#litg Yasmín

[whatisreggieshortfor]

Pride Plans

Winnie was just trying to hook her brother up.

She didn’t expect to crush on his best mate.

Talia x MC, Rohan x Jake

Talia was just trying to find her best mate. It shouldn’t have been hard. Even in a crowd as big as this waiting for the parade to start, it shouldn’t have been hard. How do you miss a man that’s over six foot tall and built like a Greek God??

Her gaze became glued on another figure, not who she was looking for, but who complains they didn’t find the Greek God when they stumble upon the Goddess? Talia was used to people being stunned by her beauty- she wasn’t narcissistic about it, but she did know she looked good. But right now, she felt like she was stunned, stuck in place as she took in the way this woman looked.

The stranger wasn’t moving with an exacting confidence she would expect, more like a self consciousness she was trying to hide by pretending. Her denim shorts showed her tanned legs, and her crop top nearly made Talia’s mouth water- the yellow and pink and blue of it telling her that maybe the stranger was looking for someone like her. The words scrawled across it made her laugh, ‘My brother told that girl bi bi bi’. Her chestnut hair tumbled in a loose braid over her shoulder, her chocolate eyes taking in everything they could as she kept pointing out things to the man beside her-

The man.

The man Talia had been looking for.

And he was walking next to Talia’s new goddess.

When Jake caught sight of her, still poised on top of a float for the parade the riders had been gracious enough to let her search from, he raced over, hoisting her off and into his arms for a cuddle, “Tals! I almost thought I’d never find you.”

“Y-yeah,” she shook her head, trying to clear out the daze, “We should’ve coordinated better, actually planned on a spot more specific than the start of the route.”

He chuckled, releasing her from his grasp, “Guess neither of us took into account how many people would be here.” Talia’s gaze was sucked back over to the woman from before, standing just behind her best mate with an amused look in her dark eyes- eyes that looked disarmingly familiar this close. Jake turned, gesturing to her, “Talia, please meet my sister, Winslow.”

Talia’s eyes bugged out, making the woman in question giggle, “Call me Winnie. Jakey likes to be a scrub and use my full name.”

Jake rolled his eyes with a grin, “Whatever you say, Win. This is Talia, my-“

“Your ex you stayed friends with after a failed first date, I remember,” she waved him waved with a cheeky smile, “Seriously though, Jake? You let that go?”

Talia snorted, entirely catching the way Winnie seemed to be checking her out, “It wasn’t him,” she offered with a smirk, “It was the poetry.”

“Oh, I see.” Winnie nodded seriously, like that explained everything.

Jake held up his hands, “And you wonder why I didn’t introduce you sooner. Can you let a man breathe?”

Winnie rolled her eyes before offering him a mischievous smile, “I actually have someone meeting us, too. Should be here any minute.”

“Who?”

“My best mate.”

Jake was a very tanned man, but Talia watched some of that color seep away, “Oh, please tell me you didn’t-“

“Winnie!” A cheerful voice called out, turning she saw a darker skinned man jostling through the crowd with a grin on his face, “There’s my beauty!”

“Rohan-“ Winnie sighed, but he cut her off.

“Oh, sorry, I was talking about Jake.” The man winked, watching the flush erupt in Jake’s face, Talia felt giddy.

“This is Rohan?”

Jake took a deep breath, “Talia, please. Not a word.”

“No words needed,” She smirked, giving the other two a wink. Her attire matched nearly with Jake and Rohan, at least in a color scheme of blue and pink and purple. Rohan had forgone a shirt, body paint smearing the colors across his torso. Talia noticed the way Jake’s eyes kept creeping back over to look at him, no matter how much he tried to stop it.

Falling back a step behind them as they started the walk along the parade route, Talia leaned over to Winnie, “So, Jake clearly fancies the pants off Rohan. What’s the hold up?”

Winnie snorted, waving away the guys’s attention when they turned around, “Glad you noticed. You know that girl Cherry he had been seeing?”

Talia gestured to the scrawl on her shirt with a nod, “He said she was being snakey, wouldn’t go into specifics.”

Winnie pursed her lips, “I liked Cherry at first. Then she started flirting with my ex right under Jake’s nose. Me and the ex were heading to splitsville so bang on, scrubber, and all that- but she had also started seeing Rohan. Rohan had no idea she was seeing Jake. My brother had liked him before meeting Cherry, but because he’s my best mate Jakey didn’t wanna make a move.” She sighed, watching them wistfully, “Jake’s too pure for his own good. He tried to move on with Cherry and it bit him in the arse. I’m hoping to convince them to give it a go.”

“I’m in.” Talia nodded decisively. She had never liked Cherry, knew she was up to no good and constantly blaming it on a naturally flirty personality. “But how do we do it?”

Winnie grinned, “That’s where a few favors come into play.” She send a text from her phone, and Talia watched ahead of them as a large man checked his own cell- only to step back and stumble right into Rohan, sending him tumbling into Jake who instinctively caught him in his big arms.

“Sorry about that fellas!” The big man smiled, “Sometimes I forget how much space I take up.”

The redheaded man next to him offered his own smile, “Come on, Tai, leave the gorgeous couple alone.”

Her brother and best mate both blushed at the statement, glancing at each other and away when their eyes met, but Jake chose to shuffle over to a booth, looking at the pins they had for sale. Winnie smirked, shooting a thumbs up to the couple, “Onto the next attempt.”

The larger man leaned over when they were in earshot, “Win, I love the whole plan here, but what happens if it fails?”

“Ciaran knows.”

The redheaded man in question gave a nervous smile tinged in amusement, “She’s gonna lock them in a closet.”

Tai laughed loudly, shooing the women away to keep following them before Talia could even comment, so she directed it to Winnie, “Wouldn’t that be easier than subtle hints?”

“Maybe,” She confirmed with a devious look in her eye, “But I have hope they aren’t that dense. Besides- you know the funniest thing about the plan?”

Talia quirked a brow, eyeing her curiously, “What?”

Winnie’s eyes sparkled in the sun as she leaned closer, “Jake and Rohan have already met everyone involved. But they literally forget everyone else when they’re together.”

Talia would argue that she absolutely did not cackle while hearing that, but she would be lying.

As the walk dragged on, they ‘stumbled’ upon Arjun and Elijah, who were taking Polaroid shots of couples out together. They posed Jake and Rohan before either could correct them, as planned. And Winnie and Talia, not as planned.

Yasmín appeared with her guitar, singing love ballads as AJ threw glitter and flowers over them.

Youcef and his girlfriend, both dressed like they were about to walk a Pride runway instead of a parade, who fixed matching make up specials in everyone’s respective flag colors.

The plan should’ve been going off without a hitch.

And it was, following her brother and best mate, Winnie almost felt like a third wheel- especially since the boys obviously forgot they came together. Had it not been for Talia she absolutely would have been.

Talia, who dragged her to a face paint booth while Jake distracted Rohan at a food cart.

Talia, who was the exact picture of beauty and grace Winnie had always fawned over, even in heels baking in the London sun.

Talia, who was the embodiment of everything Winnie had ever wanted when she met her exes, humor and intellect firmly making their presence known under her gorgeous looks.

Talia, who watched eagerly whenever Winnie’s friends appeared to help match make their best mates.

Talia, who was her brother’s ex.

Winnie was fighting a losing battle, trying to maintain her focus on her brother’s love life even though the Amazon beauty next to her made it painstakingly difficult.

That was the hitch in the plan.

Winnie hadn’t expected Jake to invite Talia when she asked him to go, though looking back she really should have. Any time Jake had any event or plans and he was allowed to bring someone, he always took Winnie or Talia if he didn’t have an actual date- so it was nearly an unspoken agreement that he’d be bringing her today.

“You know I see what you’ve been up to, yeah?” Winnie snapped out of her head to see Jake nearly looming over her, glancing she could see Talia pointing something out to Rohan at a stall down the path.

“I’d hope you see it,” She muttered petulantly, “I’ve called in a lot of favors to show you that you need to be together.” Jake’s brow furrowed, a question in his eyes, and Winnie indignantly smacked his arms, “Are you daft!? What the bloody hell did you think I was up to?”

Jake rubbed the spit she hit, looking far more sheepish, “Well, your objective was achieved. I kissed him while you were off in your own world.”

She pouted, “Well, what did you think I was doing?”

“I was talking about Talia,” he gestured over to them, holding up bi pride shirts to each other, before looking back and smirking as Winnie’s cheeks filled.

“I have no idea what you mean.” She muttered, looking away and crossing her arms over her chest like she needed to protect herself.

Jake was the last person she’d ever need protection from.

He pursed his lips though, nodding, “Well, on the off chance I’m not wrong-“

“And you are.”

“-you should know that she’s interested, I can tell. I think you’re both nervous to make a move because of me, but consider this my blessing being granted.” He squeezed her shoulder, and looking up she saw the warmth she knew she’d find in his gaze, “Talia and I- we weren’t right for love. But I know her well enough now, and I’ve known you forever. The two of you, I can see that going well.”

“God, you’re such a melt.” Winnie scoffed jokingly, giving him a grateful smile.

Now she just needed to make a move.

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