There was something about the morning after that always
made the previous nightโs events seem surreal.
Less than twelve hours ago, Iโd been curled up beneath a table in my living room, convinced I was living my last moments on earth.
Now, I was drinking my daily wheatgrass smoothie and eating toast in the kitchen like it was a normal day.
If it hadnโt been for Kageโs presence, I wouldโve thought last night had been a dream. Or rather, a nightmare.
โAre you sure you donโt want any food?โ A pang of guilt hit my chest when I noticed the purple smudges shadowing his eyes. He mustโve stayed awake all night, and he hadnโt known he would get called to an overnight shift. When was the last time heโd slept?
โYeah, I gotta leave soon, anyway. Christian gave me the all-clear when I told him you were up.โ Kage eyed me with a frown. โYou gonna be alright?โ
โYep. Iโll be fine.โ I injected extra pep into my voice. If I
actedย like everything was okay, itโd be okay.
Besides, in the glaring light of day, my panic last night seemed disproportionate to the situation.
It was just a note.
I lived in a highly secure building, I was surrounded by people when I went out, and Christian was going to run
forensic analysis on the letter. He was the best at what he did; heโd find the culprit in no time. I was sure of it.
Kage didnโt seem fully convinced by my response, but he didnโt argue.
After he left, I went through the motions of my morning routine as best as I could. Forty-five minutes of yoga, followed by fifteen minutes of meditation, journaling, and many hours of agonizing over what to say to Christian, if I said anything at all.
I should thank him for what he did last night, but every time I pulled out my phone, self-doubt paralyzed me.
Iย thought him staying with me and asking Kage to look after me was a big deal, but what if he didnโt? Heโd worked in security for years. His clients included billionaires and royalty, for Peteโs sake. Whatโd happened to me probably wasnโt even a blip on his radar.
Plus, he hadnโt reached out all day. No texts or calls, not that I shouldโve expected anything else. Obviously, Christian had more important things to do than babysit me. He ran a multimillion-dollar company, and we werenโt even really dating. Heโd already gone above and beyond by asking Kage to stay with me overnight.
I didnโt want to embarrass myself by making last night a bigger deal than it was, so I kept my mouth shut and busied myself preparing for an influencer event with an up-and- coming fashion designer that afternoon.
Iโd been tempted to skip the event, but I needed something to take my mind off the note and its implications.
You were supposed to wait for me, Stella. You didnโt.
A shiver rolled down my spine as I locked my apartment door behind me. I hadnโt drunk coffee in years, but I was so jumpy I might as well have downed five shots of espresso.
Itโs fine. Youโll be in public. Everything will be just fine.
 |
The event turned out to be more fun than Iโd expected. It
was an early look at the designer Lilah Amiriโs new collection, and the clothes wereย incredible.ย The perfect mix of elegance and s*xiness. Lilah herself seemed genuinely friendly, which was rare in the fashion world. Weโd even exchanged contact information so we could meet up for coffee sometime.
After she excused herself to talk to her publicist, I stopped in front of a stunning, semi-sheer black gown that shimmered with subtle golden threads. The skirt draped to the floor in a lavish sweep, and the way it shone beneath the lights made it look like it was woven from the stars themselves.
The gown was a study in quality, both from the design and craftsmanship perspectives.
My mind drifted toward the stack of unfinished fashion sketches buried in the back of my drawer. Guilt pierced my gut as I tried to remember the last time Iโd sketched.
Was it two, maybe three years ago?
Iโd always wanted to start my own fashion brand. That was one of the reasons I started blogging and took the job atย D.C. Style.ย Iโd wanted to establish a name in the industry and make the right connections first.
But somewhere along the way, Iโd gotten so caught up in the daily โemergenciesโ, brand partnerships, and follower counts that Iโd lost sight of my end goal.
My guilt thickened.
I told myself I didnโt have the money to start my own brand anyway, but the truth was, I hadnโt really tried to make something work.
Buzzing from my phone pulled me out of my thoughts.
Natalia.
Dread snuffed out every other emotion faster than a candle in a rainstorm.
I shouldnโt feel that way about calls from my sister, but they were almost as stressful as the calls I used to receive from Meredith.
I eased a deep breath into my lungs.
Cool, calm, collected.
โHi, Nat.โ I dipped my head and walked to a quiet corner near the exit.
โHi. Thereโs been a change in dinner plans,โ Natalia said, crisp and no-nonsense as usual. โDad has to leave for a last-minute work trip tomorrow, so dinnerโs been moved to tonight. Can you be there at seven?โ
My heartbeat wavered. โTonight?โ I checked the clock.
It was just shy of five. โNat, thatโs in two hours! Iโm at an event right now.โ
It was ending soon, and it wouldnโt take me long to reach my parentsโ house in suburban Virginia, but I wasnโt ready.
I thought I had a week left to mentally prepare for our monthly family dinner.
Sweat misted my skin at the thought of walking into an Alonso dinner unprepared.
โWhile Iโm sure your influencer commitments are life and deathโโsarcasm weighted Nataliaโs wordsโโweโreย allย busy. Dad is literally going to negotiate a peace deal. Can you make it tonight, or should I tell them youโre busy?โ
Should I tell them youโre disappointing them once again?
Natalia and I werenโt close, but I could still read the subtext behind her words.
โNo.โ I gripped my phone so tightly I heard a small crack. โIโll be there.โ
โGood. They also want you to bring your boyfriend.โ My stomach flipped. โWhat?โ
โYour boyfriend,โ Natalia said slowly. โThe one youโve been posting pictures of on Instagram? Mom and Dad want to meet him.โ
Over my dead body.
There was no way in hell Iโd bring Christian to something as intimate as a family dinner. That would blur the lines of our arrangement too much.
โHe canโt make it. He has an important business dinner tonight.โ
I was becoming alarmingly good at lying.
First to my followers, and now to my family.
The drink Iโd downed earlier sloshed in my stomach, making me lightheaded.
โFine,โ Natalia said flatly. โJust you, then. Donโt be late.โ She hung up.
โIt was lovely chatting to you too,โ I muttered.
I tucked my phone into my purse and whisked another cocktail off a passing serverโs tray.
I was still a bit queasy, but if I was going to face my family tonight, I needed all the liquid courage I could get.
|
As expected, my parents werenโt thrilled when I showed up
without Christian. They were used to getting their way, and when they didnโt, it wasnโt pleasant for anyone involved.
โItโs a shame your boyfriend couldnโt make it.โ Mom spooned a delicate heap of creamed corn onto her plate. โI expected him to make more of an effort to meet us.ย Especiallyย considering we didnโt know he existed until Natalia told us.โ Disapproval frosted her words.
Neither of my parents were active on social media, so it didnโt surprise me they relied on Natalia to report my comings and goings.
I took a gulp of water, but it did nothing to ease my parched throat or racing nerves. โHe couldnโt cancel his dinner, and I didn’t want to say anything about our relationship until it was serious.โ
โIsย it serious?โ My father raised his eyebrows.
Standing at a muscled six foot three, Jarvis Alonso was intimidating both in stature and presence. Heโd played football at Yale, graduated top of his class, and held various positions in the private and public sectors before ascending to his current role as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State.
Meanwhile, my mom was one of the top environmental lawyers in the city and a notorious shark in the courtroom.
Together, they ran the household like they ran their officesโwith iron fists.
โI mean, weโre not getting married anytime soon,โ I said lightly, evading the question.
โYou called himย my loveย in your caption.โ Natalia smoothed a manicured hand over her hair. โThat sounds serious to me. How long have you been dating again?โ
I glared at her, and she blinked back with innocence.
โThree months.โ Christian and I agreed that was a decent time frame for our โrelationship.โ It was long enough for people to think we were serious but short enough that it wouldnโt raise too many questions about why we hadnโt told anyone we were dating until a week ago.
โHeโs coming to our next dinner.โ My mom slipped into her lawyer voice. It was a voice no one disobeyed, including my father. โOne month should be adequate notice for him to clear his schedule.โ
I kept my tone even. โYes, of course.โ
Absolutely not.
Iโll come up with another excuse closer to the date. For now, it was easier to appease my parents than to argue.
โExcellent. Now that thatโs out of the way, letโs go around the table and share our accomplishments for the
past month.โ My mom straightened. Iโd inherited her height and green eyes but not her passion for a legal career, much to her disappointment. โIโll start. I won the case against Arico Oilโฆโ
I pushed my food around my plate as my parents and sister shared their latest professional triumphs. This was everyoneโs favorite part of dinner except mine. It gave them a chance to brag and gave me a severe case of stomach cramps.
After my dad finished telling us about the multi-country tour heโd organized, it was my sisterโs turn.
โAs you know, I was up for a promotion at work. I had someย strongย competition butโฆโ Natalia looked around the table, her face glowing with excitement. โI got it! I got the promotion! Youโre looking at the World Bankโs newest vice president.โ
She beamed while my parents erupted into congratulatory cheers and my stomach dropped like an anchor to the ocean floor.
โCongrats, Nat.โ I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced a smile. โThatโs amazing.โ
I was happy for her, truly.
But as always, the weight of my inadequacies eroded any joy I mightโve gleaned from my familyโs accomplishments.
My mom was saving the environment, my dad was negotiating world peace, and my sister was on track to become the youngest president in World Bank history.
What was I doing?
Pinning my hopes on a campaign I might not get, pretending to date a man I wasnโt sure I even liked, and lying to over nine hundred thousand people about my relationship status.
While my family was sipping daiquiris on lifeโs luxury cruise liner, I was barely keeping my head above water.
After the hubbub over Nataliaโs promotion died down, all eyes turned to me.
โStella,โ my father prompted. โWhat did you accomplish this month?โ
I got fired because I didnโt check my phone for a few hours on a Saturday night. But on the bright side, I gained ten thousand followers after I posted a picture of me and the man Iโm dating as a publicity stunt.
โWell.โ I cleared my throat and scrambled for something safe to share. โMy blog was featured as one of the topโโ
The ring of my fatherโs phone interrupted me.
โExcuse me.โ He held up one finger. โI have to take this.โ He stood and walked toward the living room. โHello, sir? Yes, this is a good timeโฆโ
I glanced at my mother and Natalia, who were busy discussing how to celebrate Nataliaโs promotion.
I might as well be invisible.
Relief bloomed in my stomach as I stabbed a cherry tomato and brought it to my mouth.
At least I didnโt have to make up some stupid accomplishment to satisfy my parents. For once, their lack of interest in my career was a blessing, not a curse.
I made it all the way to dessert without having to answer a single question when my phone lit with a new text.
Christian: Howโs dinner?
A quick flutter disturbed my chest.
Me: How did you know I was at dinner?
Christian: Itโs dinnertime. Call me psychic.
A small smile curved my mouth.
Smartass.
Me: The food is great. The company could be better.
Me: How was your day?
We texted back and forth for a while about my event and his day at the office (boring, according to him). It was our first conversation since last night and surprisingly normal.
Neither of us brought up the note until dessert was finished.
Christian: I have some updates regarding last
night.
Christian: When will you be home?
I could practically hear the shift in tone over text.
My stomach pinched with nerves as I typed out my reply.
Stella: In the next hour or so.
The trains ran less often this time of night.
Christian: Give me your address and Iโll send a car. Until we ๏ฌnd the person who sent the note, you shouldnโt be taking the metro by yourself this late at night.
A strange warmth glided through my veins.
Normally, I wouldโve turned him down, but Iย didnโtย want to take the metro alone again. The station closest to my familyโs house was always creepily empty after rush hour, and taking an Uber would be too expensive.
I sent him the address as requested.
Christian: The car will be there in twenty minutes. Christian: Iโll see you soon.
Another flutter disrupted my heartbeat.
The simple promise in his last text shouldnโt excite me so muchโฆbut, for reasons unknown to myself, it did.
