The door clicked shut, leaving me alone with a whirlwind of emotions. I sank onto the couch, the weight of seeing Nicolas again sinking in. It turned out to be worse than I had anticipated. Nicolas Gray still had a strong hold on me, I couldn’t deny it. But his cold attitude towards me was quite upsetting. He didn’t want me here.
The apartment suddenly got quiet, and I took the opportunity to familiarize myself with the surroundings. Later I heard soft laughter from their bedroom, Stella was having a good time with Nicolas. I thought with jealousy burning in my heart. A sigh escaped me; reality had just collided with a past I thought was neatly tucked away. I still desired Nicolas, and I don’t know how possible it was to live with him under the same roof for the next two months without wanting him. Maybe coming here was a bad idea, I thought quietly.
The sound of footsteps interrupted my thoughts, and I looked up to find Nicolas standing before me. His expression was unreadable, a mix of nostalgia and detachment.
“Melissa,” he began, his tone measured, “What are you still doing awake?”
“I’m not feeling sleepy yet”. I said simply, trying not to seem too eager to speak to him.
There was an awkward silence.
“I’m sorry about earlier”, He broke the silence, his voice having a bit of emotion. “I didn’t expect to see you again, at least not like this”.
His words hung in the air, and I searched for something to say. “I didn’t expect it either, Nicolas. Stella caught me off guard”.
A heavy silence settled between us again, the unspoken tension thickening. The image of Stella in Nicolas’s arms, kissing, replayed in my mind, stirring a cocktail of jealousy.
“Stella seems genuinely happy,” I remarked, trying to ease the palpable discomfort.
Nicolas nodded. “Yes, we found our way back to each other. Life takes unexpected turns”.
I sighed, grappling with conflicting emotions. “I hope you two have a happy future together”.
His gaze lingered with a hint of anxiety in his eyes. “And what about you, Melissa? What brings you back into this mix?”
I shrugged, a nonchalant mask hiding the underlying turmoil. “Stella wants me here”. I answered.
He studied me for a moment as if deciphering hidden meanings. “Hmm… if you say so”. With that, he turned to leave.
“You don’t need to worry your handsome self, I won’t tell her”. I said softly, and Nicolas turned and sent me a doubtful stare. “I know you don’t want me here because of what happened, but I am not here to ruin things between you both.”
“Thank you”. He mutters, and then he leaves, and I am left alone with my thoughts once again.
As the door closed, I couldn’t shake the sense that this unexpected reunion was a catalyst for confronting unresolved feelings and a past that refused to remain in the shadows. I needed to find a way to avoid Nicolas throughout my stay with them. I need to find a way to bury my feelings and be here for my best friend. I sighed deeply, a good sleep was all I needed right now.
In the following days, the atmosphere in the apartment became a delicate dance of avoidance and unspoken tensions. Each encounter with Nicolas brought a subtle undercurrent of emotions, as I grappled with the past and the undeniable chemistry that lingered between us. No matter how much I knew Nicolas would want to deny it, I could see he still fancied me, and my presence made him very uncomfortable.
Stella, seemingly oblivious to the nuances, continued to radiate joy in her rekindled relationship with Nicolas. Her laughter echoed through the apartment, a stark contrast to the turmoil echoing within me.
One evening, I and Nicolas found ourselves alone in the living room. The silence between us was pregnant with unsaid words, creating a palpable tension. Breaking the quietude, Nicolas hesitated before saying, “Melissa, we need to address the elephant in the room”.
I met his gaze, my heart pounding with anticipation. “What do you suggest?”
Nicolas sighed, his eyes reflecting a mix of regret and longing. “We can’t keep pretending everything is fine”.
The honesty in his words resonated with the turmoil within me. “What do you want, Nicolas? What are we supposed to do?”
He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of uncertainty. “I don’t know. But I think you should make an excuse and leave”.
My eyes popped up at his suggestion. Was that the best he could come up with? I thought with disappointment.
“It will make things easier for everyone”. He continued.
“For you..” I cut in.
“Melissa it is the right thing to do”. He insists.
“She wants me to be her maid of honor”. I told him.
“You’ll come back for the wedding”. He says abruptly. “But you can’t stay here”. He finished.
“Does my presence bother you that much?” I asked anxiously.
He looks at me and hesitates a bit before speaking, “Ever since I saw you again, that night we shared has kept replaying in my mind”. He confesses quietly.
“Well, for me I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it ever since”. I move closer to where he sits. “I always think about you…, when I go to bed at night and when I wake up in the morning. My body yearns for you, Nicolas”. I whispered.
Nicolas’s eyes reflected a mix of surprise and desire as my words hung in the air. The tension between us became palpable, the unspoken connection resurfacing with undeniable force. In that charged moment, the lines between past and present blurred.
He took a deep breath, his gaze locking onto mine. “Melissa, this is complicated. Stella…”
I cut him off, my voice filled with a mix of frustration and longing. “Stella doesn’t have to know. We can keep this between us”.
He hesitated, torn between the commitment to Stella and the undeniable pull of our shared history. “It’s not that simple. I can’t just betray her trust”.
The room seemed to close in around us as the weight of the situation settled. “Then what, Nicolas? What do we do with these feelings that refuse to be ignored?”
He ran his fingers through his hair, a sign of internal conflict. “I don’t have the answers, Melissa. All I know is that we can’t continue like this”.
“Do you want me?” I asked in a soft, seductive voice.
Nicolas looks at me, his eyes revealing his unspoken desires, a silent acknowledgment of the forbidden dance we were both tempted to engage in. As the seconds stretched, a decision loomed, demanding resolution.
Just as the words were about to spill from his lips, the door creaked open, and Stella entered, unaware of the charged atmosphere.