Weeks went by and there was no sign of Andrea at the restaurant. Teresa didn't speak too much either. She moved like a shadow, quiet and detached, but the girls noticed. They always noticed.
By noon, she finally broke.
In the staff room, while they were folding napkins for the dinner shift, Teresa spoke up her voice low, almost like a confession.
"I need to tell you all something," she said.
Tracy, Jane, and Priya looked up instantly. They had been waiting for this. Waiting for her to say something. Anything.
Teresa smiled weakly, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "Andrea and I have a thing going on"
"We've seen things Tessa, the way he stares at you, the way he smiles at the mention of your name, the way his eyes search for you whenever he around" Jane said gently. "We just didn't want to push you to tell us until you were ready too."
"Yeah," Tracy added. "Did something bad happen? You've looked like someone holding the world together with tape. We didn't want to be the thing that broke you."
Silence. Not surprise. Just silence.
"I feel like he doesn't like me back"
"Why do you feel that way" Jane asked
"Because after we kissed, I saw him kissing someone else" she frowned
"Gosh! That must have hurt" Priya whispered.
"He kissed me," Teresa continued, her voice cracking. "He said things that made me think it was real. Like… I mattered. But then I caught him kissing someone else. On the same day."
Jane cursed under her breath.
"He never even answered me when I asked if he loved me," Teresa whispered. "He just stared at me. Like a coward."
Tracy reached for her hand. "You don't owe him your peace, Tessa. And you don't have to prove you were hurt. We believe you."
"We're here," Jane said. "Whatever you decide. Whether it's to forget him or forgive him though we hope it's the first one. Cuz you guys look great together and it's obvious he likes you"
Teresa finally cried. But this time, it didn't hurt as much.
Because she wasn't alone.
⸻
Meanwhile, across the city, Andrea was spiraling.
He hadn't shown up to the restaurant in days.
The bottle of bourbon beside his bed had become his new roommate. Half-drunk glasses littered the floor, along with his self-control.
His mother found him passed out on the couch again, shirt half-unbuttoned, a record playing something melancholy in the background.
"Andrea," she said, shaking him gently. "You promised me. No more drinking."
"I'm fine," he muttered.
"You're not. This isn't you."
But he didn't answer. Because she was wrong.
This was him now.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Teresa's face. Her anger. Her tears. Her sad smile.
He cursed himself for messing up his chances with her. For the way he couldn't admit to loving her. The way his thoughts twisted her innocence into something filthy.
She was too soft for someone like him. Too good.
She was a virgin.
And yet he wanted her in the darkest ways.
Some nights, after a few drinks, he would call Becca.
He needed the release. The distraction. Sex.
Becca never said no.
She came willingly, like a moth to flame, mistaking his lust for love. And when he called her "Tessa" in bed, she never flinched. She smiled and convinced herself that he'll soon move on from her.
Andrea knew better.
He didn't love Becca. Not even close.
He didn't even like her.
Afterwards, he wouldn't text her. Wouldn't return her calls. Would ignore the lipstick on his sheets like it was nothing.
Becca told herself he was healing. That she was part of the process.
But she didn't know she was just his sex toy.
⸻
Back at the restaurant, Tessa had started to smile again.
Liam noticed first.
They spent more time together between shifts, on breaks, even walking to the subway. He always made her laugh. Always listened. Always stayed.
So when he asked her on a proper pizza date after work, she said yes.
She needed something… new.
They ended up at a pizza shop not far from her neighborhood. It wasn't fancy, but it was warm. Comfortable. Safe.
Just as Liam was about to place an order, the bell above the door jingled.
And Teresa froze.
Andrea.
With Becca.
She watched as he held the door open for her, hand at the small of her back like he was some kind of gentleman. Her stomach twisted.
He didn't even look at her. Not at first.
They walked straight up to the counter, standing beside Teresa and Liam. Andrea ordered with a smile and tucked a piece of Becca's hair behind her ear.
She giggled.
Teresa could feel her chest tighten.
Becca turned to Teresa with a smug smile. "Oh! Hey bitch."
Teresa forced a nod.
Liam squeezed her hand. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she whispered, but her voice shook.
They all ended up sitting across from each other only two booths left, both facing one another.
Andrea leaned in close to Becca, brushing sauce off her lips with his thumb. Becca giggled louder than necessary.
Then Andrea kissed the back of her hand.
Liam tried to distract Teresa with small talk. He held her hand openly. Tessa smiled, but it was brittle. Her laugh cracked when her eyes met Andrea's.
There was tension. Heavy. Barely disguised.
And then Becca did it.
She leaned in, placed a full kiss on Andrea's lips longer than necessary. Purposeful. Possessive.
Andrea pulled back quickly, clearly caught off guard.
But the damage was done.
Teresa's throat clenched. She couldn't breathe.
She reached for her water too fast. Coughed. Choked.
"I'll be back," she mumbled, rushing toward the ladies' room.
Liam stood, but she waved him off. "I'm okay. Just a minute."
⸻
Inside the restroom, Teresa leaned over the sink, coughing, shaking. Tears blurred her vision. Her reflection mocked her.
She should have known better.
Then the door creaked open.
Andrea.
"What the hell, Andrea?" she snapped, voice raw. "What do you want from me? Why are you everywhere?"
He didn't answer.
"You're with her. You kissed her. You act like I don't exist and then you follow me like this? Why? Can't you just let me be?"
He stepped closer. "I heard you crying."
She backed away. "I told you to leave me alone."
"I can't," he whispered. "I've tried. I can't stay away from you Tessa."
"Why are you torturing me?" she choked. "Why can't you just let me be?"
He cupped her face, thumbs brushing her tears. "Because I can't imagine my life without you in it. It would break me, Tessa. You are breaking me."
"But you don't love me," she said, voice shaking.
He didn't let her finish.
He kissed her.
It started slow. But it deepened, rough, consuming. His hands wrapped around her waist as her body responded without thinking.
She melted into him, breathless, gasping as his lips traced down her neck.
"Andrea—sto—" she moaned, lost in the heat of it.
Then—
"Tessa."
Her body froze.
She turned.
Liam.
He stood at the doorway, face blank, eyes full of hurt.
"I'm sorry," she stammered. "This isn't what it looks like."
Liam's voice cracked. "It looks exactly like what it is."
He turned before she could explain.
Tessa wanted to run after him, but her feet wouldn't move.
She was still in Andrea's arms.
"Let him go, Tessa," Andrea said softly.
"Shut up," she snapped, pushing away from him. "Just shut up."
She tried to leave, but Andrea blocked the door, pinning her gently against the wall.
"I'll take you home. It's late," he whispered.
"I don't need your help."
"That wasn't a question."
He kissed her forehead, his breath warm against her skin.
She didn't fight him this time.
He took her out through the back to avoid Becca and drove her home.
When they reached her house, she stepped out of the car without a word.
Andrea watched her until she disappeared into the building.
That night, for the first time in weeks, he didn't drink.
But he didn't sleep either.
Because the girl he loved was slipping away.
And he didn't know how to stop it.