Only One Touch (Only One 4)

“Okay,” Lizzie says, sitting down next to Laurene. “I hate to point it out that you two are well known,” she says, then looks straight at me. “You are the most eligible bachelor. Did you not think that your name would ping somewhere?” I glare at her. “It could have been anyone who saw the paper and cashed in on it.”

“So what do we do now?” Laurene asks.

“There is nothing to do now,” Lizzie says, her eyes still watching me. “You can’t come out and say it’s fake.” She’s almost reading my mind.

“Fuck no,” Laurene says, getting up. “We did all this for a reason.”

“Laurene.” I say her name, and she looks at me.

“No.” She points at me. “I am so close. You promised.”

“When I was fucking eighteen!” I shout back at her.

“I would do it for you without thinking twice!” she yells, and I know she would. “I know this isn’t what we thought was going to happen.”

“It was supposed to be ninety days and that’s it.” I rub my temples. “That is what you said. Ninety days and then we annul it.”

“It’s been one day.” She puts up one finger. “Eighty-nine more to go.”

“I need to go home.” I look at Lizzie, and she nods, getting up and grabbing her phone.

“Maybe once you’re home, you’ll calm down,” Laurene says, getting up and grabbing her coffee.

“Debatable,” Lizzie mumbles, not looking up as her fingers go nuts on her phone.

“What are we going to say to the press?” Laurene asks me.

“Nothing. Not a word. Not a comment. Nothing,” I say, not adding to the fact I’m not saying anything to anyone until I speak with Becca. Just the thought that she found out without me telling her puts pressure on my chest. I sit down and put my elbows on my knees, my head falling forward. I can’t even imagine what is going through her mind. I can’t even imagine how much it hurt her. The pressure on my chest is like an elephant sitting down right in the middle of it.

“You know if you say nothing, it will just target you more,” Lizzie says, and I swear I don’t think I’ve ever felt more defeated in my life. “They are going to hound the both of you.”

“She’s right,” Laurene says.

“I’m not saying a fucking word to the press right now.” I get up and look at Lizzie. “Not a fucking word. Not from us, not from the organization, not from the fucking queen of England. Nothing.” I get up. “You either.” I point at Laurene. “Not a word.”

“Lizzie is right,” she says. “We should at least put out a joint statement.”

“We are not saying anything yet,” I say. “Nothing. I need to get home and …” I don’t say another word. I just go into the room and pack my shit.

I take my shit and toss it into the bag. My head is swimming, and I suddenly feel like I’m drowning. I reach for my phone, and I come up empty, so all I can do is sit on the bed. I wonder where she is and who she is with. If she believes any of it.

There is a knock on the door, and I look up. “Hey,” Lizzie says, poking her head in.

“Your phone is shattered, so I put the SIM card in this one.” She hands me the phone. “I thought that you might want it.”

“She isn’t going to answer me.” My voice is low, and Lizzie comes over and sits next to me. “Fuck.” I shake my head. “I wouldn’t talk to me.”

“I’m sure once you tell her everything,” Lizzie says quietly.

I take the phone and text Manning and Miller the same text.

Me: Call me when you get this text.

I then call her again, and it goes straight to voice mail this time. I hear her voice, and the pressure that I felt before comes back. I have to rub my chest. “We can leave. The plane is waiting,” Lizzie tells me, and I nod at her. “I know that you are going through something right now.” I look up at her, and I wonder if she can see what I’m going through.

“She is never going to talk to me again.” I say the words I’ve been afraid to think since I first opened my eyes, and my nightmare started. “With all of this.” I shake my head, and I feel the sting coming to my eyes. “She’ll never talk to me again.”

“She’s a smart woman,” Lizzie says, and I want to tell her that she is more than that. She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s beautiful, and she’s the most loyal person I’ve ever met. “But.” I look over at her, not sure I want to hear the but. “But if you don’t give the press anything, they are going to hound you even more, and it’s not going to be good for anyone.”