"THANKS FOR DINNER TONIGHT BABE." Altheya said as Luke pulled their car into the driveway of the house. Luke had put the cark into park and took off his seatbelt so that he could give Altheya a quick peck on the cheek. Altheya giggled feeling Luke's chin stubble rub against her cheek.
Altheya grinned as soon as she unclasped her own seatbelt at the sight of five dozen roses that littered her front steps and into the driveway.
"Oh wow! Luke you shouldn't have!"

Altheya exclaimed as she let herself out of the car.

But as Luke watched his girlfriend exit the car, he raised a brow suddenly, catching a quick glimpse of the five dozen bouquets of red roses that were littered all along the steps and driveway.

Altheya came around the back of the car to kiss him again but Luke stopped her.

"Bea, I... I didn't do this..." Luke replied giving Altheya an awkward smile as he massaged the back of his neck with his right hand.

Altheya tilted her head towards him.

"If this wasn't you then..." She trailed off and as soon as she stopped talking a light bulb went off in her head.

"Shit." Altheya exclaimed as she walked quickly into the apartment without even taking a second glance at Luke or the piles and piles of roses in her driveway.

Once Altheya was safely inside the apartment, Luke looked around and began to pick up the boquets of flowers. It wasn't long until the front door to the apartment opened, revealing his good bandmate Ashton who had already jumped off the front steps and began to help him pick up the remaining flowers. Luckily Ashton had been watching from the window and he had come out of the apartment holding an empty laundry basket, hoping it would help them pick up the flowers quicker. And it did.

"Dude, you must really like Bea then, huh? I mean I love Dora but I would never have been able to pull this off." Ashton laughed as he picked up four bouquets and plopped them into the white plastic laundry basket that he was holding.

Luke nodded. "I really really like her dude! But... I uh..." He looked down at the rest of the flowers that still littered the walkway. "I didn't send them..." He gave Ashton a sheepish-looking smile and drew a deep breath.

Ashton stared at him wide-eyed, almost dropping the half-filled laundry basket onto the driveway once he heard Luke's confession.

"Woah. Then who sent them, if it wasn't you Luke? Ashton asked as he placed another bouquet into the basket.

Luke sighed. "I think it was Altheya's ex, from that Italian band. They won Eurovision? I can never pronounce their name.

Ashton nodded. "Ah. Right. Måneskin."

"Yeah. Måneskin." Luke responded a with a light chuckle eminating from his lips. But his eyes said otherwise.

"Come on Ash, we're almost done." Luke commented finally as he dropped the last remaining handfuls of the leftover bouquets into the basket.

Ashton picked up the basket and let Luke open the door for him once the boquets of roses were all cleaned up.

"It'll be fine dude, I'm sure this was just some kind of misunderstanding." Ashton tried to explain once the two boys entered into the house.

Luke shook his head before locking the front door behind Ashton. "Yeah, right." He laughed again before leaving the basket full of flowers at the door. He needed to clear his head, and the best way to do that was to go write a song... or at least try too.

Ashton just shrugged before entering the kitchen to find his girlfriend but she was nowhere to be found.
"Dora?" Ashton called again once more. After a few more moments of silence he heard a shout from upstairs.

"Upstairs babe! I'll be down in a few!" Alexandria said as she was just finishing up talking to Altheya.

Alexandria turned back towards her younger sister by five years as Altheya crossed her legs on her bed waiting for her big sister to say something else.

"You know ate, it wasn't just the flowers. He gave me a note which Tatum had given to me a few nights ago and he left a pretty angry voice message for me too. So I can only imagine how pissed he is, but none of this would've happened if his dick wasn't so fucking huge!"

Altheya groaned suddenly and muffled her face into her pillow. Alexandria just laughed.

"Exactly. But don't engage in his foolish behaviour. You're currently in a happy and stable relationship and sinc he is in a relationship too, he shouldn't be bothering you with his crap."

Alexandria grinned back at her sister. "He's just trying to get back at you for doing absolutely nothing. You're living your life and he chose to live a life clearly without you in it! You'll be fine. I know you will."

She kissed her sister's temple before walking out of the bedroom door.

Altheya smiled. "You always know exactly what to do, sis. Merci."

Alexandria smiled. "De rien, kiddo."

And as soon as Altheya heard the door close, She was just about to text her friends about what had just happened, but someone was calling her.

⊱ ──────{⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Over in Rome, Giulia had just seen the news. The Italian paused the television where the news caster had gotten the camera to zoom into Altheya's driveway. Giulia squinted towards the screen and dusted off the crumbs from her fingers that had stuck to palms as she was eating her way through a bag of chips.

From beside her, her boyfriend Alessio made a shield with his hands. "Now before you say anything"— But Giulia was already launching pillows off of the couch and launching them at his face.

"I can't believe you! YOU ACTUALLY TALKED DAMI INTO SENDING THEM!" Giulia yelled, glaring as she was gearing up to tackle him.

Alessio jumped off the couch and stood up, putting his hands up in front of his face like a shield. "Woah, woah, woah, amore, I didn't tell Dami to send the flowers I just suggested that it might be a good way to apologize, you know after what he did."

Alessio grinned sheepishly as Giulia continued to advance towards him, cornering him between the bookshelf and the wall. He was lucky enough not to have any books fall ontop of him.

Giulia rolled her eyes and smiled brightly before smacking him in the chest with another pillow. "Sei cosi, stupido, sai!" Giulia mumbled, her eyes still glowering at his frame stuck between the bookshelf. "Girls don't want flowers that will die! WE WANT ACTIONS!"

"God Ale..." Giulia continued as she mocked him. "Oh yes let's send flowers to your ex instead of actually owning up to what you did!" Mattia was annoyed at her boyfriend for being so damn dense.

But luckily for her, Alessio was willing to become smarter.

"Hey..."

Giulia turned to leave the living room but Alessio stopped her and grabbed her hand. Before Giulia could do anything, Alessio spun her into the corner that she had previously trapped him in and kissed her once.

Giulia smirked at Alessio before kissing him back again, raising a brow. Alessio smirked back. "Truce?"

Giulia smiled. "Okay, truce."

⊱ ──────{⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Altheya grinned as she waved at her phone screen, her parents faces were a little bit too close for comfort. Altheya laughed at her mother's and father's attempt to Facetime their youngest.

"Ma, pa, Hindi iyon. Ikaw ay totoong malapit sa screen! Kaunti na lang, there! Ganoon ba!

Altheya continued giggling as her parents faces slowly got smaller and smaller.

Once her parents had figured it out, Altheya was soon bombarded with questions, especially from her mother, Aurora.

"Anak? Are you on birth control?"
"Anak? Have you gained weight? You look big.
"Anak? Are you working lots? You should sleep more, you"—
But as her mother droned on and on trying to pester her youngest hija with inevitable questions, her father, Alberto, took over.

"Mahal, that's enough questions for Bea, I'm sure she's doing just fine." Alberto gave his daughter a small smile onscreen. Altheya gabe him a thumbs up in return.

"Pa's right, I'm doing just fine, ma. But to answer your questions, yes I'm on birth control, maybe I've gained weight from stress? Yes I'm working lots and I'm trying to get as much sleep as I can but this album is a lot of work, ma!"

Aurora's face came close to the screen again as she squinted and frowned at her daughter's image on her husband's phone.
"Ha? Ano ba yan? Anong stress? That's good that you're on birth control, pero have you had sex yet?"

Silence.

Altheya cleared her throat. "Um... hindi po ma... Luke and I haven't done it yet." She explained with a pained expression on her face.

Alberto cut in again, sensing the immediate tension. He didn't need two of his girls getting into another fight.

"Mahal, I think we need to let, Altheya get back to work, don't you have to work on more songs, hija?"

Altheya nodded. "Right po, pa. I— I have lots of work to finish!" Altheya replied eagerly. She needed to get off the phone before her head and her heart exploded... and not in a good way.

Aurora smiled at her daughter, as she listened to her husband.
"Alright, ingat ka, okay?"

"Mhm, sige na po, ma!"

Alberto winked at his daughter through his screen. "And hey, don't forget about our food the next time its your turn to drop it off for us. If you forget, we're not feeding you anymore."

Altheya laughed. "Alright pa, okay, okay, I won't forget next time!"

Alberto smiled. "You better not, nak."

Aurora butted in, "And say hi to Dora, Luke and Ashton for us! Tell Dora to give me back that dress she borrowed!"

Altheya laughed again. "Alright. Alright! Yes I'll tell her as soon as I get off the phone!"
"Bye ma, bye ma, ingat ka din, okay? And ma. don't let pa eat too much sweets! He's getting big!"

Aurora's lips curved up into a smile as she hugged her husband from behind.
"Your father is stubborn."

Alberto frowned. "Am not! You lie!" Aurora swatted his arm away as he tried to grab her, but she was too fast for him.

"You need the exercise, your daughter says your getting taba."

Aurora explained. And in the midst of all the bickering between her parents, the Facetime call ended abruptly, once again leaving Altheya alone with her thoughts.

Altheya shook her head as she thought about her parents antics and she hoped to one day find the love that they had.

Sure Altheya was happy with Luke but she knew in her heart that something, no someone was missing.