Chapter 40

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Your POV

Ava was deep asleep next to me even though it wasn't late. I threw my shirt on and walked outside to call Kate.

"I did it" I said victoriously.

"Meet me at Starbucks"

I left a text for Ava, telling her that I wouldn't be out long and I would bring ice coffee for her. I met Kate at Starbucks and I sat opposite her at the round table.

"Wow, you could have bothered with perfume or a shower. You smell like sex" she said, leaning away from me.

"I figured that you would need evidence" I smirked.

"I have evidence enough now, thanks" she, ironically enough, handed me ten Hamiltons (ten dollar bills) that I slipped into my pocket.

"Pleasure doing business with you" I grinned and held out my hand.

"It was a bet, not business. Now go take a shower y/n" she jokingly slapped my hand away and we both laughed before I got up to order Ava's coffee and went back home to have a nice long shower.

Ava was still asleep when I arrived so I set the coffee on the bedside table next to her and went to the bathroom. The warm steam of the shower embraced my body and slowly cleaned my skin.

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Lizzie's POV

After the little episode with the pills, I took my purse and called a cab to visit my mom and the twins. I promised her I would see her and talk to her soon so here I go. I got out of the cab in front of my old house. The fact that I moved out from that house almost felt unreal. I knocked on the door and the twins rushed to greet me.

"Lizzie!"

"Hey Ash, MK. I'm happy to see you both too" I pulled them into a big hug.

They grabbed one of my wrists each and dragged me inside.

"We missed you!" MK said, pushing me onto the couch to make me sit down.

"I missed you too MK" I ruffled her hair as she sat next to me, her head leaning onto my arm.

"Did you miss me too?" Ashley asked, climbing onto the couch too and falling into place at my other side.

"Of course, Ashley" I kissed the top of her head.

Mom sat on the armchair holding a steaming cup of tea.

"Now it's time for your interrogation" she joked.

"Okay" I laughed, getting myself ready.

"First, how is the new house? Do you keep it clean? If I went there right now would I find a molecule of dust on the surface of any table, wardrobe or any piece of furniture?"

"Let me think, um, the house is nice, I try to keep it clean as much as I can. However, you may find one tiny molecule of dust on the living room cupboard" I smiled.

"Okay, that's nice" she took a sip of her tea, the steam slightly fogging her glasses.

"When will we be able to visit you at your house Lizzie?" Ashley asked.

"Well, whenever you want and mom lets you. But you have to tell me before so I can get rid of all of the dust" I tickled her and she soundly laughed.

"Okay, now" mom announced the second round of questions "How is everything going with your girlfriend? Is she nice? Does she take you out on dates regularly? Do you sleep on the same bed? And are you se-..." she stole a glance towards the twins and cleared her throat before skipping over the word she was going to mention "...active?"

"Wow, mom. Relax with the questions" I giggled and the twins did too, ignoring the last question, which they clearly didn't understand.

"Nadine is nice, don't worry about that part. We're going through a bit of a rough patch right now but we're okay. It was just a little argument. She takes me on dates and they're always the best" I dreamingly remembered a couple of our last dates "we do sleep on the same bed. You're being so nosy"

"Answer the last question Lizzie" mom locked eyes with me, giving me an intense stare.

"Okay, okay nosy mom" I raised my hands in defeat "We are" I deeply blushed.

"I don't understand" MK said.

"Me neither" Ashley echoed.

"You are active with what?"

"We... um- we..." I tried to think of something "We just... we do sport together! Yes" I brushed a strand of hair behind my burning ears.

"Oh, that's good! That way you both stay in shape and you get time together!" Ashley smiled.

"Yes. Exactly" I proudly looked at my very innocent sisters.

"And when will we meet your girlfriend?" MK pouted.

"Her name is Nadine, not girlfriend. And I... I actually don't know when or if you'll meet her" I frowned. What if after today's fight she didn't want to see me again? What if she's done with me and wants to hop onto the next girl to hook up with her for a couple days and then leave her too?

"But I want to meet the girl that is making you so happy! You never really smile. We are not stupid. We see that it takes you effort to keep up a smile but since you met her you're really smiling, smiling without forcing it. We need more of that" Ashley said.

Wow. They really look into details don't they?

"I'll talk to her about it, okay?"

"Good enough" mom said before dismissing me from the interrogation.

We had a nice chat afterwards without any tension and I had tea and biscuits with them to then play dolls with the twins. When I got back to my apartment, I called Nadine. I had been mean to her and that wasn't fair. I would confess to her, I would make her understand my situation.

"Could you-" the words got stuck in my throat as I remembered the look on her face when I dismissed her earlier "Could you come over, please?"

"Of course, Lizzie. Always"

I was pacing around the living room, thinking about how to tell her. Maybe it would be better if I skipped some parts. I don't think Nadine wants to date a murderer. A drug addict that is slowly battling her addiction and trying to have a healthy life? Maybe. The key turned and the door unlocked. I didn't think twice before running towards her and pulling her into a strong hug.

"I'm so sorry Nadine, I'm so sorry..." I sobbed "for everything, I-"

"Shh" she gently stroked my hair "I know, baby, I know"

She sat on the couch and I laid my head on her lap, her fingers running through my hair and occasionally caressing my scalp.

"I want to tell you" I choked out.

"Tell me what?" she sweetly looked down at me.

"I... I was going through a rough patch in life after my first two relationships being an absolute disaster and my third one sinking before me and I had to find ways to... relieve the stress. To cope" I explained, tears starting to sting in my eyes "I started doing things that were bad for myself. I started skipping meals, doin- doing this..." I rolled my sleeves up revealing my scars. All of them were old though, I had thrown away my razor and vowed never to use it again to harm myself.

Nadine gently traced her fingers over the scars.

"They don't hurt. They're not fresh. I stopped doing that, for you" I smiled in success but the sadness on my face reappeared when I continued my story "I also got kind of addicted to Oxy" I found myself unable to look at her eyes as I told her about my struggles "Amber provided me lots of it. I started to use it to fill the space when you were not here with the excuse of being alone and not being able to stand that..."

"I found it" she suddenly said, making my eyes fix on her frowning face again "Your stash of pills. That's why I called Amber on your phone. I needed to tell her off" she looked away too.

"Hey" I softly called "I threw the pills away. How about we forgive and forget? We can start over and be a healthy couple. You can help me with my struggles and I'll try to help with yours. We'll be there for each other"

"I thought we already did that" she chuckled.

"So... forgiven?" my eyes shined with hope.

"Yes" she cupped my face and leaned down to kiss my lips. I eagerly kissed her back, showing her just how much I had missed her.

"I'm so proud of you, Lizzie" she pulled away and looked into my eyes, making me drown in her dark ones.

"I love you so much, Nadine" I sighed, leaning my forehead against hers.

"I love you too"

I pulled away.

"My mom and sisters want to meet you" I bit my lip, drowning in thoughts.

She looked taken aback by my statement.

"Um, d-do they know me from social media or something? They might know about my... adventures... I don't want your mom thinking that you're dating a player and get the wrong idea. If she thinks that I'll leave you for some random Russian model, I'm dead" she said.

"My family tries to stay off social media. We think it's bad vibes" I smiled "I'm sure they don't know anything"

"Okay then, I'll meet them" she cupped my cheek, softly stroking it "Just set a time and place"

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Amélie's POV

Nino and I cuddled on the hotel bed. He had rented a room for us two during his time here for us to have alone time. The weight of his head on my chest made me feel safe as I stroked his short hair.

"I want you to come back to Paris" he suddenly said.

"What? Today?" my hands stopped their steady motion as my whole body froze at the request.

"No, tomorrow. I'm going back and I want you to come with me. I signed a contract in Paris and I'm going back to work there. We can live together again in our little apartment and I will never move away from you again no matter how good the offered job is" he kissed the base of my neck as if trying to convince me.

I had to admit that it sounded like a good plan. I missed Paris and my little café and the small apartment felt empty without Nino...

"I- I'll think about it" I threw a robe over my underwear and took my phone before going to the bathroom.

I had turned off my phone as soon as he arrived, I didn't want anyone to interrupt the short time that we would have together since he wasn't planning on staying. I had millions of texts and missed calls from Colette. I texted her when I made my decision. She replied almost immediately.

Amélie: I'm only going back home to fetch my stuff. I'm heading back to Paris tomorrow with Nino.

Colette: But I just found a better job for you where you can sing too...

That did sound appealing...

Amélie: I'm sure I'll be able to find a job like that in Paris. I'll see you in a bit to say goodbye.

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Lizzie's POV

I was so happy Nadine had forgiven me and just for the sake of it, we planned a date this same night. We rented an expensive hotel room with amazing views of the city on the last floor of the hotel and reserved a table for both of us in the hotel's gourmet restaurant. After dinner, we got into the empty elevator to head to our room but when the doors closed, we couldn't hold back anymore.

⚠️TW: Light smut

We eagerly pulled at each other's clothing, bringing us as close as humanly possible, our lips colliding into a passionate kiss. Never breaking the kiss, Nadine pressed the button to our floor and the elevator slowly made its way to the top floor. She ran her fingers through my hair to then slide them down my back, making me shiver, and slowly snuck them under the skirt of my dress. She bit my lip to silence my quiet moans as she rubbed my clit over my underwear. Shuddering breaths left my lips as I felt my knees weaken.

Her lips traced wet kisses along my neck and went up to my ear where she softly bit my earlobe before tracing little kisses along the rim of my ear. She pushed me back and my back met the elevator wall, the handrail painfully digging on my back. I let out a soft whimper at the sudden pain and Nadine stopped her actions under my dress skirt to hold my waist against her but not interrupting the kiss. I embraced her shoulders, a hand on the back of her neck to bring her even closer.

⚠️End of TW

The elevator dinged and she stopped everything, regaining composure. I cleared my throat and straightened my dress before the doors opened. We greeted a couple with a nod of our heads. They went into the elevator and when the doors closed I giggled at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Nadine smiled at me but her eyes darkened again when we reached our room.

⚠️TW: Smut

I walked in and I heard the door close before a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. Nadine pulled me into her arms with a little spin and our lips met again. I held on to her shoulders as tight as I held on to reality as I kissed her back, our tongues dancing and our lips never breaking apart.

We walked back until I was forced to sit on the bed and Nadine leaned over me, claiming my lips again. She only broke apart to slowly unzip her dress before my expectant and lustful eyes. She let her dress fall down, pooling around her and crawled over me, taking her time taking my clothes off. I could only stare in awe as she slipped my panties off. She sat on my lap.

"Sit up" she commanded.

I lifted my back off the soft mattress and our lips met while she unhooked my bra and I unclasped hers. She pulled away and softly traced my throat with her finger, never breaking eye contact.

"You're so beautiful" she whispered.

"Not more than you" I smiled.

She smiled back and traced the imaginary line she had done with her finger on my throat with her tongue, going lower until she met the part where I needed her most.

She smiled up at me and pulled my legs apart, comfortably positioning herself between them.

I let out a whimper of impatience and her smile grew wider.

"Are you sure you want this, Lizzie?" she joked, her hot breath fully hitting my core "I'll stop if you want" she leaned backwards, away from me.

"No! Please please please. I want this. I need you"

"Good girl" she kissed my inner thigh and my hands went to her hair, my nails massaging her scalp slightly. She sighed quietly as I weakly tried to pull her closer. I couldn't help but stare, until her tongue met my clit and started sucking on it. My head lulled back as I moaned her name.

Her tongue worked wonders and her lips kissed and sucked, making me let out a helpless whimper, throwing my head back once again and tightening my grip on her hair.

"God, Nadine. More please"

I tugged at her hair as she added two fingers to help her. Her fingers curled inside me, her tongue moved faster and sweat started to pearl my forehead at all the actions that made me let out another whimper.

I'm pretty sure Nadine knew how close I was when she started curling her fingers faster and harder and-

"Fuck" I panted, my back arching even more off the bed. My thighs inevitably clenched around Nadine's head as my legs shook. Nadine pulled my legs away from her head and kissed up my stomach until she met my lips again.

"You did amazing baby"

⚠️End of TW

We went to sleep after that, exhausted after such an intense session. The next morning, I slowly stirred awake and when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Nadine's peaceful face as she slept. I couldn't help but smile, I loved waking up to this. I reached for my phone without moving too much, trying not to wake her up and I checked out the news. My family stayed away from social media but I liked to be updated on how the world is doing.

The pollution in the oceans had risen. I frowned and scrolled down to the next headline. Hamilton: An American Musical wins a total of ten Lucille Lortel awards. I smiled and clicked on it to read a bit about it and to get news like that more often. After looking through a few pictures and reading the speeches that I had heard live I went back to the headlines.

One caught my attention and my body froze for a second.

Is Phillipa Soo in a secret relationship? I clicked on it, dreading what was in the page and my fears were confirmed when I saw the pictures. They were professional pictures of us together in the award ceremony, including the long hug I gave her when she was nominated and then a few paparazzi pictures of us both getting out of Renée's car together to head to my apartment.

There were a bunch of different opinions and rumors. I quickly pressed the "home" button when I felt Nadine slightly move but she was still asleep. I let go a big breath and opened Instagram to see if the rumors went too far and if Pippa had seen them or done something against them.

There were hashtags, ship accounts and hate pages. I had millions of DMs waiting for me. I never wanted this...

I swallowed a sob and stared at my phone screen with teary eyes. I need to talk to Pippa.

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Amélie's POV

Nino accompanied me to Colette's house but waited outside. It was time to say goodbye. I packed my things while Colette followed me around, trying to convince me to stay.

"I found you a really good job singing at a nice place with a good salary" she said.

"I'll just go back to my café in Paris. It's okay Colette. Thank you for letting me work at your restaurant but I belong in Paris" I answered, closing my suitcase.

She just frowned in response, biting her lip in thought.

"Well, if you belong in Paris, I do too" she said, a determined look taking over her face.

My eyes widened.

"But what about Goût du Ciel?"

"Lizzie can take care of it and Hope can be the chef. I can go back and be your friend. I know you don't want me as more than a friend now that you have Nino but let me be there with you please" she said.

"And Jake?" I felt guilty for bringing them apart.

"He barely hangs out with me. He has other things in mind and the hospital is always calling for him. It will be okay if we end it. It's decided. I'm coming with you" she left to pack her stuff.

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Timeskip to Friday :)

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Your POV

The gang and I met at my house to watch a movie but when I turned on the TV, the news displayed on the TV made us all freeze. There was a mugshot of Amy being displayed on the big screen.

Amy Hartzler sentenced to life in prison for arson

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Heyyyy!! Avamax_blackstar here!

Ouff Amy, that's looking bad for you lol.

Ruma- ruma- rumorsss about Lizzie and Pippa, that's not good :D

Colette and Amélie are gone now :') Let's wave them goodbye 👋

Y/n finally won the bet lol

I love how Nadine forgives Lizzie everytime aaah #goals

Btw, I'm not gonna say names because it would be a spoiler but I'm thinking about having straight smut on the next chapter and idk if I should write it or just skip it and write the moment after, like it just happened, if you know what I mean. I've just never written straight smut and it would be interesting but I'm scared to mess up :')

I'm going back home from Germany tomorrow hehe

Votes are appreciated but comments are the best :)

Stay happy and healthy!

Love youuu <3