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“Girl, stop that. You know I love you. Your ass may be dramatic, but not about this. If I could go back and do everything differently, I would.”
My guilt tears me up inside, I wish I could tell her the truth despite how crazy it may sound. My attempt to cheer her up seems to work. She gives a small laugh as her mouth widens into a genuine smile.
“At least you’ll get to see that gorgeous specimen of a man. Spill the tea already sis, I can’t believe my little Liv is finally growing up and not tossing him to the curb,” she drawls dramatically, dabbing imaginary tears from her eyes with a tissue and bursting out in laughter.
“There really isn’t much to say.” I look away, not wanting her to see the mix of emotions thinking of Adrian brings up in me.
“You mean, you didn’t hook up?” Her eyebrows shoot up, her lips parting in surprise. “Did he have a small …” She trails off, allowing me to fill in the blank, as she raises her fingers, slowly inching them together, cringing.
I choke on my sudden laughter, shaking my head as I gasp for air. “No, believe me, that wasn’t the issue.” My thoughts fly back to his long, hard length rubbing against me in the change room. “We were, uh … interrupted,” I stammer awkwardly, still not meeting her eyes.
“Oh my goodness, you poor thing, and on your birthday too.” She cackles, taking pleasure in my pain. I scrunch my nose, giving her a playful glare, which only buffets her laughter even more.
“What if I told you I think I’m starting to catch feelings?” I blurt, quickly covering my face with one hand, heat creeping to my cheeks.
“Oh, you silly girl. Not everyone is going to leave, Liv. You deserve happiness.”
Tears prickle my eyes as I look up at her, hand falling away from my face. She’s saying exactly what I needed to hear, despite the knot of fear sitting in my stomach. I nod, my resolve growing with her words.
“Take it day by day, girl, don’t get into your head too much, and make sure to keep me updated,” she scolds jokingly, swiping away a tear, her brown eyes glistening.
“You suck.” Laughing, I brush away tears that I rarely shed, unable to hold them back, seeing Nelle’s rolling down her own cheeks. She barks a laugh, grabbing the tissue she had previously used as a prop, wiping her now real tears from her face.
“You love me,” she drawls, trying but failing to keep her voice from shaking. I nod, clearing my throat to stop it from coming out too shaky.
“You better love me back.”
She barks a laugh, tears still streaming down her face.
“Obviously.” She rolls her eyes, laughing as she wipes away the rest of the tears. “You better call me every day. I need to hear more about Adrian,” she sings his name in a high tone.
“Girl, I’m gonna be calling you so often, just imagine I’m off traveling. It will feel just like when I would wander off to a new country.”
She gives me a sad smile before nodding. “Love you.”
“Love you more,” I answer, blowing her a kiss before ending the call.
I stare up at my ceiling, feeling more secure now after my chat with Nelle. Although I can’t tell her everything that is happening, I know I can always rely on her support. I will have to ask Adrian tomorrow precisely what information he gave Nelle to avoid slipping up in the future. I hate not telling her the truth, but some protection would make her unable to remember the information anyway if Adrian is correct.
A faint light comes from my phone, accompanied by a soft buzzing sound, bringing me out of my thoughts.
Kali: I’ll meet you at your room at eight if you want to get breakfast before class?
Just reading the word draws a grumble from my stomach. Apparently, having your world turned upside down is a great way to curb your appetite. Someone should inform the diet gurus, I think wryly.
Olivia: Great! See you then! :-)
I type back, smiling to myself before looking at my other messages.
Adrian: Stop thinking about me and go to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow, beautiful.
I shake my head, and grin as I type a quick response.
Olivia: I know I left you hot and bothered but make sure your hand gets a break tonight.
I finish off with a winking emoji. Giving Adrian a taste of his own teasing. His reply pops up instantly, simply a laugh, crying emoji, and blowing kiss emoji. I shake my head, closing the conversation with a goofy smile still plastered to my face.
It falls when I open up my contacts, my finger hovering over my father’s number. Hesitating, I stare at the screen, debating if I should call him, let him know I’m okay, or confront him about his lies. I bite my lip, not even knowing where to start with him. He had to know about this, what I am, what would happen today—his lies about my mother dying. Or had someone used powers to alter his memory too? I shake my head, not wanting to think about it tonight.
I lock the screen, setting it on the bedside table before curling up under the thick down duvet. I allow my thoughts to drift, picturing the scene at the club and what could have happened if my life wasn’t the fucked up circus it currently is.
