Chapter Twenty-Five #2
“Let me ask you this, would you rather be told I love you or shown and felt ?” I softly ask.
“It’s the latter for me because that’s what Kian does.
He hasn’t said the words ‘I love you’, but he makes me feel and live it every second of every day.
I feel his love in every eye contact, every small touch, in his protectiveness and actions.
It’s there in his gaze every morning I wake up and see his face next to mine.
Anyone can say they love you or they can’t live without you.
But not every man can make you feel it deep in your soul.
Kian’s love for me is as transcendent and true as the air in the universe.
One day, he will say it and it’ll be the best day of my life. ”
Moisture makes their eyes go glassy.
“When you put it like that…” Bianca wipes a tear away, ever the romantic at heart.
“Your love story is like a fairy tale,” utters Rosalie dreamily. “Kian’s the beast and you’re his Tinker Bell.”
“Those are two separate tales, Ro,” Bianca points out.
“Ever heard of a crossover?”
I giggle, watching them bicker. I’m overjoyed, feeling my troubles go away while being surrounded by them.
The tension that lingered between us has vanished after confessing the truth.
Kian was right. I didn’t lose them. It gives me hope that my parents will forgive me too after I tell them the real reason I was marrying Nathan.
“Ro,” I interrupt them.
“Yeah, babe?”
“I wanted to apologize for causing the drama at your gala.”
“Oh, shush!” she scolds. “If anything, I should thank you. The kiss took away the stress off my back of having to entertain the guests.”
“I haven’t gone online yet. Is it bad on there?” I nervously inquire. I’ve never been gladder about keeping my account private on social media. There’s no avoiding the articles in gossip magazines, though.
While in Seattle, Kian and I didn’t touch our phones, except when I would snap his pictures. Honest to God, I forgot its existence because I was in a perpetual Kian bubble.
Now that we’re back, every fear is flooding back.
The unfolding of the engagement drama.
The impending talk with Harshita.
Dinner with my parents.
I’m overwhelmed just pondering it.
Both Rosalie and Bianca instantly sober at my question. Sharing a private glance, Bianca speaks. “The news is trending.”
“It’s a tie,” Rosalie adds when my face slackens. “Justin will be back on top, stealing the attention off you and Kian. So, don’t worry.”
I double back. “Justin?”
“Shit. I forgot you don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Justin’s dad passed away last month and his will isn’t the only thing he’s left behind. The man has a whole new family with his mistress living in the States.”
My jaw drops, but Rosalie isn’t finished.
“Three sons and a daughter.”
Oh my god. “What does that mean?”
“It means Justin and his little sister aren’t the only heirs to the Merchant legacy.”
I recall the night of the gala, realizing why he was hanging outside in the garden.
Despite his distressing situation, he was kind enough to uplift my mood.
I never once got the impression he had something going on.
Justin comes off as a charismatic playboy, always the life of the party, but there’s a lot more to him.
“This is awful,” I mutter sadly.
“I know.” Bianca sighs. “He hates being in the limelight, now he’s in the thick of it.”
“How old are his half-siblings?”
“They’re close to his age, with the half-sister being the youngest.”
“Fuck! How long was the damn affair?” I cry out. “His family must be devastated.”
“It’s a terrible situation to have your world blown up like this,” says Rosalie. “Yet, he attended the gala.”
“We should find his Spitfire for him.” Bianca beams, putting her wineglass down. “That ought to cheer him up.”
Rosalie gives her a dumbfounded look. “How are we going to accomplish that? Do you even remember her face? If Justin, with all the money and resources at his disposal, couldn’t find her, how the heck will we?”
“Come on, we have to try.”
“She’s right,” I pipe in. “Justin has always been there for us. We’d be doing Spitfire a favor by hooking her up with an amazing man like him. Obsessed men are the best. Don’t we agree?”
“True.”
“We got lucky.”
“It’s done. We’ll form a plan.” They nod with bright grins. I raise my glass. “Let’s cheers to this.”
We throw back our drinks in one go after clinking our glasses.
Rosalie loudly clears her throat, a dirty glint forming in her dark eyes as she pins them on me. “Forgot to ask the most important question.”
“I’m sorry,” I feign tiredness, rising to my knees, “The jet lag is catching up to—”
“No, no, miss.” She points to the floor. “Sit your ass back down.”
“You know better,” jests Bianca.
Crap. I plop back down. “All right! All right! Give it to me.”
“Like he did for an entire week?” Rosalie waggles her eyebrows.
“Day and night!” sings Bianca.
I hide my face in my palms, blushing hard. “Shut up!”
They don’t.
“Is he a dirty talker? Did he make you come? Did he go down on you? Oooh… is he kinky in the sheets?”
“The silent ones are the freakiest,” muses Bianca. “All that broodiness, he must let loose in the bedroom.”
Rosalie’s voice pitches low as she curiously asks, “How does sex work for you both? Like, what position? Does he hold you up against the wall? How much does he have to bend?”
Bianca and I gasp in unison. “Rosa!”
“What? It’s for research purposes.” She says it like we’re overreacting. “Besides, I went through a similar interrogation last year. It’s my turn. At least, mine is a legit reason. Yours was nonsense.”
“Christ!” I mutter.
“Who else am I going to ask these questions to frankly?” grumbles Rosa in mock offense. “I’ve always wanted to write a couple with a height and size difference. It’s purely for research.”
“I’m not that short.”
“Sweetie, you’re five-foot-one. You’re like a mosquito buzzing around that mountain of a man. One wrong move, he might just squash you with the tip of his finger.”
I smirk. “Yeah, well, I’m very bendy.”
The three of us burst out laughing. Hours pass as they tease me and ask every detail about the trip. And I’ve never been happier.