CANVAS OF US ? Marius de Saeger

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The next morning, Amora woke up to her phone buzzing incessantly. Groaning, she grabbed it off the coffee table and squinted at the screen. Her notifications were blowing up-mentions on Instagram, tagged photos on Twitter, and even a few texts from her friends back in America.

One photo, in particular, caught her eye. It was a blurry candid of her, Lou, and Marius walking through the streets of Brussels. The caption read:

"Is it just me, or is Amora Morgan wearing Marius de Saeger's sweater?!"

Her heart sank as she scrolled through the comments. Most were harmless, filled with excitement from fans, but a few were speculative and invasive.

She sat up, her fingers hovering over her phone. Marius and Lou were still asleep, the dorm unusually quiet. For a moment, she debated waking Marius to tell him, but she didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

Instead, she sent a quick text to her manager back in the States, letting them know what was happening, just in case the story gained traction.

-

When Marius emerged from his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Amora was already seated at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and staring at her phone.

"You're up early," he said, grabbing a mug for himself.

"Couldn't sleep," she replied, her voice tight.

He noticed her furrowed brow and sat across from her. "What's wrong?"

Amora hesitated, then turned her phone around to show him the post. His expression darkened slightly as he read it, but he didn't look surprised.

"It was bound to happen," he said calmly. "People notice things."

"I just... I'm not used to this kind of attention here," she admitted. "Back in America, sure. But I came to Brussels to focus on work, not to be the center of rumors."

Marius leaned back in his chair, studying her. "Do you want me to say something? We can clear it up if you want."

"No," Amora said quickly. "I don't want to make it a bigger deal than it already is. It's just a sweater."

"Exactly," he said, his lips quirking into a small smile. "It's just a sweater. Let them talk."

His nonchalant attitude eased some of her anxiety, but the tension lingered.

-

Lou joined them not long after, his usual loud energy filling the room. He grabbed a croissant from the counter and flopped onto a chair.

"So, are we going to talk about how you two are trending?" he asked, grinning as he held up his own phone.

Amora groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Not you too."

Lou laughed. "Relax, Amora. This is nothing. If anything, it's free publicity for our project."

"Leave her alone," Marius said, though there was no real heat in his tone.

"Fine, fine," Lou said, waving his hand dismissively. Then he added with a wink, "But for the record, I think it's cute."

Amora threw a napkin at him, and the moment shifted into something lighter.