What A Secret Looks Like | ✓

15: tessa

I'd cried all night. More than I should have, but he had valid points. I didn't help things by continuing the lie about why I broke up with Liam. I broke up with him because I didn't think that he would understand and be okay with everything. I didn't understand and I wasn't okay. So if I couldn't then and even now, how could I expect him to be able to?

I wasn't even supposed to be in New York right now, I have a fitting tomorrow afternoon in Spain. I requested a layover here because I wanted to talk to Grayson, and I shouldn't exactly be surprised that he needs time. I did a really shitty thing to him. I can't just expect him to get over it right away.

Sephine called after I got back to the hotel I'm staying in, and I've gotten rather good at learning how to hide my feelings. She had no reason to know that I was crying.

I'd just finished applying concealer to hide the redness and the bags under my eyes, when Sephine texts me saying her and Ollie are out front in Hayes's town car. I finish blending it before grabbing a pair of sandals to slip into, and I'm out the door moving towards the closing elevator. I just barely missed it meaning that they'll have to wait a bit longer.

The second elevator dings, opening the doors and I step in, pushing the floor button. I really don't want to go out right now, especially because I have a late flight tonight before I'm back in Spain for some fashion week again.

When it gets to the bottom floor, I give myself a small pep talk before walking out of the main doors to the black town car parked on the side of the road.

"Hi guys," I say, trying to force everything that happened with Gray to the back of my mind. "What's the plan for today?"

"Well Hayes doesn't think that I can grocery shop so I kind of volunteered us for that, but I also need to get a new dress. What have you been up to? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." She rambles, and I shrug, playing with the sleeves of my jacket.

"Uh not much," I continue the fucking lies because at this point there might not even be anything to tell them? "I was in LA for a week so the traveling has continued."

Ollie frowns, "So they didn't accept your resignation?"

I shake my head, ruffling my hair in the process and Sephine's eyes light up. "What about the guy you were talking to last time we saw you?"

'Tess you're fine. Just tell them what they want to hear.'

"Well I'm not sure if we're together or not. I kind of messed up, and he said he needed time to process it. But I'm fine, I promise. I don't really want to talk about it," I try to say nicely, but I don't think it comes across that way. "I'm sorry I meant that differently, I guess I'm just trying to process everything myself."

Sephine reaches for my hand, and gives it a squeeze. "If Hayes can get over my fuck ups, then if he's worth it, I'm sure he will too."

A laugh escapes from me as I blink, trying to keep from letting another tear fall. "Thanks Seph," I smile appreciatively, and Ollie cracks a smile too.

"I'm sure it'll all be okay. I mean I don't have a story about fucking up, but I'll beat him up if necessary," Ollie offers. The thought of Ollie whose mean streak really only comes out when he's defending his friends, tells me that I actually might belong with them.

"Oh, we're here!" Sephine says, and I look at the sign that reads Morton Williams Supermarket. This should be interesting at least.

"Why are there so many different kinds of lettuce?" Sephine asks a little later as we browse through the produce section for lettuce. She's stuck between full lettuce heads and the pre-packaged already torn up lettuce.