𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭 || 𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫

32

Cleo

Coming back to a place that felt far from home was an unwelcoming experience.

The 6 1/2 hour plane ride back to LA left me uncomfortable and consumed in my thoughts, unlike the plane ride to New York. That trip I felt happy and myself again, and although I was starting to feel somewhat okay again, being in LA halted all of those feelings.

Although California is a big place, you run into familiar faces all the time, especially in Southern California.

I only dreaded coming back because I knew I would be faced with the uncomfortable decision of having to see Vinnie again.

Because we were all still in the same friend group, the group chat that we're all in— and the one that I've been ignoring since a month ago— has been completely active with our friends coming up with ideas of what they wanted to do all together.

Although I have the chat on do not disturb, I lurk in there to see what they're talking about.

It's always the same thing, gossip.

But on some occasions they'd bring me up and say how much they missed me. During those times is when Vinnie isn't active in the group chat. But I cant blame him, I wouldn't want to be constantly reminded of my ex either.

Anyways, ever since I've been back, Mila has been bugging me about what went down the night of thanksgiving when I left to have a chat with Noah.

I lost a track of time and stayed there until like 1 am talking to him, and my mother decided she was going to blab to Mila's mom. Mila then overheard and came knocking on the apartment door later that afternoon but I haven't really told her anything.

She thinks we did more than talk, she thinks we kissed. Also thinks we slept together, but I don't feel like letting her know what happened, because literally nothing special happened.

We talked and that's all.

I just left so abruptly that night because I wanted to get Vinnie off my mind and Noah was good for that. And I told Noah the same thing. I told him all about Vinnie, and how we were both trying to keep our relationship lowkey and make it work and how it all blew up in my face.

Noah didn't live the same life as us. He wasn't into the social media, crazy influencer lifestyle, so I ran to him for some other insight. Yet he told me the same thing that Chris told me.

He told me not to hate Vinnie.

He doesn't even know him, but from what I told him about Vinnie's personality, and everything that went down he expressed to me that he probably felt under a lot of pressure because of everything that was going on.

Vinnie knows that he can't have a public relationship because everyone around him will have something to say, and so when he asked me to be his girlfriend he was testing the waters. He said that Vinnie probably really cares about me and just let the stupid boy side of him take over.

But Noah didn't fail to tell me that cheating still doesn't equate to "finding oneself," and that taking a break from the relationship scene will probably do Vinnie good.

He already knows what he lost, he just needs to figure out a way he can build back my trust. Noah compared my heart to broken glass. He explained that when glass shatters, it's almost impossible to pick up the pieces without getting cut.

He said, I'm hurting right now and that no matter what Vinnie tries to do, he'll get cut too. There's no way to fix us, but there is a way to forgive and move on.

I slept on that thought, and I thought about it for the next few days... on the plane... and now in my bed, as I stared up at the ceiling.

"We've already been back for 4 days. You haven't left from this room since. So I'm ordering you to come out with us. We're going to go eat, just me and you." Mila stated, bursting through my room. I let out a low groan, shoving the pillow over my head.