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“It was so lovely to meet ya, doll.”
“And you, Peggy. The food’s amazing… I mean, sorry I didn’t get a chance to finish it.”
She pats my shoulder, lowering herself to my eye level. “He’s a complicated boy. Just give him his space.”
I smile politely, thanking her again, and then make my way outside.
On the fast ride home, I think about Peggy’s comment in an effort to stomach my food. Driving what feels like a hundred miles per hour with a belly half-full of burger and fries makes it difficult to concentrate.
Wesley may be a complicated man, but I don’t think I’m crowding him. He keeps pursuing me. Wesley is nothing like Liam. They’re polar opposites. Liam is so predictable. He’s like a safety blanket you carry around. If you need him, he’s there. He never makes you feel unwanted or carry any sort of complication with him.
We arrive at my apartment, Wesley making no effort to move off the bike. The frustration comes over me, gripping his shoulders for support to get myself down from the bike. I take off the helmet and shove it into his body. He removes his, though not making eye contact. “See ya.” It’s all he says before placing his helmet back on and not giving me a chance to voice my frustration at him. He twists the handlebar, roaring the engine before screeching off and leaving me alone on the street.
He’s every bit the complicated man that Peggy said.
And I need answers.
Chapter Eleven
It’s time to get answers.
I stare at the computer, fighting back the excessive blinking from the strain of the flickering screen.
My vision is blurred, a rainbow of colors and shapes that make no sense at all. The palm of my hand is covered in sweat, nervously twitching on top of the mouse. My chest tightens, my heart beating erratically like a crazed lunatic trapped inside an asylum.
The clock on the wall is loud. Every sound in the room is amplified.
Or perhaps, I’ve officially gone insane.
The tips of my fingers move of their own accord, typing so slowly that each key echoes inside our barely furnished apartment.
His name sits within the search engine. All I need to do is hit search. Simple, right? There will be no turning back. No erasing of information that will find a home inside my reactive brain and remain there forever because it has this stupid way of retaining information I don’t need.
Like the time I accidentally read a love letter from my dad to Mama. It started like a romance novel then quickly progressed to X-rated porn. And the time I walked in on my brother helping himself to a copy of Hustler perched on his bedside table. Information I retain, yet am desperate to erase.
Click.
My eyes wander hastily across the screen. Millions of findings and an overload of information that seems too much to handle.
Where do I start?
How and why is there so much information on one human being?
The second finding from the top is a popular website. I figure it will be the most trustworthy resource, and within seconds, his profile appears.
There’s a picture of him in the top right corner, dazzling smile with hair styled like a movie star, dressed in a black tuxedo and matching bowtie. He looks nothing like the man I know. Facial hair non-existent and skin that appears flawless. There’s no dark circles around his eyes and more notably, the scar that scrapes the bottom of his jawline can’t be seen.
Okay, breathe. Just read the bits you want to read and forget the rest.
Wesley Wade Richland, born September 3, 1987, known professionally as Wesley Rich, is an American actor. Rich became famous on reality television as one of the leading stars in Generation Next.
He most recently starred in the controversial movie Riding the High playing a troubled man, Dexter Dickson, who was born to an addict mother and shows how it impacted his life. Critics praised Rich on his ability to portray such a disturbed character, and many believed that the fictional story was not so far from the truth.
In 2013, Rich was scouted to appear on an upcoming reality show that followed the lives of young adults and their generation. It was during the first season that viewers watched Rich fall in love with co-star, Emerson Chase. Their relationship became a media frenzy with Forbes dubbing them the next power couple. It was estimated that their combined fortune was over $80 million after negotiations for a third season leaked, and the two stars were reportedly earning $1 million per episode.
At the beginning of Season 3, Rich proposed to Chase in Paris and soon after, the cracks appeared in each episode. Rich had been caught in a drug scandal which prompted his breakup with Chase. Fans took to social media blaming him for his addiction and infidelity that led to the split. Rich admitted on a reunion show that he struggled being in the limelight and spent time in rehab after the season aired.
Rich’s personal life made headlines again, including reports of alcohol abuse and allegations of domestic violence against former co-star, Farrah Beaumont, which resulted in her miscarrying a baby. He was arrested for a DUI in Miami on New Year’s Day—the accident he was involved in caused an elderly man to be in critical condition. Rich was sentenced to jail for twelve months, but the judge released him on probation after two months.
