Hold Me 'till the rain stops

chapter 18- The devil wears Versace

Elliana:
Today was Exhausting! I couldn't even bare to move a finger is how exhausted I was. All this exhaustion and killed my appetite and all I wanted to do was sleep until next week.
It was past 7 when I finally hit the submit button on my last assignment for the week. Who knew spending your entire Friday at the library, writing reports on history of costumes and textile science. I was way too eager to shove my laptop and books into my bag and drive home. I stopped by the McDonald's drive thru, to get Iris and I some food and dove away. would say I reached home fairly on time but didn't find Iris anywhere. I Just found a note from her on the kitchen island, saying we ran out of laundry pods and disinfectant, so she ran to the store.
I ate the take out I got and plopped on my study table, because I still had to finish the pattern design I was drawing. I worked for a fair 2 hours and slept.
Thank god the next day was Saturday, because that meant I could wake up as late as I wanted and do whatever I wanted without feeling guilty. I woke up at 9am, are a leisurely breakfast, work some more on my assignments, draw to kill time and then decide to go for a run around 5pm, since it's starting to cool down.and decided to go for a walk in the central park. The central park is only about a 5 minute walk from my house and I alternate between walking and jogging.
I run for a good one and a half hour, when I finally stop, to check my watch to count steps and streach my arms and legs. Something catches my attention from my peripheral vision, as I turn my head to see Massimo. He was just standing there, holding up a phone to his ear with one hand and holding many shopping bags, from only the top brands in the world in the other. I was about to walk towards him to say hello when suddenly, a lady, who looked like she was at least in jer mid-twenties or even presumably the same age as him, walks towards him in a pair of black designer Jimmy Choo heels and what looks like a dress from the Versace FW '21 collection.  Wow. She had a unique sense of fashion. I mean, all the people, in the park were gawking at her. Was she some kind of a supermodel? She certainly looked like one.
The woman was tall. Like, tall. At least a five-foot-ten, with light blonde, almost white hair and delicate ivory skin, as she sashayed towards Massimo with more shopping bags, as he then held the phone between his shoulder and ear and took the bags from her. He didn't see me, maybe because he was wearing sunglasses, or maybe because he was probably on an important phone call, or maybe because his girlfriend had him carry all her bags, when she was perfectly healthy, with two working arms and legs, but seeing him with her surely made me feel something.
So, I was crazy to think he actually liked me, after all.
And why wouldn't I be? Who the hell was I to think I even had a chance with him? He had dinner with me once and I thought he's suddenly in love with me. He's probably going to take his  girlfriend to his grandparents' and they're going to eat dinner together, while they plan their wedding.
Massimo loads the bags into the boot of the car and I, not wanting to be seen to make it all awkward (but more because I was really sweaty andy hair was oily and sticky), started walking towards the exit, but couldn't help but steal glances at them. I didn't realise I was holding my breath and a buttload of emotions, untill I see the girl hugging Massimo. He too, wraps his arms tightly around her waist and runs her back, just like he does to me when he hugs me. She says something to him, which makes him smile, as he opens the car door for her and extends a hand for her, as she gets inside the car and he runs to the other side, gets onto the driver's seat and speeds away.
I can't believe myself. He was the first man I'd ever liked...was I completely delusional? The way he looked at me? The way he made me feel? Was I the other woman all along? Of course that makes sense. He hadn't texted me in over a week, since the dinner. He was probably busy. With her. So he was cheeting on his Beautiful girlfriend with me the whole time? I never thought he was that kind of a man. Then again, what do I actually know about him?
The walk home is a blur of holding back my tears and kicking myself for not knowing better. As I reached home, Iris is already in the living room, reading her book, as she asks me something, but I just ignore her and go off to my room. I lock the door and go into the bathroom and stand under the open shower, finally unleashing the tears that I'd been holding.