Perfectly Imperfect | Lippa

"Messages." - Twenty-Six

DATE: December 21, 2015

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Renèe was pacing in her living room, biting her fingernails nervously. She stared down at her phone, her heart pounding. She wasn't sure what to do. Her friend that was also at the party last night had sent her a picture that was extremely unsettling to her. It was a picture of Lin and Jasmine making out.

   She was contemplating whether to send it to Pippa or not. She didn't want Pippa hurting, but she didn't want her to think that nothing happened...

   Renèe took a deep breath and closed her eyes, choosing her final decision. Oh god, I'm so sorry Pips... She took a screenshot of the picture and forwarded it to Pippa, her stomach doing somersaults. She quickly pushed the feeling of dread aside and clutched her phone tightly, grabbing her keys, getting ready to storm out. There was a certain Jasmine Cephas Jones that she needed to sternly talk to...

☀️

   Pippa heard the 'ding!' come from her phone and she shifted slightly, turning on her side, her eyes still closed. She mumbled something under her breath along the lines of 'it's too early.' Her eyes fluttered open only when she felt someone place a tender kiss on her temple. It took a second for her eyes to focus, but when they did, she recognized Lin and immediately gave him a sleepy smile.

"Morning," he cooed softly, laying down on his side to face her. Lin brushed the hair out of her face before giving her a gentle smile.

"Hey," she said softly. "I'm glad that you're back. I missed you last night." It was true. Pippa hadn't slept alone in a while, so it felt strangely weird and just straight up wrong when she fell asleep on an empty bed.

   His smile faltered slightly, but he said, "Me too. Sorry for leaving you, baby..."

   "It wasn't your fault." Pippa placed a hand on his exposed cheek and gently stroked it. "I trust Jasmine took good care of my Linnamin roll?"

   Lin averted his gaze from her eyes and nodded, sitting up. He leaned his back on the bed frame and pulled Pippa on top of his chest, hugging her tightly. She giggled and stroked his hair. "What's all this, love?"

   "Nothing, I just... I love you, that's all," he said softly, avoiding eye contact. It hurt him way too much to look straight at her. Pippa rolled her eyes playfully and got off of him and off the bed, heading towards the bathroom.

Lin watched her leave, sighing softly as he did so. Once she was out of sight, he took out his phone and texted Jasmine.

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To: Jas

You: That was a one time thing, got it? Nothing more.
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   He watched helplessly as he saw the texting bubble pop up and disappear a few times. Finally, she responded.

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You: That was a one time thing, got it? Nothing more.
Jas: I know.
Read 8:11 AM
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After a while of just staring at his phone, Lin got up and stretched, walking out of the room. Just as he did so, Pippa walked out of the bathroom and into the room, humming to herself quietly, already dressed and ready for the day. She went over to her phone and picked it up, noticing that she had an unread message from Renèe.

   Pippa unlocked her phone and checked the message, still humming happily as the picture loaded. She read the caption that Renèe had sent to her, slightly confused and a bit worried.

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[Media]
Pippa, I'm so sorry...
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   Her heart stopped when she saw the picture, instantly plummeting down to her stomach. Pippa couldn't believe what she was seeing. She zoomed in on their faces in disbelief. That couldn't be Lin and Jasmine, right?

   Lin would never do that to her...

   Pippa stared down at her phone emotionlessly as tears formed in her eyes, threatening to spill. That's what had happened while she was gone. That's why Jasmine had drove off with Lin. That's why he was avoiding too much eye contact. A few tears landed on her phone as a small sob escaped her lips, her body shuddering slightly. "Lin," she called out weakly, her voice shaking.

   Lin came in a few seconds later, biting his inner cheek. "Yeah--" He froze when he saw the state that Pippa was in. His eyes widened and he hurried over, wrapping his arms around her, trying to comfort her. Lin was shocked when Pippa violently pulled away from his grasp, fresh tears now running down her cheeks. She shoved the phone in his face, refusing to look at him straight in the eye. "Explain this," she demanded quietly but strictly.

His stomach churned unpleasantly when he saw the picture. Lin gently moved the phone away, staring at Pippa desperately. "P-Pips, let me explain," he stammered, taking a step closer to her.

Pippa shook her head and sniffled, wiping away some tears with the back of her hand. "What did you two do after you left?"

"Pippa, I---"

"What did you to do?" she repeated louder, cutting him off. She clenched her fists, staring at the ground. Pippa couldn't describe what she was feeling. It this mixture of jealousy, anger, sadness, disappointment, and... and hate. She hated herself for trusting Lin and Jasmine too much. She hated herself for leaving Lin alone at that party. She hated herself for not being enough for him. She was a fool to think that she was.

Lin lowered his gaze in shame, sighing quietly. "We... we had sex," he whispered, his heart aching as he felt himself admit it. "Maybe twice, I-I don't remember.."

"Oh my god Lin," Pippa scoffed in disbelief. She turned around, running a hand through her hair. "And-And you didn't even tell me!" she hissed.

"I didn't know what to say!" Lin gasped, his arms hanging effortlessly. "I-I... I didn't have the courage to tell you..."

"So you were just going to wait until I found out?" she asked, raising her voice. She turned back to him, her eyes wide with shock. "You weren't going to tell me that you cheated on me with Jasmine?!"

For once, Lin was speechless. He stared at Pippa, opening his mouth to say something, but quickly closing it after nothing came out.

   Pippa covered her mouth in attempts to try and stop herself from letting out more heartbreaking sobs. "I-I can't believe you, Lin," she whispered, shaking her head and looking down. She pushed past him, grabbing her coat and keys. Pippa left the apartment without saying anything else, leaving a heartbroken Lin alone in their room.

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This chapter hurt me so much...
      Thanks for reading!
           - Danielle