Page 24 of Twisted Promise

Anya was happy with Alessio; he treated her better than she did herself, and there was more than enough love in his eyes to share with her.

Sheshouldbe happy, and she was at her happiest, but since forever ago, a foreboding emotion just sat at the last rhythm of her heartbeat.

A subconscious part of her was aware, but it was never discernible to raise concern, like a subtle leak somewhere in the house that neither noticed.

But when his smile widened for an infinitesimal fraction, the feeling would be gone for months.

It’s okay, she thought.We’re fine.

* * *

First Love. The embossed words rubbed against her fingertips as she traced the letters on the card.

Her tongue felt weak, the weakest she had been in a while, and her heart broke the trail of thundering beats in her ears.

The interviewer said something incoherent, but Anya could only trace the words gently on the card. It was her anchor to the waves of memories.

“He sounds lovely,” the interviewer replied, breaching the tedious tension.

“He is,” Anya agreed, looking to the side monitor for comments—anything to take her mind off the moment when everything changed.

The comments were mundane, just common swooning and guesses on why a happy couple would break up.

Dearly Beloved, her mind whispered as she traced those words,was closure.

Chapter Six

__________

Alessio

He hid an uncontrollable smile behind his hand as the confessional interview ended. His phone screen went dark, yet he still couldn’t contain the storm of blissfulness swelling in his chest.

He was next.

The director’s text flashed on his screen immediately after Anya’s interview. He expected it after seeing a flood of comments crying about the perfectly adorable boyfriend he was.

He wasn’t adorable, nor was he perfect.

If anything, he’d call himself despicable.

Alessio swiped the text away and pocketed his phone while making his way to the room. He looked across the room to the single-seat sofa beside Anya’s. She squirmed, her eyes darting toward the interviewer, who wore the biggest grin on her face.

The session was framed as a general Q&A to address unanswered questions. But everyone, from the audience to the crew in the house, knew the truth: Alessio and Anya were the internet’s favoriteunconfirmed couple.

He didn’t bother to hide it, and Anya was terrible at acting otherwise.

As he sat down, the interviewer whispered into her earpiece, and the red dot on the camera blinked to life.

She began by explaining the purpose of this impromptu session, why it was just the two of them, and assured them they could end the interview anytime they felt uncomfortable.

She looked way more enthusiastic than she should.

The interviewer pulled out a stack of notecards. Some ink bled through the white background, but he couldn’t read what was on it.

Questions, no doubt.

“Everyone wants to know if you were friends,” she said as she rephrased the first question from the card.

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