Grooving to Life's Beat

Love the way you lie 🚧

🚧Heads up, folks! 🚧

From this chapter forward, we're going full construction mode on the book! Expect some name swaps and plot twists that might make you feel like you've stepped into a parallel universe. So, if you want the whole, shiny story without any confusion, maybe hold off until my renovation's done.

Stay tuned—big reveals ahead!

I plopped myself on the big green sofa in the middle of the Prada boutique with a heavy sigh as my friend Angela was exploring the shelves, seized with an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm. Totally opposite to my current mood!

It's been a weird week, to say the least. That's not much of a surprise, though. After the beach party, my life, again, took a tangled turn, with lots of ups and downs, tensions and disagreements. Even a week later, the memory of that night was still burning through me like wildfire - singing my nerve endings, quickening my breath.

For some reason, I've come to believe, every single time Michel gets closer, everything around me turns into a disaster. After he walked out on me, I've missed the big meeting with Alfred and I've been zoned out, without a phone for twelve hours, and everyone thought I went missing, hell broke loose.

My mom was in hysterics and we argued about it at least thirty times before she would calm down. She ordered me to go home, huffing and puffing, acting like a crazy woman who forgot to take her meds. She even threatened she will tie me to her car and drag me back to Washington, if necessary. Luckily, my dad stepped in before this Cruella DeVille of our times would peel off my skin and make a leather jacket out of it!

Then, Alexander called, and we had infinite talks about the way I'm living my life. As if he had any rights! Apparently, out of nowhere, the regrets of losing me hit him again like a lightning strike. But time does this, I guess. It gives one time to examine the ordinary and ask questions of things they simply took for granted. And for a moment, I wondered if it was like that with Alexander. If I became a part of his life, he took it for granted and saw me as something unchanging. And now, when I didn't care anymore, he've come into his senses fully.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

As for Michel, I haven't seen him since that night. He left and never came back, not even to his apparent, as though the earth opened up and swallowed him whole. Leaving this dark empty feeling in my chest, a feeling that shouldn't have been so painful, as if I'd known him all my life rather than for just a few short weeks.

"This place is heaven on earth!" Angela started, stunning me from my thoughts, totally unaware of the struggle that was going on in my mind. But how could she know? I've never had the courage to tell her how I felt. Me and Michael- It was maddened to think that something could happen between us. That he could be interested in me, the ridiculously boring girl. My league and his league were spheres that did not touch, everybody knew that! Nevertheless, why couldn't I get him out of my mind?

"Totally!" I said and tried out a smile, but it felt wobbly on my lips.

"Come on, pick one!" She said, in one fluid motion turning towards me, her silky dress hovering gently past her long legs, holding two pairs of beautiful Prada sandals, eyes glittering with joy.

"Hmm..." I thought for a moment, tapping my lower lip with one finger, trying to look interested, even though shopping was the last thing on my mind right now. "When in doubt, stick with the classic!" I continued, voice falsely bright, pointing my finger on the left hand, to the beautiful strapless sandals.

"Great minds think alike!" She giggled, and I smiled, but in my mind, I just kind of raced backwards and thought of Mike, of the fact that no amount of shopping therapy could push him away from my head.