Free Falling

05 | don't

"Hey, Amy." Luna called, tucking her dark bob behind an ear. "I need to get some things sorted out at the back. You don't mind covering for me, do you? I won't be long."

I smiled at her, dropping a new box of supplies at the end of the shop and walked up to the front desk. "Sure, no problem."

Luna was a friend and classmate of mine. Her parents owned a utility shop and whenever she wasn't too busy with school work she'd be here helping out. Their employee Zack had called in sick and she was filling his saturday shift.

She muttered her thanks and slid past a door leading to the back, leaving me in charge. Business was slow today and only less than a dozen people had come in all day. I'd dropped by to return a note she lent me after classes on wednesday and ended up helping her move a few boxes.

I found myself moving for the magazine rack, scanning the various glossy covers for one that appealed to me. I bit the side of my lip in thought and went for one I frequented, absentmindedly flipping through the pages when my phone chimed. I dropped the magazine back on the rack and slid out my phone, finding text messages from my sister, Jo.

Josephine
1:34 PM
omfg is this you????

The text was followed up with a link, sending me to the page of a popular online magazine. I scrolled hastily, stopping at the first image on the site. My heart stuttered, and not in a good way.

Holy crap.

A photo of Finn and I dancing in the ballroom of the Henley hotel graced my screen. The picture had been taken in the most precise moment, our bodies pressed together as we stared at each other in a way that could easily be mistaken as intimate. To anyone we looked like star struck lovers sharing an romantic moment.

I steadied my breathing as I read the caption.

Billionaire tycoon Finn Harris spotted slow dancing with a woman that is not Hailey Ford.

I scrolled further, scanning the page for things they wrote about me. Luckily it was a short piece and they didn't include my name, although they hinted that I'd soon be traced down by people eager to know. Being an inactive user of social media did pay off. When I got to the bottom, several related articles were suggested, all of which had to do with Hailey. Apparently being a rich model/influencer made her life public property, and Finn was her boyfriend. And now I was the woman said boyfriend danced with.

Quickly, I did several Google searches and found out that not only did other blogs carry the story, physical magazines did too. That meant that anybody and everybody could see it.

I closed the app and inhaled. I bet the tabloids were lapping up this juicy story, no doubt. It explained why I had been getting more glances from people on campus than usual. Hailey was supposed to be on that page, not me. And it was all Finn's fault.

I returned back to the cash register and texted Jo, giving the excuse that I was too busy to check it out at the moment. Hopefully she'd let it be. Next was Nate. This was going to further highlight his established point that Finn's dance with me wasn't casual, if the flowers were any of indication. I'd told him to stop watching Disney.

The bell at the entrance chimed as someone came in. I was engaged with my phone until I felt a presence stand in front of me. I looked up and my eyes widened as my heart stopped. This time in a good way.

As if he was well aware of his effect on me, a small smile formed on his mouth.

His gorgeous mouth.