Smoked Success

43.

- Jessica's Point Of View -

"Good afternoon, Jessica," Ellis, he owns some of these really cool bookstores and he asks Syco for albums every time he runs out of them, says. Little problem, he's Andrew's cousin.

"Good afternoon, Mister Ellis." I keep looking at my laptop, I don't want to look at his face who looks a little like Andrew's. "Our meeting's in ten minutes, and as usual, I have the right to have a five minutes break."

"Sure, take your time." He smiles at me. Unlike Andrew, Ellis has a British accent. "Would you mind if we have my cousin attend this meeting with us?"

I look up to see who's his cousin, and I just, I regret my life. Why dear god? Why? Oh my god, what happened to his face? He seems so beaten up.

"I don't think Eric allows manipulative assholes to attend his meeting." I shrug. You have no idea how much force I had to gather to be able to say this, I have no idea how I did that.

"Is she your-" Ellis starts but both Andrew and me cut him off.

"Yes."

"You said she's a teacher." Ellis looks confused.

"Was." I correct him. "Now if you excuse me I want to smoke a little."

I smoke so much more than before. Angelina's even noticed that I spend most of my time in the balcony smoking, she's complained to mom. I live now in an apartment, it's not that big, but it's enough for Angelina and me.

I miss Andrew so bad, when he kisses me, when he touches me, all of him. It's just that what he did, it's unforgivable. I don't even know if I should trust him anymore or not. Remember that night when he said he didn't sleep with me because he didn't want to use me? Well, he did. I'm so tired of being used. It'll pass.

"Thank you, Miss Styles and Mister Cowell for having this meeting with us." Ellis shakes hands with both of us.

"Andrew, right?" Eric, my boss, asks. Andrew nods. "What brings you here?"

"Ellis and I are cousins and my father's asked me to check on the United Kingdom's business, because he thinks I can learn a little from him," Andrew replies. I can see from his eyes that he's lying. "And learn more about how Business goes in here. Since I've just graduated."

"If Ellis doesn't mind, you can spend a day or two to see how it goes, Jessica can explain all of it to you." He offers.

"Mister Cowell, I am sorry but I can't do that," I say, so quickly but it's a saver.

"Why so?" Andrew questions, that asshole.

"Columbia Records, their CEO is coming tomorrow," I state the first thing I see on my calendar.

"Sorry mate, that one's important." Eric apologizes. "Maybe another time."

"Thank you anyway, Eric." Andrew fakes a smile. "It was nice being here and attending this meeting."

"So you want me to believe that your boss doesn't know about Andrew?" Emilia, my roommate, says. I couldn't afford an apartment alone. Emilia's a teacher at Rosewood High, where I used to teach. She teaches maths, though.

"He knows I had a horrible ex, but he doesn't know his name's Andrew," I tell her while handing Angelina apple slices to eat.

"And you want me to buy that?" She asks, raising her eyebrows. "He fricking offered him to spend time with you."

"Mommy, I miss Andy," Angelina states, bored. "Can we go back to California?"

Ah, she's so cute when she doesn't know what really happened.