IMPLYING STUFF
22
Jack : I’m sorry for ditching you tonight.
Jack : Our date is going really well…
Nate : Good.
Nate : Just try to join them tomorrow. Nuri’s gonna be disappointed if she doesn’t get to see you.
Jack : Don’t worry. We’ll be there tomorrow. I’ve booked us a table in that restaurant with the private beach in Malibu.
Nate : Sounds great.
Jack : I know right?
Jack : You guys should bring your swimsuits just in case.
Nate : We’ll see.
Nate : You should stop texting and focus on your date.
Jack : I am focused on my date.
Jack : Like really focused.
Nate : TMI dude.
NATE
I swear this whole night will be the death of me.
Prue has been asked to dance six times. Six. Fucking. Times. And I’m struggling to hide my relief more and more every time she declines.
All three of us are sitting on comfy armchairs around a coffee table on the edge of the deck, just next to the beach. The bar is busy—as always—and we’re all sipping our drinks and chatting. And Nuri keeps smirking at me with mischief, while Prue is as clueless as ever.
Kill me now.
“So, Nate…” Nuri says, leaning forward, her elbows resting on her knees. Her eyes are narrowed and her lips tilted upward at the corner. She’s up to something, that minx . “How have you been?”
I keep my tone as neutral as possible. Maybe she doesn’t know anything. Maybe she’s just trying to give me shit from blowing her off back then.
“I’m good. Focused on work.”
“Oh, and what do you do now? You wanted to be a—”
“I’m a physiotherapist,” I interrupt. “But I’m sure you already knew that. And that you also know that I’m treating Jack.”
She pauses, her gaze narrowing slightly more. “Right. I forgot. How long have you been here?”
“About eight years. Not by choice, although I got used to it.”
“What do you mean, not by choice?” Prue asks, tilting her head to the side.
All the little lights from the candles and fairy lights hanging around everywhere are dancing on her skin, turning her olive complexion into something magical. Her ever changing eyes look like diamonds exposed to the sun. God, how she ever thought she was ugly is a mystery to me.
Her brows pull down slightly, making me realize that I’ve been staring in silence for what was probably an awkward minute. I clear my throat and lean forward to set my glass on the table deciding it’s better if I slow down the alcohol before I do or say something stupid.
“When I confessed to my parents that I switched courses from Biology to a bachelor in physiotherapy and although I already graduated, they were mad. To punish me, and since they knew I didn’t want to take part in their real estate business, they sent me here to manage the Cove thinking I wouldn’t have the time to pursue my doctorate—or that I’d discover a secret passion for housing rude rich people, I don’t know. But I was bored out of my mind, and I managed to do both. Got my Doctorate, and I kept managing that small part of their empire.”
Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “I didn’t know you switched degrees… Or that you could.”
“I didn’t advertise it, because I didn’t want my parents to find out. And a lot of classes didn’t change at all, actually. Jack didn’t know either.”
“I knew it!” Nuri, snickers. “I knew you lied that time I saw you enter a class you weren’t supposed to be in!”
“I didn’t lie. I told you I switched for this class as I thought it would be more adequate for the career I was going for. It’s not my fault you weren’t more specific…” I shrug and she rolls her eyes.
“But… When did you switch?” Prudence asks, confused.
“About two months into my first year.”
It would have been earlier, but the paperwork was a headache. Especially since my parents were not supposed to know. And at the time, Jack and I were getting along, but we weren’t as good friends as we were in the end. I couldn’t risk him telling anyone. Maybe I should have told him, but the more I waited, the less I thought about it. And it felt awkward to bring it up.
“Switching topics, I told Jack that my parents didn’t want to sell him the house,” I tell Prudence. “They want to keep the whole Cove.”
“Good,” she sighs, and one of my eyebrows lifts in surprise. She must interpret my reaction wrong as she hurries to explain herself. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a perfectly nice house, just… it’s a little much, don’t you think? It’s obviously a vacation home, it has no personality, and it’s way too big for two people.”
“I see what you mean,” I chuckle. “I was just surprised, most people dream of owning a house like this one.”
“Well, I don’t,” she says, shaking her head vehemently. “I like the beach part, or the fact that it’s a little secluded from the city. I like the park just across the street. But not the house. Too big, too—”
“Yeah, I know,” I interrupted her softly. “I didn’t have a choice for the house though. It’s the only one accessible to wheelchairs outside my own. And I like mine too much to move out.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “We would never ask you to!”
“I know.” I smile, and I notice a blush coming up her face, her eyes going to my cheek. She’s blushing . How. Fucking. Adorable. “Anyway, I’ll help you find something if he really wants to buy.”
She sighs, her eyes dropping to the coffee table.
Maybe she doesn’t want to settle here. Maybe she’s forcing herself to be okay with this city so she can stay with Jack. Is Jack the only one looking to settle down?
“Are you—”
“I’m gonna head to the bathroom real quick,” Prue interrupts me. “I’ll come back with another round?”
“Sure!” Nuri says, beaming.
“Not for me,” I answer. “I still have to drive you two back.”
And then she’s gone, taking her purse and phone with her, leaving me alone with a mischievous looking Nuri.
“Alright, what the hell are you doing?”
My whole body freezes at her harsh voice, and I tense, ready to bolt out of here. Her elbows are resting on her thighs, her head propped on her fists.
“What do you mean?” I ask, trying to relax against the back of the chair.
“With Prue! What are you doing?” She rolls her eyes at my confused face with an over exaggerated sigh. “Okay, so that’s how it’s going to go? Me, implying stuff and you, playing clueless? Let me tell you that cluelessness is not a good color for you, unlike Prue who wears it like it was made of her.”
“Implying… Stuff? ”
“For fuck sake, Nate! I’ve known from the start, you can cut the crap.” Alright. Play it cool. Maybe she doesn’t — “But if you want me to elaborate,” she continues, interrupting my thought, “I’m talking about the way you’ve always looked at her with sparkling hearts in your eyes. Even now. So I’ll ask again, what the hell are you doing?”
Kill me now.
I release a deep sigh, closing my eyes for a couple of seconds. “Is it that obvious?” I ask. No need to keep denying it now…
She scoffs. “It is, and always has been! I mean, how Jack and Prue didn’t notice is a fucking outrage. I even heard some guys talking at the bar once about you beating someone up for asking her out.”
“Not why I beat him up,” I grunt between my teeth.
“So you did beat someone up! Then why the hell are you—”
“I did not beat someone up,” I cut her off, “you got it all wrong, it’s just—”
“Why haven’t you made a move yet?” she yells back at me, and my eyes widen in shock. “I’m sorry, but if you’re still simping after her ten years after you first met her, maybe it’s time to do something about it or move on…”
“It’s not that easy,” I say, my shoulders slumping a little. “I was doing perfectly fine before she showed up here. And I can’t do that, you saw what happened back then. Jack would go ballistic, even though he pretends he’s changed.”
“Prue is a grown ass woman, she doesn’t need the approval of her brother! I mean, what is it, the 19th century? No! And if you still feel like you want Jack to know, then talk to him! But you have to do something about all this, so either you can finally be with her or just let it go.”
I see Prue leaving the restroom, heading for the bar, heaving her way through the crowd. Some men stop chatting or dancing to follow her with their gaze and I take a deep breath to not run over there and grab her like a stupid caveman.
“I can’t lose Jack. I’m giving him shit about all this, but I can’t lose him again. And this was the whole reason that it went to shit.”
“Do you know what went wrong back then?” She asks suddenly, her dark eyes focused on mine. “Unsaid feelings and assumptions. If you told him how you felt, he would have been mad, yes. But it would have been better, because he would have known exactly where you stood and not assumed the worse.”
She pauses and I meet her hard gaze, trying to keep my face neutral even though my heart is beating a hundred miles per hour. I can’t believe she knew all along and never said anything.
Also, I can’t believe she’s scolding me again.
“You should have asked her out. From the moment you realized how you felt. She would have said yes.”
My eyes widen in surprise as I snap my gaze back to her. “She would?”
“Of course she would!” She rolls her eyes again like she can’t stand to deal with how dumb I am. “I think the only thing holding her back was that she was insecure and knew you were fucking around. And Jack probably,” she adds with a wince.
Fuck.
I look at the bar, where Prue is leaning over the counter to talk with the bartender who looks like he’s struggling to hear anyway.
“You should give it a chance,” Nuri says, her voice softer now. “Stop waiting, and just go after what and who you want. You want to be with her? Ask her out. You’re worried you’ll lose Jack? Talk to him. I’m sure he will surprise you. Or don’t and go behind his back like teenagers, who cares? Stop holding yourself back.”
My throat bobs as I struggle to swallow through the knot of nerves.
Fuck, I think she’s right. I need to talk to Jack.
I don’t have the time to answer since Prue is back, mumbling to herself about people being completely unaware of their own surroundings. She sits on the chair next to mine and I can’t help but lean towards her, getting a little whiff of her shampoo. She smells like peaches and honey. Always has. I’m guessing she’s been sticking to the same shampoo brand since college or even before.
Would it be weird to snatch a bottle of it?
“So, what did I miss?” she asks cheerfully, placing their two drinks on the table.
Just an awkward conversation about Nuri knowing how crazy I am about you and her scolding me for being dumb. Nothing too interesting, really…
“I was just about to tell Nate that I’ve been working for a couple of months with Jason! Remember him? Jason Perkwood?” Nuri asks, and I can’t help but tense and frown. “Oh, right, you guys used to date. Well… ” She pauses, and I can see the line of Prue’s face tightening in annoyance. “He was hired about three months ago, and he just got fired because of sexual harassment complaints.”
“What?” Prue gasps, her voice loud and disgusted.
“Yeah, apparently he had a really inappropriate behavior with a couple of our interns…”
My gaze slides towards Prue. Was he inappropriate towards her when they were dating? He was a jerk before, so I wouldn’t be surprised, but I feel like kicking his face just thinking about it.
But her face is not revealing anything except annoyance and a slight tension.
“He didn’t show that type of behavior with me, but if he did harass those people, then he deserves what he got, and worse.”
“When I made my monthly prayer to the universe, I did wish he got chlamydia.” Nuri and Prue both chuckle over their drinks.
My jaw hurt from clenching it. I’m still mad at the thought that this absolute ass didn’t waste a second and snatched her the moment Jack and I were out of his way. And I can’t help but think about it. How long were they together? Was it serious? Why did it end? Why didn’t Jack do anything to prevent or stop it? What would have happened if Jack and I never drifted apart?
I’m still seething twenty minutes later, while they are both dancing barefoot on the beach, laughing their lungs out. I grit my teeth when a guy plants himself behind Prue, and starts dancing with her.
She pays him no mind though, dancing with Nuri, ignoring him, but he’s not stepping away and keeps grinding against her, unlike the two previous ones who got the hint pretty quickly.
I stand up abruptly and don’t even think twice about moving towards her.
I stop next to the guy, my hand on his shoulder, and he gives me a cold stare.
“Move along, dude, I’m dancing with her.”
“I’m not dancing with you,” Prue chirps, looking a little tipsy and still not turning towards him. “I told you I wasn’t interested.”
“You heard her, so what are you still doing here?” I ask coldly.
He finally steps away with a scoff, and I know exactly what he’s going to say. I also know I don’t want Prue to hear something like this, especially not after I broke her self esteem in the first place. Men like this can’t handle having their ego bruised well…
“Whatever, you’re not—”
“Missing much?” I interrupt, giving him a shove to make him step away. “She’s definitely not. I can’t imagine your sorry ass is worth any time.”
I cross my arms over my chest as he takes a step towards me—probably aiming for an intimidation stance—stopping right in my face, but I don’t move. One of my brows arch up and the corner of my mouth lifts in silent invitation. “Was that not what you were going to say?” I ask, daring him to say something else.
Prue and Nuri stopped dancing, standing just a couple of feet behind me. I hate that men like him exist. They were having fun, enjoying their time with each other, and he ruined it. Maybe me too for stepping in… But if they were interested in dancing with him, they would have said so. They didn’t.
“Come on, Nate. Let’s just go. I want to go back to my hotel anyway,” Nuri says softly.
I don’t move and I see the flicker of hesitation in the guy’s eyes right before he shrugs and turns away, muttering curses under his breath that I hope the girls don’t hear.
“I’m sorry for that asshole” I say, turning around to them.
“Don’t worry about it,” Nuri says with a shrug. “You don’t have to apologize for the failures of other males.”
I glance at Prue, whose cheeks are flushed and eyes a little wide and glassy. Her mouth is slightly open.
“You okay, Prue?”
“Fine, I’m—Uh, fine.”
“She’s drunk,” Nuri chuckles, her eyes playfully narrowed. “Come on, let’s all get out of here, I’m exhausted. I’m probably going to fall asleep the second I step into my hotel room.”
Prue doesn’t look steady on her feet though, and I can’t help but slide my arm around her waist to help her walk. She giggles and leans into me with a long sigh.
My heart misses a few beats.
The girl who’s been fighting me every chance she got since she saw me again about a month ago is currently nuzzling her face against my chest. How drunk is she?