Chapter 42 #3
Jessica continued, “This chick says, ‘Be serious. He’s Titus Hawk. This relationship definitely has an expiration date.’ And also, ‘I spent six hours researching this man. Six hours. And now I’m supposed to support this relationship.’ It’s nonstop.”
“Lovely,” I said. “I’m sure it gets worse. How do people form opinions about people they’ve never even met?”
“If they only knew you didn’t even want the guy,” Amelia laughed.
“No shit,” Sienna said. “This is why kids these days fall into depression. The comment section is brutal if you take it to heart.”
“I agree with that,” Ash said. “You all should be watching baking shows.”
“Who are we kidding? This is all hysterical entertainment by a mob of social media dwellers who have formed an imaginary relationship with a wealthy man on a reel,” Nat added.
“Well, this person looked you up,” Jessica covered a smile.
“I don’t think I want to know,” I answered.
“What did she conclude?” Avery asked.
“She’s confused about why everyone is worried you’ll take their place with him,” Jessica cringed.
“Here’s to the women who have no idea the superyacht isn’t here for their social media accounts to go viral,” Avery said, taking her shot and raising it to encourage everyone at the table to join in. “Ladies, let us toast the woman Titus sailed the Eterna from Monaco to the West Coast for.”
“Here’s to Titus having the best woman, one he could have never dreamed up,” my sister added.
“And a woman he better not fuck over,” Sienna arched an eyebrow with a smile. “Or I’ll personally fuck him over.”
“Down the hatch, ladies,” Nat said, tipping her head back as we all took a shot together. “I need Cat loosened up to talk about her two nights alone with Titus on that damn yacht and to tell us the things these petty girls on the internet know nothing about.”
“Now,” Nat eyed me, holding her cocktail, “let’s hear it.”
“I’d rather listen to the internet hate on me than talk about this,” I admitted.
“Too bad. Take a long drink of that cocktail,” Nat eyed my drink. “And I’ll ensure another is right behind it.”
An hour, three cocktails, and too many lobster bites later… I was so damn loose that I would either hate myself in the morning or not remember a word I said at the table tonight.
“And so the way he looked at you…” Ash said. “As if you were the only woman. Ah, I love it.”
“The fact that this man insisted you watch him lose himself over and over again while you rode him,” Nat fanned herself. “Jesus, I knew Titus Hawk was a force in bed, but to give that to a woman?”
“Makes you wish you were single again?” Jessica laughed, tipsy yet more composed than most of us at the table.
Nat looked at her. “Oh, no, sweetheart. If my husband hadn’t done that, we would’ve never married.” She smiled at me. “That’s a connection, gorgeous. You’re not losing this guy. I promise you that.”
“We’ve only been together for a couple of weeks,” I said. “But is it bad that I don’t want to lose him?”
“Not at all,” Sienna said. “That’s the beginning stage of falling in love.”
I smiled, thankful that Sienna was just as drunk and joining in on the fun.
“I’m not sure it’s love, though I do love the way the man—”
“Mm hm.” Nat closed her eyes, almost feeling my words and knowing what I was about to say. “How the hell are you doing it with him being gone?”
“I miss him,” I admitted, no thanks to the booze. “I swear I think this could go somewhere, but part of me knows it most likely won’t.”
“You need another drink,” Amelia laughed. “You’re killing the mood.”
I shook my head. “No,” I said, sobering up. “Where can this really go?”
“I don’t know,” Avery chimed in. “I guess I asked the same thing about Jim. Talk about a man from another world. His ass was a player, too.”
“I know,” I said. “Jim’s different. Titus…” I paused, my brain struggling to form sentences.
“Is all glitz and glam?” Sienna said.
“Yes,” I answered. “I don’t want to be in a lonely relationship when the novelty wears off.”
The table grew quieter, and nobody laughed. Every woman at the table knew exactly what I meant.
“Don’t put that into the Universe,” Ash said, “or that’s exactly what will happen.”
“For once, I agree with our big-hearted hippie,” Nat said. “Don’t go there. There’s no point in it. Enjoy it for what it is.”
“Let it work itself out naturally,” Avery added.
“I guess you’re all right,” I added. I exhaled, full and tired from the alcohol, since I’d cut myself off and switched to water. “Well, this has definitely been more entertaining than I imagined.”
“That’s because we got you drunk,” my sober sister said with a laugh. “Let’s get you home.”
After we left, all I could think about after coming down from my significant buzz was how happy I was with Titus right now. The girls were right. I needed to enjoy this for what it was and just see where it would take me.
It was the most alive I’d felt in a long time, and I wasn’t going to kill all of that with my overanalytical mindset when it came to men. If I lived my entire life closed off, I’d surely die an old, lonely maid.