Giselle reveled in gossip, and now that Eliana was the subject of juicy news, it felt gross—both to have this happen to her and to listen to it happen to someone else.
She didn’t reply, and instead opened her message from Sienna. The room was dark around her, and Sienna spoke in a hushed tone, close to the phone.
“Hey, I heard about what happened. I’m in a theater, waiting for the movie to start, but I saw the video and needed to message you right away, because I completely understand. Call me if you want to talk.”
Eliana’s eyes stung with tears and she pulled up Sienna’s phone number. She usually didn’t call like this—but she was desperate.
The phone only rang once before Sienna answered. “Hey, Elly. I’m glad you called.” They caught up for a few minutes before Sienna softly said, “Tell me what’s going on.”
Eliana groaned and dropped her head onto the steering wheel. There was only one way to explain this. “His name is Asher. And he’s turned my world upside down.”
“In a good way?”
“In thebestway.”
Sienna sighed, but it sounded … happy? “That’s what I thought. You can’t fake that look you were giving him.”
Eliana groaned. “What do I do? They’ve threatened to drop my book deal.”
“Of course they did.” Eliana heard the eye-roll in Sienna’s tone. “And they want the advance back?”
“Yep.” Nausea clenched her stomach. “I don’t know what to do.”
Sienna paused. “I’m going to tell you something that no one else knows. This is just between you and me.”
Eliana sat up straighter, intrigued. “I am a vault,” she promised.
“I drank the caffeine in public on purpose.”
“What?” That was definitely not what she expected Sienna to say.
“I went to the cafe on one of the busiest days and times of week—I looked it up online—and made sure to walk around with it for a bit until I saw someone take my picture.”
“But why?”
“This is going to sound horrible and ungrateful, but I never wanted to be in the limelight. I happened to post something to my like two-hundred followers that went viral, and suddenly I was the face of a movement. The pressure of living a public life was getting to me—to look and act a certain way, plus the criticisms and trolls—and I snapped. I met with a therapist, and I guess what I did could be considered self-sabotage, except I’m happier now.”
“You are?” Eliana hadn’t seen her update her socials all summer, and had assumed she was crying in a hole somewhere for everything she’d lost.
“Yep. I’ve been miserable and stressed for a while, but I was in too deep, you know. I didn’t know how to get out, and so I finally did something extreme.”
“I had no idea you felt that way,” Eliana said. Some friend she was.
“No one did,” Sienna assured her. “Except my mom. Every time I said yes to something else, she threatened to lock me up in her RV, drive me to Mexico, and hold me hostage there until I came to my senses.”
“Why Mexico?” Eliana asked.
“The tacos. Plus they have great beaches with terrible cell service.”
Eliana laughed and then covered her mouth. “I’m sorry.”
“That was supposed to make you laugh,” Sienna assured her. “But you’re not me, Eliana. I know you love what you do.”
“I really do love it,” Eliana said. “But I don’t think I can give Asher up either.”
“All I know is that when I look at that picture of you two, it makes me ache deep inside with envy. Is that really something you want to give up for a book deal or followers?”
It made Eliana ache as well, which was why she couldn’t stop watching the video. Maybe she was a self-saboteur too. Had she ever really wanted to be the Happily Single Girl, forever and always? Or had she just wanted to protect herself and grieve and help others who were in the same place as her?
