Chapter 29

Celeste

“I think you forgot to take out your colored contact lenses.”

The shock of Fiona’s words hung heavily in the air. My eyes widened.

“No,” I said with a wry laugh, shaking my head. “Stop teasing me, Fiona. It’s not nice.”

“Celeste.” Fiona grabbed my wrist, her eyes burning with sincerity. “I’m not joking. Come here.”

Still holding my wrist, she yanked me to my feet and headed for the bathroom. I followed close behind, my heart pounding in my ears, matching the rush of panic swirling in my gut.

With a light shove, Fiona pushed me over to the mirror. Upon seeing my reflection staring back at me, my stomach dropped.

“God, how could I be so stupid?” I muttered, staring at the reflection in the bathroom mirror. The vivid blue contact lenses that had transformed my mismatched green and brown eyes for the ball were still there. They were supposed to be my perfect disguise.

Fiona’s eyes widened in the reflection. “Celeste, I’m so sorry I didn’t notice sooner.”

“It’s not your fault,” I whispered, blinking rapidly as I pinched the edge of one lens, removing it. As I placed it in its case, the vibrancy of my natural eyes returned, revealing their usual warmth.

“God, Fiona, if Matt saw…” I trailed off, terrified at the implications.

“Or Jack,” Fiona chimed in.

I shook my head as I took the other lens out. “Jack already saw on FaceTime earlier. I had him convinced that we were just goofing around and playing with makeup and stuff, which is probably why he didn’t say anything just now. But Matt, on the other hand…”

Just then, my phone buzzed on the counter. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I reached for it. Fiona and I held each other’s gazes for a long moment, each of us silently hoping that whatever messages were flooding my phone had nothing to do with my optical likeness to the Mystery Girl in the blue dress.

Messages from Matt filled the screen.

“Where did you go? I looked everywhere for you after our dance.”

“I don’t know what you think you saw with Sabrina, but it meant nothing. It was just a polite dance, nothing more.”

“You could have at least said goodbye.”

Every message made my heart flutter. But it was what he didn’t say that made my ragged breathing turn steady; there was no indication he recognized me beneath the colored lenses.

Maybe, just maybe, my secret was still safe.

Letting out a shaky breath, I leaned against the bathroom counter. “He doesn’t know, Fi. He doesn’t know it was me. At least, that’s how it seems.”

Fiona sighed in relief. “That’s good, right?”

It was. But it also wasn't. The dance had been magical. Every time Matt’s fingers brushed against mine, every time his gaze met mine, it felt as though the world had faded away. But now?

“I still can’t see him again,” I whispered, the weight of the decision pressing heavily on my chest.

“What? Why?” Fiona’s brows furrowed. “You guys had something. I saw it. The way he looked at you...”

“It’s gotten too dangerous. If he ever finds out who I was at the ball, he could unintentionally let it slip to Jack. And I can’t risk my brother finding out.” My voice cracked at the thought.

Fiona came to stand beside me, her reflection a stark contrast to my own distraught one. “Celeste, life is too short for ‘what ifs’. You deserve happiness. Don’t let Jack take that from you.”

“I know,” I murmured, my fingers trembling as they scrolled through the other unread messages from Matt. His words were sweet, genuine, and they tugged at my heartstrings in ways I hadn’t felt in years. But the risks…

The last message caught my eye: “When can I see you again?”

A tear slid down my cheek. I had to make a choice. And as hard as it was, I knew what I had to do. With a heavy heart, I held my finger over Matt’s name and clicked ‘block’.

Fiona, sensing the finality of my action, wrapped her arms around me. “You okay?”

“No,” I whispered, “But I will be. Eventually.”

We said our goodbyes for the night and curled up in our respective beds. The weight of the evening’s events settled heavily, and I fell into a restless sleep.

The next morning, the sun peeked through the curtains, casting a golden hue across the room. The events of the previous night felt like a distant dream, yet the pang in my heart was all too real.

After dressing and sharing a quick breakfast with Fiona, I made my way home, praying Jack was still in the dark about my escapade.

Upon arriving, the house was quiet. Jack was seated at the kitchen table, engrossed in scrolling on his phone. He didn’t look up, didn’t show any sign of suspicion.

Even from where I stood, I could see the dark circles under his eyes from a night of drinking. There were a few strangers scattered throughout the living room, sleeping on various surfaces. Matt wasn’t one of them.

“Morning,” I offered, keeping my voice steady.

Jack grunted in response.

Taking that as a sign, I turned to the stairs.

Jack, however, stopped me. “Celeste. Come here.”

I froze. He found out, didn’t he? My heart pounded in my chest, threatening to beat itself to death and stop at any moment. Slowly, I turned to face Jack. My legs felt both stiff and heavy and loose like rope all at once as I approached.

Finally, I stopped a few feet away from him. “Yes?”

Jack sighed, setting his phone down next to his cup of coffee. He looked me up and down, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he gave no other indication that he knew anything that he shouldn’t have known.

Instead, he gestured to the house. Beer bottles, aluminum cans, and pizza boxes were scattered all over. The living room was in a state of disarray, and down the hallway, I could see what looked like… a pile of vomit on the floor by the bathroom door. I guessed that someone didn’t make it in time last night after having one too many drinks.

“This place is a pigsty,” Jack said, letting out a sigh of annoyance as though it was my fault that the house was trashed. “You’ll clean it, right? As thanks for being allowed to play with Barbies and dress up with your friend all night?”

I stifled a sigh of relief. I would take cleaning up piles of vomit over my brother punishing me for getting involved with his friend.

“Yeah,” I said, forcing a weak smile. “No problem. Thanks, Jack.”

With that, I headed upstairs to my room. Once inside, I exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. He didn’t know. I was safe, at least for now.

My phone buzzed again. I hesitated, memories of blocking Matt still fresh in my mind. But it was just a notification from a group chat about a class project. My heart ached, already missing Matt’s usual cheerful texts.

Flopping onto the bed, I replayed the events of the ball, allowing myself to bask in the memories of the dance… The way Matt’s eyes lit up every time he looked at me, the feeling of his hand in mine, and the softness of his lips when he kissed me.

But the magic was short-lived. Reality crept in, reminding me of the difficult decision I had made to keep my secret safe.

It wasn’t fair. But then, life rarely was. I just hoped that one day, I would find a way to live without fear, without secrets, and without regrets.