After Effects

Chapter 43. - A Scandal Rarely Goes Unheard Of

A/N 

This chapter is dedicated to @readingbitch1 <33 Thank you for your kind words, they made my week. Hope you continue to love this book<33 

Nace would make a great James Bond. Imagine that man doing a fast, dramatic walk with a gun in his hand and a suit on. Nace would be an amazing James Bond. 

The next chapter is gonna be real sad, but i had such fun writing it. I love angsty shit!!!! 

____________________________________ 

I dried off my eyes in my sleeve and took a deep breath. In 10 minutes we had to meet at the reception so we could all drive to the press conference together. I sniffed and opened the door to the closet. The light blinded me and made my eyes hurt instantly. The closet had been completely dark so i got used to that darkness. 

I ran my fingers under my eyes to get the icky feeling of dried tears away. I went to look at myself in the mirror. I looked just as much of a mess as i felt. Red, puffy eyes and stained mascara on my cheek, nose, chin and eyes. Somehow i'd even gotten smeared mascara on my forehead. I used a cotton pad and makeup remover to get it off. There wasn't much makeup left on my face anyway.

I began reapplying my makeup, but only the most important, since i didn't have much time. That meant concealer, mascara and powder so i didn't look like i had just bawled my eyes out. It honestly didn't help much because my eyes were still puffy and a bit red. I looked like i had just been hit in the face with a basketball. But it had to go.

I hesitated before i grabbed my tote bag with my usual stuff in it. It was small stuff like that that made things big. That made me a lot. The bag took up space. Not much, but it did take up space. Perhaps Kris didn't just mean that i took up space metaphorically but literally too. 

I grabbed it anyway and grabbed the doorhandle. I was just about to open the door when a angsty thought took root in my brain.

What if i ran into Kris?

He lived right next door after all. And we had to meet at the same time so bumping into him was a very real possibility.

I had to meet him downstairs in a minutes either way so it almost didn't matter. I just really didn't want to talk to him. I didn't want to see him or look at him or be near him or be in the same room as him. I didn't want to touch him or do a fucking press conference with him or sit in the same car as him.

I opened the door and to my fucking delight that exact man was walking past my door. My heart dropped by the sight of him. His eyes softened at the sight of me. Not wanting to let him have the chance to say something i walked past him - thanking the genius who invented self locking doors so i wouldn't have to stand in all awkwardness. I ignored his presence the best i could, but it was hard when all i wanted to do was hide form him. 

"Tuva, i'm sorry." He said and followed me. I figured he was gonna take the elevator so i took the stairs. Sadly that wasn't the case, he continued to follow me. "I didn't mean all that stuff, i was just frustrated." I continued walking down the stairs as i tried my best not to acknowledge his presence. "I'm a dick, okay. I shouldn't have said those things." I opened the door to the reception and walked over to the group of men waiting. I walked as fast as i could without it looking like i was trying to flee from Kris. 

I hurried over to Jan, hoping Kris wouldn't try to talk to me with the boys near. A few minutes went by and i realized he wasn't gonna talk to me in public, - or at least not with most of our crew around - though he was looking at me a lot. It felt like i was being watched. Watched by someone who knew my face too well, as well as my body and my secrets.