The vibe during the flight to Athens could not have been more different compared to our previous flight to Rome. Helen sat at the front of the plane, but Teddy's foul mood had been following him around since before we'd boarded. I'd guessed something had happened in his last interview because he'd been his usual playful self over breakfast.
I'd tried to pry, but he hadn't wanted to talk. Instead, I spent the flight editing my Rome blog post until I'd polished it as much as I could. When I asked Teddy if he'd like to read it, he grumbled something unintelligible in response but reached for my laptop.
I turned my attention to the window as I waited for him to finish. Clouds soared beneath us, and I pondered my strategy for Athens, debating whether I should stick to my original plan or go off-piste again. I'd always found Greeks very friendly and laid-back, so I was keen to incorporate something of that nature into the post.
A loud sigh from Teddy interrupted my train of thought. With one hand, he passed the laptop back to me.
"It's good, Soph. Really good."
"Wow. Try saying it like you mean it next time."
"Sorry. Bad day."
"I gather."
That provoked the tiniest smile that almost resembled a silent apology before he rested his head against the cabin wall and stared out of the window.
I uploaded the post, then opened my group chat with the girls. If Teddy wasn't in a conversational mood, I'd use his jet's Wi-Fi to speak to someone who was.
Me: Teddy's in a bad mood. Do you think he suspects?
Becca: Doubt it but don't know what there is to be sad about when you're rich, famous and have girls throwing themselves at you
That slightly bitter response from Becca made me wonder whether she was referring to me in the latter part of her message. With Teddy's mysterious silence looming over me, I wasn't prepared to entertain even more guessing games over my friends' moods.
Me: I'm not throwing myself at him but maybe that would cheer him up if I did
Becca: I wasn't talking about you. A photo has gone viral of him cosying up to some Italian model
What the fuck? I swapped WhatsApp for Twitter, and sure enough, Teddy's name sat at the top of the trending list. That wasn't a surprise in itself. One photo dominated the feed, though, appearing in hundreds of different tweets from both fans and media outlets.
Teddy's arm was draped around the shoulder of a beautiful brunette as they leaned side-by-side against a wall. Despite the casual pose, their heads rested together so closely that it suggested an intimate familiarity. The photo was clearly staged, but their smiles seemed real enough.
TEDDY STONE IN SECRET LONG-DISTANCE ROMANCE WITH ITALIAN INFLUENCER LUCIA BRUNO?
A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN: STONE AND BRUNO SET TONGUES WAGGING
ADORABLE PHOTO OF TEDDY STONE AND LUCIA BRUNO GETTING COSY IN ROME
Each gossip site had run with a similar story, and the tweets from fans revealed a mixture of adoration and hatred. I'd never heard of Lucia Bruno, but apparently she was a big deal on Instagram. Naturally, I headed there next.
She popped up as the first result as soon as I typed in Lucia, her profile boasting an impressive 5 million followers. The latest photo was the same one I'd seen on Twitter, captioned with a heart emoji. Teddy had commented underneath, also with a heart emoji.
Glancing across the aisle at him, I cleared my throat. No response. I stuck out my leg and nudged his knee with my foot. His expressionless eyes fell on me, brow furrowing when I rotated my phone to show him the photo.
"Tell you later," he said, his voice barely above a murmur.
I reopened the group chat and, without overthinking it, responded to Becca.
Me: Hope he's not involved with her... Screws up my plan to dish the dirt on Lacey
Gabby: Maybe switch your efforts onto Lucia?
Becca: Or we position him as a cheating whore... which he is?
My mind wandered back to the NDA, and various scenarios presented themselves. Had Helen known about Lucia and wanted to silence me? Had Becca signed one but kept it to herself out of embarrassment from rushing into it?
If Teddy had offered it as a pre-requisite to spending the night together, Becca may well have put pen to paper, thinking only of her fantasy fulfilment and no other potential consequences. It would explain why she was so passionate about me exposing him. Otherwise, what stopped Becca from selling her story to the highest bidder now Teddy had been exposed as potentially being in a relationship?
When the pilot announced our descent, I signed off the chat and looked back across the aisle. Teddy hadn't moved, still staring out of the window, his jaw flexing as he chewed his gum.
Becca was right; what did he have to be sad about?
*
We'd secured another top floor in our Athens hotel, and my room enjoyed a private balcony overlooking the city's rooftops. Late in the evening in March, the air carried a slight chill, but it was the knock on my door that pulled me back into the warmth of the room.
"I brought food." Teddy held up a brown paper bag when I opened the door.
"In that case, come in."
He kicked off his shoes and hopped up onto the bed, crossing his legs. For a fleeting moment, I found myself staring at the hot guy on my sheets, wondering how I'd ended up here. Then I remembered he was famous, and the scenario became even more outrageous.
"Let me just wash my hands," I said.
When I emerged from the bathroom afterwards, Teddy had laid out a spread of food on my duvet. No prizes for guessing why we were having the feast in my room, then.
"Sorry about earlier," he said. "Bad day."
"Want to talk?"
"Yeah. Once I've eaten and feel more human."
"Sure. One sec..." I retreated into the bathroom, unsure whether my distraction at seeing Teddy on my bed had made me forget to turn off the water.
I hadn't. The sink was silent, not a drip falling from the tap.
"Sorry. Couldn't remember if I turned it off." I shut the bathroom door to serve as a reminder to Future Sophia that I'd already checked the tap.
Teddy smiled and shuffled across so I could join him on the mattress. We tucked into the food, and he told me about his final Rome interview. Apparently the magazine had wanted to ask another question that wasn't pre-agreed, but they'd discussed it with Helen off the record rather than springing it on Teddy, which won them brownie points and an exclusive.
"So Helen was in a good mood afterwards," he said, "and we were getting on better than we had in a long time, so I brought up the NDA. I didn't want to ruin the vibe, so I apologised for how I acted but said I really wasn't comfortable with it."
As he paused for breath, I slid a fried cheese ball into my mouth to avoid having to speak. This could be a turning point—either good or bad—and I didn't want to risk saying anything that could give away my true feelings on the matter. As far as Teddy and Helen were concerned, I was more than willing to sign the NDA once my fictional lawyer had reviewed it.
"She said she understands, and she can't tell me how to live my life, but she can make recommendations. So I said that's fine—that's literally her job. So she suggested a compromise, and in walks Lucia Bruno—which, by the way, was super awkward because we've slid into each other's DMs a few times, and I'm pretty sure I was the one to stop replying."
He took a few gulps of water, then shovelled more food into his mouth before continuing.
"Helen's compromise involved me posing for a shot with Lucia and revealing our secret relationship to the world."
"Oh. Well, I guess the photo kind of hints at something romantic, but nothing is confirmed. It's probably better that way, though, given the Lacey stuff is still fresh. Do you really want a reputation for swinging between different women?"
He threw his arms up in the air. "Exactly! Helen thought it would distract from the Lacey stuff, but I think that's very short-sighted and threatens my reputation longer-term. So, my counter-compromise was to pose for a photo that can be interpreted either way. It can be seen as friendly or romantic. Let the rumour mill churn but know that nothing concretely bad can come of it."
Pushing the remainder of the food his way, I leaned against the headboard and stretched my legs.
"That's the gist of it, anyway," he said. "I think Helen's just trying to punish me for what happened at the club."
As Teddy picked at the leftover food, I thought back to that night and the racy dancing. There had to be another reason that Helen didn't want the story gaining credibility.
Being an actress, Lacey could put on a show for anyone, but I had believed the chemistry between them and so did the rest of the world, judging by the rumours. So why was Helen desperate to stifle harmless publicity?
"Have you and Lacey slept together?" I asked Teddy.
He paused with a strip of chicken partway through his lips, caught off-guard like I'd intended. Then, almost as quickly as he'd frozen, he sprang back into life, the chicken disappearing into his mouth and down his throat. After a sip of water, he turned to me.
"Yes."
I raised my eyebrows. "Shit. I thought you'd make me work harder for that."
"You can ask me anything, Soph. You know that."
"You haven't exactly been forthcoming about it before."
He shrugged. "And so you asked again. Shows you really want to know if you've asked twice."
I'd expected an undertone of teasing to accompany that statement, but he seemed serious enough. Only minutes earlier he'd been talking about the NDA, and yet now he claimed I could ask him anything. Did he really trust me that much? Or was this a calculated move, mentioning a huge secret in the same conversation as an NDA, to test me?
Even if Teddy did trust me, Helen didn't—no matter how she tried to sugar-coat it. Test or no test, I still had to make sure I didn't fail.
With a light-hearted grin, I said, "Yeah, me and the rest of the world."
I'd hoped it would spark something I could interpret, but Teddy just chuckled and tossed the empty packaging into the bin.
"I'll make you a deal," he said. "I'll tell you the story about Lacey and me if I can tell you a different story afterwards."
It sounded like a strange deal given that he didn't appear to benefit from it, but I urged him to go on.
"I first met her at an audition. I'd written a song to be featured in the film, and Helen had scored me a seat on the casting panel. Not for the whole film, unfortunately—only for the scene where the actor would be providing the vocals to my music."
"How long ago was this?"
Teddy cocked his head to the side and wet his lips. "Few years ago, maybe. Lacey had been in some smaller films, but she hadn't made a name for herself at that point. She walked into the room looking cute as hell in a short skirt, long hair scraped back into a high ponytail, and wearing these lethal boots that reached halfway up her thighs. Similar to the ones you have."
He nudged his knee against mine, and I felt a traitorous flutter of excitement that he'd remembered something I'd worn.
"So, she was the first audition, and I was feeling a bit full of myself because I was on the casting panel. And also I wanted to flirt. So I said to her, 'auditions for Stars in their Eyes are next door, you know?'"
"Wow." I scoffed. "I've never understood why boys think being a dick counts as flirting."
He grinned. "I thought it was a hilarious comment given how similar she looked to Ariana. But she didn't flinch. Even today, I can vividly remember the expression on her face. She raised one eyebrow at me and said, 'Yeah, I just came from there. You're my back-up plan.'"
I quickly swallowed my water before I choked on it. My respect for Lacey soared. A girl after my own heart.
"It was a good job she nailed the audition because I'd already decided she was the one."
"And the panel agreed?"
"Yeah. She really did nail it. I'm proud of her now, looking back. To have someone make a cutting—and let's face it, undermining—comment like I did and not let it affect your performance? A true professional."
"She obviously forgave you if she slept with you."
I expected a cocky remark about being irresistible, but Teddy's smile was genuine.
"Do you know what's sexier than winning over a girl you've offended? A girl who's so sure of herself that she didn't take offence in the first place. Lacey didn't care that I'd made a stupid joke or compared her to Ariana. We worked together on the song, and at some point along the way, we ended up in bed."
"So, did you date?" I asked.
Given that he was in the mood to share, I didn't want to waste it. I also knew that no matter how much he revealed, I couldn't sell it on without exposing myself. There was every chance Teddy knew that, too, hence his honesty.
"It turned into a mini relationship during filming, but we kept it secret. She was fiercely independent and hated the idea of someone assuming she'd got the role through sleeping with me."
"How did it end, then? If it's ended?"
Teddy tapped his toes against mine. "Have you been paying attention to how much I like you?"
I chose not to brood over that comment. "Can you blame me for asking? She's beautiful."
"So are you. And you come without the baggage. Bonus." He winked, and the tension lifted.
"And what baggage does she come with?"
"A-list celebrity status for a start. We'd never get any privacy. But aside from that, we couldn't make it work. Our schedules clashed too much. She was kissing other guys in films, I was dancing with other women in videos. The trust wasn't there. Too many pieces of the jigsaw didn't slot together. Besides, she's dating her co-star now. Head over heels for him."
For a guy who I still didn't entirely trust, I had to admire the candidness in that explanation. I shouldn't be jealous over his past; that wasn't part of the plan.
But what girl wouldn't feel threatened by someone like Lacey Holland, in any aspect of their life?
***
Thank you for reading :) xx
***
- Lucia Bruno is fictional. No doubt there are people who share the same name, but none of them are Instagrammers as far as I'm aware!
- I'm not sure if Stars in Their Eyes is only a British program? I don't think it's still going either so some of you may be too young to remember it! It's a talent show where people dress up as a famous singer and perform their songs.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! It was a bit longer, and the next one will cover Teddy's second "story" :)