Karla's P.O.V:
I stumble into my office before Jay follows me in and slams the door shut behind us. My heart bangs against my chest when he locks the door and closes the blinds. I stand in the middle of the room and cross my arms across my chest, waiting for him to speak but he doesn't.
I expect for him to start yelling right away or at least smash a few things, that's what he used to do all the time when we younger. He would smash or break anything in his way as he shouted when someone pissed him off.
"Rose...She...She means everything to me." He finally breaks the silence. I don't turn back to look at him or say anything. "Rose is the only one that's keeping me sane." He carries on talking. "If I lose her then I will lose everything I have." He half whispers.
"We think she's using you." I state.
"Using me?" Jay repeat in disbelief as he lets out a confused laugh.
"Yeah." I nod as I cross my arms across my chest and turn to face him. "Nick and I think that she's using you for the contract." I add.
"Think whatever you want." He says with a wave of his hand. "She can't know that I told you that she's one of the creators." He says as he makes his way towards me, making me slowly take a step back.
"Okay." I nod once.
"Okay?" He raises his brow.
"Okay." I shrug. "I promise not to say anything." I say.
"Slight problem here." He says. "I don't believe you." He shrugs. "Don't make me do something I don't want to, Karla. We've known each other too long to destroy everything." He adds in a warning tone that sends shivers down my back.
"Are..." I clear my throat when my voice cracks slightly. "Are you threatening me?" I ask in disbelief.
"Stay away from Rose, Karla." He says sternly. "It's your only warning." He adds coldly before he turns his back towards me.
"And what about Tessa?" I shout after him, making him stop in his tracks. "Don't you care about Tessa?" I ask.
"If I didn't then I wouldn't have come back to this dump that you call a home." He states.
"She needs Marshall-" I start and get cut off.
"No she doesn't." He says quickly. "It will be all over soon anyway." He adds before he walks out the door, slamming the door behind himself.
Marshall P.O.V:
I place the contract down and look up at Tessa who paces up and down as she talks to herself quietly. Paul and Leroy talk to eachother in hushed tone as we wait for the interview to start.
It's our first interview on live television since the attack. I didn't want to do this and i'm not sure if Tessa wanted to do this but I have a feeling Leroy pushed her to do it, just like he always does.
She's nervous. You can tell from a mile away that's she's shitting it and I would be too if I didn't remember anything. She feels like it's out first interview together. She hates lying and she's bad at it too but to make everyone believe that this is real, she has to lie.
Tessa keeps pacing up and down as she runs her shaky fingers through her long dark hair. I look back at our managers as they walk out of the room, leaving us alone with the make up artist and Lilly.
"Can you uhr..." I say as I walk towards Lilly, making her look up at me. "Can you grab me a drink?" I ask.
"I got you one already." She states as she takes out a water bottle from her bag.
"I already have water" I state. "I need you to grab me a red bull can." I say and watch her as she places the water bottle back in her back before she picks up her jacket.
"There's a shop down the street." She states, making me take out my money from my jeans back pocket. "I'll be quick." She smiles as she takes the money from my hand.
"Take your time." I smile.
Lilly probably works for the contract, I can't let her see me and Tessa talk.
"Tessa. Do you want anything?" She asks as she looks over my shoulder and at Tessa. I turn around to face Tessa who carries on walking up and down as she talks to herself.
"Get her a coke can." I turn to face Lilly.
"Okay." She shrugs before she walks past me and towards the exit. I watch the make up artist follow Lilly out, leaving me alone with Tessa. I let out a sigh and turn to face her. I finally got her alone.
Just don't be too nice or get too close, Marshall.
"Hey." I say as I walk towards Tessa, making her stop in her tracks as she turns to face me. Tessa doesn't say anything and waits for me to speak as she stares at me. "Listen. You got this-" I start and get cut off.
"No I haven't." She shakes her head. "How am I supposed to make them believe that we're actually engaged?" She says as she shakes her head and looks away from me. "This is insane." She sighs.
"They already believe we're a couple, Tess." I state and curse at myself at the nickname.
Call her by her full name, idiot!
It's a good thing she didn't hear otherwise she would have doubts about who I am to her again. Tessa lets out a sigh and places her head on my shoulder as she places one of her hand on my shoulder and clutches onto my jacket with the other hand, taking me by suprise as I stand here glued to my spot.
"I can't do this." She sighs.
"You got this." I say softly as I wrap my arms around her and hug her, I know i'm going to regret this later. "You got this, Tessa." I whisper and feel her clutch onto me tighter.
"I don't." She shakes her head.
"It will be all over soon." I whisper and feel her nod.
Tessa's P.O.V:
"Do you think they're going to find your attacker?" The interviewer asks. Just when i'm about to speak, he cuts in again. "I don't know if the crowd knows this but there have been a lot of people arrested, questioned and then let go." He tells the crowd and the people at home.
"Yeah, there were a lot of people who were questioned and later let go when there wasn't enough evidence." I nod. I look down at my hand that's wrapped around Marshall's hand when I feel him stroke the back of my hand with his thumb lightly. "There were...A lot of witnesses that came foward too." I tell him as I look away from our hands that are linked together.
Lying to the whole world is hard, espically when we're on live tv. We have to act like a couple which is the last thing I want to do with a stranger. Marshall's good at it though. The way he's holding my hand, smiling at me, acting around me in a way that any man would act around his woman.
He deserves an oscar.
"Do you go to therapy?" He asks, making me glance at my manager who's in the audience seated in the front row next to Marshall's manger. I watch Leroy nod before I quickly look back at the interviewer.
"Yes, I do." I nod.
"Does that help?" He asks.
"Uhrm...At times, yes it does." I nod as sit up a little.
"Ah well that's good." He nods. "What about Eminem?" He asks, making me look at Marshall who looks back at me and smiles at me lightly, making me smile back.
"Emine- I mean Marshall." I clear my throat at the slip up. "Marshall is always there right next to me." I lie as I look back at the interviewer. "He's always there for me." I shrug. "He's always taking care of me. Always next to me and making sure i'm okay. I'm lucky to have someone like Marshall next to me." I add.
My eyes drop down to our hands for a split second before I look up at the interviewer. The mans mouth moves but for some reason his words don't reach my ears. My eyes slowly drift away from him and towards the crowd.
~ Flashback ~
"Promise me something." I say.
"Anything." Marshall shrugs.
"Promise me that you won't stop talking to me." I say before it goes quiet between us. "When it ends. When all of this contract ends, promise me you won't forget about me and promise me you won't stop loving me. Promise me that you will be by my side forever." I say.
"I promise." Marshall says as he tucks my hair behind my ear. "And I don't think I can ever stop loving you, Tess." He adds, making me smile. I lean foward and place my lips on his as I place my hand on his cheek and kiss him.
"I love you." I tell him as I move back and watch him smile at me softly.
"I love you too." He says, making me smile wider. I place my head on his chest and let him wrap his arms around me. "And I promise that I will do everything in my power to stay with you Tess." Marshall says as he strokes my hair.
"I promise that too." I mumble.
~ End Of Flashback ~
"Tessa. Tessa....Tessa? Can you hear me?" I look away from the crowd and at Marshall who's calling me as he shakes me lightly. I open my mouth but no words come out. "What's wrong, baby?" He whispers, making me knit my brows together in confusion.
Baby?
"Tessa?" I look away from Marshall and at the interviewer.
"I'm sorry." I clear my throat. I untangle my fingers from Marshall and let go of his hand. From the corner of my eye, I see him look down at his hand in confusion. "What was the question?" I ask the man as I lock my hand together.
"I ehr, asked you about your friend Karla King." He states.
"What about her?" I ask.
"Well, how's her health?" He asks, making me knit my brows together in confusion.
Her health? Why the hell do they care about her health?
"She's fine." I shrug. "Why?" I ask.
"Well, rumors are going around that you're going to become Milo's carer and help out her husband, Chris. " He states.
"And why would I be his carer when he already has his mom?" I ask.
"I think we should stop the interview." Marshall quickly cuts in, making me turn to face him before I look back at the interviewer again.
"Where are you going with his?" I ask.
"Well, i'm sorry if this upsets you-" He starts but I cut him.
"Just say it!" I snap, getting irrated at the man for no reason.
"Well, the cancer." He says, making Marshall sigh as he burys his hand in his face. "In your last interview you talked about how her cancer isn't that bad but another source, one of her nurses told us that it's getting worse." He adds.
I stay frozen in my spot and just sit there and stare at him. Is this some kind off trick? Some kind of sick joke that they find amusing. Some sick joke they're making to get the boring audience laughing? Because cancer in nothing to joke about with, espically on live tv.
"We'll be back after the break." The interviewer says as he turns to face the camera. I slowly find my self rising up from my seat before I get ready to walk away.
"Tessa-" Marshall starts but I cut him off.
"Don't say a word." I say as I put my hand up and walk away from him and towards the backstage.