⋆｡‧˚ʚ sunkissed . . . chapter one ɞ˚‧｡⋆.
➶ summary : arriving at the airport for the first stop of the annual europe trip is chaotic enough but seeing alfie buttle there shifts everything slightly off balance. old history sits quietly under the noise of the group, while both of you commit to acting like nothing has ever happened between you even when it clearly still does.
➶ content warnings : EXTREME slow burn (sorry x), swearing, tension, jealousy, mentions of sexual experiences, light angst.
➶ bambi talks : finally!!!!!! i’ve had this entire series sitting in my notes app for way too long and i’m actually so excited (and slightly terrified) to finally start posting it <3 this is a proper slow burn so nothing is happening fast on purpose. i promise it all builds. it might feel chill at the start but stick with it because it definitely escalates and gets… messy in the best way. anyway i really hope you like it, and i hope it hurts a little bit too (affectionately).
the first thing you noticed when you woke up was the heat.
not outside. london was still grey and miserable through the cracked open bedroom windows, despite it being june. but the kind trapped inside your apartment after days of panic packing and ignoring the existence of airflow completely.
clothes covered nearly every inch of your bedroom. bikinis hanging over your vanity chair. a tangled mess of chargers and cords across your duvet. your suitcase sat open at the end of the bed, barely zipped shut.
you stared at it from the doorway, coffee balanced in one hand while your phone buzzed aggressively in the other.
grabbing your bags and sunglasses, you shoved your feet into trainers before dragging your suitcase through the narrow hallway of your apartment.
outside, london hit you immediately. not weather, just noise. liv already half hanging out of an uber.
“you literally texted me twelve minutes ago.”
“and yet somehow you’re still late.”
You flipped her off whilst shoving your suitcase into the boot.
on the drive to heathrow you attempting mascara in the reflection of the window, which should’ve been illegal for how little light there was.
“you’ve packed seven lip liners.”
“they’re different shades.”
“they’re emotionally different.”
liv laughed so hard she nearly dropped her phone.
“that’s insane behaviour.”
“it’s called preparedness.”
by the time you got to the airport the headache that cup of coffee and 4 hours of sleep had contributed to settled behind your eyes. And to make matters worse chaos was unfolding near the check in area.
george had a camera shoved in everyone’s face.
chip was loudly accusing arthur of nearly losing his passport.
yaz was sat on top of her suitcase eating a pret croissant like she hadn’t slept in three days.
sabina and flo were arguing over whose fake tan stained the Airbnb towels last summers trip.
you exhaled once then walked in.
“oi!” george immediately swung the camera. “late as usual.”
“you told everyone the wrong terminal.”
“your content is giving unemployment.”
“see, this is why i like her,” he pointed at you. “she’s nasty.”
you hugged sabina first then yaz then flo.
george immediately shoved the camera back into your face.
“pre-europe predictions. who’s crying first?”
“arthur,” cal said instantly without looking up.
arthur groaned. “i actually hate all of you.”
everyone burst into laughter.
the noise bounced around the airport terminal so loudly that a woman near by physically turned to stare at all of you.
you smiled despite yourself. This felt normal. Easy.
you froze before you even fully registered the voice.
it happened so naturally it almost annoyed you.
like your body recognised him before your brain did.
alfie appeared beside George wearing a dark hoodie despite the overheated airport, sunglasses pushed into messy curls and one hand wrapped around the handle of his suitcase.
“missed absolutely fuck all, then?” he asked.
george immediately swung the camera toward him.
“tell the vlog who’s crying first on the trip.”
“probably her,” alfie answered absentmindedly.
alfie replied without even looking up properly but your eyes flicked to him anyway.
his landed on you at the exact same time.
not dramatic. not soft either. just aware. like you both clocked the same thing and mutually decided to ignore it in public.
you didn’t react to that thought. not on your face anyway.
“nice to see you too,” you said.
not awkward enough for anyone else to fully notice, but definitely there.
alfie nodded once, small half smile like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to fully use it.
no follow up. no explanation.
just two people doing a very committed job of acting like nothing happened on the same europe trip last year when absolutely everything did.
and doing a decent job of it, annoyingly.
sabina’s gaze flicked between you two for half a second.
which somehow made it worse.
she knew so did liv. she just wasn’t cruel enough to say anything about it out loud.
“right,” george clapped his hands loudly, breaking it all up before it could become a thing. “security. move. we’ve got a plane to catch and i refuse to die in terminal 5.”
“you’re acting like we’re going to war,” yaz muttered, already walking.
“we are,” chip said immediately.
you fell beside liv and sab. movement meant you didn’t have to stand still long enough for anything to surface.
security split everyone into uneven lanes.
you ended up just behind liv and yaz without meaning to. sabina somewhere ahead laughing at something chip had said. george still filming. cal arguing about whether snacks were worth declaring.
normal noise. safe noise. but your awareness kept slipping backwards anyway. you didn’t look. you didn’t need to but you knew he was there.
“you still overpack?” his voice came quietly from behind you.
“your wearing sunglasses inside.”
you finally glanced sideways at him.
“you look like you sell ket outside train stations.”
his laugh came out immediately. enough that it annoyed you slightly.
security passed slowly, shoes off, bags through scanners, the metallic rhythm of bins sliding forward.
“gate forty-two,” george announced loudly, already leading the charge. “everyone alive?”
“barely,” arthur muttered.
you dropped into a seat near liv when you finally reached the gate, suitcase at your feet.
your shoulders loosened abit.
just enough to notice they’d been tight in the first place.
liv nudged you with her knee.
you looked at her briefly.
“that’s because i keep waking up.”
she snorted, scrolling again like nothing mattered.
you leaned your head back against the seat and let the noise of the group fill the space between you and everything else.
“i’m getting coffee,” you said, pushing yourself up slightly.
liv didn’t even look up from her phone.
“you’re always getting coffee.”
“because I'm always running on no sleep”
“valid,” yaz said, half asleep, curled into her hoodie.
george barely registered it. “get me one.”
“because,” you said, sticking your tongue out at him.
chip laughed. “i’ll come with her.”
“no you won’t,” sabina said immediately, grabbing his sleeve without looking up. “you’ll get distracted and buy like six packs of haribos and disappear.”
you rolled your eyes. “i’ll be back.”
it wasn’t loud. it didn’t need to be. the whole group clocked it anyway.
you paused, turning slightly.
alfie was already standing up.
one hand in his pocket, the other on his bag strap, like he'd stood up on impulse and was now trying to make it look like a normal human decision.
you looked at him for a second longer than necessary.
behind you, liv’s head lifted just abit. sabina noticed too. they didn’t say anything, just that small knowing look that they were very good at pretending wasn’t a thing.
the café wasn’t far, just tucked around the corner of the gate area. alfie walked slightly behind you for about three steps. then beside you. then matched your pace without comment.
the queue moved slowly. obviously.
you leant back against the wall with your arms folded. alfie ordered without fuss, then added yours like he already knew it.
“thanks,” he said when the drinks were handed over, smirking slightly.
you nodded once. “don’t get used to it.”
your shoulder brushed his arm as you turned a corner. accidental. you both clocked it immediately anyway. neither of you said anything. which, annoyingly, was kind of worse.
back at the gate, chaos had escalated in your absence.
“why is chip holding three muffins?” you asked, handing george his coffee.
“emotional support,” cal said flatly.
“they’re not even his,” yaz added.
chip pointed at her. “don’t expose me like that.”
“you exposed yourself,” sabina said.
you dropped back into your seat, placing your coffee carefully on the ground.
alfie sat down a second later.
just close enough that it didn’t feel like a coincidence, but not close enough that anyone could comment on it either.
liv’s eyes flicked between you two again. quick. observant. then away.
you took a sip of coffee and immediately frowned.
“yeah,” alfie said. “it’s airport coffee.”
“doesn’t have to be that bad.”
“it kind of does,” he said. “it’s the rules.”
he wasn’t looking at you.
which would’ve been fine, if it didn’t feel like he was still aware you were there anyway.
and somehow that was the whole problem.
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