CHAPTER TWO : SECRETS I COULDN’T TELL
1148 Words
TESSA'S POV
“Why is everything so quiet?” I whispered, looking around my room.
“Even the birds aren’t making noise… like they know I messed up.”
I pulled my knees to my chest and stared at the blank TV screen.
“That’s where I saw him,” I said softly. “Ethan Davis… the CEO…”I swallowed hard. “That’s him. The guy from last night.” I covered my face with my hands. “What am I supposed to do now?”
For a girl who grew up with her mom praying every morning and night, this kind of mistake felt heavy. My chest hurt, not because of what happened, but because I didn’t even know why I let it happen. Maybe it was loneliness. Maybe it was just wanting to feel wanted. Or maybe it was because I wanted to feel free. I couldn’t breathe properly, and my heart was pounding like it wanted to escape. Everything inside me screamed, You’re in trouble, Tessa.
I had sworn to move on, to focus on work, to prove to myself that one mistake didn’t define me. But every time I looked at my reflection, I saw the same girl who’d given her worth(virginity) to a man whose name she didn’t even know.
I thought about my mom, how she always said, “Keep yourself for the one who truly loves you.” And I had given myself to someone I didn’t even know. I couldn't go to church that Sunday. I felt a huge guilt in my stomach like a heavy stone, but so did something else, confusion mixed with tingling butterflies in my tummy. Because even with all the shame, a part of me still remembered his smile, the way his voice softened when he asked if I was okay when we made love .
I looked at my phone, and Aliyah had called me six times.
“Tessa!” she shouted so loud I pulled the phone away. “Where have you been?! I’ve been calling since”
I sighed and sat on the floor. “I’m sorry. My phone was off.”
“Off?” she sounded shocked. “Girl, you disappeared last night! I thought something happened to you! I even asked the bartender, and he said you left with someone. Who was it?”
My heart jumped. I bit my lip. “I… I don’t know.” There was silence on the line. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I mean” I paused, my throat tightening. “I don’t know his name. We just talked, and then…”
“Oh my God.” Aliyah gasped. “Please don’t tell me you..”
“I did,” I said quietly. “I don’t even know how. It just happened, Aliyah. I was so... lost in the moment.”
“Girl, you’re the one who prays before drinking soda. How did you end up doing that?”
“I don’t know!” I cried. “I wasn’t thinking. It was my first time. I didn’t even get his name, Aliyah.”
I could hear her breathing hard on the other end. She was quiet for a long time before she spoke again, softer this time. “Tess, you… slept with a stranger?”
Tears filled my eyes. “I didn’t plan to. I swear I didn’t. I just.. I don’t know. I was tired. I was drunk. He was kind and..” I stopped because the words made me sound worse.
Aliyah’s tone changed, serious and sad. “Tessa, you’re a church girl. You know your mom would..oh my God, your mom.”
“I know.” I sniffed. “Please don’t remind me.”
She sighed deeply. “I’m not judging you, okay? I just… I never thought you’d do something like that.”
“Me neither.”
We both stayed quiet for a while. The only sound was the small ticking of my wall clock.
“Do you even remember anything?” she finally asked.
“No.” I wiped my cheeks. “I don’t remember much. Just his eyes. They were dark, and he looked like my favourite anime character. It looked nice.”
Aliyah groaned. “This girl! (In her Nigerian voice). You don’t fall for a stranger in a bar!”
I laughed. That gave me a little comfort until I remembered who the man was.
“Aliyah,” I whispered again, “there’s something else.”
“Oh, Lord, there’s more?” she groaned.
“I saw him again,” I saidd. “On TV this morning.”
She laughed nervously. “What, like an actor or something?”
I paused. “No. He’s... Ethan Davis.”
The line went quiet. Then she said slowly, “You mean Ethan Davis? The billionaire CEO?”
“Yes.”
Another silence. Then, “Tessa, please tell me you’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
Aliyah let out a small scream. “Tessa! You slept with your boss before your first day? Girl, that’s not just drama, that’s Netflix-level trouble!”
I groaned. “I didn’t know it was him!”
“Oh my God. This is bad. This is so bad.”
“I know.”
“Does he know it’s you?”
“No. And he won’t. I'll just keep my head down, do my job, and forget it ever happened.”
“That’s easier said than done,” she said quietly.
“I’ll manage,” I replied, though my voice trembled.
Aliyah stayed silent for a moment, then said softly, “Tessa... I’m proud of you for getting that job. You worked so hard. Don’t let one mistake ruin everything.”
“I won’t,” I whispered. “I promise.”
After we hung up, I stood by the window, watching the early morning sun rise above Los Angeles. After we hung up, I just sat there for a long time, hugging my knees. The room was quiet, too quiet.
The streets were waking up cars honking, kids laughing, people rushing to church. The city didn’t care about my secret. It just kept moving.
And I promised myself I would too.
Tomorrow was my first day at Davis Construction.
A new beginning, a clean slate. But deep down, I knew the truth. You can’t really escape the past. It always finds you somehow, someday.
And as I packed my bag for the next day , I noticed the folded piece of paper that had fallen from my bag. It was a receipt from that night at the club with his signature at the bottom.
Ethan Davis. Right next to his name, his number was scribbled in small, neat handwriting.
He wanted me to reach him, He left his number!
I froze, then I took my phone and dialed his number…..
- Writer
