It's early. Really early. I know because for the longest time I've heard ringing and ringing in my dreams but I couldn't wake up from my drug induced sleep until now.

Finally opening one eye, I blearily look around for my phone and find it on the floor next to my bed. I snatch it up and glare at the number. It's Andy. And it's 8:46.

I try to say hello, but something incoherent comes out instead. It doesn't matter anyway.

"Helena! Orion's with another girl! I saw them flirting together on the way to the production studio!"

I'm instantly wide awake and sitting up. Andy's never been so upset before and I'm afraid she might have done something to Orion.

"Where is he?"

"Back inside the building! I saw them like, an hour ago!"

"Maybe it was a coworker," I say, trying to reassure myself, but I can already feel myself begin to crumble. I can't handle this right now.

"She is! But you should have seen them! They were walking so close together and whispering and giggling... it makes me sick!"

Through the phone I hear her gasp in anger and know she's crying. I really can't handle this.

"Thanks, Andy. I'll talk to him."

"Don't forgive him! And I thought you two were perfect!"

I hang up the phone and curl up into myself. I wish I had taken more pills, then maybe I could have skipped today, but then I doubt tomorrow would have been any better.

The tears that sprang to my eyes while talking to Andy come pouring down, staining my silk sheets, but I don't care. I cry and cry into them, only taking care not to make too much noise. I don't want my parents to see me like this. Especially my father. He loves Orion and has practically offered him his place as CEO. And maybe Andy's wrong. I don't know how, but maybe. Or maybe we can fix this.

I pull myself together and find Cassie in my doorway. She nods her head in pardon for intruding and sets a tray of breakfast, tissues and an ice pack on my drawer then leaves.

I grab a handful of tissues and wipe at my face. I'm a mess. When my face is relatively dry, I lay back and put the pack on my eyes, hoping the swelling will go down. If I'm going to face Orion, I have to look my best. I have to win him back.

A few minutes later I get up and run to my vanity. The swelling's not too bad but it's still there. I decide to put off calling him for a couple of hours. Besides, it'll give me time to get ready.

In the bath, I scour myself with hot water and rub my skin until it feels raw before lathering myself in creams and lotions. I pick out an outfit, a simple black halter top with black capris. It's similar to Orion's tastes. He like dark colors, especially black, and I hope it'll help him remember that we're a team.

But when I go to my phone, my hand stops short of picking it up and I tremble. What if all this is for nothing? What if he's in love with that girl? Closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths the way my yoga instructor taught me. It helps. Opening my eyes again, I press his speed dial and wait. He picks up immediately.

"Hi."

"Hi," I say awkwardly back. He sounds so apathetic. "Um, I was wondering if you wanted to come over today?"

"I'm working."

"I know, but-"

"I'll ask Jason for today off."

"Thanks."

A few minutes later he texts saying he'll be here in thirty minutes. I have no time to lose.

I make my eyes smoky and alluring, making sure to use all waterproof makeup because especially now it's hard to keep my tears from manifesting again. I cake on the foundation and powder so that I look how I did when we first met. I look so young and nostalgia flows through me. We were so happy. What happened?

With my hair, makeup and outfit all in place, I look like a little bit of me and a little bit of him. Then the doorbell rings. As Cassie passes by my room to get him, I tell her to bring him to the filming room. She nods and goes downstairs.

My heart fluttering and my stomach spinning, I go to our room first and sit. It's empty except for two chairs. With my back to the door, I try to decide whether it'd be best to stand or sit but I'm not fast enough and I hear the door open behind me.

Turning around slowly, I face Orion. I think by accident we make eye contact, because a second later we're both looking away.

I try to say something but I don't know how to start.

"Let's sit down."

He walks past me to the chairs and turns one so that they're facing each other. We both sit but remain silent. He's wearing a bright green shirt and light colored khakis and suddenly I'm angry. As angry as Andy was. I bought him that shirt a year ago, but when had he ever worn it? Why was he changing so much?

"You've been distant," I finally say, and all the hurt and anger in me comes out in that sentence.

"Helena, you're the one who's been distant."

I'm astonished, and it shows. Orion is finally looking me right in the eye, not turning away and he is unashamed. My anger is reflected back at me, but less so. And I realize he's even sadder than me. But then why was he with that girl?

"Andy says she saw you this morning with a coworker."

"Aella? Yeah, we work together on the same project. You know her."

I'm silent.

"You think...? Zeus!"

He gets up and paces the room for a while before dragging his chair closer to mine and sitting down. He takes my hands in his.

"You're right, I have been getting closer to her lately."

I start tearing up.

"But not because I want to be with her. Helena, I love you, but you've been shutting me out for months! I needed someone to talk to."

And now I'm really crying. Is that true? Have I been the one pushing him away?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Orion, but it's been so hard."

"I know," he says. He pulls me into him and lets me cry against his chest. It feels so good to be this close to him again.

"Don't cry. I hate it when you're in pain."

"I need you," I say, clinging to him. I can't keep going without him. My world is falling apart, I can't be alone.

"I need you, too."

He holds me until I calm down and then he pulls slightly away to look at me. He wipes the remaining tears from my face and tells me I'm beautiful. He kisses me and I forget everything.

While I'm in the bathroom doing minor touch ups, Orion sits with my parents who fawn over him. My mother has the cook make lunch and even invites him to stay.

By the time I get downstairs, he's talking business with my father, but when I sit next to him, he grabs my hand and kisses me on the cheek. I try to hide how happy I am but my mother catches it and giggles. I smile back at her and I know she's relieved to see me in such a good mood.

Lunch is amazing. Father let the cook return to extravagance, at least for this meal, and it's bright and cheery. We all talk together and laugh and my family forgets about all the shortages and rationing. Orion is just what we've been needing.

We spend the rest of the day together, slipping right into our old pattern. We watch a movie together, we come up with new video ideas and promise to get right on it filming one tomorrow. Before dinner though, he finally leaves. No matter how much my parents and I love him, a meal together was pushing it, and he wants to leave things on a jovial note.

I walk him outside to one of my father's cars where the driver waits with the door open. We kiss goodbye as if it's the last time we'll be with each other and then he steps into the car leaving me wanting more.

In my room I check my tab and phone for the first time since morning and see that I have a dozen missed calls and messages from Andy, Penelope and Daphne. I feel terrible for forgetting about them and call them all back to let them know that everything's all right.

Andy bursts out laughing in her relief and apologizes for jumping to conclusions and I tell her it's okay. Penelope unashamedly expresses her relief, as she was interested in one of Orion's friends that he'd introduced to her. Daphne though, is quiet as usual.

"I'm glad everything's okay."

"Yeah, thanks."

We both pause and in the silence I think about our last conversation.

"I'm sorry for dumping that on you before," she finally says.

"No, it's fine..."

But I know it's not. And with the issue with Orion solved, this other unaddressed one slithers into my mind, filling me with an uncomfortable dread yet again.

"After school Monday can we meet?" I ask her.

"Yeah, I think that'd be good."

After hanging up, I feel all those unanswered questions from the other night coming back up again but I stop them. I don't want to think about them. I want to be happy and carefree, like I've always been, at least until Monday.

Before dinner, I get a message from Orion. He says that he's booked Finnick again for 3 weeks from now.

Indeed, life is as back to normal as can be and I'm grateful.