"How about we have dinner together to fulfill my promise," Sinclair tried asking Vanessa out indirectly, using the meal he promised her for her new job as an excuse.
"Nah, maybe another time or Sunday. I have important plans this evening, and don't bother asking; I will not spill the tea," Vanessa mimicked, zipping her mouth. "It is confidential and work-rated."
"Okay, Miss Clarkson, but do you mind at least telling me what is the nature of your job," Sinclair taunted. He was curious about which job Vanessa was engaged in now that she had accepted on such short notice due to her damaged reputation from her previous job.
Vanessa wanted to dodge the question; she would rather not tell Sinclair the true nature of her job because he might see it as improper to hang out with strangers. Her mind was looking for a perfect lie to tell.
"You know, I graduated from high school with excellent grades, so I was able to sign up for private tutorial classes for high school students in science," Vanessa made up a fast lie, trying to explain.
"You will be tutoring high school students in the evening and at night," Sinclair questioned because it was weird. One of his elegant brows was slightly raised at Vanessa's previous statement.
"I am a college student, and to get the job, I allow my clients to select the time they are free. Then, if it is suitable for my schedule, I accept. It is their money after all, and I don't have enough qualifications though," Vanessa was able to come up with an excuse, which was not bad. Sinclair contemplated it for a while and decided to drop the case.
Since they were done studying for the day, Sinclair offered to send Vanessa home. So he booked an Uber and dropped her off at her apartment. He waited for her to go inside before heading his way.
Vanessa climbed the stairs to her apartment. The door was not locked, indicating Cynthia was home; thank God she was in; I would need her help later on. Vanessa thought, contemplating how she would beg Cynthia to help her because she required help with her makeup, hair, and outfit. Vanessa did not have any dating experience, unlike Cynthia, who was an expert.
Vanessa saw Cynthia asleep on her bed with many used tissues littered everywhere. She knew something was wrong, and she was meant not to disturb Cynthia, but she really required her help. But firstly, before waking her from sleep, she should confirm where she's going to meet her clients. The app did not specify many details about the clients aside from their name, gender, and age.
The information of the client was Joel Hanks, which might not even be his real name, but the age and gender cannot be changed. Obviously, he Was a male and 25 years old.
Lilac: Where are we going to meet? (Smiling face emoji.)
Jayden, who was home making some arrangements for the gala, saw the chat notification and immediately replied. He was actually sitting in the living room giving instructions to Marcus, his assistant, when he paused to send Lilac a reply.
Joel: Anywhere convenient for you.
It was a simple reply, which was odd to Vanessa, but she was happy she could choose the location. So she decided on a park not too far from her apartment but relatively far from campus; that way, the chance of running into someone who knows her is reduced. Jayden saw the location; it did not matter to him because they were not really going on a date.
Jayden: A park. Okay, see you by 6 pm.
The gala was actually at 8 pm, but he decided on 6 pm as the meet-up time in case something went wrong. Vanessa saw that Joel agreed to the meet-up place, so she dropped her phone; she needed to prepare. The time was 4:45 pm already, but firstly, she needed to wake Cynthia up.
Vanessa walked over to Cynthia's bed to tap her, but Cynthia did not want to wake up, pushing Vanessa away. "Leave me alone," her muffled voice murmured. Her face was on the pillow. Vanessa was not going to accept no for an answer, so she continued disturbing Cynthia until Cynthia finally sat up.
Vanessa was stunned to see Cynthia's tear-stained face, which was a stark contrast to the dramatic Cynthia, who was filled with tricks and a drama queen. She was looking sad. "What happened?" Vanessa's voice was filled with concern.
Cynthia pulled out a piece of tissue paper from the tissue box to blow her nose. "Tommy broke up with me this afternoon," Vanessa's husky voice whimpered. She started crying and sniffing again. Vanessa was touched to see her rookie like this, so she gave her a comforting hug. Cynthia broke down in Vanessa's embrace and cried louder than before.
Tommy was Cynthia's boyfriend since high school, according to what Cynthia told her. They planned to attend the same college and were even in the same major as her. They have been lovebirds for a long while now and have been feeding Vanessa with excess dog food. They were what you call a perfect couple; Thomas was calm and collected, while Cynthia was wide and dramatic. Furthermore, they even had promise rings with the plan of getting married after college. What went wrong because Vanessa could not figure it out.
"How did it happen?" Vanessa asked in a soft voice when Cynthia had stopped crying. Cynthia broke off the hug, then wiped her tears; she had already cried enough. "I don't know what happened; Tommy started acting weird around the time you lost your job. He would get angry and argue over any little thing. I tried to ask him what was wrong, but he always brushed me off, saying I was dramatic. So today after lectures, we left together on the same bus, where he was ignoring me and chatting with someone. I didn't mean to pry because I trust him, and we have been arguing a lot recently. When we got down from the bus, he walked me home as he usually does, but when we got to the apartment building, he had a phone call. His voice while talking to the person was so sweet that I got a little jealous."
Cynthia closed her eyes trying to remember everything vividly; she was sad and angry that maybe Thomas was cheating on her, that's why he broke up with her.
"I asked him who he was talking because I was sure it was not a relative. I have known Thomas for a very long while, so I am confident I know his entire family, and Tommy does not talk to them like that. Tommy then got so angry and started saying many things. I can't remember all, but the summary of it was that he was tired of how dramatic I am, that being with me was draining and tiring. That it was over. I was so shocked; it was not the Tommy I loved, and the worst thing was that Iris, our neighbor, witnessed all of this. She is probably gossiping to her roommate by now." Cynthia's voice was shaking; she was looking broken and disheveled.
"Sorry that happened. I won't lie, I know what it feels like because I have never dated anyone, but you should not dwell on this for so long, Cynthia; you are a strong woman, and you can survive without Tommy. He does not deserve you one bit." Vanessa encouraged Cynthia with their hands clasped together.
Cynthia nodded in acknowledgment because breaking up with Tommy doesn't mean her life was over. Even though she never imagined living without him, she cannot dwell on this heartbreak forever; her parents will not be pleased, after all, they were against her relationship with Thomas but only accepted because of how stubborn she was.
"Thank you, Venus; I would try to forget him, but I know it won't be easy." Cynthia tried to force a smile, but her eyes were dull. "So what do you want from me that you bother my sleep? Do not tell me Sinclair confessed to you." Cynthia teased. Vanessa was caught off guard by her questions, but she was happy Cynthia was attempting to move on.
"Hell no!! Sinclair is my best friend; that's not what happened." Argued Vanessa, why would Cynthia have such a silly idea. "That's not what happened; do you remember my new job I told you about before? I have a date this evening at 6, and I need your help."
"Oh my goodness, seriously Vanessa, but you have never dated before, but don't worry I got you covered." Cynthia roared in excitement. She did not look like someone who was crying because of a heartbreak minutes ago.
"6 pm; we have a lot to do." Cynthia chimed; she was using Vanessa as a distraction. Cynthia took it on herself to doll up Vanessa. She had always wished for this day to come, even though it was not perfect because of her breakup, and it was a fake date; it didn't matter because Vanessa was going to have fun today.
She chose one of her brown wigs because Vanessa's own was not properly treated; there was no way she would let Vanessa go out in that. Since it was a simple first date, she selected an outfit that brought out Vanessa's lovely figure. She rolled Vanessa's hair to style it, then did a fast nude makeup.
Cynthia was surprised to discover that Vanessa's purple eyes were not contacts because she saw Vanessa remove her blue contact lenses. After making sure Vanessa was ready, she gave her roommate a few pieces of advice.
They were able to finish everything in an hour because Cynthia was an expert in dress-up