5:00 p. m. on the dot, my phone beeps with a text.
I’m downstairs.
I exhale heavily. Just reading his name on a text infuriates me. This weekend should be interesting. No fighting, I remind myself.
I look around, have I forgotten anything?
I grab my small suitcase and jacket, and I make my way downstairs.
Nathan’s black Tesla is parked in a loading zone. He sees me approaching, gets out of the car, and he takes my bag from me.
“Hi,” he says in a clipped tone as he puts it in the trunk.
“Hi.” Without making eye contact, I get in the car and slam the door.
Moments later, he pulls out into traffic. His jaw ticks as he looks in the rearview mirror. He’s clenching his teeth, and I know he’s still pissed. This is all apparently my fault.
Well, screw him.
He’s acting like a complete baby.
So what? We got drunk and had a momentary brain snap. So what? He had an erection. I’ve felt that damn thing in my back every morning for two years, he’s kidding himself if the thinks this is something new for me. He’s acting like he’s been violated or something. He was there and in the moment, too, but of course, he’s blaming me.
Ugh…. boils my blood just thinking about it.
I cross my arms and look out of the window. Well, if he doesn’t want to talk, neither do I.
Twenty silent minutes later, we arrive at the airport, and Nathan pulls into the long-term parking lot. He scans his card, and the boom gate rises to let us in. My eyes flick over to him.
He parks, gets out of the car and goes to the trunk. He puts my suitcase down.
“I’m surprised Samuel didn’t drive you here,” he says dryly.
I roll my eyes. “Here we go.”
“I’ll give you here we fucking go.”
I snatch my suitcase off him and march off toward the check-in lounge. I can hear his suitcase wheeling along behind me.
“Don’t walk off on me.”
“I’ll do whatever I want.” I huff.
“Don’t push me.”
“Nathan,” I warn. “Cut it out, stop acting like a baby.”
I march on, and he hurries to catch up with me. We get to the road and he grabs my hand. I don’t pull away because I know he’ll go thermonuclear. My road crossing skills aren’t worth the meltdown.
“How am I a baby?”
“Look at you!” I snap. “We got drunk, Nathan. We had a temporary brain snap. It was nothing.”
He smiles sarcastically. “I see how this is.” He drops my hand and marches off in front. I roll my eyes, fuck’s sake. What is his problem? We never fight like this for an extended time.
I follow him into the building and over to the check-in. The line is huge, and we wait in the roped-off section. I take out my phone and scroll through Instagram. My phone pings as a message comes through from Samuel.
I glance up to see that Nathan is reading over my shoulder, and I snatch my phone away. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” He glares at me.
I widen my eyes. “Will you stop?”
“He’s an idiot.”
“And I will find that out in my own time.” I shake my head in frustration. The truth is that I already know I don’t like Samuel, but still. “I don’t tell you who to date.”
He looks at me, deadpan.
“Not that I would even know who you date,” I mutter under my breath. “Mr. Secretive.” I mouth.
He rolls his eyes and we step forward in the line. We stay silent for another ten minutes until we are called up to the desk. Nathan hands over our passports.
“Hello, how are you this evening?” the ticket lady asks.
“Fine, thanks.” Nathan’s tone is clipped and his face emotionless.
“Do you have any checked luggage?” She smiles.
“No, just carry on.” He looks around impatiently.
She eyes Nathan. I can tell she’s thinking what a handsome bastard he is. For once, I can actually agree with someone. His bastardness really is eclipsing his handsomeness today.
She prints our tickets, and he tucks them into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “Thank you, have a good night.” He marches off.
I give her an embarrassed smile. “He’s not my boyfriend,” I whisper.
She widens her eyes in a thank god symbol. “Have a good weekend.”
“I’ll try.”
Nathan stops still at the gate, and I walk past him. “Why are you so rude?”
“I waited for you, what are you talking about?”
I keep walking past him. “I meant to her, you jerk.”
We go straight to our usual bar. We fly a lot between my parents and his parents and all his work conferences. We know the drill.
We both take a seat at the bar. “What will it be?” the bartender asks.
“I’ll have a Blue Label scotch and a margarita, please!” Nathan orders.
“Sure thing.” The bartender gets to making our drinks and we both stay silent.
“What did he want?” Nathan eventually asks.
“Who?” I frown.
“Don’t act dumb, Eliza, it’s pissing me off.”
“Will you stop it?” I whisper angrily. “Samuel told me to have a good weekend, that’s all. I don’t even like him, Nathan, so stop carrying on about it.”
“You don’t like him?”
“We ate lunch together, and to be honest, there was no chemistry. I don’t know him well enough to decide yet.”
“He’s a dick.”
I let out a heavy sigh, honestly this man is impossible.
Nathan is the most complicated person I know, and when someone is aggressive toward him, his natural instinct is to fire it straight back. He’s like a mirror projecting your reflection, and I know the only way to ease his temper is to ease my tone.
“Then, stop it.” I put my hand on his on the bar to try and calm him. “We are going away for the weekend, why are we fighting all the time lately? Why are you being such a jerk?”
He looks down at our hands.
“Nathe, I’ve missed you this week, and I don’t want to spend the weekend fighting about crap.”
He turns his hand over and takes mine in his. “Me neither.” He sighs sadly, and he picks up my hand and kisses my fingertips.
I smile. There he is. My sweet man is back.
“Why are you so angry with me?” I whisper.
“I’m not angry with you.” His eyes search mine. “I’m angry with myself.”
“Why?”
“Here you go.” The bartender puts our drinks in front of us.
“Thank you,” we both reply.
“I took advantage of you when you were drunk,” Nathan says quietly.
“What?” I frown. “No, you didn’t.”
“I did, Eliza. By letting me into your bed, you trust me with your body and I betrayed that trust.”
I smile up at my beautiful best friend, always so gallant in looking after me. “Nathe…” I lean up and kiss his cheek. I’ve missed the feel of his stubble against my skin. “We are a team, you and I. I know you would never take advantage of me. I was there, remember? I was tipsy, too. We just got a little carried away and lost in the moment. That’s all.”
I stare up at him and brush the hair back from his forehead. His big blue eyes search mine before they drop to the floor. “I can’t fuck this up between us, Lize. Our friendship means everything to me.”
“You won’t, it was one time. It’s okay, I promise you that I don’t think anything of it. It’s okay.”
He puts his arms around me and pulls me to him. I smile as he holds me, but after a while, an uneasiness fills me.
There’s an edge to his grip, and it feels like fear.
“Baby, what’s going on?” I whisper.
“Everything,” he whispers as he pulls away and his eyes search mine. “Everything’s changing.”
He’s anxious about me starting to date again, or maybe it’s just Samuel. I put my hand on his thigh to reassure him. “Nathe, we will never change.”
“Promise me.” He cups my face in his hand and dusts his thumb over my bottom lip as he stares at me. “Promise me that whatever happens in our life, we will always be close.”
I smile softly up at my beautiful man. “I promise.”
My face is cupped in his hand, his eyes hold mine, and then they slowly drift down to my lips.
My heart stops.