forbiddenship - Tumblr blog

forbiddenship · 2 years

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HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BESTIE @portwellbabe !!!

i haven’t written in FOREVER, but i wanted to put out a little something for your special day. 🎉🎉

this is just a silly convo btwn gina and antoine that i imagined, if he were to show up for summer camp. i got a lil’ carried away, haha. hope it makes you smile, bea. love you to the moon and back <3

———

Gina stood at the edge of the pavilion, smiling to herself as she poured out a glass of lemonade. Smiling like a maniac was something she found herself doing a lot in the last month since she and EJ had began dating. Sometimes she physically needed to press her cheeks together with her palms to quell it.

This time, it was rather difficult. She knew EJ had been planning a surprise date for them this evening, and she felt giddy just thinking about it.

The funny thing was it seemed just about everyone was aware of EJ’s plans for the date. News spread like wildfire at theatre camp, and people had been chattering for days. The boys, the girls, even her best friend Ashlyn was keeping it a secret from her, she was certain.

It was definitely some kind of elaborate surprise, and though Gina didn’t want to spoil his efforts, she couldn’t help but be curious.

Where was he going to take her? What was the best thing for her to wear? Why were so many people involved? Were they all going to be there for some kind of important announcement? Was he going to chase them away afterwards so he could hold her close and kiss her like that? Would they cuddle up and watch the sunset, pressed tightly against each other -

“Good morning, miss.”

Gina looked up to see a pair of twinkling brown eyes and a mischievous smile standing in front of her.

“Antoine, uh hi!”

He looked at her funny.

“Is something the matter?”

Antoine laughed. “You tell me. Zee glass in your hand is overfilling, miss.”

Gina looked down and immediately blushed. She had been pouring her lemonade for a little too long. She must’ve gotten distracted thinking about EJ and his -

“Are you alright, miss?”

Gina cleared her throat (and her head, perhaps, another thing she found herself needing to do far too often these days).

“Yes. And, um, just Gina is fine, Antoine.”

“Very well, just Gina. Are you sure you’re alright? One does not just dazedly stare into zee void with a smile on her face while pouring lemonade for no reason.”

Gina glared at him. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Yes, well, I am kind of - what do you say - confused right now. I need your help.”

“Oh, are you lost?”

“Not exactly, - ”

“Because France is that way.” She sticks her arm out and points to her right side, her expression utterly serious.

“I beg your pardon?” Antoine’s face contorts and he looks rather humiliated, almost scared.

Gina’s face slowly morphs into a smile.

“I’m just messing with you, dude. What’s going on?”

“Okay, I believe I deserved that. Anyhow. I wanted to ask you about your lady friend.”

Gina’s brow furrows. “My lady friend?”

“Zee one whom you are sleeping with.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“With the beautiful red hair and - ”

Gina bursts into laughter.

“Ohh, you mean Ashlyn! So Antoine, just FYI, we don’t really say ‘sleep with,’ that’s not what, we - ”

“You sleep in zee same room as her, do you not?”

“Well, yeah, but - anyways. What about Ash?” Gina takes a sip of her lemonade, trying to cool the reddening in her face for what would be the umpteenth time today, as Antoine serves himself a glass.

“Is she available?”

Gina spits out the sip she just took.

“What?!!”

Antoine wipes at the corner of his eye. “So saying ‘sleep with’ eez a problem, but spitting in people’s faces eez not. You Americans are weird.”

“Um, I’m so sorry. But are you kidding? Have you not seen Ash and Big Red together?”

Antoine makes a sound between a scoff and a grunt. “Yes, I am aware. I have seen Monsieur hooligan around, clowning about doing God knows what with his time. But I am a little confused on the status of their relationship, as I have recently been informed that he and the lady are, erm, how do you say - splitzville??”

Gina’s eyes widen. Ash had told her that she and Red were going through a rough spot right now, and they were taking some time off during the summer to have some space. Ash had been kinda spooked about it, because the story sounded all too familiar to her. And considering that Big Red’s primary company was Ricky…

Gina takes the time to compose herself. This dude doesn’t need to know any of that. Ash had told her that he had been hitting on her ever since the dance battle at North High, and she made it clear she wasn’t interested.

“Well, you were informed wrong. They’re just on a break.”

“Is it a break, or a break up?” Antoine questions, popping the p and swiveling his head to stare into a dot in space, as if it were an imaginary camera.

“Dude, this isn’t the office. And right now, it’s just a break. But even if it weren’t, Ash doesn’t need you making moves on her. She’s kind of vulnerable right now, and she’s taking this time to focus on herself.”

“I’m not making moves, I am simply asking - ”

“You need to back off. Kapish?”

The Gina 1.0 fire momentarily dances in her eyes, and Antoine puts his hands up.

“Okay, okay, I understand.”

Gina feels bad for a second (ugh, curse 2.0 sometimes, she makes it really hard to be menacing) and backtracks a little. “Look, I’m sure you’re a great guy, but this just isn’t what Ash needs right now.”

“But is it what you need, perhaps?” He winks at her and flashes a megawatt smile.

Gina almost chokes on her lemonade, again.

“Excuse me?”

“You are a very beautiful mademoiselle, and, as I could not help but notice, an exquisite dancer as well. I am certain half the men present at this summer camp are quite taken with you. As am I.”

Damn, this guy was smooth! He somehow made hitting-on-her-two-seconds-after-hitting-on-her-best-friend-with-a-boyfriend seem slightly less slimy and almost - romantic.

Gina offers him a tight-lipped smile. “That’s very kind of you. But I have a boyfriend as well.”

“Of course! A girl like you. I should have known.”

At that exact moment, Ricky walked past the pavilion, a card in his hand, heading towards - was that the North High cabin? Gina stifled a laugh. The whole thing with him and Lily was - amusing, to say the least.

He looked towards them and waved at her. “Hey, Gi!”

She smiled and waved back.

Antoine gasps. “OMG! Eez that him? Tom Holland on stilts?”

Gina looks back at him. “What now?”

“Zat guy! He eez your boyfriend, eez he not?”

Gina laughs. A laugh that was filled with a lot of things. Confusion, relief, humor, and acceptance. She had finally been able to talk with Ricky and put, well, everything behind them.

“No, that’s just Ricky. Did you not know about him and Lily?”

That’s weird. Surely Lily would have told her number one minion about her budding romance.

“Lily and I are no longer speaking.” He suddenly looks very, very sad.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Antoine clears his throat and recovers quickly. “It is quite alright. Ah, so, your mystery man is zat one over there!”

He points to Jamie, sitting on the steps beside Nini. They look like they’re immersed in a serious conversation, but they both choose that moment to look up at Gina, giggle, and resume their conversation.

What is going on?

“He is quite handsome,” Antoine says.

“Um, I don’t know how to tell you this, but that’s my brother, dude.”

His face quickly twists into disgust.

“My guy is over there,” she tips her chin in the direction of the volleyball court, where EJ and a couple other guys have just walked over to start a game. “The tall one, with the ball in his hand.”

And now it’s Antoine’s turn to spit his drink in her face.

“Oh my - wow! He is, WOW!”

She smirks. “I know, right.”

Gina knew her boyfriend was a good-looking man. He always had been.

But on this particular day, with his shirt swung loosely over his right shoulder, showcasing his perfectly toned upper body, his hair slightly ruffled from physical exertion, and that smile that was so EJ plastered on his face, blinding everyone around him, she - how do you say - appreciated him just a little more.

If this were a movie, it would cut to a slow-mo sequence of him running across the sand in the volleyball pit as she gaped shamelessly, mouth hung open.

Antoine’s voice interrupts her wonderfully delicious thoughts.

“Zere is no way. HE eez your boyfriend? Are you kidding?”

“Hey! You just called me beautiful like two minutes ago!”

He sputters. “You are! Very beautiful, miss! I meant no harm. But, look at him!! This man is no mere mortal. He is - I mean look at him.”

Gina laughs. “I’m a really lucky girl.”

Antoine squints for a moment. “Wait a minute! Is that - is that EJ Caswell?”

She nods, and he seems to be putting two and two together.

“Oh my! Miss, you are in for a treat this evening!”

“What is that supposed to mean? Oh my god! Do you know something too?”

“So zat is why he was using so much of zee special detergent yesterday.” He mutters under his breath. “He mentioned his girlfriend likes the - ”

Gina looks at him, confused.

“I was doing my laundry at zee same time as him last night.” Antoine says, as if that clarifies things in any way. “We talked for a bit, for zee first time actually. He eez a very nice fellow.”

“Wait, hold on - ”

“Ahh, well I do not believe I can say much more. He does not wish you to know that he caught you sniffing hi - ” Antoine widens his eyes, as if just realizing his mistake.

”What?!”

“Never you mind. I will be on my way. Pleasure talking to you, Just Gina.”

“But I’m confused - ”

He offers her another one of his dashing smiles and tips his head. “Well then, France is zat way, mademoiselle. Good day.”

#hsmtmts #portwell #gina porter #ej caswell #antoine my beloved #in my mind gina and antoine are besties no one can tell me otherwise

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