Swapped Love | ✓

■ Wedding and goodbyes

It had been three days since Jared left.

Two days since I had left my house.

Three days I had been calling and texting him with no reply.

Two days since I went to his house but was told to go away by a grim looking Rosa.

Three days since I had been crying so much I could flood the entire house. My parents were trying every bit to cheer me up but I did not go out of my room since that day. Naomi came over, trying to speak to me but I never opened the door. I literally didn't want to go out of my room.

"Alli?" Alice knocked on my door.

"Go away. I said I will not eat," I groaned. I was trying to sleep, for gods sake.

"You have a phone call. Its Hailey. She couldn't reach you. She wants to talk to you," She said softly.

"No please," The taps were leaking as my voice wavered again.

"You need to speak, Alli and come out of the bloody room," She scolded.

I got up, muttering a curse and walked out reluctantly. Alice gave a gentle smile and handed me her phone. She encouraged me to speak and walked away, giving me my privacy. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the phone against my ear.

"Hello?"

"Alic-I mean, Allison? Its me, Hailey. I want to meet you today. Urgently," She said in one breath, without going around in circles.

I kept mum.

"Come at the Rolls Café at 6:00. Please."

"Okay," I nodded.

"Take care. Bye," She cut the call without any further explanation.

《》《》

I entered the café to find Hailey sitting. I had dressed up as Allison today, dressing up as Alice was over for good or bad. I adjusted my glasses because they were sliding down my noise again and walked over to her table.

"Allison?" She got up seeing me. She came forward and lightly hugged me.

"Woah! You look different than what I have seen you as," She said, gauging my look.

"This is me. Allison Marshall," I mumbled as we sat down.

There was an uncomfortable silence as she gauged me from head to toe, absorbing me in. Finally, she exhaled.

"Allison, Jared is-" She started speaking but I interrupted her.

"Is he alright?" I asked.

She looked at me for few seconds before closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"No. He isn't. He has taken this whole thing harder than we thought. He looks like a caveman and is totally a mess right now," She sighed sadly.

"I am so sorry. For everything," I said softly, "I didn't mean things to end up like this. I genuinely feel bad and guilty."

"Do you love him?" She asked, ignoring my sorry.

"More than anything else. I wish I could tell him. But he won't believe me now," I said dejectedly, "I can understand. I would hate myself too if I were in place of him. I wanted to tell him after the wedding itself but things went downhill after he confessed."

"Why?"

"Its when he said he loves me, or rather loved me, I realized what a big liar I was. I was lying to him since day one and the I couldn't bear the burden of the guilt inside me that day. Till that day, I felt bad but I still kept on lying. But something happened when he said that and I couldn't control anymore. I felt disgusted with myself when he said that and ran out because I knew I was being unfair to him," I explained.