Page 108 of House of Deceit

I would cry more, but my tear ducts have nothing left as confusion runs through me. Did he just feel bad for abandoning me? Or is Courtney right and he loves me? Without his phone number, I don’t have any way to get in contact with him. And I know I can’t handle it if she’s wrong. Courtney shifts on the bed, pulling me into her side.

“All right then. Okay.” She hugs me again as I sniffle. “I love you, Charles. We’ll figure this out. You deserve all the happiness in the world.”

I snuggle, ready to fall asleep beside my best friend.

“I love you, too, Court.”

I watch the tarmac come closer to the plane as we land. A deep breath escapes me as my body relaxes for the first time in the two weeks since I won House of Deceit. I was on every morning show, talk show, and radio show that wanted to talk to me. The punishing schedule was exhausting, but it was a part of my contract.

Every day I missed Alec. The pain of being separated from him continues to tear my heart from my chest every second.

The escalator takes me down to baggage claim, where my parents are waiting with signs, flowers, and balloons. Happy embarrassment brings my first genuine smile since the day Alec ended things with me. I drop my purse and carry-on before letting them engulf me in hugs. My mom kisses my cheek, and my dad pats me on the back as he swallows back his tears.

“We missed you, Lottie Lou.”

“I missed you too, Pops.”

“You did so well on the show, honey. We watched every episode. People would ask us questions, but we didn’t have anything to tell them! But you and that Parker boy looked so sweet together.”

“Parker and I had an agreement, Mom. We’re just friends,” I tell her.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. He was quite stunning.” She fans herself as my dad grabs up my carry-on while I grab my purse.

“She has quite the crush on him. She was hoping you’d be bringing him around.” My dad waggles his eyebrows while my mom blushes so deeply it looks like she laid in the sun for ten hours with no sunscreen.

“We parked in hourly parking. Let’s get going before our bill is insane,” my mother says, walking away with a sniff.

My dad and I laugh as we finish collecting all of my luggage from the baggage claim and make the drive home. My mother natters about all the gossip and goings on I missed in the past fifteen weeks, since I first left for the show. We pull up in front of my building, where my dad helps me get my suitcases into the lobby before hugging me again and heading back to my waiting mother.

Elevator doors close behind me and a tiny sliver of excitement to be back in my space takes hold. As the doors open on my floor, I remember how I sold my couch before I left and make a mental note to buy another one tomorrow now that my winnings have cleared. I stick the key in the lock, and the sound of soft music greets me.

I slam the door behind me and drop my keys into the bowl, the smell of something cooking wafting from the kitchen. There are wine glasses on the coffee table, candles lit everywhere, and a “welcome home” sign taped across the doorway.

My heartbeat quickens with hope. Maybe Alec changed his mind. I know all he’d have to do is call Court and she’s let him in my apartment.

Hope builds as I put my suitcases at the entrance of the hallway and drop my backpack along with them. Grabbing up a wine glass, I take a deep drink. Tears prick my eyes as I move through the apartment. I have been so lost without him.

“What the fuck?” I whisper to myself. I watch Scott shifting through the cabinets trying to find whatever it is he’s looking for. He turns around and spots me.

“Babe! You’re home!” Scott wraps me into a hug, that I do not return as complete and utter shock takes hold of me. When he steps back, he has a giant smile on his face.

“What, in the absolute fuck, are you doing here?” I ask him. His face falls slightly, but he recovers.

“I’ve missed you and I just wanted us to take another shot,” Scott says.

I stand there, staring. The pot on the stove boils over, causing him to jump and start cooking once more.

“Um, hey, I’m going to go take a shower really quick. Get the airplane smell off me.”

“Okay, sugar. Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes,” he calls out as I move woodenly to my bedroom.

Shutting the door behind me, I slide down it while pulling out my phone. Courtney answers on the first ring, putting a bookmark into her book, various kid noises in the background.

“I see you’re finally home,” she says.

“Scott is here.”

She gets up from her couch and scurries to the bedroom, locking the door. “What the hell do you mean Scott is there?”

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