Page 103 of Until He Confesses

"There's a reason why you both went viral. Apart from his status and his company, you both went viral for how beautiful you two were as a couple. So no, it's not just going to die down at the end of the day. What I suspect is that this is going to last for another two to three days, maybe even four."

My eyes widened as I listened to this, but ultimately, I decided that none of it mattered.

"It's the Internet," I said. "Doesn't matter what people think, and their attention spans are short anyway. We'll be old news soon."

Once again, she went silent, and I didn't speak either.

"Alright," she said, and I nodded even though she couldn't see me.

I knew what she was afraid of. That I was going to fall once again into the rabbit hole that was Lucas. I didn't doubt that this was a very real possibility, especially now, however, I wanted nothing to spoil the day and night we had been having so far. It was peaceful and enjoyable, and I wanted to savor as much of it as I could.

"I'll deal with the consequences or the pain after this," I said, and she stayed quiet.

"Alright, just be safe. I just... I wanted you two to be aware of this with no other external parties involved. Now that it's known all over... I don't know... I hope it can all end well."

"Mhm," I nodded as I watched myself in the bathroom. "I'll call you later."

"Not so fast," life came back into her voice. "What's the deal with the eight thousand dollar dress?"

I smiled.

"It's mine."

"What do you mean, like you don't have to return it?"

"Nope," I replied, and she asked the exact questions I had asked Lucas.

"Aren't you supposed to be paying off a debt? You're racking up more instead."

"He's writing this one off," I said, and I could hear her smile.

"I'm sorry," she suddenly said.

"What for?"

"It seems you're enjoying yourself and you're actually safe, but here I am throwing a tantrum.”

“There's nothing you've said that hasn't gone through my head yet," I told her. "I've just decided that enjoying the current moment is more appealing to me than rejecting it all and being too overly cautious. I'm not having a bad time, so at the end of the day there may be heartaches, but I really doubt that there will be any regrets."

"Alright," she said, and the call came to an end.

Lucas

By the time she returned from the bathroom, I was already fully awake and aware of all that was happening. I knew what she would do and how she would react, and truly, I didn’t have any interest in making more of a deal than it was. And so, when she headed straight to the closet dressed in nothing but a towel and her hair damp, I knew it was time to leave. The night had been wonderful and the morning even better, but it was time to go.

I got up from the bed and found my briefs and pants.

“It'll all die down soon,” I told her. “Don't be too concerned.”

She turned to look at me, but I didn't pay attention to her. I grabbed my shirt to put on.

“Did you know it was going to be as big as this?" she asked.

I shrugged. The truth was that I suspected it, but I didn't give it any serious thought. It wouldn't affect me anyway, and I hoped it didn't affect her either. I had just wanted a valid reason to be in Paris and to see her, and the fashion show was it. However, she didn't need to know that.

"It's alright," she said. "We know what we are, right?"

I didn't respond, but when she remained quiet, I looked up to see that she was watching me and waiting for an answer.

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