Chapter Five
CHAPTER FIVE
TOBIAS
Do you know how some people look like animals?
I don’t mean it in a cruel way, but more in why do I look at this girl and think I see a bird, or why does that old man make me think of a turtle?
The longer I look at Griffin’s picture in the one Natalie posted of her with him outside Lovers Lodge, the more I see a giraffe. A baby giraffe, like he’s trying so hard to extend his neck to show how tall he is.
It’s that or the fact that somewhere over the last four years, I have grown to dislike the man.
At first, he seemed pretty cool. Nat would laugh a lot around him. She’d come over swooning over him and the fact he sent flowers to her on the first of every month. Or that he surprised her with date nights when she didn’t even know he was back in town.
She was happy, and I was happy for her. Then they got serious. Nat and I still hung out a lot, but it was less and less often as time went on.
Perhaps I dislike him for the sole fact that he’s taking away the one constant in my life. Between that and this book, life sort of sucks right now.
Still, as every day goes by and it gets closer to their wedding, I find myself finding more and more reasons to dislike him. And it’s not because he’s stealing Natalie from me.
I know it’s not.
Take, for example, tonight. He’s going to fly in from California and drive straight to meet me for a beer.
He’s not going home to shower or unwind. He didn’t suggest another night after he hadn’t been traveling. And he sure as hell didn’t say another night was better because he wanted to be with Natalie after being away for two days.
What man in love does that? I might not be an expert from experience, but I know plenty of men who are.
I pull up a group text.
Tobias
You’re two nights away from your girl, and the only thing you want when you get back is to meet another guy for a beer. Yay or nay?
Surprisingly, they all answer swiftly.
Beck
Is this a real question?
Zane
Is this where you’re stuck in your story?
Graham
I … what?
Hero
What's happening?
Simon
Is this about Griffin again?
I glance up at the bar to make sure he isn’t here yet. What fun that would be to have him catch me talking shit. He’d love to run back to Nat with that information.
Tobias
Yes, this is about Griffin. He suggested we meet tonight. He’s coming to the Black Alcove before he even goes home to see Nat. He’s been gone two days.
Hero
Ahh, I see. Okay, nay. One day away from Nora, and I can't take it.
Beck
Same. A couple of hours away from Calla and I’m (Simon, skip ahead so you don’t read something dirty about your sister) ready to strip her down and refuse to leave our bed for weeks.
Simon
*insert middle finger emoji*
But yeah, okay, I do find this odd. How does Natalie feel?
Tobias
I don’t know. That’s a weird question to ask her. She’d probably have a lot of follow-up questions I don’t have answers to.
Graham
Nay for me too.
“Writing a book on your phone?” Griffin’s voice pulls me from the screen. I close the thread quickly and set it face down.
“Something like that.” I smile.
He sighs heavily as if he would rather be anywhere else in the world. He even stands at the end of the table like he’s going to change his mind. After an awkward minute, he shrugs off his coat and sits across from me.
“What’s up?” he asks.
Shit. I made the effort and set up the time, but did I plan what we would actually talk about? Nope.
“Same old, same old. How was your flight?”
Yeah, that’s a good, safe question.
“Is that really what you want to ask me?”
“Yes?”
His brow peaks.
“Look, I’ll be honest. Natalie asked me to make an effort. You mean a lot to her, and she means a lot to me, so here I am. Let’s give our girl some peace of mind and find a common ground.”
He rubs his chin and leans back. His phone rings, so he takes it out and answers it.
Okay, rude, but we aren’t exactly besties.
“Hi … yeah, I made it … good, did you get them? You liked them? Good,” he says, and then looks up at me. “I’ll call you when I get done here. I don’t know. Ten minutes.”
Jesus.
He hangs up.
“Natalie?” I ask, for god knows what reason.
His eyes narrow as he takes me in, and he places the phone on the table.
“All right, first, I think you meant to say my girl , not our girl , and two, I?—”
“It’s actually second,” I interrupt.
“What?”
“Well, you said first and then made a statement, so your follow-up would be second, not two. Unless you said one, she’s not my girl” — excuse me while I mentally punch him —“and two, then made your?—”
“I don’t care,” he cuts me off.
Noted.
“Are you in love with Natalie or not?” he asks. “If you are, then I suggest you back off and let her be. Do you want to hurt her?”
Well, this was not the conversation I was expecting. Also, who the fuck is this guy? Is this how he presents himself to Natalie?
Not fucking okay. Not one bit.
I fold my arms and lean onto the table in front of me.
“Do you want to hurt her?” I ask.
“Can I get you two anything to drink?” our waitress asks.
Griffin smirks at her and winks.
Oh, hell no.
Natalie is not marrying this guy. No fucking way. I’m not letting it happen.
As he’s flirting with the waitress, his phone buzzes on the table, and a text drops down.
My love
Baby, I miss you.
I look at the text, and then I look at him. Is that Natalie?
The waitress leaves, and I lean back.
“Come on, man,” Griffin goes on. “Admit defeat. I got the girl, and you didn’t.”
“First of all, she’s not a fucking prize.”
If I weren’t so pissed, I’d laugh, because nowhere in my life did I think I’d ever use that line outside of romance novels.
“ Second , I’m her best friend. Nothing will change that, so like I said, she wants us to be friends. I’m here to make that happen.”
“It won’t happen.”
He gets up just as the waitress returns with two beers.
“You can get this, right?” Griffin looks at me, and I swear to god, I want to punch this jack-off in the face.
Of course, for Nat, I keep my ass in my chair.
Here I thought I was coming for a “let's be friends” beer. Well, the joke’s on me. This guy shows up thinking he can scare me away from the most important person in my life.
News flash, Griffin. That won’t happen.
Natalie Miller deserves better than you, and I’m about to tell her.