“Sorry,” Marley smiles weakly. “I’m used to doing things like this myself.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask for the third time. And I’m not going to take“I’m fine”for an answer this time.
She reaches for her earrings and nods.
“Mhm.”
Okay, she doesn’t say “I’m fine,” but I’m not taking “Mhm” for an answer either. I turn her around to face me. Her back against the bathroom counter.
“What is going on, Marley? What happened?”
“I said I’m fine, Othello.” She tries to walk away, but both my hands are planted on the counter behind her, blocking her in. Her mood is all too familiar. It reminds me of how she was on the first night we were here. When I lied. And when her room wasn’t available.
“I’m not moving until you tell me what’s bothering you. Did I do something wrong?”
This time, Marley looks at me. “No.”
I wait for her to continue, but she falls silent and closes her eyes for a second before muttering, “I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
She takes a deep breath before giving me the details of her meeting with Collette, her run-in with Sabrina, Collette’s disappointment, and her conversation with Lo. When Marley’s done, I finally let up, unblocking her and lowering my head.
“This is a mess,” she wails, throwing her hands up in the air.
“It’s not a mess. We can fix this.”
“How?” she snaps. “I was given the story any journalist would kill to have, and I blew it.” She turns and faces the sink, staring at her reflection. She’s gorgeous, but I know she thinks she sees a failure staring back at her. I step up behind her, our eyes meeting in the mirror.
“Listen. Get the negative thoughts out of your mind, okay? We made a mistake.”
“A big one.”
“We’re human, remember. We can make mistakes.”
She turns to look at me.
“This wasn’t a mistake, Othello. You and I lied. Intentionally. And now this whole thing could be over for me.Modwas depending on this exclusive. It could have changed everything for my team.”
“I understand.”
“They’re going to be so upset with me.”
She turns back to the mirror again, flipping her hair to one side and pinning it down with a seashell hair clip. I lean against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her. Admiring her despite the uneasiness I’m starting to feel.
“I’ve invested days into this. My time. There’s a deadline for this, and now we might not even make it. I’ve been trying to build relationships with people, opening myself up to be close to people, and make a good impression. And it could literally be all for nothing.”
The words shock me like I’ve been doused with cold water.
All for nothing?
Opening myself up.
Wow.
I shake my head in disbelief, trying to push out the narrative being painted in my mind. Opening herself up to people? People like me?
I check the time on my watch.
