What Deceit Looks Like | ✓

07: cassidy

I've just gotten to my shift when I'm bombarded by Jupiter, "Oh my god. It's about time you showed up," She explains grabbing my arm and pulling me into the back room.

"What are you talking about? I'm fifteen minutes early for my shift and I didn't know you were working today?"

And then the magazine is shoved in my face. "This is you on the front right? With a certain Maddox Benson?"

I can feel my stomach drop to the floor and my brain goes blank as I look at the series of pictures of us on the cover with the main one of us locking lips. "Where did you get this?" I ask shakily covering my mouth with my hand.

Jupiter's eyes are now sympathetic, "Everywhere. I took this from some lady ordering gin and tonics too early in the morning."

My stomach now rolls and I push past to the alley behind the bar and I empty the breakfast I just finished eating ten minutes ago while Jupiter pulls my hair out of my face. I rest one hand on the cool brick to trying to keep my stomach from churning again. "What am I going to do?" I ask breathlessly closing my eyes.

"I can't tell you what to do CJ, I just know that if you are falling for someone else you need to tell Noah," She advises and another wave of nausea rips through me at the thought of telling Noah about Maddox.

"I'm not falling for him," I say but I don't know who I'm trying to convince: Jupiter or myself.

Jupiter rubs my back, "Sweetie that is not what it looks like in the photos though."

"I don't even know what I would say. 'Hey! Sorry I know I said I wasn't going out last night but I basically went on a date with a really rich guy and he kissed me!' God this is such a fucking mess." I admit rubbing my face still not ready to meet her eyes. This is pathetic. I need to just avoid Maddox and pretend that I never met him. "Noah means too much to me, I can't lose him." But Maddox makes me feel as if this version of me doesn't exist. All the bad things I've done just disappear and I want to be the person he thinks I am.

"You need to talk to Noah then. You could never lose Noah," She insists and I don't want to tell her how wrong she is because it already feels like I lost him.

"You're right," I admit softly and Jupiter chuckles softly.

"I know I'm right. I'll cover your shift but you owe me big time."

I throw my arms around her shoulders to pull her in for a hug, "Big time, I promise."

Jupiter hugs me back tightly, "You might want to chew some mint gum first though." I take a step back laughing because she is right again.

However, I don't have to go very far to find Noah because he's sitting at the bar with the magazine in his hand. Fuck fuck fuck. I force my feet forward to get to where he is sitting. "Hey, can I get you anything?" I ask bracing myself for the conversation we're about to have.

I already have my hand resting on the lid of a Boulevard beer bottle because it's his go-to and he glances up, "I'm good but thanks, babe. I do have to say that this girl on the cover looks an awful lot like you," He muses and my stomach drops.

"Listen, about that-"

Maddox smiles at me, "It is you isn't it?" I nod slowly admitting that it's me and I prepare myself for anger but that's not what comes next? "This is fucking brilliant CJ. Why didn't you tell me that you were planning a long-con on him?"

I force a smile, "I didn't know if it would actually work and I wanted to surprise you."

He looks down at the magazine, "You did a good job picking a target. He has plenty of money and if it continues to go this well, he would probably give you things that we could sell for a huge profit which isn't illegal. This could be good for us."