4. Oscar
Chapter 4
Oscar
Pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, I can feel the cool night air stinging my cheeks as I wait for Nadia outside the venue.
My nerves are on edge, and I feel a wave of worry wash over me. Will she hate how I dealt with Neil? Will she understand I hated how he spoke to her?
I groan.
I scan the next stream of people exiting the building, searching for the one person I need to speak to. The only thing on my mind is whether my outburst jeopardized any chance of a future with Nadia.
I couldn’t help myself.
One word was all that he needed to say to her, yet he struggled with it like he thought she was beneath him.
I know I threatened him, but I would never pull the team out of the event, not when it raised money for charity.
Though he never needed to know that.
My heart drops as I catch sight of her, walking towards me with a casual yet stunning style. She’s wearing jeans, a tee shirt, black boots, and a pale blue coat draped over her arm.
I feel a slight ease in my churning stomach as she smiles and walks towards me.
“You did it,” she says, her voice filled with a warmth that I never expected. Her green eyes lighting up. “You could be a model.”
I push my fingers through my dark hair and grin. “I could.”
Nadia laughs. “Where are we going?”
“I’m sorry about tonight.” I take her hand, wanting her to understand just how bad I feel. I know this is her career and I shouldn’t get involved.
“Don’t worry about it.” She shakes her head. “He won’t remember me tomorrow, but he’ll treat the next girls … or guys… the same way.”
“Still…”
She lifts her palm to stop me. “Dinner?”
I grin and extend my arm, inviting her to link arms with me. She latches onto the crook of my elbow. “I know a place. It’s quiet and we can have a chat about old times.”
“Lovely.”
As we walk to the restaurant, memories flood back, remembering how easy it was with Nadia. How we laughed and joked about stupid stuff, but we were so much younger.
“Do you remember when we met at midnight because there was going to be an eclipse and we didn’t want to miss it?”
A playful giggle escapes her lips, bringing a smile to mine face. “And found out we were a day early.”
“Which made it all the sweeter because we sneaked out the next night too.” I remind her.
She smiles. “It was peaceful, though, just the two of us sitting on the bench and waiting for the moment.”
“The moment—” This could be the moment is what I want to reply, but I don’t really know if she’s feeling the same way. “The moment was perfect. Just sitting there with you was perfect.”
I can feel the softness of her hair against my cheek as she rests her head on my shoulder. “You’ve turned into a romantic.”
I chuckle. “My teammates would love to hear that.” I nod ahead. “We’re here.”
Inside, the restaurant is cozy. A faint aroma of freshly baked bread and herbs fills the air, along with the scent of vanilla and cinnamon from the lit candle in between us.
“This is nice.” Nadia looks around the dimly lit restaurant.
The soft melodies of the music provide a gentle backdrop.
“It is, but it’s better because you’re here,” I reply.
She turns to me. We’re sitting across from each other, the candle flickering between us casting shadows on her gorgeous face. Her gaze turns intense, searching mine as if trying to decipher my thoughts.
She nods lightly. “I miss this,” she says softly, breaking the silence that had settled between us. “I miss us.”
Her words hang in the air, and I know I have such little time with her before she’ll depart for Europe again that time is precious. I reach across the table, taking her hand in mine. “I miss us too,” I admit.
For a moment, neither of us speak, it’s like that night we waited for the eclipse as we sat together waiting for something to happen.
I swallow. “I’m proud of what you became … your modeling career. I know I said some horrible things to you when we were younger, but…”
“You made me stronger. I never regret it. Your words spurred me on. They never held me back. Instead, they made me want it more.”
“I never wanted you to leave me. I thought it would get you to stay with me.”
Her lip catches between her teeth as her eyes flick up, locking onto the server who arrived at our table.
His gaze is fixed on Nadia as he inquires, “Are you Nadia Simmons, the top model?”
She smiles as she shakes her head and lies. “No, I just look like her.”
I clear my throat. The server turns to me. His eyes widen. “And you’re Oscar Bridge, the New York Bears hockey star.”
I smile. I’m accustomed to the recognition and have no qualms about interacting with fans. “I am. How are you?”
“Oh … Oh, me. I’m … I’m good.” Every word is flustered. “Sorry, are you ready to order?”
“A bottle of champagne to start,” I say.
“Champagne,” Nadia says when the server leaves the table. “What are we celebrating?”
“Us and friendship.”
“Friendship is good.”
“And us?” I check.
“Is there an ‘us’ anymore?” she asks. “We live in different countries.”
I gaze into Nadia’s eyes, the flickering candlelight dancing in them. “There will always be an ‘us’,” I say with confidence. “Distance can’t change what we mean to each other.”
She smiles softly, a hint of sadness lingering in her expression. “I wish things were different,” she murmurs. “But—”
“We can make things different.”
With a gentle hum, her phone vibrates on the table, signaling an incoming call or message. Carefully, she flips it over to reveal the hidden message. “Long-distance relationships don’t work, Oscar. I know.”
Glancing at her across the table, my heart pounds in my chest, aching at the knowledge she doesn’t want to think of us as anything but friends.
“And you, Oscar. Did you not find anyone to keep your bed warm?” she asks, letting me know I moved on too.
What she doesn’t know is my heart never moved on. That’s been securely locked up, untouched for years, and she alone possesses the key.
“I’ve not been a saint.” I swallow the lump in my throat when she checks the message again. “But I’ve loved no one since you.”
Her eyes flick up and she slams the cell face down. “That’s a big statement. Why not?”
“Why do you think?”
I can see her eyes flickering across my face, trying to capture every expression.
“Champagne.” The server places two flutes on the table and fills each glass with bubbles before he places the bottle in the chiller by the table.
“May I take your order now?” he asks.
“May I have grilled chicken salad with the dressing on the side, please?” Nadia folds the menu and places it on the table.
“I’ll have the medium-rare steak with a garlic sauce and a medley of vegetables, thanks.”
“Of course, it shouldn’t be long. Enjoy your champagne.”
As the server’s gaze locks onto Nadia, his eyes narrow in suspicion, and without a word, he swiftly pivots and departs.
“He doesn’t believe you,” I say, lifting my glass of champagne as she does hers.
She lifts a shoulder. “It’s not like I’m a famous hockey star.”
I straighten my back and look directly into her eyes. “We can make us work,” I say, determination seeping into my voice.
Her laughter is light, almost musical. Her eyes lock onto mine, a mischievous glimmer dancing within them, as she lifts the crystal flute to her lips, the sparkling champagne bubbling enticingly inside. “Where did that come from?” she teases, playfully raising an eyebrow.
“It came from five years of pent-up frustration. Five years of knowing I hurt you to keep you, but instead, I drove you away. Five years of wanting what I couldn’t have. And five years of loving a ghost.”
“I’m not a ghost. I’m here.”
“I pined for you like you’d died and my heart died with you.”
“Oscar…”
I tilt my chin, urging her not to feed me an excuse. “Don’t give me some bullshit story of living in Europe. I’ll make it work, if you will,” I say.
“I want to believe that,” she whispers.
“Believe it, Nadia, because if today made me realize anything, it was that my heart needs to love again. And it can only love you.”
Nadia sets her champagne flute down slowly, her intense gaze never leaving mine. The tension between us is palpable, filling the air with crackling energy.
She reaches out her hand, her fingers slide over mine. The touch sends a jolt of electricity through me.
“I missed you, Oscar. I pined for you for years,” she admits softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “But life went on. You got on with yours and I got on with mine. We’ve changed. We’re not kids anymore.”
As our hands intertwine, I feel the softness of her skin against my own.
I clear my throat, fear of being rejected again kindling my gut, but I know it’s now or never. “If I tell you, I never stopped loving you. That it was always you.”
She searches my eyes, as if trying to decipher the sincerity behind them. After a moment that seems to stretch into eternity, a small smile tugs at the corners of her lips. “It was always you too,” she concedes. “But we—”
“Are meant to be together. Spend some time with me while you’re here. Let me prove it to you.”
While our hands are still clasped and our gazes locked, the sudden click of a camera beside me breaks the silence. As I twist to the sound, I catch a glimpse of a paparazzo lurking in the shadows, intruding on our moment.
Nadia pulls her hand away, a flicker of panic in her eyes. The sudden change in her demeanor ignited a surge of anger within me.
With a swift motion, I stand and grasp the camera. “Delete the pictures of us. This is private.”
There’s fear in his eyes. “I can’t man, everything is automatically uploaded to the server.”
“It’s okay, Oscar.” Nadia’s hand lands on my back. “Let’s go.”
I hastily grab a stack of bills from my wallet and fling them onto the table as I chase after her, but I spot the server along the path. Shaking my head, I say, “Not cool, man. You didn’t even give us the chance to eat.”
His face reddens, but he’s the least of my worries, and I rush out of the restaurant and toward Nadia. “Would it be too forward of me to invite you back to my place and order in?”
A grin forms on her lips, causing her eyes to twinkle with delight. “Do you invite all the girls back to your place without kissing them first?”
“I don’t kiss … and I’ve taken no one home.”
As her green eyes lock onto mine, they widen in surprise. “You don’t kiss?”
“Not since you…”
“Oh!”
I stride to her. “Tonight I’m making an exception.”