"Try not to press on that leg as much." The doctor advised. "It will heal quicker if you don't move around often"

I nodded and just stared at the now wrapped up foot. It felt a bit heavy but hurt less. I could actually stand more comfortably than before.

"Cynthia can you tell the young man outside to come in. The girl is already treated." The doctor requested a nurse as he stepped out of the room.

A few minutes later Callum came inside with something on his hand.

"I heard yoghurt is given to patients after going through harsh treatment to make them feel better ." He held the yoghurt before me.

"It's chocolate flavoured. It was hard choosing which flavour you might like best. So I got these other ones too."

He lifted his other hand out to show a bag with different flavoured yoghurts.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He raised a brow. "You don't eat yoghurt?"

I stared at him for a while longer. Did he just get me all that yoghurt just because he didn't know my favorite?

"I knew I should've gotten ice cream instead. Why did I listen to that nurse?" He scratched the back of his neck.

I couldn't hold it back anymore and began laughing. I swear Callum can be so adorable sometimes.

"Did I say something funny?"

I composed myself.

"Not at all. I actually like chocolate flavoured yoghurt, it's my favorite. And thank you for the rest. I eat all flavours." I assured. He smiled and handed me the yoghurt.

He sat on a chair next to my bed.

"I can't finish all these so it's better to share." I handed him the vanilla flavoured.

He took it from my hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I turned to him."And yoghurt is usually given to women after abortions not after ankle injuries." I tried not to laugh.

Callum's head fell back as he cursed with a light laugh.

"I can't believe that nurse lied to me. I know better." He stared at his yoghurt. "I know better."

I laughed.

"Hey.... I'm actually glad you got me these. I was already getting hungry." I held his shoulder.

He rewarded me with a smile.

"I'm hungry too. We should get lunch after we leave here." He ate at his yoghurt.

"Yah, We better."

"I almost forgot to ask this," Callum began. "What were you don't at NYU campus? Are you a student there."

Of course Callum doesn't know I'm a student there. We never talked for longer than five minutes. I can only imagine how shocked he must've been to spot me at campus.

"Yes I am." I reply quietly. "What about you? Why were you there?"

I think it's better to pretend that I don't know anything about him aside from his friendship with James. He might think I'm a stalker. Helping him out at the club and then he sees me here in campus.

"I'm a sophomore there." He replied with a grin. "It's a small world isn't it? Who knew that the redhead at Strip tease is actually a brunette at NYU?"

When he pointed it seemed cliché. It almost feels like that redhead and the brunette are two different people. But it's just me, Elisabeth Wilson only with a red wig and makeup.

"I'm more surprised than you are." I said. "You have no idea."

He can't possibly imagine how shocked I was to find out that Callum and James know each other and that Callum goes to NYU. I would have fainted if I wasn't busy processing everything.

"I wonder why I haven't seen you before." Callum's said. "You're very noticeable."

Me? Noticable? Don't make me laugh.

"I'm a freshman and you are a sophomore so it's unlikely." I provided the first sensible reason to pop in my mind.

"You're right about the year difference hindering us. NYU has thousands of studends and the university being at the center of New York makes the odds even greater." He agreed.

"Too great." I rephrased.

"Then how do you know James?" He sounded curious rather than displeased and agitated.

And here I thought he'll never bring it up.

Why did I open my mouth? My tongue works faster than my brain when I'm angry.

"I don't want to talk about it. So don't start now." I sounded more spiteful than I intended.

Callum's lips formed a tight straight line but he didn't speak of the matter again. I know he thinks I'm hiding something, in which I am, but I'm can not talk about my affair with James with anyone. Especially his best friend. Who so happens to be the reason James left me in the first place.

We left the hospital minutes later after getting prescriptions from the doctor.

"I can walk Callum so no need to carry me all the way to your car." I convinced.

"The doctor clearly said you mustn't walk on that foot." He raised a point.

I'm surprised he wants to carry me after my little outburst.

"No, the doctor said and I quote to not walk around a lot on it. Not to stop walking all together." I lightly punched at his shoulder when he tried to pick me up. "Stop it."

"Fine. Suit yourself." He walked ahead. "But you don't know what your missing." He grinned.

I chuckled. "I've been there and it wasn't that good of a ride."

"Keep lying to yourself. You slept soundly in my arms in less than ten minutes. I can proudly say I give the best rides."

Sure you do. But I'm not feeding your ego.

"I was just sleepy." I limped behind him.

"Yah right."

Before I could protest, Callum lifted me up quickly placing me by his chest.

"Seriously?"

"I'm not letting you limp all the way to my car."

Callum helped me get into his car.

"Who knew Callum was a decent human being?" I joked.

He chuckled while opening the door to the driver's sit. "Buckle up."

•

Later that day, We bought takeouts at Domino's and ate inside his car. He packed the vehicle at central park where we are comfortably.

"Favorite artist?" I asked the next question.

Callum suggested we ask each other random questions just to get to know each other better.

"That's Coldplay." He drunk his smoothy.

"Coldplay is a band." I pointed out.

"I know." He put the smoothy down. "But they're my favorite."

I nodded. "Good point."

"And yours?" He asked.

"Bon Iver." I said proudly. "That guy is good."

"I was expecting you to say someone like Justin beiber or Harry styles."

"What's wrong with both of them?" I raised a curious eyebrow as I took a bite of my chicken nuggets.

"Nothing. It's just that most girls are crazy about those guys."

"Can you blame them." I laughed. "Those guys look and sound out of this world."

It was Callum's turn to laugh.

"Thats what you call them?"

"Plenty of other girls out there refer to them that way." I announced. "Out of this world."

"Damn."

"You're turn." I drunk my apple juice. I was liking this arrangement. Now I know a few things about Callum including his most embarrassing moment, his favorite colour, his birthday, he prefers cats to dogs and he hates the shape of pizza. He claims it would look better round. And yes! I was shocked as well. And he's taking an architectural course. I knew he was nerd, I always sensed the nerd vibe.

"Whats you're favorite childhood memory?" He asked.

I thought of it and laughed when I remembered.

"I was nine back then and my older brother was mad at our neighbor for snitching to my parents that he was snicking out through the fence. And so to get back at him, we stole one of his dogs and dyed its hair green."

Callum and I both burst out laughing. I always end up laughing when narrating the whole thing.

"The man was so mad that he almost broke my brother's tree house."

We kept on laughing.

"I can't believe you two did that to the poor animal. I don't know why I'm even laughing so hard about this." His eyes where beginning to tear up.

"I was nine probably eight. I didn't know any better. Plus my brother was mean." I held my belly.

"Unbelievable." He tried to calm down. I stopped laughing.

"And what was yours?" I asked.

"It was during New years, I was twelve back then and it was the first time that my parents didn't travel for work in a new year. I was so happy I cried."

"Aaaaw." I looked at him. "I can already imagine little Callum crying tears of joy." I teased.

"Shut up." He lightly shoved me.

I laughed.

•••••••

Callum escorted me back to campus and all the way to my door. It was around 8 o'clock , and to be honest, he helped take my mind of things. I needed to stop thinking about what was going on.

I took out my keys to open the door but was shocked to find it open. Lucy is never home at this time.

I got inside and was surprised to see James sitting by the side of my bed.

I closed the door behind me slowly.

"James...?"

He stood up from the bed and went by the window. The last person I expected to see in my dorm room is James Andrew Scott. After that humiliating scenario at work, I thought I'll never see him again.

"You're in my room."

"It seems so." He replied.

"Why?" I was confused.

"We need to talk." He said firmly while facing outside.

Talk?

What could he possibly want to say? How much he's disappointed in me and that he wants absolutely nothing to do with me? I hope he's willing to let me explain everything because the last thing I want is losing him.

If I haven't already.

I walked deeper into the room and placed my things by my bedside table.

"Are you finally ready to hear my explanation?" I sat on my bed while facing him.

"That's not what I'm here to talk about." He turned to face me.

"Then what did you come to talk about?"

I tried not to let his presence here affect me. He took off his black coat and placed it on my bed, revealing his mascular broadness covered by a white tshirt.

"I know why you were working at that strip club."

What does he mean by he knows?

"And what reason is that?" I asked blantly folding my hands.

"I know about your mother and the fact that she's in prison." He spoke. "And the issue with the attorney."

What? My heart began to pound.

How did he know about that? Did he dig up information about me?

How dare he go and intrude on my personal life like that? I feel so exposed by what he has done. That's so messed up and bonderline wrong.

"Did you do a background check on me?" I feel my anger surfacing.

James knows about my mother now and he even went as far as looking into her case and finding out the situation she's in with her attorney.

As much as I'm shocked and upset and dissappointed by this, I'm also scared about how much James actually knows. I've tried so hard to keep the issues in my family a secret and in the background after coming to college. My family mistakes have hunted me for as long as I can remember and the moment I came to New York I swore to leave all that behind. What if he knows about my family history? What if he already knows about the thing with my dad? I can't even bare that thought.

What more did he dig up about me?

"Does it matter if I did a back ground check on you?" He spoke as if it was no big deal. His insensitivity towards this matter is making me sick. He went behind my back and he doesn't seem sorry or ashamed for what he has done.

What's wrong with him?

"Of course it does James. How could you do something like that to me? That's my personal life. It should be my choice to open up to you or not." I said in anger.

He seemed taken a back by my outburst but easily brushes it off.

"Well you have been lying to me, I wanted to know your true reasons for working at a place like that."

I stood up and paced around the room. Unbelievable.

"That place is dangerous and I'm sure your aware of that. I needed to know why you would risk your safety like that."

"Are you happy now?" I asked. "Did digging into my life make you relieved? Did it give you the clarity you needed James?" I question in disapproval.

He walked a bit closer to me.

"Yes, it has actually. Why didn't you just tell me everything when I asked? I could've helped you go through this." He sounded serious. Is he seriously asking me that?

I almost laughed.

"Tell you? So that you can finally leave me for finding out about my life , that I come from a family of criminals? So you can question my morals for working at a strip club?so you can be ashamed of me?" I spoke bitterly. "I rather didn't."

James gave me a look I couldn't decipher.

"Is that how lowly you think of me?" He sounded hurt. "That I would end everything we have just because of the mistakes your family made? Why would I make a choice about us based on people who aren't even here?"

I just stared at him.

"How much do you know?" I asked. "About my family?"

James's green eyes met mine then.

"Why do you care so much about that? I already told you that I don't care about any of that." He affirmed.

"How much?" I stood my ground.

He gave a look of disapproval but spoke out on the less. "About your mum. And that nearly everyone in your family had a criminal record. I didn't bother to check the records. That's none of my business."

So he doesn't know about my dad then. I try not to sigh in relief to avoid raising suspicious.

"I don't get why you're so worked up about this. You're not the one with a criminal record or behind bars." He added.

Of course he doesn't get it. How can he possibly? He wasn't born to a family like mine, he has a silver spoon in his mouth.

What if I also had a criminal record? I bet he wouldn't even be in this room right now if I had one.

"When I met you Lisa, I was looking at you, not at what was behind your identity. I can't believe you have been lying to me just because you thought I'm ashamed of you. Why would I be ashamed of you?"

He stepped back and brushes his black hair with his fingers, a habit of his.

"How can you ask me that? Last night you were mad at me for working at that strip club. You left me in the streets trying to explain and you didn't even let me. What do you expect me to think?"

He quickly raised his eyes to meet mine.

"I was mad at you for sleeping with Callum. That was the reason I was upset." He said. "And yes, for a moment there I thought you were sleeping with other men too but I reconsidered everything and decided to get the truth for myself. Because In the back of my mind I knew you wouldn't sell yourself no matter how desperate you were." He defended.

"But all this while you have been thinking that I'm capable of ending this because of your family history. What does that even have to do with who you are?" He breathed

He walked back to the window and looked outside.

A silence fell between us. I went to sit back at my bed.

"I was scared." I looked at my fingers.

All my life people have been degrading me because of the family I came from. I was always compared to nothing and so how could I believe James would also accept me too?

That he who comes from a decent upbringing and has a clean slate would want to be with the daughter of a villian, a low life crook, how could I even believe that?

William's words and Lucy's made so much sense. And I somehow still see truth in them. James is dating Merissa . She doesn't belong in my side of the world.

I've always been the girl he meets in secret.

How was I to think he would want me for reason beyond his desires? That even if he knew the truth about me he would still stay.

"Scared of what?" He glanced at me from over his shoulders. "That I would leave, right?"

"Well I know everything now, and I'm right inside your dorm room." He fully turned to face me.

"It's clear here that your opinion of me is completely twisted but I guess that doesn't matter anymore." He said while placing his hands in his pockets.

"The reason I came here was to give you a better offer. I Know the only reason you're working at that place is to get money to pay the attorney. I can help get you a better job that doesn't involve you working late at night."

What?

"The streets of New York aren't safe for anyone to walk by in the middle of the night especially a defenceless girl."

Did he just say......I can very well take care of myself.

"I hope you can agree to this. I'm sure the job pays more than being a wattress at that shithole."

"So you know I've been a waitress and not a stripper there?"

"Callum told me everything that happened between the two of you." He said. "Last night."

Uh!

Why did Callum tell James any of that?

Why would Callum reveal to James everything while he was the one who insisted that neither of us speak of our arrangement to anyone for his sake? How can he trust James to keep that secret from Adrian?

"Don't be too surprised Lisa. Callum and I have been friends since we're three. He told me everything because he trusts me more than he does his brother." He must've noticed my confused expression.

I can't believe this.

"Its good that you helped him out. Heck, I'm surprised you even did that for a stranger but that doesn't excuse you for lying straight to my face." He said.

"I found out about you and Callum's friendship last night, so am not entirely surprised. I assume you didn't tell Callum you knew me right?" I inquired. "Because you can't stand the thought of being seen with me. Thats why you meet up with me at tight corners where no one can see us."

"We meet in the dark because I have a girlfriend. Because this Affair is a damn secrets." James affirmed. "That's the same reason I didn't tell Callum anything."

Of course.

"Or may be you were protecting you're perfect image. Because God forbid that James Andrew Scott gets spotted openly with a woman who does not belong in the Elite society."

James's demeanor changed immediately, "How did you find out about my family's economic status?"

"My roommate told me everything. I guess I wasn't the only one in this affair keeping secrets about who they really are."

"I wasn't keeping secrets Elisabeth, I always knew you'd eventually find out about that because it's a trending topic. And stop creating ideas inside your head. I never lied to you Betty. I was genuine from the start."

What?

"No you weren't. I found out about Merissa weeks after we started hooking up. You never told me anything."

Imagine the mascara running upon witnessing Merissa's mouth all over his face in the middle of campus.

"I made it perfectly clear that you and I weren't serious. You agreed to the terms."

After you made me fall in love with you.

"So will you take the job?" He changed the subject. So typical of him.

Its as though the James I knew a week ago is non-existent and what is left is this person I can barely recognize.

"What type of job is it?"