Not If I Date You First

Chapter 46

ADA

The next day, I'm in full hibernation mode. We're talking no shower, messy bun, and Ben & Jerry's. I never imagined myself turning into a rom-com cliché after getting dumped by a guy. But considering I also had all my hopes for the future shattered, I think a marathon mope session is called for.

"You look beautiful," Mom gushes when I finally emerge from my bedroom and sit down at the table to eat dinner.

I glance down at the sweatpants I'm wearing with one of Elodie's old t-shirts that says, 'First I Do The Coffee Then I Do The Things.'

"Yeah, you're really rocking that Walking Dead look." Aiden takes a bite of the quinoa crust pizza Mom made. Wrinkling his nose, he sets it back on his plate.

"Enough." My dad points at Aiden. "Sweetheart," he leans forward, taking my hand, "we're worried about you. Between your job and that boy." Liam has officially gone back to being 'that boy' again. "We want to make sure you're alright. It's understandable to be upset when these things happen, but you can't let it consume you."

My family knows only the bare minimum about what happened with Liam and my internship. They've obviously seen the picture with my name all over it and know I quit because it was sold without my permission. But I haven't told them that I've given up on my dream of being a paparazzo altogether, or that my heart is in approximately a million pieces.

They've been giving me space, but I can tell it's killing my parents not to grill me for information. I'm tempted to go through the effort of putting on jeans, so I can escape the concerned glances they keep throwing my way. If there wasn't a mob of paparazzi waiting outside my building, I might.

It didn't take long for the media to catch on to the fact that my name was on the photograph of Liam and his dad. They put two and two together, but as usual, got all the details wrong.

On top of the stories about Liam that are absolutely everywhere, there are now articles about me working with his dad to expose his secrets. It's all ridiculous sensationalism. I just hope Liam doesn't believe them. Not that he's ever going to talk to me again.

Mom reaches for my other hand, giving it a squeeze. She's smiling at me, but her brows are knit in concern. My parent's worry is equal parts annoying and endearing.

I sigh, leaning back in my chair. "I'll be fine, you two. I just need a minute to process everything."

"We get it, honey." Mom runs a hand over my hair. "We've been there before."

I quirk an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, not there." She gestures toward the front of the building where the photographers are waiting to pounce the second I walk outside. "But we've been through breakups before too."

"Gross," Aiden says. "No one wants to hear about your dating life while they're eating." He crams a gluten-free breadstick into his mouth.

Mom rolls her eyes. "Just make sure you're trying to bounce back," she says to me. "And let us know if you want to talk about anything. We're always here."

"I didn't realize I ordered my dinner with a side of cheese," I say, but a grin tugs at my mouth. I'm lucky to have parents who care. Parents who'd never do what Liam's dad did. My heart gives a painful twist.

I grab my glass of water, washing down the tears, which are constantly on the brink of spilling over.

"So what are you going to do now for, like, work and stuff?" Aiden asks.

Both my parents look over at me. "I still need to figure that out." I reach for my star necklace, twisting the charm between my fingers.

Dad notices and frowns. "Sweets, I know my mother put a lot of pressure on you to make this whole paparazzi dream the two of you had come true. But I'm realizing now that might not have been good for you, and I'm sorry."