For Real? ✅

Chapter 10

TESS

It's nearly midnight when I return to Greg's apartment. All that work at Betty's left me exhausted and craving a warm bed.

However, when I see Greg's tousled hair, his cocky smile, all my tiredness evaporates.

"Tess!" He says, his eyes lighting up. I notice he looks sleep-deprived.
I sit down next to him, on the couch, glancing at the book he was reading.
"I have a stupid test tomorrow", he explains, throwing his pen down in disgust.

Greg is majoring in Math, while I am in Physics. We have very few classes together, but that was how we met.

Initially, we were just friends. We'd meet up in the cafeteria for lunch, or study sessions. That's all.

It was only on the day I found myself laughing a bit too hard at Greg's jokes, I knew that I had it for him.
Leah noticed it too.

"Ask him out," She'd said, after dragging me aside.
"I don't want to spoil what we have now." I'd replied uncertainly.

Everything changed when my mom had died. I'd stopped talking to everyone and had retreated into my own world. In the months that followed, it became worse.

Greg was the one who brought me back to normal. He had made a continued effort to make sure that I had laughed at least a couple of times a day.

"Depression is bad. But Tess is badass!" He'd say, pumping his fists in the air.
Oh, what would I do without him?

I watch Greg writing furiously on his notebook. He has been solving the same math problem ever since I came in.

"You're doing it again, Tess," Greg says playfully, without glancing up from his book.
"I know that you can't stop staring at me."

"But, you're so beautiful Greg! Are you sure you want to do math? Because you'd be a great model." I reply, my voice was heavy with sarcasm.
Not that he wasn't good-looking, but well... You see what I mean.

"No way, I don't want to compete with Leah the beauty queen!" Greg says indignantly. "She's bound to be jealous of me."
He mimics dusting his face, looking as affected as an elderly lady.

"Not to mention your amazing catwalk skills," I added dryly.

"Exactly!" Greg affirms. "She going to cry like a baby when she realises that she's no match for me!"

"She already does," I answer, "You don't have to be a reason for that."

Greg falls back on the couch, laughing away.

"She's one hell of a character!" He says. "I haven't met anyone quite like her."

"Don't say that in front of her. She might cry if she hears that." I reply quickly.

"Jokes apart, how's she though?" Greg asks."Does she know that you moved out because of the rent?"

"Nope."I shake my head." I don't plan to tell her that either."

Greg nods with understanding.

Leah's apartment was nice and spacious, but a little bit too luxurious for me. I always wanted to move into a smaller, more affordable place.
I never told her that the rent was a problem though. She never felt it was either.

I moved from Leah's only a week ago. Telling her that I was leaving was the hardest thing ever.
She thought I was madly in love with Greg to move to his smaller apartment. While that was just one of the reasons.

She didn't know that the rent was cheaper.
Like me, Greg's struggling with money too. Moving in made it easier for both of us.

I was still getting used to calling Greg's apartment 'home'.
I miss my old room at Leah's but on the other hand, I am happier to be saving my money. Like I had earned more today at Betty's.

Which reminded me, "Greg, here are your cupcakes," I say, handing him over the box.
Helen lets us take cupcakes home sometimes, instead of paying us our whole salary.

Greg wolfs down the cupcakes hungrily. I bet he hasn't eaten dinner, he's too lazy to cook for himself. You do tend to skip meals so you could pay the rent.
But I'd still say he's lazy.

"Why is this so perfect?" He asks me, holding the cupcake high, like it's a rare diamond.
I shrug as I take a bite from his cupcake, which irritates him.

"Hey! This is mine..." He yells, looking traumatised, and tries to protect the rest of it from me.
I fall into cascades of laughter at his comical expressions, while he calls me 'Evil Tess'.

"Alright, I won't eat anymore," I say, breathless from laughing, but he still looks suspicious.

"I have something for you too", he says suddenly, looking sheepish. He reaches behind the couch and brings out a box of half-eaten pizza. It's still warm, which means he's ordered it not long ago.

"So you had had dinner!"I say frustrated while grabbing on a slice.
"And I thought you were starving".

"Yeah well, that's lesson one in Pretense, Tessie. How to get more food from others", he says wiggling his eyebrows.

I roll my eyes at him. "That's lesson one in 'How to be an annoying jerk' ", I say, feigning anger.

His eyes crinkle as he looks at me with adoration. He leans towards me and begins to slowly kiss my neck.
I feel the tingles at where his lips touch my skin.
A few minutes later, we're passionately making out with each other, our limbs tangled, our kisses desperate.

"You're the best girlfriend ever", Greg says softly, before kissing me again.

I don't know what had happened at the party.
But I do know that whatever it was, that Greg hasn't cheated on me.
He still seems genuine, with everything, for that matter.

Then what is he so desperate to hide from me?