Midnight Pretenders (BL)

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locales, or actual events is entirely coincidental. WARNING: This story contains mature themes and bed scenes. Viewer discretion is advised (read at your own risk). INTRODUCTION: It all started one midnight. And from then on, every time the clock strikes twelve, something changes between us. For a few hours, we'll begin to forget who we really are. There'll be no one else in this world but us. No rules. No limits. No secrets. Just bittersweet kisses and our soft whispers. But as soon as the day begins again, we'll go back to how everything was. We'll act like those midnights never happened... We'll play a role that everybody would believe. It became a routine that neither of us tried to change until the day we can no longer pretend and fake the feelings anymore. That's when everything starts to crumble... PROLOGUE TWO MONTHS AGO All I really know and heard about him since I haven't really met him in person yet was that he's a filthy rich kid. His father is apparently a top-notch CEO of a huge trading company. His mother, on the other hand, came from a very wealthy lineage of politicians and is now running her own fashion brand in Europe. Some sources even claimed that his mother also has the blood of royalty running in her veins. And apart from that, he also has an older sister, an older stepbrother from his father's side, and a younger brother and they are all attending different schools because apparently, they were given the decision to choose where they wanted to study. How lucky. Those were only just a few of the hundred more spreading stories and rumors circulating about that guy around the university. If that still does not give you enough of what he would pretty much be like in reality, then perhaps knowing that he actually drives a Mercedes-AMG GT 63 to campus every day might finally give you a good clue. I saw that car too. Once. And I still can't forget the moment when it happened. I remember abruptly stopping in my tracks as soon as I caught sight of that shiny red car roaring with that sweet sound one late afternoon while I was on my way to class. That very second, I could not really resist watching as that guy smoothly drove that hell of a ride down the wide road inside the university grounds. During that time, I still have no idea what he actually looks like but I immediately assumed that the one driving that car was him. People in the university, if they did not like him, were all envious of his life and the effortless fame surrounding him. And I admit, for a few moments there when I saw that car passing the road near me, I found myself envying him for living that kind of bliss. He's like a god, that even if you don't actually see him face-to-face yet, you can just immediately recognize who he is because of the name. LUCAS DE ROSSI. "Don't be nervous." Today, my best friend in the university, Sofia Morgan, told me that she was going to finally introduce me to that very guy. The one and only. And I suddenly felt very uneasy and restless as I stared at her in bewilderment across the coffee table. I'm really not good with socializing and I find it very hard to express myself especially if I am supposed to meet new people. But she had invited me to meet up for lunch today in this new coffee shop just outside the university because she wanted me to finally meet another very close friend of hers. She told me I should extend my social circle so that I wouldn't find it difficult to adjust further to a new environment. And being a good friend that I was, and someone who could not pass up the chance of having another friend as well, I agreed to meet up, not expecting really much from it. But it just turned out that the very friend she was actually talking about was none other than... Lucas De Rossi himself.  "I'm not nervous." And that was an obvious lie. Sofia didn't believe it for a second as well and she just gave me a sympathetic smile across the table, trying to cheer me up as she said, "He's really nice, I promise. Don't worry." "You could have at least warned me beforehand, you know," I told her in apparent distress as I anxiously fidgeted in my seat while sipping through the straw of my iced coffee, adding, "He's the Lucas De Rossi, after all." For the last two months of trying to keep up with the horrors of studying independently and restarting a fresh path to my career again, I found myself losing the confidence I used to have way back before I even got here. To be honest, it was not very easy for me to deal with my personal issues and anxiety after shifting my course and transferring to another university just to finally figure out what I really want to do in my life.  Lucky for me though, I met Sofia by the start of the semester and quickly got comfortable with her. She's an angel, definitely. But this time, when she just told me at the drop of a hat that I was about to meet Lucas De Rossi in person, I immediately forgot how much I really like her from the very beginning. She already knew how uneasy I was about interacting with other people I was not familiar with. And after learning that I was not just about to meet someone new this time, but someone who is actually famous and way out of my league, it completely frightened the hell out of me. But I still tried my best to force a smile on my face as I looked into her eyes, struggling to calm my nerves. "This coffee isn't even helping me at all," I said after a while, stressing over it. And somehow, those words earned me a soft chuckle from Sofia, to which I found myself quickly returning too. "I'll make it up to you after this. Just relax." "Pfft. Don't even think I already forgave you for putting me in this situation, Fia," I added after a moment, still a little mad at her for not warning me about Lucas way much earlier. Sofia just briefly shook her head at me and smiled sweetly. As if giving me that endearing look would completely erase all of my stress at once. I sighed in utter defeat as I gave her a deadpanned look that she only replied with another chuckle, leaving me alone to put a damper on my own agitated state. How supportive of her. I still don't know what to expect from here. As the minutes ticked by, I became more restless. The longer I sat there, just trying to make small talks with Sofia, the harder it got for me to handle my increasing anxiety. I simultaneously switched from nervously checking the entrance of the coffee shop every time someone would walk into the place, to consciously distracting myself by bringing up foolish topics to keep Sofia talking. When finally, I was about to lose my patience; I confronted my friend. "Is he really going to show up?" Sofia was just about to answer that question when, all of a sudden, the echoes of gasps in the background stole our attention away. We immediately turned in the direction of the commotion to see what just happened. And even before I could get a glimpse of what it was all about, I already have a nervous feeling noticing it. And I was right. As soon as my gaze landed on what, or rather who had triggered all those gasps and murmurs around us, I felt my throat drying up. He finally appeared. For real. LUCAS DE ROSSI.