for nothing
OTHELLO
I’ve noticed Marley moving like a straggler since she trudged back into the suite. Very few words and barely making conversation. I’ve asked her twice if she’s okay, and both times the answer is, “I’m fine.”
I am already dressed in a pair of khaki linen pants and a matching buttoned top.
I leave a few undone, waiting for Marley to finish getting ready so we can head to the rehearsal dinner.
I sit on the balcony, aimlessly scrolling through my phone while keeping an eye on Marley through the open doorway.
She’s in the bathroom, moving slower than usual, and my mind is consumed with trying to figure out what could have happened.
She pulls a simple, very classy baby-blue dress over her hips and struggles with the zipper in the back. I set my phone down and head over to help her.
“I’m right here. Why didn’t you just ask?” I say as I zip her dress the rest of the way up. My fingers briefly graze the back of her neck, and if she wasn’t in such a ticked-off mood, I would kiss her there.
“Sorry,” Marley smiles weakly. “I’m used to doing things like this myself.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask for the third time. And I’m not going to take “I’m fine” for an answer this time.
She reaches for her earrings and nods.
“Mhm.”
Okay, she doesn’t say “I’m fine,” but I’m not taking “Mhm” for an answer either. I turn her around to face me. Her back against the bathroom counter.
“What is going on, Marley? What happened?”
“I said I’m fine, Othello.” She tries to walk away, but both my hands are planted on the counter behind her, blocking her in. Her mood is all too familiar. It reminds me of how she was on the first night we were here. When I lied. And when her room wasn’t available.
“I’m not moving until you tell me what’s bothering you. Did I do something wrong?”
This time, Marley looks at me. “No.”
I wait for her to continue, but she falls silent and closes her eyes for a second before muttering, “I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
She takes a deep breath before giving me the details of her meeting with Collette, her run-in with Sabrina, Collette’s disappointment, and her conversation with Lo. When Marley’s done, I finally let up, unblocking her and lowering my head.
“This is a mess,” she wails, throwing her hands up in the air.
“It’s not a mess. We can fix this.”
“How?” she snaps. “I was given the story any journalist would kill to have, and I blew it.” She turns and faces the sink, staring at her reflection. She’s gorgeous, but I know she thinks she sees a failure staring back at her. I step up behind her, our eyes meeting in the mirror.
“Listen. Get the negative thoughts out of your mind, okay? We made a mistake.”
“A big one.”
“We’re human, remember. We can make mistakes.”
She turns to look at me.
“This wasn’t a mistake, Othello. You and I lied. Intentionally. And now this whole thing could be over for me. Mod was depending on this exclusive. It could have changed everything for my team.”
“I understand.”
“They’re going to be so upset with me.”
She turns back to the mirror again, flipping her hair to one side and pinning it down with a seashell hair clip. I lean against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching her. Admiring her despite the uneasiness I’m starting to feel.
“I’ve invested days into this. My time. There’s a deadline for this, and now we might not even make it. I’ve been trying to build relationships with people, opening myself up to be close to people, and make a good impression. And it could literally be all for nothing.”
The words shock me like I’ve been doused with cold water.
All for nothing?
Opening myself up.
Wow.
I shake my head in disbelief, trying to push out the narrative being painted in my mind. Opening herself up to people? People like me?
I check the time on my watch.
“We should get going. We don’t want to be late.” My tone is sharp enough to slice through the silence between us. She’s unaware, and I follow her out of the room, both of us heading to the center of the hallway towards the elevators.
As we wait for the lift, Marley’s words spin in my mind. I try to shake it off, reasoning that I’m just jumping to the worst possible conclusion. Marley wouldn't use me. She's not a predator hunting for a cover story. But that seed of doubt has already been planted.
The problem with being betrayed by someone who breaks your trust is that it's hard not to look at everyone else through the same cracked lens. I try my hardest not to see Marley for what Carina did to me. For what my own cousin did to me. Can I put it past her?
I know Marley. Or at least, I think I do. We’ve only known each other for five days. For some, that's a blink of an eye, but for me, it's been long enough for me to start counting her in plans I haven't even made yet.
The elevator dings and the doors slide open. We step on, Marley deep in her thoughts and me deep in mine. Standing here now, I can’t help but wonder if I’m falling for another beautiful mistake.