Soft eyes caress me as relief covers the rest of his features. “I needed this before I could go out there. I needed you. Answer my fucking calls, especially when it’s important like this, okay? I get that you can’t sometimes, but don’t pull that shit again, Natalie, or I will come to you.”
“Bet?” I manage another smile.
“This is serious.”
“I’m aware, and I won’t. I’m sorry.”
“I love you, Natalie Crowne,” he rasps softly as I close my eyes before he ends the call.
No One
Alicia Keys
Natalie
Sitting on the other side of the booth from two pairs of affronted eyes after long hours of confession, I suck down the rest of my third margarita as Damon and Holly process.
“So…” Damon draws out as he reclines in the booth. I briefly admire him as he gets lost in his train of thought and seems at a loss for words. Hair trimmed perfectly to his signature quarter-inch, skin a beautiful shade of light mocha, honey-colored, sweetheart eyes cloaked with thick, dark lashes which naturally curl up. The eyes mixed with the cut cheekbones and jawline makes him the most lethal of combinations. He truly is the most gorgeous man. His build is no less than perfect, as he sits across from me wearing a perfectly cut, tailored suit that only accentuates the hours he spends working on his body. His father and mine have been best friends for decades, and though I see him as more of a brother, there’s no denying his masculine beauty. No one can. Holly turns to him in question and gets equally as distracted as he scratches his jaw before finally speaking again. “That’s just…，” he shakes his head. “Can you repeat all that?”
“Which part?” I scoff.
Holly leans forward, resting her elbows on our table—a table the three of us claimed years ago when we decided to make this one of our rituals. “And you didn’t think you could trust us?”
“I explained that part to you. Easton—”
“I get it,” Damon says.
“Well, I fucking don’t,” Holly quips back. “We tell each other everything. At least we used to. I don’t even know what’s going on in either of your day-to-day lives anymore, and frankly, I feel like I’m the only one who even cares.”
“I’m sorry,” I say for the tenth time. “We didn’t even know what it would become until we did, and from there, it went whirlwind.”
“A whirlwind that included a wedding we both missed,” she hisses.
“Please,” I say hoarsely.
Damon sharply scolds her in name alone. He’s been surprisingly calm, considering he hated my ex and had no issue speaking his mind about him.
“I need you two to do the impossible and forgive me quickly. Please. I’m…”
Damon leans forward and takes my hand over the table. “We’re here, Nat.” He turns to Holly, brow cocked.
“I’m irrationally angry,” she sighs, “but I’ll let it go for now. But just for now. But you’re going to catch hell later. Probably some side jabs for years.”
“I’ll take it,” I say. “I’ll take them all. I think you two are the only people in my life who are on speaking terms with me.”
“So what now?” Damon asks.
“I don’t know. Easton and I have our plans, but as far as my parents go, I’m too much of a coward right now to call or message either of them. I’m just going to show up at the Hearst Media’s satellite office tomorrow and hope I’m expected by upper management. I know I’m being a coward, but I just need a little time to get my strength back.”
“I can’t believe Uncle Nate was engaged to Stella Crowne. Wow.”
“You and me both,” Damon says thoughtfully. “I can’t see them meshing.” Damon grins, “But it’s not like I can imagine you meshing with Easton, either.”
“Well, they did, and we sure as hell did,” I say, holding up my ring finger. “And it was perfect until we got pulled into the undertow.”
“But you and Easton are okay?” Damon prompts.
I nod, for the most part believing it to be true.
“You’re not going to tell him what Uncle Nate’s doing?” Holly asks.
“Not now. I think that will infuriate him to the point he comes here for another confrontation with Dad. I don’t want to risk it.”
“Do you think your parents are okay?” Holly asks as the idea of them still being at odds rips into current wounds.