Chapter 28

Celeste

Fiona and I were watching a movie and talking about the night spent at the ball when the doorbell rang. Fiona paused the movie and gave me a quizzical look, because we both knew who was out there: Jack.

He was coming to ‘check on me’—or, rather, he was coming to make sure that I was where I said I had been all night.

But he wasn’t alone. I could see the silhouette of another person standing behind him, and I recognized those broad shoulders and dark hair immediately. It was Matt.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” she asked, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “I think…”

“I know.” I nodded and stood. “I can see him out there with Jack. It’s fine.”

Fiona, nodding, stood alongside me. She made her way over to the door, then opened it a crack and gave my brother a disdainful look. “What do you want?”

Jack frowned. “Where’s Celeste? I wanted to check on her.”

“What, do you think I’m holding her hostage or something?” Fiona asked, ever the fire-started.

Jack, with a huff, folded his arms across his chest and shot her a look of annoyance. I came up behind Fiona and touched her shoulder, offering her a weak smile. “It’s fine. Hey, Jack.”

Upon seeing me, Jack practically muscled his way inside. Fiona reluctantly stepped out of the way, her blue eyes boring holes into the side of Jack’s head. But Jack didn’t notice; his eyes were on me, judging me.

And my eyes were on Matt, who lingered behind on the porch. He had his hands in his pockets and a solemn look on his face, but he wasn’t looking inside. He was facing off to the side, uncomfortably inspecting the lawn chair on the porch.

Matt was the epitome of enigmatic allure. Standing tall with an athletic build, his form exuded strength, yet a subtle elegance. The very silhouette of him in his tightly-fitted suit was enough to make anyone pause and take a second glance.

His dark hair, always slightly tousled, added a sense of wild charm to his otherwise sophisticated demeanor. His deep-set eyes, the color of stormy nights, held an intensity that could make anyone feel bare and exposed.

But I couldn’t unsee what I had seen between him and Sabrina earlier. Seeing Matt with Sabrina was like a punch to my gut. Their closeness on the dance floor made my stomach churn, even now as I thought about it.

Sabrina’s smile, the way that her lips brushed his ear when she whispered to him, seemed far too intimate, far too close to Matt, whose intense gaze had been fixed solely on me—or so I thought—for the entire night.

Even just thinking about that betrayal, about how they had possibly been in cahoots this entire time to humiliate me, felt like tiny daggers stabbing my already-fragile heart.

But it wasn’t just the sting of my potential romance with Matt being taken from me that was causing the ache in my chest. I had already come to the conclusion that it would have to end tonight, and I had—sort of—come to terms with it.

No, there was a deeper fear gnawing at my insides.

What if Matt knew? What if those shared glances, those fleeting touches between us, were nothing but a ruse to get me comfortable so he could reveal my secret in the most stinging way possible?

And what if he planned to reveal it right now, in front of my brother?

Jack’s gaze landed on me and he made a face that depicted a combination of disappointment and annoyance, breaking me out of my deep train of thought. My heart raced, wondering if he could tell somehow that I had been at the dance. Maybe Matt had already told him.

“Wipe the crumbs off of your mouth, you pig,” he growled, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

My hand shot to my face, quickly brushing off the crumbs. The embarrassment made my cheeks heat up. Why was he always so critical? Always catching me at my most vulnerable moments?

Fiona cleared her throat. “Want to tell us what this surprise visit is about, Jack?”

Jack's gaze flickered between the two of us. “Just making sure she’s safe and not getting up to any trouble. I did tell you I was coming, didn’t I?”

I nodded hastily. Jack, still making a face, stepped further into the quiet living room and looked around. Each step he took, each creak of the floorboards, seemed to hold the weight of a thousand accusations.

His cold eyes scanned the scene before him, the snacks laid out on the table, the blankets in disarray on the couch. There was no sign anywhere that either of us had been to the ball that night; or so I hoped.

“This is a lot of junk food, Celeste,” Jack hissed, gesturing at the coffee table laden with popcorn and other snacks. “No wonder…”

I knew what he was going to say. No wonder you’re fat. He didn’t need to say it, and he knew that he didn’t need to say it; I could tell just from the look in his eyes that he could tell how his implied words already stung.

“Come on, Jack,” Fiona chimed in, beginning to usher him toward the door. “This is my house. You’ve had your fun, now leave.”

Jack frowned. “Yeah, and it’s my little sister,” he growled. “Maybe I should take her with me.”

From behind him, Matt stepped slightly forward, his eyes locked on mine. They held a strange intensity, curiosity perhaps, or maybe concern.

“It's… a girls’ night, Jack,” I said, trying to hide the quiver in my voice and simultaneously hoping to ease the tension in the room. “Nothing more, nothing less. I’m not sure why you don’t trust me. Or Fiona, for that matter.”

A brief glare was all I got in response. Jack slowly turned around, but he didn’t look at me—he looked over at Matt.

“Ready for that afterparty?”

He turned to leave, and Matt, who'd been silent this entire time, followed suit. But before he could retreat completely, our eyes met again. This time, there was something else in his gaze, something deeper, but he didn't say a word.

The door clicked shut, and the room felt heavier after Jack’s scrutiny. I had hoped to enjoy the rest of my night after he left, but now the movie on the paused screen seemed out of place now, and the snacks lost their appeal.

The look on Matt’s face, the way that his eyes lingered on mine with a curious glint in them, didn’t help any either. It only solidified my concerns: that Sabrina had told him after all.

Fiona looked at me, her eyebrow raised in a mix of confusion and amusement. “God, your brother is weird,” she sighed, sinking back onto the couch. “I can’t stand him, Celeste. I really can’t.”

“I know.” I sank down onto the couch beside her and curled my knees up to my chest, pulling a blanket over myself for comfort. “I can’t, either.”

There was a silence. The characters on the TV stayed still, frozen in time, right in the midst of a funny scene. But nothing about my life right now felt very comedic.

Suddenly, Fiona leaned forward, her eyes locked on me.

“Um… Celeste?”

“What?” I looked up, narrowing my eyes. “What, is there something on my face?”

Fiona slowly shook her head, her eyes betraying the worry that was washing over her.

“No, Celeste. I think… I think you forgot to take out your colored contact lenses.”