When I'm given a mission, I really put my best effort into it. Which is why it didn't bother me as much that Cleo called me only an hour ago to tell me that I should pay Nick a visit in the hospital.
It felt good, really, to say goodbye to the job at Panera where the boss was cranky. I admit that I would miss the other mechanic job though, engineering could be pretty fun sometimes and Mack always allowed me to fashion all kinds of weird gizmos.
50 grand. This job was worth 50 grand. Do the Sheldons have money growing from trees or something?
"How do I look?" I asked Cleo, turning the camera over so she could see the reflection in the mirror. I didn't expect her to pick up the Facetime at first, but she caved.
"Decent." She said simply.
I thought it was more than that. There were huge shipments of clothes and jewelry and all sorts of things as accompaniment, waiting for me once I got home. I was practically in awe with all of the exquisite items. Best of all, Cleo had great taste, so they were all absolutely amazing to wear.
However, I did feel a little strange putting on these clothes. My office outfits were already a stretch, and yesterday's was the best piece I had ever owned. These are on a whole new level, and I found myself looking foreign in the mirror.
Do I deserve this?
And I have a car and a penthouse now. This was really a Cinderella story. While I didn't have a pumpkin and some rats, I did have a really squeezy one-room apartment. Oh, and I had an evil stepmother too.
"Are you nervous? Because I am." Cleo confessed.
I clipped on my earrings as I replied, "Terrified. But I don't back down easily."
"I'll be there, so I'll step in if he gets too suspicious. At least you can use the excuse that he hasn't seen you in a year, so you've changed ever since. And I think that as we go along, we'll figure out more about how Zara Abigail is really like."
"Or maybe instead of trying to be what she's like, I can build a character of my own."
Cleo pursed her lips, "But you have to know your place. You're not actually Zara Abigail, remember?"
I glanced back at my phone now. There was a look in Cleo's eyes as she said, "You're Emma Trinket, don't forget that."
I gripped the side of the desk. I knew that there was more to what she said.
It was a warning.
Maybe even a threat.
***
Royalty hospital beds were truly something else. I tried not to look too amazed by my surroundings as I was ushered into Nick's ward.
With the chandelier and velvet carpet accompanying the cream-colored King-sized bed in the center, this looked more like a hotel suite than an A-class ward.
"Thank you, Xavier." I nodded at the guard. Cleo gave me a long list of names and faces to memorize last night.
Those that knew Zara before were made aware that I was just acting as her. However, there were plenty who had no idea how she looked like, and we decided to string them along too. Especially those close to Nick, lest they tattle.
Nicholas was vaguely listening to Cleo as she read out some sort of schedule. The moment I appeared from the corner, he waved her away.
"You came."
"Had to." I moved and sat next to him.
"You've always been quite the heartbreaker, Abigail." He laughed knowingly, moving a hand over his eyes.
"Well, I only heard about the news when I touched down. I heard all about your heroic act during the attack on HQ. At least you're alright now."
"Alright, huh?" He retorted snarkily. "I wound up with a weird-ass illness, and one out of seven of the culprits is still on the run."
In a quick decision to play the part of an ex better, I moved to sit at the edge of his bed. He didn't bother to lift the hand from his eyes.
"Are you not going to look at me?"
"Pretty funny, considering you never ever looked at me. Not in that way, especially."
Hold up. I thought Cleo said they broke up because he cheated? From the way Nick said it, it sounded like Zara was at fault. Or maybe he was just trying to be manipulative?
"Seeing is hard now. I hate how everyone looks the same to me. It's like someone just hit copy and paste. And then it tires me to try and decipher the clues, sometimes to no avail. I could very well be talking to a complete stranger, thinking it's a friend."
I bit my lip. That was exactly what was happening right now.
"Karma's a bitch." I joked, thinking it was obnoxious, but something but Zara might say. I saw Cleo's eyes widen a little at the harsh words.
He finally lifted his hand and suddenly jerked forward. I tried not to blink as he moved so close, only inches away from me.
A smirk played on the corner of his lips. "And what sin have I supposedly committed?"
Something strange was happening. I wasn't supposed to feel quite this amount of electricity surging within me, but it was like I was set on fire without him even touching me.
You must be insane, Emma Trinket. I knew Nick probably had a knack for things like these, casually making girls fall at his feet. Hell, no. I wasn't going to be his next endeavor.
I raised an eyebrow, "I caught you red-handed, remember?"
"I thought we cleared the air about that one. How many times must I clarify that it was a misconception?" He didn't back down. "Judging by how you disappeared mysteriously, I'm sure it was just a piss-poor excuse for you to get rid of me."
He clicked an audio file open. It was Zara's voice. The real Zara. And true enough, she did sound a little like me.
"I'm heading to Cuba. And who knows where next? I'm sorry birdy, but I need to set you free. You and I both know that this isn't working out. I'll never forget what we had. Love you."
Even I had goosebumps hearing the amount of ice laced in Zara's voice. Disappearing right after a note like that was plain cruel. No wonder Nick was so stunned when he had seen me.
That made me leave a gentler comment next. "I came back anyway, right?"
"If I wasn't sick, you wouldn't have."
"Oh, honey. I'm sorry for you, really. I never imagined this illness would happen."
Finally, he leaned back down, breaking the tension. "That makes the two of us. But I'll get better."
That's the thing. I don't think his condition would ever go away. But let him have hope.
"After all, I could recognize you, right?"
I gulped. Little did he know...
He leaned into me again, examining something. It really didn't help that he knew the perfect angle to look at me. From my viewpoint, the light cast behind him could accentuate the perfect planes and angles to his face. He was truly stunning, if only he didn't constantly get on my nerves like that.
After a silence, Nick spoke again. "Zara?"
"Yeah?"
His next words made my heart pound even faster.
"You changed your perfume."
YOU ARE READING
Misstaken ✓ | #Wattys2019
Teen Fiction*1ST IN WRITERS' CHOICE 2019* Emma can't stand Nick's charms. After all, the heir was a brooding boy who meant trouble. But he also meant easy money - he had lost the ability to recognize faces. All Emma had to do was pretend to be in love with him...
