Planning on Forever

CHAPTER 7

She couldn't breathe. Her chest got tight and her throat was constricted. Her body shook violently which made her reading a challenge. Still, she tried to run her eyes over every black printed word on the screen in her hands. Her eyes took it all in but, her brain couldn't. None of it made sense.

"This isn't right," she stuttered. "None of this is right." It was hard to hear with the pressure of her thoughts blocking out the nonsense around her, though she was sure she'd gone shrill. Frantic even. She felt it. 

"Relax Nessa." She didn't know who spoke. She didn't care. She continued to scroll through the article, finding ten images taken just that morning at The Cove; all of them showing her and Jonah together in various ways. She didn't read the whole article, she didn't need to; the captions were incriminating enough. 

Vanessa and her mystery man take a tour of the all popular wedding venue. 

Vanessa Brady seen practicing her first dance with her husband-to-be.

Vanessa Brady staring lovingly at her new beau. 

"I - wha-" she gave up, sliding off her brothers' ridiculous chair and onto the floor. She let the device slip out of her fingertips. Her eyes closed and her body deflated. 

"Nessa." A light hand touched her shoulder, applying just enough pressure to be acknowledged. She peaked open her right eye and found Annabelle on her knees frowning towards her. "Are you okay?"

"It's not true," she whispered. 

"I thought as much. I know Nick didn't believe it either but, you know him." She looked back up at her husband. "He gets too in his head. A true caveman sometimes." Despite the horrid situation she found herself in, Vanessa giggled. "Are you okay to talk about this?"

"If it's all fabrication then we'll work quickly to sort this out." Her father, always the stiff businessman. Vanessa rose to her feet carefully and sat on the ridiculous fluffy ball again. She threw her head into her hands and sighed. 

"I should have known something was up. We kept hearing weird clicking noises all throughout the visit. I never suspected we were being photographed. I'm not interesting and Jonah is anonymous. He's built his career on his anonymity." Suddenly, she jolted upwards. "Jonah! He probably doesn't even know about this article!"

"Give him a call. He'll need to be kept up to date with whatever decision we make."

#

"There's a what?" 

"An article written about you and your old high school friend Vanessa. It says you're getting hitched." Clive stood in front of him appearing disheveled. It was an unnerving sight. Clive prided himself in his appearance, always in the most pristine attire with not even a speck of dust on him. Now, he stood with his collard shirt sleeves rolled up until his elbows; his one tattoo peeking out, and his shirt untucked from his pants. The last time Clive had been that untidy was when Jonah had told him about his personal problems. 

"I'm not getting married. We're not even dating. How is this possible?"

"I know that but some press found the two of you at a wedding venue and have come up with their own conclusion."

"So correct it."

"Yes, because it's that simple."

Jonah hated when Clive patronized him. "It is. I'm sure Vanessa's family are releasing a statement anyway denying the claims. Don't worry about this."