𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑳𝒊𝒔𝒕 | Thomas Doherty

𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝟒: 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 ✔

"But... how—how do I not remember that you saved me?" I asked, my voice trembling with confusion.

"Well, before I could pull you up, you blacked out," he explained softly.

"That explains why I never knew who saved me," I said, nodding slowly. Then the realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. "Wait... you were the one calling me, too?"

"Yeah, sorry about that," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wanted to tell you in person, but when you're famous, sometimes you have to stay... under the radar." His gaze dropped, as though embarrassed.

"Oh, believe me, I know what that's like."

"You do?" He looked up at me, surprised, his eyebrows raising.

"Yeah, I'm a model," I said with a small smile. "Probably not as famous as the ones you see everywhere, but yeah... I get it." As the words left my mouth, another realization hit me: the plan. 'Shit,' I thought, suddenly distracted.

"That's why I already recognized you before I saved you," he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You're that pretty girl on the cover of that one magazine."

Did he just call me pretty?

"Oh, yeah," I said. "That's me."

"You know," he said, his voice casual but with a hint of something more, "could I have your phone number? I've got a surprise for you."

"Uh, sure!" I stammered, caught off guard. I hadn't even thought about asking for his number—he was asking me instead.

I quickly unlocked my phone and handed it to him, showing him my number.

"Thanks," he said, typing it into his phone. "I'll send you a message then."

"Okay," I replied, still in shock, my heart racing at the unexpected turn of events.

He walked further inside, probably to place his order, while I started heading outside to leave the building.

What just happened?

He was my savior, and he asked for my number. I was supposed to ask for his! I had no idea how Lizzy would react to this, but I was in total shock.

He was the man who had called me. He had spent the past five months searching for my number. He really cared—he genuinely wanted to know if I was okay after everything that had happened.

Suddenly, I received a message. For a moment, I actually thought it was from him—Thomas. But it wasn't. Instead, it was from the one person I hated the most right now: Brian. That son of a bitch. Out of all people, he was the one to message me? Seriously?

With a deep breath, I unlocked my phone and stared at the messages, unsure whether to laugh or throw the phone across the room.

Brian:
Tried to get me thrown in prison, huh, honey?

Me:
What? No! Why would I do that?

Brian:
I know you're lying, but nice try. Still not caught, though.

Me:
Maybe not yet, but I'll make sure you are.

Brian:
Oh, and by the way, Riley isn't very happy you're trying to steal her boyfriend.

Me:
What? I never did!

...Hello?

Dude, answer me!

Well, I guess that's the only answer I'll get for now. That guy still hasn't been arrested. He should be, though. Normally, someone would get arrested for attempting to kill someone, right? No, I didn't tell the cops—it was Lizzy who made sure of that. She wasn't going to let him get away with it.

But he's good at lying. Too good. He, of course, tried to weasel his way out of it. I hate him. Out of all the people who could have messaged me today, it had to be him—the one person I will never forgive. He almost took my life, and I'll never forget that.

-

I was almost back home, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. His words kept replaying in my head.

What did he mean by stealing Riley's boyfriend?

I didn't steal Thomas. He cheated on her. I've never even been in contact with him—aside from him saving me from falling off that bridge. And until today, I didn't even know he was the one who saved me. How could I have stolen him when I didn't even know him?

But... Thomas had been searching for me for months. Why? Why was it so important to him that I was okay? Was he just wanting to? Or something else? I didn't know.

What I did know was that my ex was crazy, and I couldn't afford to mess this plan about cheating on thomas. If I did, my entire plan would fall apart. It was a fragile balance, and I'd told myself a thousand times to stick to it, but the truth kept hitting me like a tidal wave: this was bigger than I'd expected.

Before I knew it, I was standing at the front door of my house. Oh boy, this was going to take a lot of explaining.

I stepped inside. Lizzy was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone, but as soon as she saw me, she bolted upright and ran over.

"And how did it go?" she asked excited.

"Good," i said, my tone eager.

"Tell me all the details," came the reply, filled with anticipation.

I sighed. "I'm telling you, this is going to take a lot of time."

-

"And then... I got his phone number," I said, feeling both triumphant and nervous.

"Wow, that is a lot. But... why don't you look happy?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

I hesitated before replying, "Because... my ex texted me."

"What? How? He should be in prison!"

"He isn't," I said bitterly. "And he said something about Riley."

her eyes widened. "What did he say?"

"That she knows I'm trying to get with Thomas," I admitted, my voice laced with confusion.

"What? How would she know?"

"That's what I'm wondering too. I don't even know her," I said, frustration bubbling in my chest.

she shook her head, a serious expression taking over. "There's something really weird going on."

"i know and i don't even know how to deal with it"

i walked over to the couch and sat down, she came and sat next to me.

Lizzy's expression darkened as she paced the room, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Okay, so let me get this straight. Your ex, who shouldn't even be able to contact you, somehow knows about Riley. And Riley, who you've never met, knows about you and Thomas." She stopped and stared at me. "Do you realize how messed up this is?"

"You think I don't?" I shot back, my voice rising. "I feel like I'm stuck in some weird game and I don't even know the rules!"

Lizzy ran a hand through her hair, muttering something under her breath. "Alright, let's focus. What exactly did your ex say? Word for word."

I pulled out my phone, hesitating for a moment before opening the message. My ex's name—blocked—stared back at me, a reminder of everything I'd worked so hard to leave behind. I handed the phone to Lizzy. Riley isn't very happy you're trying to steal her boyfriend 

"how does he know"...