Chiara [PUBLISHED] ✔️

Twenty-four

"About what?" Chiara put the dresses down with an even, blank expression on her face. She didn't flinch or show any signs of nervousness.

"Everything." I sat down awkwardly, trying not to stare at all the intimidating mirrors. I decided to go straight to the point. "You knew Josh was broke before."

Chiara held one of the dresses, a sparkling black fabric, in mid-air as she considered my words. There was nowhere to run this time, she had to talk to me.

"He's been broke for a while." Chiara nodded eventually.

She walked over to the wall and dimmed the lights in the room. My eyes relaxed immediately and I was finally able to look in the mirror without cringing. She sat on the stool and looked at me.

"Why did you tell me you just found out?" I asked, hoping the pain wasn't apparent in my voice.

"Because it was simpler that way." Chiara sighed and squeezed her fingers. Finally, she showed some signs of nervousness. I was beginning to think she simply wasn't human.

"What was simpler?"

"Explaining." She let out a chuckle.

"Tell me now." I gulped down the ache in my throat. "Please, I want you to know you can trust me."

Chiara's eyes fixated on mine and a jolt of energy coursed through my spine. I had never seen this amount of emotion in her eyes; fear and anger and pain and love. My heart clenched.

"Really?" She hid it all behind a hoarse laugh. "Because I've learned not to trust anyone. I know you shouldn't trust anyone. Why should I trust you, then? Why do you want me, Jackie?"

In her navy blue square-necked dress, she looked younger, more innocent. And I wanted to strip that dress off her and show her just how much I wanted her.

"Because-" my heart was in my mouth, "because all I can think about is you."

Chiara didn't say a word, but her eyes widened a little bit.

"And I have to know what's going on," I continued, still feeling the burning in my throat, "because my heart is on the line. I can't be kept in the dark, not when it comes to this. I need you to tell me the truth, Chiara, because I like you too much."

I felt relief as the words finally rolled off my tongue, but another grip closed around my heart as she bit her bottom lip and stared at the floor.

For a couple of excruciating moments, she was completely quiet.

"The tape Josh has," she finally spoke, "it's been made before I left. I really did study abroad, Jackie, but my dad hired a private tutor because I couldn't stay here. Not after Josh had that tape..." she took in a deep, shivering breath, "he blackmailed me into giving him money. Otherwise, he said he'd release the tape. And my dad would kill me if he saw that tape, Jackie. He'd make me leave again if he ever saw it."

I didn't know what to say; it all sounded surreal. What kind of problems were these? For fuck's sake, blackmail and sex tapes?

"Then, why are you willing to risk Josh releasing the tape now?" I didn't want to tell her that Josh claimed he erased it, because I didn't believe him and I didn't want to get her hopes up. "You're not still giving him money, are you?"

"No, no, I stopped." Chiara sighed. "I found out something that Josh doesn't want people to know." She hesitated for a second before continuing. "Josh's dad owes my dad money. A lot of it. Wrights are indebted to us."

"Oh, wow." I thought about what she said. "And Josh doesn't want anyone to know?"

"His dad lost his money gambling." Chiara shrugged. "Once I found out and confronted Josh, he begged me not to tell anyone. And I told him I wouldn't, but the tape had to disappear."