Catwalk Love

CHAPTER FIVE

Theresa Gray

I had been right about the meeting. It was a complete and utter disaster.

All day Will and Marshall talked about all the shoots we could do, while I just sat there staring at them in aghast. I barely talked; it would have been useless if I had even tried to do so.

Will and Marshall had seemed to pick out the most risky shoots they could find. And Will seemed determined to have that shampoo shoot involve us in a shower together. Marshall had no complaints for that.

By the time we were riding up the elevator of the Institute I was exhausted and ready to plop on my couch and do nothing.

"So," Will asked leaning towards me and trapping me against the elevator wall, "what are we having for dinner tonight?"

"I don't what you're having for dinner tonight," I said trying to move away from his arms, but failing as he just moved closer to me, trapping me more successfully, "Since we are not dinning together."

"On the contrary," Will said leaning in close so that he was mumbling in my ear. "I believe that Marshall said that we need to look over those shoots more. Together, if I may add. Oh yeah and something about getting it done as soon as possible."

"Hmm." I mumbled completely dazed. I felt Will smile against my face, and I knew he had that infatuating grin on his face.

"So is that a yes?" he asked. Softly rubbing his nose up and down my neck.

"I think it's…" Ding. I jerked back from Will as the elevator door opened to his floor, "I think it's your floor." I finished lamely. Will pulled back looking at me with puppy dog eyes and a pout. Reluctantly, he pulled away from me and headed out the elevator door.

It was just about done closing, and I was sighing in relief that he was gone, when a familiar hand stuck it's way into the elevator causing it to open again. Will was standing there with the same sad look in his eyes.

"Ass." I muttered under my breath.

"You never answered my question Tess." He said ignoring my comment, "About dinner at your place." I looked at him for a long time, and his eyes just got sadder and sadder. Slowly my heart began to melt for those puppy dog eyes and I felt a small smile pull at the corners of my mouth.

"That sounds good Will." I said to him. A grin erupted on his face that almost made me regret saying yes. Almost. "I'll see you around eight thirty." And with that the elevator closed on a grinning Will.

It wasn't a long trip up to my floor. But the thirty seconds it must have been felt like forever.

I had just invited William Herondale into my house, the bane of my existence for the last three days. What the hell had I been thinking! Oh I know what I had been thinking. I was thinking how soft his lips would be, what the pressure of his body would be like against mine. I just did not want to admit that fun little fact, especially to the guy that had caused me to go through all this. The comment would only boost his already fat ego and he would never let me live it down.

Finally, the door opened up to my apartment. I practically ran inside, not feeling ashamed in the tinest bit to jump onto my couch and scream in joy at the fact that I was finally alone.

The sad part was that I only got to enjoy the silence for a couple seconds before the ringing of my phone announced that yet again, someone found the need to talk to me. Sighing I picked up the phone and answered.

"Hello." I mumbled. A shriek insulted my ears next. One that I had known for four years now. "Jessamine." I finished.

"Guess what happened!" She shrieked again. It was a joyous shriek and the only thing that made Jess do that was a guy.

"I'm guessing something happened with Jem." I said. She shrieked again, making me flinch away from the phone and hold it far away from my ear. I did not want to loose my hearing because of Jessamine's excitement.

"Guess what he did?" She squealed.

"I don't know Jess." I said sighing, "What did he do?"

"He kissed me!" She yelled. "And it was perfect."

"That's superb." I said faking my own excitement. Jessamine didn't seem to notice.

"I know," she said speaking fast, "We were walking through the park, and he just pulled me over by that big oak tree, and then he was all romantic and just perfect and Oh My God, then he kissed me and I was like holly shit you are perfect and…"

"Jess slow down!" I said to her.

"I'm sorry Tessa." She said her voice calmer now and at a normal pace. I heard her take a couple more breaths on the other side of the phone, "It was just so amazing."

"I bet." I said sounding far off. This time Jess noticed.

"Well what about you and Will?" she asked, "This morning you said he was bugging you, which means you like him."

"I do not." I gasped.

"Yes you do sweetheart." Jess said, "The look on your face when you're with him, the tone of your voice when you talk about him. It's annoyed, but there is something more behind it. Something that says, I want to get in his pants right now, fuck anybody who's watching."

"Jess!" I gasped, "I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"Face it honey you got it bad for the bad boy." I was about to reply with a witty comeback, if I do say so myself, when I heard the doorbell ring. Probably Will, being the ass whole that he was and coming early just to annoy me.

"I have to go Jess," I said sighing, "I think Will's here for a work dinner we planned."

"Sure sweetheart," she said, "a work dinner."

"Yes Jess a work dinner."

"U huh I'm sure…" I hung up on her before she could continue to critique me and Will's relationship. I was already getting that from everyone else I did not need it form her.

Slowly, I made my way over to the elevator room where you had to wait to get into my apartment. I opened the door an insult on my tongue for Will when I saw that it wasn't him at all. It was a delivery man, with a package in hand.

"Miss. Gray?" he asked.

"That's me." I said with a smile. The man gave me a clipboard that I quickly signed and handed it back.

"Here you go Miss." He said, "You have an admirer."

"Thank you." I said with another Gray smile. I took the box that he handed me and shut the door.

I walked over to the island in my kitchen and opened the long red box. Inside laid a single blood red rose. Smiling I picked it and smelled the intoxicating scent of the rose. Gently I placed it back in its box and grabbed for the letter that set underneath it.

Opening it with a smile, wondering slash hoping if it was from Will, I wouldn't have been surprised if it was. I took the letter out, to find familiar stationary in my hands. One that made my heart rate increase and start it fidget. To make sure I was right I looked at the end of the letter. He always ended them the same.

A scrawling M was signed at the bottom, and a broken heart that he always drew still there. I hadn't gotten one of these in over a year. I thought it was over.

I suddenly felt stick to my stomach as I sank onto one of the bar stools that surrounded the island. Only one thought raced through my head.

They said they caught him.

William Herondale

I got to Tessa's place fifteen minutes early just to annoy her. I wanted to see her look at me with that annoyed face that seemed to make my heart race. Of course, when ever I was around her my heart seemed to race.

So when I got out of the elevator and into a small entryway I plastered on my signature grin and rang the doorbell, ready to my a sarcastic comment.

The door opened almost immediately, Tessa standing there with a look of terror on her face, clutching something in her hand that I couldn't identify. The terror in her eyes made the grin on my face melt away, forming into one of concern.

"What happened Tess?" I asked softly. Tessa looked past me frantically, before she grabbed my arm and yanked me inside. She shut the door quickly behind me, locking it three times before she seemed to relax. Carefully she placed the thing that she was holding in her hands on the side table next to the door. That's when I noticed what it was.

A knife. She had been clutching a knife as if her life had depended on it. This only made me worry more and I suddenly had an odd instinct to protect the women standing in front of me.

"Tess what's wrong?" I asked again stepping closer to her. She looked at me again tears burning in her eyes. She took my arm again and started directing me through the huge apartment until we arrived in the kitchen. Slowly she let go of my arm and pointed to the red box that was sitting on the table.

I approached it carefully, wondering what had made her so upset, mad at the person that had done this to her. Inside the box lay a red rose, and a note. I picked the note up and turned toward Tessa confused.

"Read it," she chocked out, "Read it out loud."

"Tessa I don't think…"

"Just do it!" She yelled at me, then realizing what she did she said it again. This time so soft it was barely a whisper. "Just do it." I nodded and began to read the not.

"Dearest Theresa," I began, "I know we haven't talked in forever, and that itself is so very wrong. But don't worry Tess I have kept up with your career, bought every magazine that you're beautiful body was in." I stopped and looked at her, asking silently if I should continue.

"Don't stop again." She whispered, "Just get it over with." I was now very angry with the man that had sent her this, and with every word I got angrier and angrier.

"But that doesn't stop me from missing the touch of your skin, the smell of your lavender and vanilla perfume." I continued disgusted by the mans words, "I constantly wonder what you're doing every day, wondering if you ever think of me. And I was all right with are relationship because I never saw you act interested in any other man, it proved that you still loved me. That was until I saw the new pictures on the internet. Who is he my beautiful Tess? I've looked everywhere to find a name, but I can't. And the way that you looked at him in that picture...Tess you broke my heart. Now I see that I must work hard to earn your love my beautiful Tess. The rose is for you. Signed M."

I looked up at her to see that Tessa had fallen to her knees and was sobbing. I ran to her, falling on my knees so that I could wrap her in my arms. She fell into me her tears soaking my shirt, and making makeup smear on it. But I barely noticed, all I cared about was the fact that this amazing girl was sad, and I wanted to make her happy.

"Tess," I whispered to her, "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"No." She mumbled into my shirt, shaking her head as well.

"Well then what do you want me to do?" I asked, "I can leave you alone, go beat the shit out of this guy, or…"

"NO!" She screeched flying away from me so that she was looking directly into my eyes, only centimeters away. "Don't go after him Will. You have to promise me that you won't go after him you…you can't." Obviously there was more to this than what she was telling me, but I had a feeling that pushing the issue would only make her walk away, and that was the last thing I wanted at the moment.

"Ok," I said to her, "I promise I won't go looking for him." I said to her. She seemed to relax at my words, plopping down on the ground still starring at me, and making my heart race.

"Will you stay with me?" she asked after a long pause, "It's just that…I don't know…"

"Shhh," I said placing a finger to her mouth and making her shut up, "You don't have to explain a thing to me. Okay?" I said

"Okay." She whispered back. I smiled at her, but she just looked away more tears forming in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Will." She said to me.

"Sorry about what?" I asked, wiping away the tears that were on her cheeks carefully. I kept my hands caressing her face, unable to move them. She didn't protest.

"That I brought you into this," she said, "And I know…I know that I should tell you, so that you know something. But…but…"

"Tess," I said interrupting her, "I said that you don't have to explain it to me right now."

"I know," she said, "And I thank you for that."

"Good," I said smiling at her, "Now that that's all over with why don't we do something."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like eat!" I exclaimed "I don't know about you, but I came over here expecting something to eat. And I damn well better get it."

"Asshole." She muttered, but she was smiling, and that's all I cared about.

A homemade pizza, and one and a half comedies later Tessa and I were laying on her couch. Tessa had fallen asleep in front of me, and I had my arms wrapped around her body making sure that she didn't fall of the couch. At least that is what I told her when I had put them there. In fact, I just wanted to hold her. I secretly craved the feeling of her soft skin under my fingers.

We had decided on watching comedies instead of working. I had suggested it. I didn't want her thinking about work, and I had decided on comedies because all I wanted her to do was smile.

My plan had worked perfectly and now a beautiful girl was asleep in my arms a slight smile plastered on her face. It was probably the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.

Usually, when there was a girl and sleeping involved, we were naked and in a bed. But this time I had more than just a girl. I had Tessa, and she herself was probably the most amazing person that I had ever known. Not because she was beautiful, or smart, or just plane out sarcastic as hell. It was the mere fact that she had chipped away at my walls, and now I was rooting for her to break them.