40

It's been going a few days now and university starts in the week. Other than that, our break has been a blast so far, and I haven't done much but relax.

The past few days I went to Daniela's house, hanging out with her.

It's going smoothly, and I love it.

I've also spent time with my besties here and there too. Eleanor has gotten close to not only me, but Iris. We've become a trio.

But everything hasn't been perfect. Somehow in the short few days, Adeline is acting strangely. She's been getting annoying with her constant questions such as where I'm going and who I'm with.

Like Daniela mentioned before, Adeline's making her nervous and knows something's up.

How she knows? I don't know.

But I've kept it on the low and made sure I'm extra quiet when sneaking out since she's sleeping here almost everyday.

Though when I get to Daniela's house, it's a whole different story, a good one.

I'm free from my worries and stresses since I'm there with her. I can act like myself without being judged with every little thing I do.

Each day I fall for her even more.

One time when she picked me up, she had roses in her hands prepared for me and immediately gave it to me when I climbed in the passenger seat.

And now, we were finishing our date off by a walk on the beach.

She took me to a very fancy Italian restaurant and I ate so much that I felt pregnant. That was definitely her plan, to make me so fat that I can't walk on my own.

So as I continued complaining while exiting the restaurant, she picked me up bridal style and carried me to her car.

But I testified and said I should walk my full stomach off.

Now we're walking on the beach.

We slowly and calmly walked, our feet in the wet, damp sand as the waves hit our ankles.

Daniela's hand was in mine, swinging them between us. Her other hand held her and my heels.

We stopped and stared out into the sunset.

The sun was disappearing behind the waves, leaving behind a bright orange sky.

Daniela's face was bathed in the warm light, painting her skin in a beautiful shade of gold.

"You have anything poetic to say on this beach too?" I tease her.

She looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to confess here also, huh. Wasn't Santorini romantic enough for you?"

I rolled my eyes mockingly. "Of course it was. It was perfect. But I still think I can get another confession out of you."

She thought about it and then had it.

She turned to me, hesitation in her eyes as I held her gaze.

"I love you."

All breath left me in an instant, my heart swelling.

The way she said those three words, they were filled with so much more than love.

Obsession maybe.

I stare back at her face, taking in her beauty and the sincerity in her words, all I could do was stand there, speechless once again.

This is way more than what she said back on Santorini's beach.

She was more confident, more sure of her feelings.

She didn't look away, her green eyes never leaving mine as she waited for a response.

But she didn't get one.

I was too shocked.

All I could do is give a tiny smile with a lot of emotions hiding beneath it.

Just then, my phone rang.

Daniela sighs as the sound interrupts us and I immediately start digging through my small purse. I pull out my phone to check the caller ID.

Adeline.

Shit.

"Just great." I muttered, and looked at Daniela. "It's Adeline, hold on." I said, then answered the call.

Daniela moved away to give me space to talk, but it was more for her. She stepped away, hands on hips and stare down at the sand.

She ran a hand through her hair, looking uneasy.

I held the phone up to my ear, waiting for Adeline to speak. Meanwhile, I glanced at Daniela nervously. She shifted her weight around.

From the other end, Adeline spoke. "Victoria, come back to the house now. I want to discuss something with you."

I didn't even get chance to respond or process her words before she hung up.

I looked down at my phone.

This can not be good.

Now both Daniela and I were shifting around, uncomfortably, but for different reasons.

I didn't say I love you back.

Can I say it now? Should I? No. I can't. Is it too late? Does she hate me?

Is she going to leave me?

"Daniela, I need to go home," I said, but when I looked at Daniela's face, my heart twisted.

She didn't look happy, she looked sad. Worried.

She sucked in a deep breath, and I could tell she pushed all her emotions down to make sure she doesn't overreact.

She stepped back to me.

"Everything okay?" She ask, with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

Embarrassed that she said the 'L' word.

I bit my lip, unsure of what to say.

"Uh, yeah. Adeline just... wants me back to talk about something I guess."

Daniela looked even more unsure and worried.

"Alright then. Let's go."

The car ride was quiet and tense.

Daniela's hands were gripped around the wheel, her knuckles turning white while I sat in the passenger seat, shifting and bouncing my leg anxiously.

She was clearly upset.

Of course she was.

Her emotions were shut down, and I could tell by the way she was breathing and the glare on her face as she stared at the road.

The silence was deafening and it made me feel horrible.

It was my fault.

Am I like Adeline?

I was walking through the house up to my room, greeting my dad from upstairs and into the living room where he was watching football.

I searched for Adeline, but she was outside in the garage.

She made the empty space in the garage her gym, with a lot of weightlifting gear and machines.

So I took the chance to escape her for a while while she was busy sweating her ass off.

And once I flopped down onto my bed, and stared up at my ceiling, that's when all my thoughts filled my mind.

Guilt filled my veins and I felt like tearing out my hair.

I just stood there like a dumbass!

I should have said it in return.

But now it's too late. I probably hurt her feelings and she hates me. She probably feels stupid for saying it. I'm an idiot.

"Something on your mind, doll?" I looked up to see Adeline.

I didn't even hear her footsteps coming in.

She was leaning against the doorframe, wiping her sweat away with a towel.

She was wearing Nike shorts and a sports bra.

Her slight abs were glistening from the sweat, her hair, in a high ponytail, sticking against her forehead.

At the moment, I understood why my dad went for her.

She's attractive, and she uses her looks to her advantages.

I brushed her question away as I sat up against the headboard, crossing my legs. "So..." I clear my throat, "You wanted to talk?"

She looked at me through her dead, emotionless eyes before stepping fully into my room. She draped the towel over her shoulder and closed the door behind her without breaking eye contact.

A visible gulp went down my throat.

Not intimidating at all...

"Did you have a nice trip to Greece?" She asked lowly and suspiciously, standing at the foot of my bed.

So she finally decides to ask me.

"Very." I simply responded.

It's terrifying to see her like this, and it makes all my senses scream in warning.

"Oh yeah?"

I gulp again. "Yeah."

The way she's looking at me made me feel small.

She nodded, folding her arms over her chest and purposely pushed up her breasts.

"Good. No, that's good." She clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth.

She moved around my bed very slowly and stood closer.

"What did you two do there?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice.

I frowned.

"Uh, we were three." I mumbled.

She probably forgot about Iris. There's no way she forgot about Daniela.

The corner of her mouth twitched.

"I know that." She said her sweet tone disappearing. "You, that crazy girl, and Daniela. But I was implying on you and Daniela... what did you two do?"

Shit.

I played it cool, very self-conscious on my tone and actions. I try my best not to tense up, otherwise she'd know whatever she's doing is working.

"W-Well, we... went on a boat ride through the city and a super fun festival. We also went to a few shops, but either than that... we were busy with the Olympiads."

I mean, I'm not lying. I'm just excluding a few stuff.

Her icy eyes studied me for a moment, reading me.

"I see." She nodded again.

And there was silence.

I puffed up my cheeks awkwardly as she kept staring me down. I look away, not knowing what to do and just let my eyes wander around my room.

"Did Daniela behave herself?"

The question was out of nowhere and caught me off guard.

Stay calm.

"Uh, yeah... yeah she did. Why wouldn't she?"

Another silence filled the air, and it was thick and uncomfortable.

She hummed and looked away, then started pacing around my room.

"I wish you would just tell the truth." She sighed, looking away from me as she walks around, "I know you and Daniela are together."

The blood drained for my face.

"H-Huh?"

She let out a cruel chuckle. "You're so cute."

"You think I'm not onto you? You think I'm dumb? You think I hadn't figured it out the moment you two looked at each other? You two weren't very subtle."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I whispered, growing more uncomfortable each second.

She smirked. "Now there's the lie. Tell me, how long have you two been sneaking around?"

My palms starting sweating, not knowing what to say back. "Get out of my room."

"Oh, feisty. Yeah, sounds 'bout right. Daniela always goes for the bratty ones with a lot of attitude."

Adeline was pacing up and down my room in a straight line with a smug look on her face. She obviously knows, but I need to stick with denial. But she's also trying to do much more than necessary. She's bragging in my face that she found out, like she's going to use it against me. She could report Daniela in to the university and get her fired, but instead she's taunting me about it. She wants me to admit in.

It makes me pissed.

Adeline pisses me off.

I jumped up from my bed, furiously. "Get out of my room!" I repeated, louder this time.

She chuckled darkly and stepped closer. "Ooh, you're mad. Does it suck? To have your little secret exposed?"

She was now standing directly in front of me. Somehow, her scent hit my nostrils, not even the sweat. She isn't even panting anymore, or doesn't look tired. She looks like she just won the lottery. Technically, seeing me this worked up is her lottery. But hell, it's like she's immune to exercise. It explains her muscles and toned, hourglass body.

What can I do now. She knows, and I don't know what to do. She has me exactly where she wants me and probably waiting for the tears to come that I'm trying my best to hold back.

She leans down, so that our faces are level.

"This is how it's going to work. I won't tell your daddy, in one condition." She said, becoming serious again. My eyes burned through hers, wishing I could slap her. "My nephew's moving here from LA. He'll be arriving on Friday, and we'll give him a nice welcoming. I want you to introduce yourself and make him feel at home. You're going on a date with him."

My mouth dropped to the floor.

"You want me to what?" I scoff, folding my arms.

She stepped back and stood up straight, taking a deep breath in. Frustrated that she has to explain more. "You heard me. You'll go on a date with my nephew. His name is Cameron. He's around your age, so it'll be a good match. Who knows, maybe you'll like him and you'll forget about Daniela."

I gritted my teeth together, furious by her words. "I'm not gonna do that." I said firmly.

"Oh but you will." She smirked, "Because if you don't.... I'll be the one to tell your daddy about you and Daniela. Wouldn't that be a shame? If your affair ended?"

My palms started to sweat, heart beating loudly now. This can't be happening right now. She's threatening me.

"It's not an affair!" I yell, "You wouldn't understand because that's all it ever was for you! You broke her into a million pieces, and I'm here to fix that!" I furrow my eyebrows. "We're not sneaking around, and it's not a meaningless little fling! She... She loves me!"

Her face filled my head, and her voice as she said those words again. My bottom lip quivered before I sucked it up and clenched my jaw. My hands formed fists, mad at myself and at Adeline. The air is tense. I'm clenching my jaw, ready to blow up, and if the look on her face is any indication, she's also about to lose her cool. She loves this, knowing that no matter what I'll do, she'll still win.

"Oh, but do you love her?"

Her question stunned me into silence.

I said nothing.

And finally, she got the reaction she wanted. Tears filled my eyes, and I just stood there.

She chuckled lowly, mocking.

"You don't know, do you? You don't even know how you feel. You're young and scared, you don't know what love is. That's why you're so eager to cling onto the first person who gives you attention, because you're scared and insecure. You just miss that feeling your mother gave you, now you try to seek reassurance by the first person that shows interest."

She was using my emotions to manipulate me.

The tears now flowed down my cheek. I bit my bottom lip to stop any sound from escaping. Also stopping a yell from leaving. I wanted to scream, but what if my dad heard from downstairs. I'm lucky enough that he can't hear us talking so loud.

She's right, I am scared.

And most of all... I'm scared to admit that I love Daniela. Because what do I do with these feelings? It's easier to deny them than face it.

A broken person trying to gain love from the wrong person.

My whole body trembled as I couldn't speak.

I just want to curl up into a ball and cry.

Adeline looked at my face, which was now wet with tears. She studied me for what felt like forever, taking in my tear streaks and the way my body shook.

She let out a deep sigh, tilting her head to the side. "If you really love her. Then you'll go on a date with Cameron. You'll do what's best for both of you and leave her for him."

I used all my strength I had left as she walked to the door and slammed it closed.

Finally alone, I broke.

A single, shallow gasp escaped my throat, and it felt like my lungs were collapsing in on themselves. I pressed my hands into my eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay, trying to keep myself together.

I couldn't.

I staggered to the bed, collapsing onto it like my body couldn't hold me up anymore. My face hit the pillow, and the floodgates opened.

My shoulders shook violently as I cried, my fists clutching the blankets beneath me. Tears soaked the pillow, warm and endless, as though they'd been waiting for this moment to break free.

I buried my face deeper into the bed, as if I could disappear into it. The mattress felt too solid, too real, when everything else in my life felt like it was crumbling.

Then, I heard it.

A faint shuffle just outside the door. My breath hitched, and I froze, my chest still heaving as I strained to listen. For a moment, I thought I was imagining it. But then I saw it--a shadow, moving away under the crack of the door.

Adeline.

My stomach twisted. She was there, just outside my room, listening at my cries for help.