Helen felt a surge of frustration as she met Dave’s gaze, her heart pounding in her chest.“You left me on read when I tried to reach you and you tell me I’m at fault for not seeing you the whole night?” She took a breath, steeling herself against the eruption of emotions. “Oh, please. Is it really my fault that I missed one message while I was changing out of my travel outfit?” she countered, her tone sharper than she intended. “Look, I get that we should be seen together but we don’t have to be joined at the hip every waking hour. That’s not realistic.”
Helen saw the building moment his features turned from annoyance to anger. Instincts kicking in, she took an involuntary step back, trying to create some distance between them. She could feel her cheeks burning hot, a deep crimson creeping up from her neck to her face, amplifying her sense of vulnerability. She hadn’t given much thought to how intimidating his size could be, especially in moments like this when he was visibly upset. “Dave,” she said soberly, her voice trembling slightly despite her attempt to sound firm.
“I’m sure nobody would be convinced our relationship was real.” Helen stared at him, her expression a mix of shock and hostility mingled with that fierce brand of confidence that had always defined her. “You really think yelling at me is going to change anything?” she shot back, her voice finally steadying out despite the intensity of the moment. She maintained her new distance, unfazed by his towering presence. “You really want to blame our manager for being the only one who’s had my back—and your back! Yes, I have had to have Tommy talk me into pushing through. Let’s get one thing straight: this whole ‘fake date’ scenario doesn’t give you a free pass to throw around blame like it’s…confetti! If you wanted to keep up the charade, then follow the script, right? Not dive into the deep end with Ravneet while I’m left playing the supporting role of foreigner mooching off famous stud football player for a green card. You’re acting like I’m the one who betrayed the terms of our agreement. If you would have—let’s see, not have done this publicly I really wouldn’t have cared, Dave.”
“And that kiss meant more to me than you’ll ever know.” The initial rush of anger morphed into a mix of confusion and a flicker of guilt. She had come into this with confidence and self-assurance, but now she could feel the weight of their unfolding mess pressing down heavily on her shoulders. “I’d kiss her again if I could.” She crossed her arms defensively, but it was more out of instinct than true need for protection.
Tommy insert???
“NO!”
Helen felt the heat rise to her cheeks, the embarrassment overwhelming her more than the bite of Dave’s words. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, not from deep sadness, but from the sting of being publicly scorned in front of people. “Dave—” she started, her voice trembling slightly as she fought to regain her composure. She swallowed hard, trying to push back the wave of emotion threatening to spill over. “That’s not fair. You know I’ve tried—”
The humiliation only deepened as heads turned, curious eyes flicking toward them. The gaze of her peers felt like a suffocating weight, and for a fleeting moment, she considered retreating to escape the scrutiny.
He ignored her, choosing instead to throw another barb in her direction. “If you really are that bad in a relationship, I pity the next guy you’re with.” Helen’s breath caught in her throat at the cruelty of his words. The tears that had been threatening to fall now brimmed in her eyes, ready to spill over, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her break down. “Wow,” she gaped, throat closing up before she could say anything more.
Dave turned away, dismissing her as though she were nothing more than an inconvenience. “Now excuse me, I need to figure things out, and you’re not helping, just like always.” The last remark felt like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, she stood there, torn between anger and hurt. She wanted to shout something back, wanted to defend herself, but the tears threatened to slip free, and she bit down on her lip, fighting the urge.
~
Seventeen.
As Helen stood there, feeling the weight of Dave’s harsh words pressing down on her, a familiar fog began to drift in, dulling the sharp edges of her reality. The shouts and the stares faded into a haze as she felt herself slip back in time, back to when she was seventeen—not long before all the warmth and stability she had known unraveled.
That was the age when she first got accepted for her first big modeling gig, the excitement thrumming in her veins as she pictured the lights, the runway, the applause. But that happiness was short-lived.
In her mind, she could see the bustling cityscape outside the casting studio, how it gleamed under the afternoon sun and hummed with the excitement of opportunity. She had just landed one of her first significant modeling gigs, and the thrill of it surged through her like electric current. All the late nights, the rehearsals, and the dreams of strutting down runways felt like they had culminated in this moment of triumph.
And then came the crash—the call that turned everything upside down. “Urgent medical attention needed,” and “next of kin” thrown around. Around her skull. A wave of fear roared through her as she remembered how she had rushed to the hospital.
Her father, who had always been her biggest supporter, had looked at her with that proud smile. “คุณเข้าใจแล้วเฮเลน” คุณจะแสดงให้พวกเขาเห็นทั้งหมด (You’ve got this, Helen. You’ll show them all.)” He had given her a pep talk that morning, empowering her to embrace this milestone. But that was before. Before everything had changed in an instant.
She recalled the sterile smell of the hospital, cold and unwelcoming, the overwhelming feeling of isolation. Her brother, so full of life with dreams of his own, now confined to a bed, his laughter replaced with silence. She could almost hear the echo of her own cries as she struggled to process it all—two orphans, just like that.
Suddenly, the joy she felt about her accomplishments felt hollow. All that promise had dulled into the reality of loss and devastation that shifted everything she thought she knew about her world. It felt surreal, like she was watching someone else’s life crumbling apart in slow motion.
“Helen!” The noise of the present snapped her back. The shouting blunted, replaced by a suffocating silence where the weight of her memories suddenly felt unbearable. She blinked rapidly as tears brimmed in her eyes, angering her as she fought against the haze of memories. “No,” she mouthed, steadying herself. She was here, now, in this moment. This wasn’t what she wanted to recall, not now. Not ever.
And then, just as abruptly as the memory had come, she snapped back to the present.
She had busted her lip, a tinge of copper flavored blod in her mouth. Helen took a step back, heart racing as she attempted to reclaim some dignity in the face of scorn, even as her stomach twisted with regret and humiliation. She opened her mouth. She closed it. The embarrassment mixed with anger made her feel sick. She just needed a moment to breathe.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, “I’m not perfect, Dave. So go ahead and figure things out without me. Just remember that I’m not the one making a spectacle of this situation.” Helen shot Dave one last look, her heart pounding in her chest. “Excuse me,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt, almost surprising herself with the firmness she managed to muster. “I—I need a moment, too.”
@ChayChay05 | Tommy
@LunaticLeviTheSecond | Dave
@Jass | Ravneet | Mentioned
Orp | Helen has not scurried off yet, I’m thinking Tommy has to stop them 
(?)