Secrets

SHAY

SUNDAY, MAY 8

For the past few days, Shay had been busy with more photo shoots and endorsement deals. Work had been hectic, and finally having a day to herself, she thought it would be best to spend some time with her best friend.

“I’ve heard great things about this place,” Kourtney announced as they parked their car.

“I can’t wait to try their food,” Shay said truthfully as she got out and adjusted her flowy lavender skirt. Slinging her small handbag over her shoulder, she walked toward the crowd—the place was packed, even the seats outside.

The tables and chairs were filled, and giant umbrellas shielded the customers from the sun. Feeling Kourtney’s arm link with hers, she sped up her pace to match her best friend’s.

“Table for two. Welsh,” Kourtney told the waiter. He checked his iPad, touching some buttons, before leading them to their table.

When they reached their spot, it finally dawned on Shay that her best friend had been smart enough to book a table in advance.

Scanning around the place, she noticed a few pairs of eyes on her and smiled at them politely before returning her attention to the menu that was placed in front of her.

“What’s good here?” she asked Kourtney, who seemed a little too eager to indulge in the food.

“I’ve heard great things about the buffalo fries, nachos, and their seafood platter,” Kourtney said. “What do you want to eat?”

“The buffalo fries sound good…” She stared at the picture of the lasagna, which made her mouth salivate. Her stomach growled. “And maybe the lasagna?”

Kourtney nodded her head, half-listening to what she was saying while totally immersed in the menu in front of her.

“Hi. I’m Sabine,” a white girl with long dreadlocks and blue eyes announced. “I’ll be your waitress for the day. Can I take your order?”

“We’ll have the buffalo fries, waffle chicken, chicken lasagna, a seafood platter, and I want a pitcher of margaritas,” Kourtney said before turning to Shay and raising an eyebrow.

“Iced peach tea,” Shay ordered.

“Anything else?” Sabine asked as she jotted down the order in her little notepad.

“Nope,” Shay said quickly.

One thing she loved about her best friend was that she was shameless when it came to food, not caring if she overate. Of course, she was blessed with high metabolism, so it never really affected her.

Even with men, Kourtney wouldn’t shy away and hide when it came to food. She was known for overindulging. Shay, however, tried to limit herself, focusing on eating as clean as she could—except when she was with Kourtney.

Sabine took the menus and left, and they immediately whipped out their phones to take photos of themselves. It was vain, Shay knew, but it was her job after all.

After taking a few she put her phone away, wanting to spend some time with her best friend.

“How are things with you?” she asked as Kourtney tucked her own phone away.

“It’s been good. I met Taylor last night and we hung out at one of the guys’ houses,” Kourtney replied as the waiter delivered their drinks.

“Thank you,” Shay mumbled before taking a sip of her drink. The cold tea soothed her throat on this warm day.

Kourtney took a sip of her own drink. “What about you?”

Shay sighed. “I’ve been busy with work, and with the new collection coming up, there’s just a lot of things to do. I can’t wait until it’s all done and I can take a break.”

It was true. She needed a break from work and social media. Although she was thankful that she had a steady stream of income, she knew that her line of work was volatile. Anything could get her canceled.

She was already linked to that horrible accident—she couldn’t afford another scandal. But she was tired of constantly putting up a positive front, tired of having to be perfect all the time. She wasn’t. She was far from perfect.

“Have you seen Pete lately?” Kourtney asked, and Shay tensed.

Shaking her head slowly, she dropped her eyes, feeling her sadness take over. Her relationship with Pete had been in secret, and had gone on for a year before they inevitably called it quits.

There was too much in between them now to be anything more than friends.

Although, she couldn’t deny that a small part of her was glad they’d ended things. He’d been getting more persistent in asking for sex, and she wasn’t ready. She was still a virgin and planned on keeping it that way.

Shay wanted a fairy-tale life. She wanted to meet the man of her dreams and fall in love at first sight. He would court her and they’d get married. She was determined for that to happen in her life.

Staying a virgin was her choice, though she’d been heavily influenced by her father and grandmother. They had the birds and bees talk with her and Sky, explaining what it would be like if they lost their virginity.

Her grandmother had given them a piece of tissue, and they were instructed to poke a finger through it. She explained that once the tissue was damaged, there wasn’t much they could do to make it whole again.

Instead, with each new sexual partner, there would be new holes created, the tissue getting more wrecked the more it was used.

Her father had explained that she shouldn’t give her heart out easily, that just like her virginity, it would be torn. She held that conversation dearly and had never truly given her heart away.

She would only allow herself to fall in love if she saw a future with that person.

“No,” she answered, shaking her head, just as their food was placed in front of them, all at the same time. She couldn’t help but salivate at the feast.

“Could you take a picture for us?” Kourtney asked the waiter as she handed him her phone.

“Yeah, sure,” he answered.

Instantly getting into position, she looked into the camera and smiled. He took a few more before returning the phone, and she thanked him.

Shay took two small plates from the side and passed one to Kourtney while taking the other. And as Kourtney snapped a few more photos of the food, Shay wasted no time digging in for her first bite.

Unable to control herself, she moaned when she put the lasagna in her mouth. The herbs mixed with the cheese and sauce… It tasted absolutely heavenly.

She hadn’t realized how much she missed eating carbs (although she’d had some rice just a few days ago).

“I haven’t seen Pete,” she said after swallowing the bite of lasagna. “I’ve talked to him a few times over the phone, but nothing more.”

She remembered the last time she saw him—the day they decided to break it off. She was prepared for it and so was he, and they’d decided to spend their last day just with each other, enjoying each other’s presence.

They’d ended it with a kiss, both knowing that would be the last time they’d be physically affectionate with each other, though they’d remain friends.

Their last kiss had been filled with unspoken words, but they both understood why it had to end.

“Are you okay?” Kourtney asked in between bites.

“Yeah. I mean, it had to end. We both knew it had to, but there’s a small part of me that wishes that it didn’t, that wishes he was the one,” Shay confessed.

They continued eating their brunch, with Kourtney eating most of it, and talked about their future plans and their friends.

Shay was enjoying every bite, but she could feel the food expanding in her stomach and was starting to regret wearing a crop top. Which meant it was time for her to slow down.

“Have you spoken to Sky since…”

Shay knew exactly what Kourtney was referring to. “No. I heard that she was still in Sweden, though. According to Ivan that is.”

She leaned back in her chair, needing to allow herself to breathe a little before taking another bite—if she even could take another bite.

She watched as Kourtney continued to scarf down the platter on her own, admiring her friend’s stomach capacity. Although she was almost certain there was a tapeworm or a demon inside there.

“Two brownies with ice cream and chocolate strawberries,” the waiter announced as he set down two plates of the scrumptious looking desserts.

Shay eyed the plates for a second before glancing at Kourtney, who looked as confused as Shay felt.

“Uh, we didn’t order this,” Shay said hesitantly.

“We didn’t,” Kourtney clarified.

“Oh, these are from the gentleman over there,” the waiter explained, pointing.

Shay’s eyes followed the waiter’s finger, landing on a group of men smiling and waving at them. She smiled politely, mouthing a thank you, before her eyes landed on a handsome man.

She was transfixed. He had a little stubble along his jawline, and even though he was sitting, she could tell he was tall. And his eyes were piercing into hers.

He smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but blush. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she looked away and thanked the waiter before returning her focus to Kourtney, who was still making eyes at the men.

“Kourtney,” she warned.

“What? They’re hot,” Kourtney said giddily. “And I think one of them likes you,”

Shay blushed slightly as she ignored the comment and straightened her face. “What about Taylor?” she asked, which earned her a groan from her best friend.

Kourtney glared at her, but she knew Shay was right.

“Fine,” Kourtney huffed, then returned to the food in front of them.

They talked about the guys for a little bit before going back to other topics, which included Taylor, Kourtney’s boyfriend. They’d been together on and off for quite some time, always together, but not quite.

Shay would categorize them as friends with benefits more than a couple, but she knew Kourtney wanted more from him—although her friend refused to admit it.

“Shall we?” Shay asked, knowing they both had other things to do and that brunch was only their first stop of the day.

“Yeah,” Kourtney nodded and looked around for the waitress to ask for the bill.

Shay stared at the empty margarita pitcher, wondering which demon inhabited her best friend. She just didn’t understand how a slender woman like Kourtney could have drunk a whole pitcher by herself.

And finished the entire seafood platter, half of the buffalo fries, and a quarter of Shay’s lasagna.

“Your bill has been paid for,” Sabine announced when she came over to the table.

“What do you mean?” Shay said.

“By who?” Kourtney asked, looking confused.

“By that table over there.” Sabine pointed to the group of guys from before. This time they weren’t looking over, appearing deep in a conversation of their own.

“Oh,” Shay said before nodding her head.

“Let’s go thank them,” Kourtney said, a little too excited.

Sighing, Shay grabbed her bag and stood up. She knew there was no stopping her best friend from doing what she wanted.

As they approached the table, Shay couldn’t help but blush at the sight of the men. Even on a Sunday, they were dressed like professionals.

Kourtney giddily walked up to the men and placed her hands on the backs of two of them. Walking to the other side, Shay could feel eyes on her, but she ignored them.

“How much was our bill?” she asked, looking around the table. “We didn’t need you to take care of it.” There were five of them, all of them nursing beers and the same buffalo fries she and Kourtney had ordered.

“Shay!” Kourtney scolded, glaring at her. “Don’t be rude.”

Shay rolled her eyes, and heard the men chuckle under their breath as they stared at the women in front of them.

One of the guys eyed Shay up and down. “We saw two beautiful ladies and we wanted to treat them.”

Feeling gross under his stare, she wrapped her arms around her waist. “Thank you, but I really would like to reimburse whoever it was that paid,” she insisted as Kourtney flirted with the guys.

Shay had deliberately chosen to stand next to the guy she held eye contact with earlier. She didn’t want to stare into his eyes and blush again.

“Aren’t you Shay, like from Shy?” one of the guys said. “The Instagram model?”

“Yeah, she’s Shay. And I’m Kourtney. Thank you for the food… How can we repay you?” Kourtney asked flirtatiously, looking the guy beside Shay up and down.

She felt a twinge of jealousy, but pushed past her feelings.

“You could give us your number?” The man beside her suggested, and when Shay turned to face him, she noticed he was staring directly at her.

His eyes were captivating, and she felt like she could relax around him, especially considering he was a total stranger. The word for what she felt was “comfortable,” yet being near him also gave her butterflies.

She couldn’t help but notice his attire. She’d always been into doctors—she loved a man who was passionate about saving lives—but by the looks of his clothes, he was a businessman.

The way he carried himself and talked, it reminded her of her uncle, who was a mogul in his industry.

“I don’t give my number out,” Shay replied flatly, but she feared her eyes gave her away. She wasn’t sure why she was so drawn to him, but she continued to stare at him, matching the intensity he had on his face.

“I’m Ethan,” he said, standing up, and she took a step back, creating space between them. He held out his hand, and she shook it as he held her hand in place.

“Shay.”

“Now that we know each other, can I get your number?” he asked.

She pulled her hand away from him and rolled her eyes.

When she turned to face the other men, she noticed her best friend was still flirting with them. Clearing her throat, she shook her head. “Thank you for brunch,” she said as she reached in her handbag.

Grabbing $200 from her bag, she leaned forward, her body brushing Ethan’s briefly as she placed the money on the table.

“I can pay for my own meals, but thank you for the sweet gesture.” She wasn’t bitter or trying to be rude, but she hated when men assumed girls were unable to pay for their own food. She hated being treated less than.

“Shay…,” Kourtney whined.

“I believe two hundred dollars will sufficiently cover our bill including tips,” she said, ignoring her best friend.

“Join us,” the man named Ethan said.

Feeling his presence close to her, Shay wanted to melt in his palms. But she stood her ground.

Smiling sweetly at him, she placed a hand on his chest and shook her head. “We have things to do, and I would rather do them now, honestly.”

It was the truth. She had things to do, and she’d rather get them done than delay and rush them later on. She hated doing things at the last minute.

He placed his hand on top of hers and held her gaze. She gulped. She couldn’t help it—she was developing a little crush on him.

“Maybe if you give me your number we could meet up after,” he suggested. His smile seemed genuine, reaching ear to ear.

He obviously knew how much of a charmer he was.

“Nope,” she said, chuckling under her breath. She patted his chest before turning her attention to Kourtney, who was eyeing them curiously.

Like she’d said, giving out her number to strangers wasn’t her thing. And she never trusted guys who would approach a girl at random to ask for her number. It felt too sketchy.

Like if he could do it to her, he would do it to other girls. She didn’t like that thought.

“Let’s go, Kourtney,” she insisted.

“Yeah,” Kourtney said before writing down her own number on a napkin—Shay wasn’t even sure where the pen had come from—and passing it to Ethan, who took it and read it.

Shay watched as the guys smirked in response.

“Call me if you want to hang,” Kourtney said seductively, before blowing a kiss to the entire table.

Shay rolled her eyes. Kourtney was shameless! Honestly, she’d never understood how they’d maintained their friendship. But despite being polar opposites, they’d been best friends for years and always had each other’s backs.

Walking away from them, Shay felt a little defeated. She had a tiny hope that Ethan would run after her and insist on her number, but he hadn’t even offered the simple gesture of rejecting Kourtney’s number.

She wasn’t sure why she felt this way. It wasn’t like she was ever going to see him again. But she knew tonight she was going to fall asleep thinking about him and his gorgeous, captivating eyes.