More Than Meets the Eye

Chapter Sixteen

Auston's Point of View

The event was going smoothly. I gave my interviews, spoke to people, and had hundreds of pictures taken. Addison looked incredible in her dress; as she often did. I took more time to admire her now more than before, when our relationship first started.

I had to give a few interviews so she was off with the girls, chatting. I loved how she fit right into my world. I loved how I didn't have someone clingy, hanging off my arm, hanging off my every word. She was different. Things were different with her. It sounded cliche but it was true.

Finally after what felt like ages I went to find her, and of course she was busy chatting with Aubrey and Liv.

"Hey" I walk up to her and wrap my arm around her. I take my hand and tilt her chin up so our lips meet for a small kiss. "Enjoying yourself?"

"It's going well" she smiles, but I can tell there's something that feels off. I don't push it though; it could be just my imagination. "How about you? How were all the interviews?" She asks, and I can tell she genuinely cares.

"They went really well, actually.." I trail off, and she diverts her attention solely on me. "You'll never guess who showed up- Ethan!" I exclaim, remembering who I saw earlier. Ethan was the little boy I was a mentor for; he was ecstatic to be here, the smile on his face couldn't be bigger.

"Oh, Ethan!" She smiles fondly. "I'm so glad he was able to come" she adds. "I know he wanted too really badly"

We continue to chat for awhile before I happen to casually look over and notice the one person I didn't want to see today. I see Addie look over in the direction too, but am relieved to see she's simply looking at Liv.

"We should go say hi" I say, gesturing towards them. I really wanted to know why Jessica was with Freddie. I really wanted to know why she was touching him, and getting close. Was she flirting with him? Was he flirting back? My mind began to race, and I felt hot anger surge through me.

"Yeah, sure." Addie shrugs, looking at me with sparkling eyes. I knew I had to tell her eventually; but tonight was not the night, and this way was not the way I had envisioned.

"Who was that?" I ask, trying to play it off like genuine curiosity. I know everyone else believes me, but Freddie doesn't; not much gets by him, and I'm not talking about pucks

"Jessica" Liv pipes up, obviously the most excited of all of us. "They really hit it off" she then tells me, and internally I'm losing my mind. She was here trying to get with Freddie? Or did he ask her here to get with her?

"Uh- yeah" Freddie says, and I wonder how the fuck to get out of this. "But hey, can I talk to you for a sec, dude?" He asks me. "Brett wanted to see us both next time we had the chance" He lies and I nod, both knowing exactly why He wants to talk to me.

It doesn't take long before we're on the balcony of the hotel the event was at, before I lay into him, trying to be as low key as possible.

"Dude, what the fuck are you doing!?" I seethe, trying to keep my voice calm. It doesn't work, however; I'm fuming.

"Trying to get you out of a situation you put yourself in" he snaps right back, equally as pissed. He's much better at keeping his composure than I, and I find myself envious.

"Why the hell would you invite her?" I ask him. "Are you out of your damn mind!?"

"I didn't" he tells me with a glare. "I don't know why the hell shes here. I was talking to Addie, she goes to talk to the girls, next thing I know Addie is introducing Jessica to me before Jessica makes an excuse to get her gone" he adds, exasperated.

"Wait- she talked to Addie?" I ask, my eyes going wide. Oh my god. What if she told her?

"Yes, but not for long. Addie didn't look like she knew anything when she came over" he calms my nerves, but only ever so slightly.

"So, why was she here?" I ask, now feeling a little more at ease.

"To try and get with me as a way to get to you and Addie" his words infuriate me. She was purposely trying to cause a scene? "What the hell did you tell her?" He then asks, beginning to pace the balcony. He tilts his head inside to make sure nobody was watching or listening, before looking at me to continue.

"Nothing! I told her nothing" I reply. "Well, I mean I told her we shouldn't sleep together anymore-"

"That classifies as something!" His eyes go wide, but only slightly. "She clearly has a thing for you beyond your whole sexcapades"

"Did you just say sexcapades?" I ask, not being able to let that one slide. I snicker at the word, and I can tell he's having a hard time trying to keep a straight face. "Regardless, she took it well. She knew what it was"

"It honestly didn't seem like it" he informs me, and I wonder what she possibly could have told him. "But I shut her down... for now" he puts emphasis on the 'for now', like he's warning me.

"I know I'm going to have to tell her" I tell him, and now I'm pacing back and forth. "But I'm scared"

"I know it's a tough thing, but Addie knows-,"

"I think I may, you know, actually have feelings for her" I interrupt him mid sentence. He looks surprised; but only for a moment. Like I said, he was way better at keeping his composure than I.

"What?" My words clearly catch him off guard.

"She really is special, dude. We're getting closer, and the more I get to know her the more I, you know, start to like her" I tell him what I had been feeling for weeks.

It was true; at first this was nothing more than a business arrangement. She did very well upholding her end of the bargain, despite my "sexcapades" as Freddie so delicately put it. She got along amazing with my family, she was so giving, funny in her own quirky way, and she looked after me in a way nobody else ever had. She did so many things above and beyond what was asked I couldn't help but wonder; was the feeling mutual?

"I- I don't know what to say..." he trails off, clearly searching for a way to offer me some advice. "But Jessica was very clear; she's not going to give up easy" his words make me feel sick to my stomach.

"I know she's not" I mumble, regretting keeping our sex from going on as long as it had. It had happened so innocently, too. She was at the bar after a win, I was at the bar after a win, we shared a cab ride home since we lived in the same direction, and she wound up just coming to my place. Freddie was already asleep by the time we got home, and she was gone before he even knew she was in the condo. I hadn't intended on it lasting more than that; I told her I had a girlfriend, but she said she didn't care; we all had needs, right? Clearly, I was so sorely mistaken.

"Look, I'm sorry I dragged you into this" I tell Freddie after a moments thought. "I have you keeping my affair a secret from Addison, and now Jessica is on you trying to make us all look like fools"

"Mostly you" he quips, and it manages to put a smile on my face.

"Yeah. I guess it is only me" I chuckle, before becoming more serious once more. "Anyway, thanks, though. I know you and Addie are friends so it must be hard keeping this from her" I apologize; I wasn't a good friend to him, or a good 'boyfriend' to Addie. Real or fake, I owed it to her to tell her the truth from the moment it happened. Now, I found myself in a situation that I wasn't sure I'd figure out how to get out of.