The Difference

Chapter 42

I can't help but feel like a movie star as Michael and I get treated like royalty during dinner at Carmine's.

"So, do you come here often?" I ask him, when I'm done chewing another mouthful of the best angel hair pasta I've ever had. 

"Not a whole lot," he admits, sipping his wine. I can tell he enjoys it more than I do and it makes me laugh. 

"Well, it must be often enough since everyone knows you here," I say, noting the waiters standing near the kitchen with their eyes glued on us, whispering and joking like high schoolers. 

"Oh, they don't know me. They know you," he says contently.

A piece of noodle falls from my mouth as he says it and I pray no one got it on camera.

"Me?" I question, loudly. 

"Shh!" he says, motioning for me to chill out.

"Why do they know me? The opinion piece wasn't even published yet!"

"Still, they have their resources. You should consider giving your side of the story when they do publish it. Even though they said they would release it today, usually when the story takes a little longer, it means they found something even juicier. Just come clean and set the record straight."

"I don't know, maybe that's something I should talk to Troy about?" 

"If you want," he mumbles, and I can tell he disapproves. My phone is buzzing in my purse and I only answer because it's Ava. With the amount of people in the restaurant, I struggle to hear her and step into the bathroom where it's quiet.

"Can you hear me now?" she asks eagerly.

"What's going on?" I answer her question with my own. 

"Troy denied it all," she tells me.

"What do you mean?" I nearly drop the phone from anxiety.

"The reason the story didn't go out today is because when they reached out to Troy about it, he denied it all. He threatened to sue for including your name in the article and for the false accusations. And given you're in New York with Michael Hans now, well, there's a good chance everyone is confused. Still, it's up to the editor whether or not they will release the story. Maybe you can talk to Alexandra and get her off your tail?"

"I can certainly try," I sat, knowing there's a good chance this is hopeless.

When I return from the bathroom phone call, Michael is surrounded by flashing cameras and reporters. The restaurant staff is trying to get them out as guests are disgruntled, and Michael looks upset. He meets my eyes and perks up, hopping out of his seat to meet me. 

"This way," a young server says to me, pulling my hand into the back corner of the restaurant. I grab Michael's hand and we follow her. I turn to check on Michael and end up bumping into a table, the contents of my purse spilling all over. 

"Typical," I mutter. As I go to bend down and clean it up, a nearby hand in the same uniform as the young girl's hands it back to me. "Thanks," I say, appreciatively.

"Well, at least everyone else still treats you like a princess," Michael jokes.

"I don't really care about everyone else," I sigh, thinking back to Troy and how my life changed so quickly after I met him. 

We escape down a back alley, and Michael manages to get us a town car, too. We drive in silence for a few blocks until I feel the alcohol slowly start to make me sleepy. 

"Do you want to go home?" Michael whispers to me in the back of the car. I look at the stoplight in front of us and debate calling Ava and saying I'm coming back already, but I decide against it when I can't easily find my phone in my purse. I shake my head no, and Michael unbuckles, scooting to the middle seat, closing the distance between us. 

"Tired?" he asks, offering me his shoulder. I nod and lean my frizzy long curls against his soft jacket. I hear Michael sigh in sync with me and I allow myself to relax a little bit. At least I'm not alone in this. My mind flashes back to Troy. I wonder how he is feeling in this moment. I try to catch a glimpse of the moon, the only thing we truly share right now, and when I don't see it under the unfamiliar city lights, I doze off.

The next morning, I sleep in. Michael is sitting at the edge the other bed, dressed very professionally for work. He stands up when he sees I'm finally awake. I give a small smile and it fades when I can tell he has bad news.

"Someone took your phone," he says. Instantly, I lay back down and cover my face with a pillow. I think of the hundreds of texts between Troy and I along with random photos over the last few months which definitely would confirm our relationship. Though we were a secret, I still got to keep the photos on my phone, since I was a nobody. Now, I am most definitely not. 

"Troy is waiting for you outside," Michael says. "I told him I'd let him know when you were up. I figured an extra hour of peaceful sleep was much deserved after all this," he says, as if he feels guilty about all of it.

"Thanks," I say. "You can send him up when you leave for work. I just want to shower first," I say, walking into the bathroom and starting the water. Michael is upset over my dismissiveness, but is kind enough not to push me to talk about it. 

"Alright, Rosemary, I'll try to get things sorted out for you. Just call the office if you need anything!"He says, before leaving. I zone out in the shower, wondering how angry Troy is going to be when he sees me after I basically ruined his whole plan to keep me out of it all.

I step out of the shower and turn the TV on, bracing myself. I throw on a complimentary bath robe and begin my morning skin care and hair routine, as there's a knock on the door. I shut the water off and smartly peek through the door to make sure it is, in fact, Troy. I stop at the coffee in his hand for me and get my reassurance.

"It's me," he says, quietly.

I open the door not completely, and he gently slides through, shutting it behind him. I'm afraid to turn around and look at his face after the nature of our last fight and the way we left things. He pulls gently on the sleeve of my robe and I cautiously turn around. He sighs as if he had been holding his breath this entire time. I instinctively look up to his eyes and am met with the same sadness for him I feel in every aspect of my body. He pulls me in for a hug and our muffled crying drowns out the news anchor speaking in the background.