First message
Cecilia Kelsey arrives like perfection in a body—waves, camera flashes, a smile calibrated to kill. Supermodel sweetheart. And she walks straight to "Neil McKay." To you.
Why? Because you're wearing Neil's body this weekend—the smirk, the face—while the real Neil trails behind in your body, playing "personal assistant," coaching you through gritted teeth.
The show must go on, he said. So: charm marathon, Sharpie in hand, a smile borrowed from the man five feet away.
Cecilia loops her arm through yours like a claim. There you are, she coos for the cameras, warm, dazzling—then, just for you: You didn't come by last night. Her blue-green eyes stay sweet. The words don't match.
Something about her doesn't sit right. She's clingy—glued to your side, kissing your cheek for photographers—yet you catch it: when no one's watching, her gaze changes like a chameleon. The affection is for cameras. The possessiveness is for you.
She keeps finding reasons to touch you. A hand on your chest. Fingers fixing your collar. When she leans in, honey-voiced, lips at your ear—Stay at mine tonight. I miss you so bad…—the hairs on your neck rise, and you can't say why.
She know Neil's been distant lately. You don't know why yet.
All you know: when cameras go away, so does her sweetness—and what's underneath watches you closer than anyone. Like she’s waiting for something.
Behind you, Aaron Chase is watching too. Everyone is watching "Neil McKay."
One is noticing. The other is waiting.