Is Tessy your girlfriend?
Author's pov
"It's not about whether I read the text, but it's the content of the text and the urgency to talk to you. She called you ten times. I saw her myself. I was the one who opened the door for her when she came to your parents' house when your mom invited me. Your mum even wanted us to get to know each other. She introduced her as your girlfriend and introduced me as Taylor's girlfriend." Larisa paused and looked at Dylan.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked.
"You've been the one talking," he responded.
"Okay, let me ask you the question again. Who is Tessy?"
Dylan let out a big sigh and tried to stomp his foot on the floor.
"My love, this isn't the right time to tell you about her. It's too early. It's only the second day of your stay here..."
"Are you hiding something from me? Don't you know that as women, we don't like secrets in a relationship? We want to know everything about our partner. It gives us a sense of security. Let's be honest with each other. You must have met her before me. Or maybe she's the preferred one in your family..."
"No, no, don't say that," Dylan caressed her chin.
"It's not about holding me, it's about telling me where I stand in this relationship. Nothing would break my heart more than trying to hide something I should know in this relationship. If our relationship isn't meant to be, I can move on. It's not a big deal. I've cried over my pain before you came, and if I hear the full story between you and Tessy and it doesn't favor me, I'll simply move on. The first thing to do is to thank you for freeing me from Taylor's relationship that has been draining my happiness every day. If my future isn't emotionally connected to you, please let me go. I'll find someone else who's willing to share their past, present, and future with me."
"My dear, you're taking things too far."
"No, it's you who's making me think too far," she paused again, waiting for Dylan to say something. When Dylan remained unwilling to speak and tell her about Tessy, she stood up.
"Since you've decided not to tell me, this room is now my room. Or, please show me your guest room, and by tomorrow, I'll buy some clothes for myself from a boutique…"
"But I said I would buy you the clothes."
"No, go and buy them for Tessy. You're not understanding me. Just tell me the truth. Who is Tessy?" She looked directly into Dylan's eyes.
"She means nothing to me. And why did you delete the text from my phone?"
"Oh, you want to defend her," tears welled up in her eyes.
"No, no, why would I defend her? She means nothing to me."
"Let me tell you the truth. I deleted the text because I was jealous. How would you feel if I sent a romantic message to someone and you had the chance to read it? If you truly love me, the first thing you should do is confront me. That would show how much you value me and how you don't want me to be with another man. I'm tired of you expecting me to believe that Tessy means nothing to you. I'm sorry if I spoke rudely to you. I even heard your brother saying I've become arrogant when I talk to him. How can I not be arrogant when I'm in love with you? I love you and I'm willing to fight for our relationship. But here I am, seeing someone else loving you and you're keeping it away from me. I... I... I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's forget it. I came here to find a job and for now, I'll stay with you. So, what would you like to eat for dinner? I won't bring this up again." She waited for Dylan to say what he wanted to eat.
"Prepare your favorite meal, that's what I'll eat."
Larisa left the room and went downstairs, with Dylan following her. To his surprise, she went to the bathroom and took a cold shower before coming out. Since she didn't have her own clothes yet, she wore Dylan's white boxers and a red shirt and went to the kitchen.
"You look beautiful in that outfit," he said, but Larisa frowned and didn't reply. Dylan followed her into the kitchen, but everywhere was quiet. She put on an apron and was about to tie it when Dylan came up behind her and helped her tie it. She initially resisted, but reluctantly accepted his help.
Dylan didn't like the silence and was determined to break it.
"How was your day, dear?" he asked.
"Please, can I prepare the food in peace? I need some level of concentration. Asking me about my day when someone else finds comfort in your love is hypocritical. Let me cook in peace. I'm not angry at you. I'm starting to face reality. Please, call Tessy and ask her how her day was. What I should be praying for is that she doesn't come here and find me. I'm intruding on her territory. Please, don't ask me about my day. Please!" She took a pot, turned on the gas burner, and started cooking.
Dylan was left speechless, and in frustration, he hit his fingers against the wall before leaving the kitchen for the sitting room. The first thing he did was go to the bar and grab a glass and a bottle of wine to pour himself a drink. With the wine in hand, he entered his studio and stared at the photos he had taken of Larisa on the first day she arrived.
"Telling her about Tessy would be a terrible way to start our relationship. Why won't Tessy stop texting me? Why didn't I bring my phone to the sitting room when Taylor came? Why does Tessy keep calling and texting me? I distinctly told her not to contact me again. Why did she go to my parents' house in the first place? And the worst part, Larisa deleted the messages from my phone. What kind of message did Tessy send that upset Larisa so much? I will tell her about Tessy, but not now." Dylan finished his wine, only then realizing he had been standing there for quite some time when he glanced at the wall clock and noticed it had been forty minutes. He left his photo studio and upon entering the house, he saw that Larisa had finished cooking and set some of the food on the dining table, but Larisa was on a phone call.
"... but mum, I didn't ask you to tell Taylor where I was."
"Larisa, you wouldn't understand what happened yesterday. Taylor and his mum came to my house. I couldn't explain it over the phone in a way you would understand, but to diffuse the situation, I had to tell them where you were. Taylor's mum said your disappearance almost gave her a heart attack. Taylor accused his mum of assisting your escape. It was a complicated situation, and the best option was to tell them you went to New York. Besides, New York is a big city."
When Larisa heard footsteps approaching the kitchen, she quickly said, "Okay, I'll talk to you later," and ended the call. She turned and faced Dylan.
"The food is ready," she said coldly as she turned to the sink to wash her hands.
"Okay, dear," Dylan replied, and he went to the dining room, waiting for Larisa to join him. After a few minutes of waiting, he stood up and returned to the kitchen. However, Larisa was no longer there, and he found her in the guest room.
"What are you doing here? I've been waiting for you at the dining table," Dylan asked.
"I don't want to eat," she said, her eyes fixed on her phone.
"But you cooked your favorite meal, and the food was meant for both of us. Please, let's not let this come between us."
"We're not a couple anymore. Since you've chosen to keep your relationship with Tessy a secret from me, I'll eat whenever I want. I don't want to eat right now."
"If that's the case, then I won't eat either," he replied.
"Well, you should have told me not to cook in the first place."
Despite Dylan's attempts to persuade Larisa to eat, they both went to bed with empty stomachs. Dylan thought he could make it through the night, but he couldn't sleep when Larisa refused to share the same bed with him. In the middle of the night, he woke up and went to the room where Larisa was lying down, and to his surprise, he found that she couldn't sleep either.
"I can't keep lying to myself that I can live without you, Larisa. If not telling you about Tessy will slowly destroy the strong bond between us, then I'd rather tell you and see how it unfolds. But first, what did Tessy send you?"
Larisa slowly pulled herself up and sat on the bed, saying, "Who is Tessy to you? You have to tell me about her before I can tell you what she sent."
"This is how it all happened. It was about five years ago."
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