FALLING AROUND YOU ➵ DANIEL SEAVEY ➵ SEQUEL

31 ➵ Truth Be Told

"What banquet?" I was clueless.

"He didn't tell you, did he?" Corbyn asked as I shook my head.

"I mean, I get why. You guys just got all serious again, and we aren't really allowed to bring dates. Tonight is just suppose to be the five of us," Jack elaborated.

"Also, Jack, I'm going to borrow a suit. Mine is still dirty from the last event."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am," Zach countered.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Really, Zach? There's a dry cleaner's place like three blocks from here. It doesn't take that long to get that damn—"

"Could someone just tell me what's going on?" I interrupted, raising my voice a bit.

The blonde next to me sighed, brushing a hand through his hair. "There's a banquet tonight. It's all our management team's clients together for one big dinner. We're going to be there, Marie's going to be there. She's another client under the same management as us – that's actually how we met her."

I chuckled, "Greg was trying to play matchmaker between his clients, huh?"

"Basically," Corbyn admitted.

"She really is a nice girl, though." Zach looked at me. "When he tells her, I hope it doesn't break her heart too much."

"You think she really liked him?" I asked, although I was already sure of my answer.

The trio nodded their heads, not knowing the right words to say. I was sure that they had gotten to know Marie, more than I could possibly imagine, being as Daniel and her needed to spend more time together for media publicity. It would have been impossible for friendships not to be made, feelings to be built. It made my heart rot just thinking about it. It was as if I took her place, even when her role was faked.

I looked down, "Really, I feel awful."

"Sienna, don't." Zach had sincerity in his eyes.

"You can't choose who love you and who you don't. Marie might have had feelings for Daniel, but he didn't have feelings for her. That's just the way the world works. You shouldn't feel bad because it wasn't meant to be for them." Corbyn pulled an arm over me in comfort.

My head nodded, though it was truly hard to focus on his words. I still felt unlawfully guilty, but I knew his words were truthful. I shouldn't feel guilty that Daniel loves me. I shouldn't feel guilty that I love him. Guilt just shows you that you are still living life in other people's expectations of what you should do.

And, I don't want to feel guilty anymore.

_

marie

"You look beautiful," I could hear from behind.

Slowly, I turned around, greeted with the green eyes that reminded me too much of our mother. Everything about her reminded me of our mother, really.Her smile, her grace, her hobbies. She looked identical to old photos of her. We look through them too often then we liked to admit. It made me quite jealous that I didn't inherit too many of those traits, but thankful that those aspects of our mother lives on.

I grabbed her hands, pulling her closer to me. "I wish you could come with me tonight. I really wish you could."

Valerie rolled her eyes, though still gave my hands a tight squeeze. "I don't have to go to every event with you, Marie, okay? I like staying in. I find much more amusement in it than you do, actually."