Page 24 of Chasing After You
SEE, WHEN STACEY said she was releasing an article this afternoon about our “relationship,” I didn’t think she actually meantbythree o’clock. Instead of today being all about interviewing Henry, it ended up turning intolet’s make sure Mirabelle and Henry know what the fuck their backstory is.
How fun.
The best lies have threads of the truth woven into them, but in this case, the only lie is that my feelings for Henry are real. Of course, he has no idea they actually exist because the one area of my life where I can’t be brutally honest is when it comes to my feelings for Henry.
Stacey asked when I knew I had feelings for him. I instantly thought back to the day I got the small scar on my knee—the one identical to Henry’s. I thought about how I lived for the days when Chris and Penelope were coming over because I knew I’d get to see Henry.
Instead of saying all that, I go along with Henry’s suggestion that it started when he comforted me after my boyfriend broke up with me after the holidays.
When she asked when we started dating, Henry answered that he kissed me at a Super Bowl after-party, and we’ve been secretly dating since.
If only that were true.
We take a break while Henry runs through drills on the field with Quinn and Tyler, as my uncle and the offensive coordinator work on routes. I’m sitting in the stands next to Stacey, going through some of the emails she got today. I’m putting the ones regarding me and Henry into one folder, the ones about Henry into another, and finally, the ones involving the team into a different one.
It’s mindless and boring, but it’s helping me work through my nerves about everything transpiring today with Henry and the awfulness of last night.
Part of the reason I was so upset with him this morning for telling me to stay home—well, stay at his house—instead of coming into work is that I knew if I did, I’d sit around all day doing absolutely nothing but think about someone trying to hurt me and my family. Just like Mom said last night, a house is just a house, but family is irreplaceable.
I need things to be normal.
Too bad nothing about today is normal.
Who knew I was the answer to Henry Price’s problems? Well, I always knew we were supposed to be together, no matter how many times JJ and Emily told me I needed to move on. Maybe it’s irrational to keep hoping after all this time, but I’d say I’m one step closer than I was before. Now, I just need him to see how great it would be to fake date me, and maybe Henry will actually want to date me for real.
Stacey called my PR team, to get them on board before she released a quick statement less than an hour ago, confirming the relationship along with a few minor details about when we got together. JJ, Kaitlyn, and Hunter have been blowing up my phone since, in addition to my best friend, Emily, who has been trying to reach me since this morning. I’ve been screening calls all day because I don’t know what to say to anyone.
The only person in my family who currently knows Henry and I aren’t together is my Uncle Owen. He warned us our parents won’t take it well, but I’m not sure I agree with him. My parents love Henry, and his parents love me, so why wouldn’t they like us together?
I don’t think I can hide this from JJ, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
This new development has made me even more of a social pariah with the interns. None of them have bothered even looking in my direction. I’m surprisingly okay with it. I don’t want to beg people to be my friends if they don’t want to be.
I’m fucking awesome, even if I don’t feel like it at the moment.
Stacey straightens next to me, causing me to look up from the screen to see what’s attracted her attention.
Oh shit.
Shit, motherfucker, goddammit.
Fuck.
Dad is walking across the field right in Henry’s direction like he owns the goddamn place—I guess he did for years—and Mom is right behind him. “Stacey, are you okay if—”
“You might want to go handle that,” she agrees. I move quickly down the stairs to get onto the field, kicking off my heels after nearly breaking my ankle on the first stair.
Uncle Owen looks up from where he’s talking with the offensive coordinator at the sound of my mom’s voice calling after my dad. “Sebastian, you know your legs are longer than mine, just wait a second,” she shouts, and he stops as Henry turns around. I move faster, cutting in front of them to block their path to Henry.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask, slightly out of breath and I can feel Henry’s looming presence right behind me.
“Bash? I didn’t know you were coming today . . .” Uncle Owen trails off, and the look of anger on Dad’s face is downright terrifying.
“Are you fucking kidding me? My daughter?” he asks, his voice shaking in anger as he looks directly over my shoulder at Henry.
When I told Henry earlier that we shouldn’t tell our parents this is fake, I was sorely mistaken in predicting how my dad would take it. Uncle Owen was definitely right, they’re not taking this well. “Wait, Dad—”
“Not now, Mirabelle.”
