𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄ᵃʳⁱᵃⁿᵃ ᵍʳᵃⁿᵈᵉ

five

i pushed my way into the bathroom and walked straight over to the sink, splashing my face with ice cold water. when i "connected the dots," it took everything in me not to beat the shit out of that little white boy.

but, why did ariana bring me here if she knew he would be here, too? did she think that i could maybe meet him and not suspect a thing—and she could get away with it?

i breathed heavily as i raised my head from the sink and wiped my face of the water. i gripped the paper towel in my fist, squeezing as tight as i could. my throat was getting tight and i could feel my eyes grow heavy—but i stuck my head under the faucet and drank the water, fixing my throat. i wiped my eyes, too. i didn't need to cry at this realtor party, that was for later.

i closed my eyes as i leaned my hands on the counter, my head down. i heard the door open, and clicks of high heels walking towards me. a hand was placed on my shoulder, making me jump a little and look up.

i was vanessa, dalton's wife. there was a sympathetic look on her face and in her eyes. did—did she know? a small smile grew on her face as we stared at each other, and she began to rub my shoulder blade comfortingly.

"you okay?" she spoke softly in that accent that made me go wild. i cleared my throat and wiped my eyes again, nodding. "uh—um, yeah." bitch, no you weren't.

vanessa sighed and licked her pink lips. "when did you find out, hm?" she hummed, her head tilted. i furrowed my eyebrows as i looked back at her, feeling confused. she just giggled, "when did you find out about your wife?" she reiterated.

oh. my eyebrows shot up in surprise. "o-oh. i've—i've known for three years." i stuttered, scratching my nose. her brows knit together, that sympathetic look still on her face.

vanessa removed her hand from my shoulder and stood facing the mirror like i was. she looked into my eyes, shrugging. "dalton was really good at hiding it. i-i only found out last year." i nodded my head slowly, sorta feeling better that i wasn't alone in this situation.

we stood in silence for a few minutes, but it wasn't awkward. it was comfortable. it feels like we both understand each other so well—even if we had only just met.

vanessa giggled beside me, her teeth digging into her bottom lip as she smiled. the sight made my body grow hot and my heart flutter. i ducked my head, feeling my face grow hot. i got myself together and looked back up at vanessa, and she was still giggling and looking at me.

she brushed her brown hair behind her ear. "if i'm being completely honest, i don't know what your wife was thinking, y/n." my face broke out into a smile and i ducked my head again, chuckling.

i scratched the back of my head, feeling nervous and giddy from her compliment. i turned so i could look at her not through the mirror. "i could say the same thing for you." i spoke quietly.

a visible blush immediately showed on her cheeks, making us both giggle. after a moment, we settled down and just stared at each other. her eyes were soft as she looked into mine, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. i smiled gently, looking away again. i felt so nervous around her—and i have no clue why. i felt like i was fifteen again, falling in love with ariana. but this was different.

vanessa's phone pinged and she groaned, fishing her phone out of her purse. her body deflated as she looked at the text and typed back a quick reply. she put her phone back and looked at me, a sad expression on her beautiful face. "i've gotta go. dalton wants me." she spoke, disappointment laced in her voice.

i nodded slowly, not really wanting her to go. she waved slightly just as she did when we first met and started to walk backwards towards the door, not taking her eyes off of me.