some confidence," she replied, swiftly finishing her drink.

She stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the dance floor.

Her hands gently found their way to my hips, drawing me closer to her. With a graceful sway, she moved her hips to the rhythm, effortlessly guiding my body to dance along. As the music flowed through us, her touch shifted from my hips to my waist, giving me a tender squeeze, igniting a rush of electricity within me. She brushed her fingers up my arm sending shivers down my spine, while her hands expertly tangled themselves in my hair, playfully pulling it with a teasing touch, all while her hips maintained their rhythm against mine.

Her skills as a dancer and newfound confidence were overwhelming me. With a quick turn, she rested her back against my chest, allowing me to hold onto her hip. The intimate connection between us intensified as she teasingly moved her ass against me, the powerful music coursing through our bodies, intensifying the desire pulsating within me. Unable to resist, I pressed my lips gently against the back of her neck, encountering the softness of her skin, heightening the sensations that enveloped us. Meanwhile, her hands, once again entwined in my hair pulling me closer.

In the heat of the moment, my hand began a gradual journey up her thigh, slowly lifting her dress. As my lips continued to explore her neck's soft spot, she swiftly spun around, her lips eagerly meeting mine, creating a passionate fusion that left us both breathless. Overwhelmed by desire, she seized my hand and impetuously guided me towards the bathroom.

She closed the door behind us, and I swiftly carried her, gently placing her on the sink. Our lips met again with eagerness, as she opened her legs and pulled my body closer. My fingers traced up her inner thighs, feeling the dampness of her underwear. Sensing her desire, I moved her underwear aside and inserted two fingers inside her, causing her to break the kiss and throw her head back, moaning softly.

"Are we moving too quickly?" I managed to ask, breathless.

"Zoya! Your fingers are already inside me, don't stop now," she demanded, tugging at my hair insistently.

"But the alcohol—" I began to express my concern.

"Shut up, just fuck me," she implored, forcefully pressing her lips against mine.

I kissed her back, increasing the pace of my fingers inside her. As the door opened, my relief washed over me knowing we had locked it. Her moans intensified, seemingly urging whoever was behind the door to leave. I pressed my lips firmly against hers, silencing her. I was glad she was experiencing pleasure, but I preferred not to make it public knowledge.

I felt her walls contract around my fingers, and she tightly wrapped her legs around me, signaling me to stop. She rested her head on my shoulder, and I gently stroked her back, giving her a moment to unwind.

"Wow," she finally exclaimed after stepping down from the sink and adjusting her dress.

I smiled and pulled her closer, craving another kiss.

"Shall we continue this at my apartment?" I suggested.

"I was hoping you'd ask," she replied, unlocking the door and walking outside. I took a moment to fix my dress and followed her.

Thankfully, there was no one around to see us leaving the bathroom, sparing me from any potential embarrassment. Internally, I thanked Sebastian for a night I didn't realize I needed.