Tatiana Holden flipped her hair to the side and started talking with her chin at a perfect ninety-degree, ��Danica, long time no see. I thought you had left forever.�� She looked with a not-so-pleasant smile at Danica, who shook her head in disbelief, seeing Tatiana was still the same.
��Congratulations on winning the award of the best actress last year, Tatiana." One would think Danica was being sarcastic with her tone, but it was indeed true. "Also, it��s really nice to see you again.�� Danica closed her laptop and stood up, being happy that she could see her old friend again.
Well, Danica always considered Tatiana as a friend, but Tatiana didn��t. Tatiana was always claiming Troy as hers and got jealous when Danica got the highest amount of attention from Troy; after all, she was his best friend, so she was bound to get the most attention than any other girl.
��Thank you,�� Tatiana said in the politest tone she could fake. ��So, why did you come back?�� Bitterness was clear in her voice as if she was saying Danica shouldn't have ever come back.
��It was Az���� Danica was interrupted by Tatiana, who smiled at her, which looked anything but friendly.
��No. I mean, why did you come back into Troy��s life? How can both of you possibly be dating when I was just out of the state for two weeks?�� Tatiana scoffed.
Danica arched an eyebrow at Tatiana, wondering why she was reacting in that way. Was she Troy��s real girlfriend? But if she was, Troy would have told Danica, which he didn��t. Also, Troy would never ask Danica to be his girlfriend if he was dating someone already. So, it meant that Tatiana was still pursuing Troy��nothing changed all that much after high school, except Danica's disappearance.
��It all just happened,�� she answered and took her laptop, deciding to make her way to the room. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Tatiana's bullshit. ��Troy is in his room.��
��Did you take an oath to always keep Troy away from me?�� Danica stopped walking, hearing Tatiana, who further spoke, ��I was about to propose to him after coming back from this shoot and then I see you back in his life. Why? Why do you always have to spoil my perfect plans?��
Exhaling a deep breath, Danica turned around to Tatiana and said, ��I will say the same thing I have been saying from high school. I don��t hate you or want to spoil any of your plans. And I apologize if I ever did anything that might have ruined your so-called perfect plans. Because you are my friend whether you treat me as one or not.�� With that, Danica started making her way up the staircase.
She met Troy midway on the stairs as he was coming down when he saw Tatiana talking to her from the second floor. He grabbed her hand to prevent her from leaving. ��Is she saying the same thing as she used to?�� he asked slowly.
Sighing, Danica nodded her head.
��Troy, I am back in town,�� Tatiana said aloud with a grin automatically appearing on her face��a genuine one��as soon as her gaze landed on Troy.
Danica tried to remove her hand from Troy��s grip, but he held it tighter. From the staircase, Troy looked at Tatiana and announced, ��Glad to see you that you are back, Tatiana. Dani is my girlfriend now, as you might have already seen in the trending news. I hope you can treat her just as nicely as you do with me."
Twitching her lips, Tatiana nodded her head, not wanting to ruin her image in front of Troy, whom she treated as a very close and special friend. She did like him, but according to Troy, she was nothing but a good friend and she wouldn��t lose a friend, come what may.
��We are about to record a new video. Do you want to come in now?�� he asked Tatiana, who shook her head in denial.
��I came straight from the airport, so I will go home and take some rest first. How about I see you tomorrow?�� Her smile never left her face as she talked to Troy.
He gave thumbs up to her. ��Sounds good to me. See ya!��
Danica admired the way Troy acted with everyone. He was always cheerful and caring for everyone. With his easy-going personality, he also managed to make friends with just about anyone. He had the ability to become anyone's rainbow but on a stormy day, at least he was hers. Despite knowing Tatiana��s feelings, he never disrespected her, which only fuelled her feelings towards him.
He turned his face to Danica and said, ��Let��s go.��
��Wait,�� Danica uttered as Troy was about to pull her upstairs. ��What video and what do you mean by we?�� No one else was present in the house, except the two of them, as Trevor had gone to meet Gabrielle in New York because he was already missing her, and Hernan went out with Aziel.
Chuckling, Troy walked up through the stairs by holding her hand, without responding.
___
��How shall I face the camera? This is so weird, Troy.�� Danica kept the script on the coffee table and covered her face with her hands. She had never been on camera before, so she was really nervous about their video shooting. Troy had given a script to Danica where it was written what they would say in the video. He had already memorized his lines, but it was still new for Danica.
��Just imagine that it's just you and me in this room and no one is watching us. Just act naturally,�� answered Troy, giving her shoulder a pat.
Tomorrow, Troy would launch his first YouTube video with Danica, introducing her as his girlfriend, and they would do a Q&A session. In the script, the questions and answers were written neatly.
��I really can��t do this, Troy." Danica huffed. "How can I think there's no one watching us when there are dozens of cameras flashing at our faces?"
He sighed. ��Let��s try it one more time, Dani.�� Troy gave her hand a light squeeze with a reassuring smile. ��Hey, listen. How about I record my intro at first and then, when you feel confident, you can join me?��
Removing her hands from his, she said, ��That might work.��
��Well, the fans already adore you. You are a celebrity now, who's also very beautiful. You are trending on social media.�� He smiled brightly at her before turning on the camera. ��If you try to interact with them, you will be loved the most. Believe me.��
Danica checked her social media, while Troy was talking to the camera, doing his intro. She started to read the comments on her old posts.
��She looks so beautiful.��
��She is really talented.��
��I saw her designs, and it inspired me to pursue fashion designing in the future.��
��I am applying to Princeton now. I want to meet her.��
��She and Troy are meant to be together. #tronicaforever��
A smile formed on her lips seeing the good comments she received. Troy was right, she thought, they are already loving me.
��Today, I will introduce you to my girlfriend. Her name i���� Danica interrupted Troy, ruffling his short chestnut hair.
��Hey, everyone. This is Danica Waylon, Troy Kingston��s girlfriend,�� she chirped through the camera. It wasn��t a live video. It would be edited before being uploaded. Even though it was fake, Danica loved calling herself Troy��s girlfriend. She felt like it was all meant to be, but instantly she shrugged off that thought. Troy was just her crush.
��Weren��t you nervous?�� inquired Troy.
Grinning, Danica replied to him, ��I was, but now, I am not.��
Troy chuckled, hearing her reply. ��Then let��s begin the Q/A session, shall we?��
