Normal | Rhekker

Prologue - X

They'd met at a party, a high class one Connor attended as part of the Rhodes family. They hit it off.

Ariana was an A List model with long dyed brown hair. Or she did when they met anyway. He'd often meet her to find it cut or styled in different ways. They went on their first date a week after meeting. Both with busy work schedules they still managed to make time to see each other, she travel around the Midwest for work. Often winding up back in his apartment after a long week.

They moved in together, making their perfect pair, both well used to the limelight and how to handle the paparazzi. They went to events together, spending at lest one night of their week out with her work.

*

Connor woke around 8am, late for him but too early considering he was working a night shift the day prior. He shifted on the mattress. Spotting Ariana on the other side he leaned over and kissed her cheek before climbing out of the bed.

Connor made his coffee as footsteps came up behind him. She took a glass from a cabinet to take her vitamins.
"Morning" she smiled, kissing him.
"Morning"
"I'm going to head to the gym" he told her. Connor did his cardio and weightlifting while Ariana did some at home and in person pilate classes.
"Okey, I'll see you later" she walked to the shower.
"Remember we have that dinner tonight" she said over her shoulder.

Connor did his cardio and weightlifting, the sting of his work starting to burn in his arms as he made his way back to the apartment.
"Hey baby" he met her at the sofa, setting his phone and water bottle down.
"Hey, how was your set?"
"Good, I'll be back in a minute, I just need to go shower"

He left for the en-suite bathroom, stripping off his gym ware he wet his hair under the spray of the water. Connor shower and dried off in the bedroom, changing into some lounge clothes he dried his hair and walked out to Ariana.

"Who the fuck is Ava!" Ariana roared as he came into the room.
"What?" Connor stumbled over his words at the sudden attack. Ariana shoved his phone in his face.

Thursday
Ava ❤️ 21.46pm
Connor, how often do you think of the Roman Empire?

21.50pm Connor
Go to bed Aves 🙄

Ava ❤️ 21.53pm
🤓😙

Today
Ava ❤️ 14.01pm
Hey how'd the surgery go?

Ava ❤️ 14.01pm
Tried the bagel place you mentioned, you were right I liked it 🙄.
See you soon x 🙃

"Is she your other girl?"
"Ariana she's just a friend" he assured her.
"Then why is there a heart after her name?" She persisted.
Connor was at a loss for words. Taking too long to respond Ariana screamed, "I should have believed everything I heard about you!" throwing his phone on the sofa and storming off.
Connor took a deep breath, thinking of how he could possibly explain this to someone who did know both Connor and Ava.

He picked up his phone from the sofa and followed Ariana into the bedroom. He knocked on the door before entering.
"I don't want to see you" she huffed, pulling closer to her pillow.
Connor closed the door behind them regardless. He sat on the bed next to her, Ariana rolled over, clearly looking for an explanation.
"Ava is just a friend" he started.
Ariana went to interrupt him but he continued.
"We used to work together. You get close with your team but I'm not cheating on you. I'd never do that. I look to her for guidance sometimes"
"I'll remove the heart since it makes you uncomfortable" he added.
"Why haven't I met, Ava" the way Ariana said her name made it sound like venom, not the sweet name Connor was used to.
"She lives in New York. Moved at the beginning of last year"
Ariana visibly perked up, hearing the "other women" was in a different state.
"What did she mean by see you later?"
"We'll probably call or FaceTime later this week" he shrugged.
"Does she know about me?"
"Yes" Connor lied. He was sure Ava knew he was seeing someone by now. Having it trickle through the papers but in their brief dissuasions sexual relationships never came up.

Ariana exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you"
Connor paused for a moment.
"What did you mean earlier, when you said I should have believed everything you heard about me?"
She sighed deeply. "I heard a lot about you, before we met and after. About you being a player and talking to multiple women. Sleeping around"
"I'm not like that anymore"

Ariana stayed out that night, Connor found himself on the sofa watching the Jimmy Fallon show when curiosity got the better of him. He took out his phone, going onto Instagram he found Ava's account. Most of the doctors had accounts under different names to avoid being found. Ava's account was under her middle name. With the time difference he'd often come home from work or wake up to see she'd posted. Often spotted at Gala's or nights out in New York. He looked through the posts he had missed, careful not to like the older ones. He went through her 2020 highlight, finding recent photos of Ava at some sort of intimate event. A birthday perhaps.

It was a black and white photo in someone's apartment, Ava was laying back on the sofa with a wine glass against her cheek and another women laying between her legs, her head rested on Ava's stomach. Seeing the women was tagged Connor clicked on it, finding her account public.

Brooklyn 🌃

Connor wondered if this was Ava's girlfriend give their closeness. He went through her photos, seeing Ava in many of the recent ones. He found a slightly older post of Brooklyn kissing a mans cheek, 3 years with this weirdo 🙄😉. not a girlfriend then.
Connor went back to Ava's account scrolling through her posts until hours had past and Connor knew he had to go to bed. The TV and turned to energy saving mode and the sun had set outside.

When he woke the next morning she wasn't home. He rang her cell, finding a voice message explaining she'd be staying at a friends house for the night. Being to drunk to get home by herself. He messaged her goodbye, explaining he would have driven to pick her up if she needed. She came home that night but stayed out a few more times that week, returning in the early hours of the morning or not at all with the excuse of work and photo shoots.

It wasn't until one morning when Ariana sat him down, her cheeks stained from tears,
"There's someone else" she said hoarsely, having obviously been crying.
"I slept with him"
Connor nodded slowly, taking in the information. He wasn't mad.
"I'm sorry, but this isn't working out. I think we should split up"
"Yeah, I agree" he said.
Ariana moved out the next day.

A/n: and so we reach our final prologue 😍
The real story can begin.....
The first few chapters I plan to repose shortly after one another as theirs a lot of twists and turns that are best read all together 🙂