Page 64 of Reeling in Love

“What? The ring? No. I’m used to it now.”

He kisses me on the forehead. “I’m sorry I told Alex. I shouldn’t have since we’d decided we wouldn’t tell anyone. Don’t worry, I’ll find out who leaked this. Okay?”

I nod. “It’s fine. I wonder what proof TruthSeekerBob has. Maybe a recording of your conversation with Alex. It can’t be anything else. But why did you tell him? Did you tell Ryan too?”

“No, I didn’t tell anyone except Alex. And I told him because I wanted to discuss something with him.”

“About us? You discuss us with Alex?” I pull back from him and cover myself with a sheet.

“Don’t you discuss your relationships or your problems with your friends? It’s the same.”

“I do. But not when we’ve pre-decided what we’ll tell them. I mean, I told Lily and Eva that we’re dating. Hell, they won and lost bets because of that. What if Alex tells Lily that it was all false? You ever think what it’ll do to my friendship with her?”

He stands up and pulls up his pants. “Hey, I’m sorry. Okay? I needed to talk it out with someone. Normally I’d come to you, but since this involved you, I couldn’t possibly do it. I didn’t know what to make of this thing we were doing. I mean, c’mon Nora. We say it’s fake, then we kiss and have sex, but you say it’s still fake? I don’t know where my head is at anymore. Why are we even doing this fake thing that you suggested? I don’t like faking.”

And what does he even mean by ‘you say it’s fake’. Hadn’t we both agreed to it? Putting the entire blame on me? How dare he?

“Are you suggesting that I enjoy faking? How can you act all high and mighty when the entire thing was to get you out of the mess? If you had a problem with the idea, we could’ve stopped it right in the beginning. And now, after you’ve broken your promise and told God knows how many people about it, you say it’s my fault? Some nerve you have.”

“I never said it’s your fault. I just… forget it. I only told Alex, not God-knows-how-many-people, and that too, because I wanted to get his perspective. And trust me, he wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“But somehow the information got out, right?” I grab my clothes and start wearing them, the same as him. I’m not going to lie around naked while he gets dressed.

“I said I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him and try to sort it out.”

I pick up my phone. The kissing pic has done little to alleviate the growing chatter about the relationship being all fake. TruthSeekerBob is going all out and posting regularly about us, giving ‘facts’ about why he thinks it’s all fake.

How could both of us break up on the same day unless pre-planned? How could we both, who had been friends for so long, suddenly become romantically interested? The reason he gives is that we both needed publicity. He even shares numbers of how our followers have increased since we disclosed our relationship status. It’s crazy.

That’s how stories are made, right? You put together some facts and make an assumption based on that and everyone thinks that just because some statements are true, the entire story is true. They take even the assumptions as facts.

“This is a mess,” I mutter, cursing under my breath and flicking my phone away.

Gabs is putting on his shoes. I’m glad he’s leaving because I need to be alone for a bit. I can’t believe he’s blaming me for blowing up our secret.

“I’m sorry again I told Alex and caused this mess. And I’m sorry to have upset you so much because of it. It was never my intention. I’ll go out for a bit and give you some space because I know you like to be alone at such times. I’ll talk to Alex and see how the information could have gotten out and whether I can do something about it. Okay? I’ll be back in an hour.”

I sit there as he leaves, too angry and upset to say anything. But I do share TruthSeekerBob’s post with a “first fight as a romantic couple because of some insane person, that too in Paris, the city of love.” Hashtag first-fight.

Chapter 27

Nora: #PlayingTheDetective

I scroll through my phone like a mad person. TruthSeekerBob has been digging up things from my past. He’s interviewed Rick and has a video of him where he says we were together till a few days before he got to know about me being with Gabriel.

“Was it hard for you?” he asks Rick.

“Yes, of course. I mean, ending a relationship that has lasted a couple of years isn’t easy.”

“Did you ever have doubts about Nora and Gabriel?”

“Um…sometimes. But she always said they’re only friends. Guess it wasn’t true.”

I can see Rick’s uneasy, and he leaves soon after. But TruthSeekerBob continues. “If indeed she’s now with Gabriel, the man who is part of the huge Bardot business, as she claims to be, was she ever serious about Rick? Or did she just play with his heart for years? Or is she doing that now? Doing it for money. Do they do everything only for their personal benefit? Is that what humanity has slid down to? Love, relationships, friendships—only a means to an end, nothing more. Stay tuned to my channel as I seek the truth bit by bit.”

I don’t know how to reply to these comments, so I don’t. But I see it’s taking a hit on my digital image, on my credibility. There’s an email from the legal head of MooreGames telling me to not respond to anything on social media for some time, as the impact is spilling over to the company, too. Then another one immediately from Eva as a response to the legal team’s email that the company stands by me and I should do what I think best.

I flick my phone away as if that’ll keep my troubles away too. I take a long shower and come out only when I hear the incessant ringing of my phone. Who the hell can’t wait for a minute?

---