Chasing After You | 18+ | ✓

08: mirabelle

See, when Stacey said she was releasing an article that afternoon about our 'relationship' I didn't think she really meant by three o'clock. Instead of today being all about interviewing Henry, it ended up turning into let's make sure Mirabelle and Henry know what the fuck their backstory is.

How fun.

I've kept it pretty simple, answering honestly about how I've always had feelings for Henry. Of course he has no idea I'm answering honestly. The second Stacey asked when I knew I had feelings for him, I instantly thought of the day I got the small scar on my knee. The one identical to Henry's.

How Henry helped me up after I tripped chasing our family puppy and I thought he was the coolest person ever. How every minute after that I thought about how nice and cute Henry was. I lived for the days when Uncle Chris and Aunt Penelope were coming over because I knew I'd get to see Henry. I used to cry every time they left and I'd bury my nose in a book or go swimming in the ocean if I was close to it to cheer myself up. I'd throw myself into gymnastics because all that unrequited love fueled my energy and desire to be the best and win everything when I couldn't obtain the one thing I wanted most of all.

JJ figured out my hopeless crush when I was twelve and would do his best to keep me happy since that was right around the time Henry stopped coming every time with his parents because he had friends to hang out with. The worst was when Aunt Penelope came over gushing to my mom about Henry's first girlfriend.

Instead of saying all that, I say that it happened one Christmas our families spent in France.

When she asked when we started dating, Henry answered that he asked me out while we were surfing and we've been secretly dating since.

If only that were true.

We took a break with the questioning while Henry runs through drills on the field with Quinn and Andre. I'm sorting through some of the emails Stacey got today, putting the ones regarding me and Henry into one folder, ones about just Henry into another, and finally ones regarding 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 horror of last night.

Part of the reason I was so upset with him this morning for telling me to stay hom—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 thinking about someone trying to hurt me and my family. Just like my mom said last night, a house is just a house, but we're all irreplaceable.

I need things to be normal.

Too bad nothing about today has been normal.

Who knew that I was the answer to Henry's problems? Well, I always knew that 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. Now I guess I just need him to see how fun it will be to fake date me and maybe Henry will actually want to date me for real.

JJ has been blowing my phone up for the last hour since the relationship was confirmed along with Emily who has been trying to reach me since this morning. I've been screening calls all day because I don't particularly know what to say to anyone.

The only person in my family who knows that Henry and I aren't actually together is my Uncle Owen. He warned us that our parents aren't going to take it well, but I'm not sure I agree with him. My parents love Henry 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.

My chignon fell out a while ago and I haven't bothered to put it back up so my hair keeps falling in my face. I also keep getting distracted to watch Henry so there's that.