The End Of You And Me | BOOK 1 (Completed) & 2 (Currently Writing)

TA | 01. Begin Again

November 2018

"Our first guest today is a supermodel, actress, songwriter and a member of one of the most famous families in the world. Please welcome Veronica Rockefeller."

The crowd cheered as I stepped on stage with a smile on my face. Waving my hand at the crowd, I made my way towards Ellen, giving her a hug before I sat down. "Thank you so much for having me. It's so great to be here," I beamed, crossing my legs and placing my hands on my knees.

"It's a pleasure to finally have you on the show, Veronica."

"The pleasure is all mine," I nodded.

"You've been very busy this year with back to back TV show appearances and fashion shows around the globe, too. How long has it been since you visited your hometown?"

"Hmm. It's been a while," I paused, pretending to count the years, even if I knew perfectly well how long it has been. "Five years. Five years, to be exact."

Yes, you heard that right.

It's been five years since I stepped foot in New York City. I told myself I was never coming back to that city because everything about the city I once loved was now everything I wanted to forget. Not many people know the events that took place while I was gone-- like, for example, how Rafael Abello and I became acquainted and why I owe him my sanity somehow.

And yes, the Rafael Abello. You know, the famous Spanish popstar who makes girls all over the world, want to rip their rib cage open just so they can offer their actual hearts to him because figuratively offering your heart to a pop star apparently isn't enough.

We didn't always get along though.

The first time we met was the day after I left New York. I just arrived at Paris and was waiting for my luggage. I was about to grab it when he accidentally took it because he thought it was his. I tried calling out to him, but he couldn't hear me. Extremely annoyed and impatient, I took my shoe off and threw it at him.

"Hey!" He shouted, stopping in his tracks to turn to look at me. "Do you even know who I am?" He tilted his head to the side and glared at me. His accent was evident as he spoke.

"Why? Do I need to know who you are?" I answered, taking a step forward and ignoring his attempt to intimidate me as I grabbed the handle of my luggage, "that's mine."

He was surprised by my answer and I was surprised by his reaction.

Did he really expect me to know him? What an A+++ jerkhead. He let out a dry laugh as he tightened his grip on the handle, "I believe you're mistaken. This is mine."

I rolled my eyes at him, tugging on the handle, "are you blind? Don't you see the bag tag?" I pointed at the personalized leather bag tag with a golden 'Veronica Rockefeller' embossed on it.

Upon seeing that I was correct, his features softened. He placed a hand on the back of his neck, letting out a chuckle. "My bad. I apologize."

"It's alright. It happens," I spoke, not really in the mood to get into any fights. Moving to Paris was all about new beginnings and fighting with a stranger wasn't exactly my idea of new beginnings.

"I'm Rafael. Rafael Abello," he introduced himself with a grin as he reached out his hand.

"Veronica," I took his hand and shook it, giving him a small smile. I was expecting him to let my hand go when I loosened my grip, but instead he bowed down and kissed the back of my hand.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Veronica."

It's safe to say that he has redeeming qualities to make up for his really bad temper-- that I got to see clearer after our first meeting. He volunteered to pull my luggage towards the exit of the airport though I insisted that I do it myself. We didn't exchange numbers or anything like that. Well, he tried to get mine but I wasn't really interested in dating or entertaining anyone.