[ twelve ]
So while James' girlfriend went into the lot to get her car, I told her I would wait for her in front of the news building. She nodded and rushed off. The moment she was out of sight, I whipped my cellphone out of my pocket and dialed the office of my boss. He answered on the third ring and said into the phone, "Hello?"
"Sir," I said, "Is it true I've been assigned to interview James Rodriguez' girlfriend?"
"Yes." He confirmed. "It looks like both of them wanted to be among the first to be interviewed by our new reporter. She said the interview could possibly last all day and I told her you had my permission to leave with her."
I sighed. Somehow I had been hoping she had been lying so I didn't have to watch her and James being happy together. "Okay. I'll get right to it then."
Just as I hung up the phone, I saw a luxurious black car pull out of the parking structure and she lowered the window of the passenger side. "Get in, love." She told me, tapping the seat where the passenger could sit and I couldn't help but be reminded of that scene in Mean Girls. Giselle was like a real life Regina George only ten times scarier because she was real and the other was just a character in a movie.
As she drove the car through the busy streets of Madrid, she gave me a break down of what her day consisted of. I had the voice recorder in my hand for show. I was sure most people were uninterested in a run down of her day. What I presumed most were interested in her wedding details. But I let her talk just so I wouldn't have to for the time being.
"I go to the gym in the mornings," She began, smacking her lips together in thought. "That is very important to me. I leave right after my boyfriend James leaves for training, which is after we have breakfast together. Then I run a couple of errands, they're different things depending on the day. In a week I'll be spending a lot of time in the studio recording for my new album." She put a lot of emphasis on the album. "Then I have lunch with James, which is where we are headed now."
My heart sank and I gulped back a lump in my throat. "I don't want to interrupt. We can finish this later."
"Nonsense," She scoffed. "James won't mind."
Fifteen minutes later, I found myself being led into the apartment of the young couple. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and tried to remain calm, but it was difficult. Just this morning I was getting presents from James, now I was with his girlfriend, about to interview her about their wedding.
She unlocked the door and walked into the apartment with me in tow. He was sat at the livingroom couch and didn't even bother to look in our direction as he said in a bored tone, "Where are we eating today?" He asked her. "I want to get done with our daily charade of a lunch date."
Giselle cleared her throat loudly, as if to interrupt him from speaking anymore. "James, sweetheart, we have a guest." Her words sounded like she was informing him of my presence to make sure that he wouldn't make any kind of mistake. At the mention of a guest, James turned in our direction. His big brown eyes widened in surprise when he saw me there with his girlfriend.
He shot out of his seat on the couch like a flash and straightened himself out. "You're the reporter that was at the club." He smiled, again pretending we didn't know each other.
I almost wanted to expose him in the middle of a lie in front of his girlfriend. But that was none of my business and I didn't want to get into trouble. Again, I decided to play along with a nervous smile. "Yes, that was me."
"You should help her out, James." Giselle grinned. "This morning there were presents on her desk." I noticed the way James tensed at her words, but she was oblivious to it all. "They were from your friend Toni and I just think that's divine. Maybe you can hook the both of them up, then we can go on double dates together. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"Right." James scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Giselle, can we talk?"
"Mhm." She nodded, her big blue eyes bright.
"In private." He added.
"Leave us, reporter." Giselle ordered as if I was another one of her servants or people she could push around.
But James shook his head. "We can just go into another room."
"I can go." I gestured to the door.
"No. Stay." James insisted.
He motioned for his girlfriend to follow him and they went down the hall towards a room I assumed was their bedroom. Since I had been standing awkwardly at the entrance of the house, I decided to go sit on the livingroom couch while I waited. The walls of their apartment were practicall paper thin and it was hard not to hear what they were saying, especially when Giselle began shouting at James.
I hadn't been able to catch the beginning of the argument, all I knew was that by the time it was over, she was kicking James out of the apartment. She pushed him out of the bedroom and pushed him down the hallway, all the way to the front door.
Once she had it open, she pulled her engagement ring off her finger and threw it at him with all her strength, all the while shouting, "What is there to fucking think about? Either you want to marry me or you don't!"
"I was just asking for some time." He tried to reason with her.
"Time for what?" She spat.
I shrank in my seat. What was the correct way to react to something like this? I knew I was witnessing one of the juiciest possible gossip stories in sports news. But would I really be capable of getting the news out there? I bit down hard on my lip. I would have gotten up from my seat on the couch and hurried out of the apartment, but they were blocking the exit. There was nothing more for me to do but to sit there and pretend I wasn't listening.
"I know what this is about." She said, her voice full of venom. "You probably have someone else, don't you."
James didn't reply to her question exactly, but his answer was evident in the way he spoke. "Don't act so fucking surprised, Giselle. We both know how our relationship worked." And in the way he worded his sentences I knew there were things he didn't want the media to know about him and his girlfriend.
"When I find out who she is, I will destroy her." She swore.
"And you!" She turned towards me, shouting into the apartment. "Get out of my apartment. We'll finish our interview later!"
I got up from my seat and rushed towards the exit, never making eye contact with either of them. She slammed the door on us and I made my way down the hallway in a near sprint. I didn't want it to look like I was with James, but rather walking on my own.
"Hey, wait." James caught up to me. His hand reached out to stop me by grabbing my upper arm. He turned me around to face him, asking, "Did you get my presents?"
-
another update for you all.
so james was quick to cancel his wedding with giselle :o
what will happen now between our two main characters? dun dun dunnnn. suspense for all of you.
thank you so much for reading.
i love you.
-clary xx
