"As I've said, for the fourteenth time Peta, I promise you nothing ever happened."
They were sitting at the dinner table. She had cooked a meal for him, trying to perfect her future role as housewife, but he wasn't eating. His fork played with the salad pieces, piling them on top of one another. He had torn the bread apart, placing one small piece in his mouth before he pushed the plate away. He hadn't touched the steak.
"Then why were you at her house?" Her salad bowl was clean of food. She hadn't had any bread or steak.
Maks shook his head. "She drowned, okay? You saw her drown. I just wanted to make sure that she was okay---"
"--She was fine--"
"---I had to know that she was still breathing. That she was alive." He placed his napkin on top of his plate.
"You did that at the pool."
"But I had to make sure. I had to know. She's my friend." He said, getting up from the table.
She followed him. "Maks, you and Tony are friends. Me and Sharna are friends. She's your ex fiancé. The one that dumped you, remember? And then begged you to dance with her at the Emmys. The one that paraded around with another man a few months later. The one that used you as a rebound after she was dumped by her partner from Season 3-"
"He cheated on her. She chose to break it off." He pushed open the bedroom doors.
"Whatever. Can't you see how bad she is for you? She doesn't love you."
He turned away from her. "That's not what this is about-"
She jumped in front of him and cut him off. "It's not? Really? You're saying you would go to Tony's house in the middle of the night? And then decide to leave at 3 in the morning?"
"Of course. And why does the timing matter?"
"Did she kick you out?"
"No. I left after I was sure she was okay. Would you have wanted me to stay?"
"I would have wanted you never to have gone."
"I just wanted to make sure she was alright."
"She has people for that."
No. No she doesn't. Lying there, on her bed. Still wet from the pool. Alone. With tear stains on her face. No. She doesn't have people for that. But Maks took a deap breath and pushed that idea out of his head.
"I'm sorry for upsetting you. I really am. I truly just wanted to make sure she was alright."
"Enough of this talk. We should get going to bed."
"I'll join you in a moment. I've got to catch up on a few emails."
Before she left, Peta turned and looked at him in the doorway. "I'm glad she's okay. But no more interacting with her. You're too good for her."
Maks laughed to himself. Too good for Karina? Never.
------
Unfortunately, the public media was not so understanding of the situation. News of the engagement party near-drowning and subsequent late night meeting spread like wildfire. All of the major entertainment outlets published a story on their front page. Fans and strangers alike began to take sides in the fight. They all had a common enemy: Karina.
"I can't stand these comments any more." Karina said, pushing her laptop away.
"Then stop looking at them." Cheryl responded, setting down a cup of tea beside her.
