More Than Meets the Eye

Chapter Twenty

Auston's Point of View

The next morning I woke up with a splitting headache. I reached across the bed, expecting to feel Addie beside me when I remembered what happened. She definitely hated me.

I didn't intend on any of this to happen, but here I was, suffering the consequences of my dumbass actions. Telling her was one thing, but having her find out by seeing Jessica in person and overhearing a conversation was a whole other level. I didn't know what to do next; did I give her space? Did I tell people what happened?

Walking out into the living room I see Fred's already awake. He's got his bowl of oatmeal on the table, and his phone in his free hand, scrolling mindlessly through social media.

"Morning" I decide to break the ice. I know he's going to ask. That is, if he didn't hear any of the conversation last night.

"Morning" he says back, not glancing up from his phone. "Are you alright?" He then asks, taking a break from whatever he was looking at to look at me. I sigh. That was a loaded question, wasn't it?

"Not really" I say, shrugging and sitting opposite him at the dining room table. "How much of it did you hear?" I ask. We tried to be quiet about it, but who the hell can keep their voice down when they're mad?

"I didn't hear anything" his answer surprises me. I arch an eyebrow, a little confused, allowing him to continue. "I took a long shower. Got out when I heard the door slam" he tells me.

"Oh" is all I can manage to say. Honestly, I half wished he did hear the conversation. "She hates me now" I tell him, and he shakes his head.

"No, she doesn't"

"Yes, she does" I protest. "I've never seen her that angry before" I tell him, flashbacks from the night before plaguing my mind.

"I mean- do you blame her? For being angry?" He asks me, and of course I don't blame her. She had every right to be angry and honestly, it would have hurt a hell of a lot more if she was fine with it.

"No, I don't. I just- I really fucked up" I sigh heavily. "And now- now we have Jessica to deal with" I say, and at the sound of her name his eyes go wide. "What?" I ask, fearing the answer to this question.

Before I get an answer, I see my phone vibrate beside me; it's my agent.

"Hello?" I answer, though I know exactly who it is.

"Auston, what the hell were you thinking!?" He blasts me immediately.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"I cannot believe after everything you just had to go sleep with somebody" he spat, clearly angrier than I had ever seen him. How the hell did he know?

"What? How did you-?"

"It's all over the damn internet, Auston" he says, a little more calmly. Now I understand why Freddie was so wrapped up in his phone when I came in, and why his eyes went wide at the mention of Jessica.

"I..."

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?" He snaps me out of my trance. There's hundreds of tweets about it already, all standing by Addison, talking about what a huge piece of shit I was. Fuck.

"I'm so sorry- I didn't think-"

"That's the problem isn't it?" He asks me. "You don't think" he practically says to me exactly what Addie said last night, and it hurts.

"I do think!" I defend, but I know I have no leg to stand on in this. I fucked up, and it was time I faced the music. How much could people honestly care about my relationship status, anyway?