Celebrity Undercover

25. Run

"Come and steal me, like you said you would. 'Cause it's just not fair, that you took my heart and left the rest of me here." -Natalie Jensen.

"W-What?" I ask her, my voice breaking. Please tell me she is joking, I silently pray.

"Yeah!" She answers excitedly, "imagine if I also make it big in the modeling industry and we'd be like Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid! Everyone will love us. He must like me, I mean he didn't try to push me away when I kissed his cheek, and he bought me a gift and made me breakfast-"

I don't listen to her as I try hard not to cry, watching her excitedly talk about her supposed crush. I couldn't even bring myself to fake a smile. My only female best friend has a crush on the only guy I've ever had deep feelings for, and what's worse is I can't talk to anybody about it because the only friends I have are the reason I'm breaking.

And then I remember Salma. She's my friend too. I really need someone to talk to. What's worse is, I can't until tomorrow because I am sleeping here.

I grab my phone from the bed and quickly text Salma.

Summer: I really need someone to talk to right now.

I lock my phone and listen to Alexis, she was still rambling on about Alec.

"Yesterday, I caught him looking at me during lunch-hey, are you okay?" She asks, eyeing me worryingly. I give her a small reassuring smile, at least I hope it looks reassuring. "Yeah I'm okay, go on."

"Are you sure you don't like Alec?" She asks, eyeing me warily. I nod my head. I couldn't bring myself to talk for the fear of crying.

"Great! So as I was saying.." she starts again. My phone vibrates and I quickly unlock it to find a text from Salma.

Salma: What is it? Are you okay?

Summer: No I'm not.

As I type this, I could feel the tears brimming in my eyes.

"Hey, Alex? Can I go to the toilet for a minute?" I ask her, and before she answers I dart to her toilet, locking the door behind me. I slump down on the floor, letting it all out as I cry quietly so as to avoid Alexis hearing me.

My phone vibrates and it's a call from Salma.

"Hey," her voice comes out in a worried tone. I sniff, "hey."

"Are you crying? Is it Alec?! If I get my hands on him," she starts threatening, making me chuckle as I try to imagine the sweet, tiny Salma trying to punch Alec. "Somehow. But it's not something he did, are you free tomorrow? I really need someone to talk to."

"Of course I'm free, where do you want us to meet?"

"At the coffee shop?" I ask her, referring to where we work.

"Sure, at 3 pm?"

"Yeah, that will be fine."

"Whoever hurt you is going to get it from me," she threatens, making me smile.

"Thank you."

"It's what friends do, I know if I was in your place you'd do it too," she answers, making me well up in tears again.

Once we were done with our conversation I stand up and take a look at myself in the mirror. Yeish! I looked like a zombie. I quickly wash my face several times to minimize the swelling in my eyes and walk out of the bathroom and into Alexis' room.

She gasps quietly when she sees me and I realize that even after washing my face, My eyes were still red and puffy. But if she noticed that I was crying, she didn't say anything.

"I was thinking of a new haircut for you?" She says cautiously. I shake my head, "I like it long, besides my mum already cut my hair on Valentine's day."

She nods her head, "well what should we do next?"

Just as she asks this, my phone vibrates, indicating a message. My heart constricts when I see who it's from.

Alec.

Alec: Do you need a ride back tomorrow?

I was typing no but Alexis stops me. "Tell him you'd go," she says excitedly. I give her an inquisitive look. "W-why?"

"Well, you have no transport and that way you can talk to him about me. You see, I think you might be holding him back from asking me out," she says shyly, twiddling with the end of her perfectly curled auburn locks.

I widen my eyes out, "w-why would I be holding him back?"

"U-um," she flushes.

"Well?"

"I think he might think that because he took you out on valentines day, that he might've to lead you on and you might have feelings for him," she says, making my already broken heart break even more.

"I-I'll let him know I don't have feelings for him," I tell him. Already typing a yes as a reply to Alec.

"Great!" She says excitedly. "So should we watch another movie?"

"If you don't mind, can hit the sack? My head is paining."

She nods her head, "sure. I can give you a scalp massage if you want." I give her a smile, laying on her lap. "Thank you."

She starts massaging my scalp with her long fingers and soon I find myself dozing off to sleep.

-

I wash my face again before I come out of the bathroom, grabbing a hairpin, I pull up my hair in a high ponytail and grab my phone just when it rings. I pick it up without checking the caller ID. "Hey," I croak.

"Hey, are you alright?" Alec's voice breaks through the phone speaker. I clear my throat, "yeah I'm fine. Whatsup?"

"I'm outside waiting for you," he says, his voice sounds uneasy. "Give me a second," I mutter before hanging up the phone.

I give myself a last look in the mirror, satisfied that the pain I was feeling inside doesn't show on my face, I walk down the stairs two at a time, meeting Alexis on the kitchen, eating a sandwich.

"I made a sandwich for you," she says with a grin. I give her a small smile in return, "thanks. Alec is here, I'm going." I take the sandwich and quickly take a bite, feeding my not so hungry tummy.

"Tell him hi! I don't want him to see me like this." I give her a tight-lipped smile before making my way outside. Alec was seated on the driver's seat, his hand on his dark unruly hair, staring at the door anxiously.

He looks at me, worry etched on his face. "Hey, what's wrong?" And that was enough to make me break down. Right there in front of him.

He holds my head against his chest, rubbing his thumb on my back in a comforting manner until I let it all out. His thumb soothing me and his arms around me making me feel better.

"Sorry," I mutter when I was done.

"It's okay. Do you want to talk about it?" He asks, just when I realize we are still at the front door of Alexis' house.

"Can we start going," I say, eyeing the house warily. I do not want Alexis to see me crying with Alec's arms around me, even though the car is tinted. Thankfully, Alec obliges and soon we were on the main road, cruising silently with the faint voice of The Weekend in the background.

"Did you have breakfast?" He asks, giving me a sideways glance before focusing back on the road. "Y-yes," I croak.

"What did you eat?"

"A sandwich."

"Well I'm hungry so we'll make a quick stop if you don't mind?" He says, taking a left turn. I nod my head, gazing at the trees passing by as we zoom past them.

"I don't like seeing you like this," he says with a sigh. I give him a smile, "i-it's just my dad. I miss him." I bite my lip, gazing at my knotted hands.

Alec gives me a disbelieving look but doesn't say anything. He pulls up at Dante's a fast food restaurant I've never noticed before, then again, I rarely ever come to this part of Sitka.

He removes his seatbelt and wears his sunglasses, pulling his hoodie cap up to cover his hair, and looks at me, "are you sure you don't want something to eat?"

I shake my head no, giving him a reassuring smile. With a sigh, he lets it go and walks out of the car, "I'll be back." He closes the car door and walks into the restaurant, leaving me inside the car with my mind reeling in on yesterday's information.

It hardly seems real, and to be honest, I should have seen the signs. Alexis always wanted to sit at the front seat when we go out, she always tried to catch his attention, her expression when Alec asked me-well more like stated-to go out with him for valentines day, her posters in her bedroom, when she "accidentally" kept Alec's song in the car. Something tells me she did that on purpose.

I sigh, they are meant to be together. Alec is all outgoing, hot, celebrity and all and Alexis is exactly like Alec, outgoing, wants to be a celebrity, totally gorgeous. While I, on the other hand, am scrawny, shy, antisocial, stammering, nerdy... I think you get the point.

My thoughts are cut off when the door slams, Alec entering the car. The car fills with the delicious aroma of bacon, making my stomach rumble. I flush when I notice Alec's smirk.

He heard it! How embarrassing.

"Well I'm glad I actually got some for you too," he states, starting the car and pulling out of the driveway.

"Where are we going?" I ask him, once we reached the familiar streets near home and notice he was going a different way.

"My hotel, I figured you needed someone to talk to you," he says, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

I definitely do, but I can't with you.

We reach the hotel and took the lift and I notice instead of going to his floor, we went to the last floor which was the rooftop. As soon as we step outside the elevators, we walk through the hallway to the double doors opening towards the open rooftop. I breathe in the fresh air, letting out a content sigh.

"This is peaceful," I say, stepping further into the rooftop.

"I know. I found it four days ago and I always sit here to think since then. The view is even better," he says, taking my hand, making me gasp at the sudden contact. He leads me towards the end of the rooftop and I glance over at the view of Sitka, my lips actually curling into an actual smile.

Oh Alec, even if you're the reason I'm breaking, you are the one who can easily make me feel better.

We sit down and savor our food quietly. After a few minutes, Alec finally breaks the silence. "So are you going to tell me why you were crying?"

"I really do miss my dad." I try hard to look at him straight in the eye, my face impassive. He eyes me warily before sighing, giving up.

"But um," I start saying, my throat feels sour trying hard to voice out what I'm about to say. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Of course, anything Summer."

"How do you feel about Alexis?"

"What do you mean?"

"She um, l-likes you and I think y-you guys would really make a cute couple," I say, my voice breaking at the end and I hope Alec doesn't hear it. Alec gives me a scrutinizing gaze, he stands up from where we were sitting and walks towards the edge of the rooftop.

"What are you saying, Summer? You want me with Alexis?" He asks, not looking at me. I stand up with him and take a few steps closer to him. "Y-yes."

He turns to look at me, "will that make you happy?" His golden-brown orbs were boring into my grey ones. I nod my head, my face looking down at my new manicured nails.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that Alexis and I together would make you happy," he says quietly. I turn to face him, mustering all the courage I have, to say the biggest lie I've ever said in my life.

"I want you and Alexis to be together. It's what would make me happy," I say without stammering, and I'm surprised that I actually managed to maintain an impassive face while looking at him straight in the eye.

Alec's eyes flash with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher, but it was something that made my heart break and I felt the pain worse than when Alexis revealed about her feelings for Alec.

"You know for a person who can't lie, that was one big fat lie," he states.

And I don't know what came over me, but I crash my body with him, engulfing him in a tight hug, my arms circling his waist, trying hard not to cry. He stands still for a moment before he recovers himself and circles his arms around me, tightening his hold around me.

After about ten minutes, yes I counted, we finally let go of each other.

And with that, I turn and run.