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illbearound · 2 days ago

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MOST WANTED MAN

Hiiii!! Here’s the second chapter for you!! 🤍 — a little glimpse of the past. Their first meeting.

I hope you enjoy it !! Once again, thank you so much for the kind words and love I’ve been receiving 🥹🧡

Chapter Two - The Gallery

BEFORE

Paris , September 2023

Anna slips quietly into the warm glow of the gallery, the light fabric of her dark-blue dress brushing softly against her skin. The space hums with low conversations, the occasional clink of glass, and the faint scent of dry champagne mingled with polished wood. Paintings hang with deliberate spacing, as if each needed its own quiet to breathe. The lighting is moody, minimal. Everyone here knows how to stand just far enough apart to seem interesting.

She lingers near the entrance a moment too long, eyes searching for a familiar face. Faces blur together, linen jackets, softly laughing voices, the glimmer of delicate jewelry catching the light. This isn't her world. She's here as moral support �� colleagues of Julie's, friends-of-friends thing. Anna has the feeling that this evening is goint to feel like a delicate performance she didn't have time to rehearse.

Julie spots her quickly, halfway through a conversation with a girl Anna vaguely recognizes. Without breaking her smile, Julie waves her over. Anna moves toward her cautiously, a shy smile on her lips.

"Sorry." Anna says, slipping into the circle "My date with Margaux ran longer than expected."

She'd spent most of the afternoon in the university library, surrounded by stacks of books and essays for her thesis research that already felt too vast, too demanding. The weight of it settled on her shoulders, a quiet pressure she couldn't shake. Later, she met Margaux for coffee, a classmate she hadn't seen all summer, Their conversation slipped easily back into place, as if no time had passed at all. It was grounding, a small thread of familiarity in a week that felt crowded with new expectations and unsettled rhythms. The semester was just beginning again, and these small reunions carried something both comforting and strange. Old connections reframed by what was to come.

"It's fine. You're never late for these kind of things." Julie replies, pulling her into a quick hug and kissing her cheek. "I'm just glad you made it. You look beautiful, by the way," she adds , in that effortless way Julie always did.

Anna stays for a few minutes in their circle, standing politely in the orbit of Julie's charisma. The conversation twists around gallery gossip, an artist's mysterious "emotional collapse" and art exhibions she never heard before. Nonetheless, Anna nods, smiles when appropriate, listening to names she half-recognizes and stories she can't quite follow.

When the conversation drifts to someone's internship in Berlin, she touches Julie's arm lightly "I'm gonna do a loop, check out the actual art."

Julie nods mid-laugh "Go, go. I'll rescue you in twenty."

Anna gives a soft smile and slips away, not rushed, just gentle. The kind of exit no one would really question.

She moves slowly through the room, letting the din of voices blur behind her. The exhibit is beautiful, in a cold sort of way. Sparse paintings and sculpture pieces spaced intentionally around the room, each demanding quiet admiration. It's not that Anna doesn't care for art, she does, but tonight, the swirl of unknown faces and the weight of trying to seem interesting makes her feel like a misplaced comma.

A man in a suit kindly offers her a drink as he passes, asking what she'd prefer: water or champagne. She chooses sparkling water. She hates champagne.

She pauses by a painting near the far window. Swirls of blue and bone-white, like someone trying to paint grief with a soft brush. She doesn't understand much, but once Julie told her, "It's not about understanding . It's about how it makes you feel."

So she tries. She lets the quiet in. For the first time this evening, her shoulders relax.

It's only then, in that stillness, that someone bumps into her. Not hard, just a gentle bump against her shoulder.

"Ah, pardon!" His voice is soft, sincere, not rushed. "Je suis désolé."

Anna turns, ready to smile politely, a quiet way of saying it's okay, but her brain hesitates. She recognizes him. Not from any intimate knowledge, but because some faces, especially his, carry weight beyond headlines. You don't have to follow football to know his face. But in person, he looks softer somehow, less like a headline, more like a boy who just walked into the wrong conversation and is trying to be polite about it. It takes a second for her brain to register him outside of context.

He looks at her like he thinks he might know her. She knows that's impossible. Her hand tightens slightly around the stem of her glass.

He scans her again, the recognition failing to land. Then a faint smile curls his lips. "Good hiding spot," he says quietly, nodding around the room. "You get a view and silence."

It sounds more like an observation.

Anna lets out a breath, a quiet laugh escaping her "Exactly what I was going for."

"Too many people pretending to love art they don't understand?" he offers, a teasing lilt in his voice.

She tilts her head, amused "You're assuming I'm not one of them?"

"No–" he shakes his head quickly, still a bit nervous, a small smile tugging at his mouth. "No, that's not what I–" He stops, hands lifted in surrender.

Her smile softens. "It's okay. You're not wrong. I came with a friend. I don't speak fluent art-world, so I figured I'd admire from a safe distance." She hesitates, then adds, "Also heard there'd be free canapés. That sealed the deal."

He laughs, genuine and warm. "That's the only reason I go to things like this."

He leans slightly against the wall, keeping respectful distance. There's an ease about him now, like the kind of person who doesn't need to pretend.

Her gaze flicks up, smiling at him, "And you?" she asks, almost without thinking.

"Work, socializing." he says. "I don't really understand art, to be honest." he admits. "Don't know what half of it's supposed to be. The ones with the squares confuse me."

Anna smirks. "They're... conceptual."

"I think my five-year-old niece made one of these once. With glitter glue."

"Don't say that too loud. You might offend the entire gallery." She stifles a laugh.

He leans in slightly. "I think I already did. I almost accidentally knocked over one sculpture earlier. Caught it just in time."

She laughs, a real one, not the kind she gives out of politeness. They stand quietly, the noise of the party falling away. He watches her with an easy attentiveness that surprises her.

He hesitates for a second, then a shy smile tugs at his lips. "Water at a party? That's rare." Eyes twinkling. "Scared of hangovers? Or the designated driver?"

She shrugs, feeling a blush rise. "Neither, I'm just not a big fan of champagne.." Then, almost shyly, she admits, "And I don't actually drive. Too scared I'd hit something or someone. I think I'm just built for walking."

To her surprise, he nods knowingly. "I don't drive either. But I have a driver." he explains "Life of luxury, you know?"

Anna laughs, the sound light and genuine. "Lucky! I've got to stick with metro stations and Ubers. But, it's not that bad."

He nods. Doesn't press. Just stays in the space beside her like it means something.

The buzz of the party fading into the background. He looks at her for a moment. A flicker of something thoughtful passes across his face, but it fades into a smile. There's something easy about him. Something quiet beneath the surface.

"So what do you do, if not hiding at parties and catching Ubers?"

Anna shrugs lightly, the words coming easier now "Studying. Staying at home. Observing, occasionally. I'm a little boring."

He shakes his head "You seem pretty interesting to me so far. "

Her cheeks warm. She looks away.

Minutes slip by unnoticed, quietly folding into each other. The kind of time that feels stretched and delicate, like it might dissolve if you looked at it too closely. Anna's aware of the shift, how quickly her nerves have softened into something easier, something calm.

They stand together a little longer, and she's struck by the quietness of it all. How effortless it feels. No performance. No angles. Just a low, winding conversation in a room curated for appearances.

She doesn't know how long they've been talking — twenty minutes, maybe more — but it's long enough to notice and too long to be accidental. The kind of time that slips when something feels unexpectedly good. She doesn't try to name it. It's just this: the strange comfort of talking to a stranger. No pressure, no backstory, no expectation.

Just the magic of strangers. One night. One moment.

Across the room, Anna notices a blur of motion. Julie, with a glass of wine in one hand and a knowing smile playing on her lips. She's standing with two other girls, one of them clearly telling some over-animated story, but Julie's attention has found Anna. Her eyebrows arch. Her eyes dart to the man beside her, then back to Anna. And then: the smirk.

Anna knows that look. She's been spotted. Not just standing alone, but worse — smiling. Giggling, even. She instinctively straightens, but the moment is already sealed. Julie lifts an eyebrow from afar, her expression more amused than judgmental.

Julie raises her glass, a subtle cheers from afar, and gives a wink so quick it could've been imagined. Anna rolls her eyes and fights the little smile, looking away.

Back at the art, Kylian, she thinks, though they haven't exchanged names, stays present, making fun remarks about the weird paintings. He's funny, casually quick-witted, and fully there. Like he's not waiting for someone better to talk to. Like she hasn't just been a polite bump-in. The conversation slipped easily into one of those winding, meandering rhythms.

"I think," he says, examining the abstract piece in front of them, "this painting is either about heartbreak... or a blender explosion."

Anna laughs. "The best art does walk the line."

He turns to her again, clearly pleased with the response.

"Have you ever thought about making anything like that?"

She shakes her head. "God, no. I can barely draw a star without it turning into a spider."

He nods, thinking "Well, I can't even draw those intentionally." He snorts, and she does too.

But then comes the inevitable.

A voice calls out to him, one of the louder ones from the other side of the gallery. Sounds familiar, someone he knows, maybe his friends, teammates or family even. They wave him over, one lifting a brow like they already have a joke lined up. He looks over his shoulder, the spell momentarily broken. Anna instinctively steps back, giving him space without thinking.

"Looks like I've been found. " he says, flashing her a crooked smile.

"Duty calls." she says, playing it cool.

He gives her a brief, apologetic look "Yeah, I should meet them before they come here and embarrass me." He lets out a small laugh. She smiles.

"Yeah..." she gestures loosely, toward nowhere specific. "I should go find my friend too."

But neither of them moves, not at first. There's a strange comfort in the space they've created. Two strangers orbiting gently, neither rushing to close it.

He finally steps back, "It was really nice meeting you." he says. And it sounds like he means it.

"You too." she says, smiling. "Unexpectedly nice."

He smiles, dimples deep in his cheeks. He tilts his head a little, as if about to say more.

"Maybe one day we'll see your star-shaped spiders hanging in one of these." he teases softly.

"Oh gosh." she groans "If we're lucky, that day will never come."

Kylian laughs under his breath. Then he smiles once more before turning away, slipping easily into the crowd with a few friendly slaps on the back and a burst of laughter. He moves through people like he always belongs, but as he drifts away.

Julie finds her a few minutes later, looping an arm through hers, her voice low and curious. "So... who's your friend?"

Anna gives her a knowing look "I don't know what you're talking about."

Julie snorts. "You were giggling like I've never seen you giggle before."

"You're reaching. I was being friendly." Anna says, sipping her water to hide her grin.

"You were being charmed. There's a difference."

"He was just being polite."

Anna glances over her glass, pretending not to look for him again, but her eyes find him anyway. He's still deep in conversation, laughing with his friends, but she catches the way he scans the room again. His gaze skims past the paintings, the guests and finds her. He smiles, subtle and slow. Anna smiles too. Small. Barely there. The kind that doesn't ask for attention, just acknowledgment.

Her phone buzzes in her bag. She glances down, a calendar reminder. Early meeting with her dissertation tutor tomorrow morning.

She sighs, "I need to go." she tells Julie softly. "Got an early meeting." then says "See you at home?"

Julie nods, clearly holding back another round of teasing, but not for long. "Not saying goodbye to your friend?"

Anna rolls her eyes. And then smiles, just a little. She hesitates. Her gaze flicks back toward the corner where he stands. Surrounded. Engaged. A little out of reach. Should she? It feels like too much to walk across the room just for goodbye.

So she doesn't.

Instead, she waits for the right moment. And when he turns his head again, she lifts a hand in a soft wave from across the gallery. His smile changes, still warm, but tinged with something like disappointment. Like he hadn't quite wanted the night to end. He raises his hand too. No words. Just a shared, quiet exit.

Anna slips on her coat at the entrance again, heart still beating somewhere behind her ribs like it isn't sure how to behave. The city air outside is sharp, a touch too cool for the first days September but her face is still flushed from something warmer.

As she steps into the night, she thinks about her evening and then him. She doesn't know if she'll ever see him again. It was just a nice moment with a charming stranger.

Deep down, she hopes to.

———

tags: @nowrosesaredead

#kylian fanfic #kylian mbappe #kylian mbappe x reader #kylianmbappe story #kylian lottin mbappé #kylian mbappe imagine #mbappe #MWM

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