After Paradise: Book Two • jb

Chapter 9

It's been exactly a month since I posted the last chapter so I thought it was time for another... 

//

"So you haven't planned anything with her?" Scooter asked me for the third time today. I fought the urge to roll my eyes intensely at him, hoping he would shut up about Diana before I had to jump off a cliff.

I gave him a final serious look, "No, I am not planning anything. We're taking things slow."

"Well I'm glad you found her again." He smiled at me. I quickly looked around, making sure no one could hear us but the restaurant was kind enough to give us some private space. Luckily, there were barely anyone around.

"Hush," I told him, "She still doesn't know."

Ever since I came back to California, everybody had been talking about Diana with me. Wondering what she's like now and what she used to be like, her changes and what she looks like today. It was annoying that Diana didn't know herself because I had so much to tell her, so much to share. I knew it was a bad idea and a strangely bad timing to say anything about it. So I had to keep it a secret for a while more.

"We have barely talked about what it was like. I can't forget the fact that you actually went to Mexico for five months, I promise you your fans and the world missed your face in the media." Scooter chuckled, "People were photoshopping to try and get some news from where you were."

"Does anyone know anything?" I asked, curious what the time apart from media had done to my image. What it had done to me as a person, what's been written about me? Where have I been if you looked into the media? I remembered the made up article I saw before and couldn't help but chuckle at how little information they must have had about me while I was gone. "About where I was, I mean?"

"Not really. They know you were in Mexico, paradise hotel but I told people you were on vacation and that was it." He shrugged, "don't expect it to be a secret though. You and Diana were not the only person in there and once people inside the hotel figures out they can make money for selling you out - they will."

"I know, plus I didn't really make any friends in there." My thoughts immediately turned back to Casper and Michelle. I know none of us ended with great terms but I guess Diana and Michelle are catching up and getting to know each other better now again. Maybe I should do the same with Casper. He was, after all, someone I could relate to. "It was actually pretty awful."

"Your mother told me about your call, crying for help." Suddenly Scooter's face changed back to serious. He had been laughing and chuckling for just a couple of seconds ago and now he was stone cold serious in his features. "You could have called me. I could've set something up."

"I didn't want to," I informed him quickly, "I wanted Diana. It was worth it."

"Was it really though?" Scooter's eyes questioned, making me insecure about my choices. "Considering you told me a few minutes ago you were having problems with her."

"It's not direct problems, actually." With a little bit of convincing, I might get him to think me and Diana have it perfectly. But then, what was the point? No one's relationship is perfect, I just know Scooter won't accept mine if I told him everything she did to me. "I've just lost a bit of trust along the way."

"Which is the number one key to a relationship," Scooter reminded me, making me feel stupid for even bringing the conversation up. 

I nodded. "I know."

There was something about the way Diana could manipulate me into believing we were fine that had me not wanting other people to know about our problems. It was like she could portray our relationship to be perfect to others, and I was too scared to ruin that picture.