Page 72 of The Fool
We eventually break apart to continue washing up, which is when I spy Emma standing in the doorway. She looks as if she’s about to burst into tears but remains silent. We’ve just made her face all of what she gave up on the day she decided to betray me with Dean. She knows she can never have the same relationship that Ben and I share. From the look on her face, I wonder if the sacrifice was worth it.
Chapter 23
Nate
“So, how long has it been, soft cock?” Callie teases. “I’m guessing you haven’t yet been with Bea…intimately?”
I take a moment to look at her while considering my response to her bluntness, sporting a smirk that answers her question without me having to say a single word. She plays me at my own game, keeping her lips firmly together while twirling her wineglass around with her fingertips. Of course, Miss Stokes has always won our battles of wills, so I eventually accept my defeat.
“We’ve been intimate,” I reply before emptying my glass with one mouthful. “But I’m giving her time.”
“Why?” she scoffs. Patience is not a concept that Callie is familiar with.
“It just hasn’t been the right time for us,” I tell her truthfully, “but trust me, we’re getting close…I hope. Her being comfortable with me is more important than rushing into bed with her.”
“Well, don’t slip into the friend zone, whatever you do,” she warns, lifting her brow to accentuate her point.
“Trust me, we don’t behave like friends when we’re together. Anyway, can we talk about something else? I feel uncomfortable talking about Bea. Especially with you, of all people.”
“Why me?” she laughs.
“Because we have a history,” I point out. “Plus, the thought of waiting would be like torture for you.”
She feigns insult for a moment or two before laughing in agreement with me.
“It would have been for you once upon a time,” she says before gulping back a mouthful of wine. “You were once young and foolish like me.”
“Well, things change. We grow up…well, some of us do anyway.”
“Actually, young Nathaniel, or rather, old and wise Nathaniel,” she begins after throwing her napkin at me over my teasing, “I have met someone, but it’s a totally scandalous affair!” she adds in a mock British accent that Lily would be proud of.
“Really?” I lean in closer, shocked over this revelation. “Do tell.”
At first, she begins to laugh, but when she calms down again, she suddenly looks sad and proceeds to drink more wine.
“Callie Stokes, keeping quiet?” I lift my brow, hoping to get her to elaborate, but when she still appears forlorn, I lean back in my chair to study her more closely. This look doesn’t look at all natural on my exuberant friend. “Must be serious.”
She seems to shake off her melancholy and grins, attempting to return to her usual animated self.
“Do me a favor and keep it to yourself,” she says, and for the first time ever, I fear for her heart. Callie never acts this way about a man.
“Of course,” I reassure her, though still frown with concern. “You are ok, aren’t you, Cal?”
“More than ok,” she lies, “let’s talk about the weather.”
I decide not to probe further but make a mental note to keep an eye on her. She is, after all, one of my best friends. We were never lovers of any kind. I’ve never been a lover with anyone, but I do love her as a friend and would hate for her to feel any kind of hurt.
_____
Bea
My phone beeps, waking me from a restless sleep. At first, I feel disorientated and with my hair wrapped around my neck where I’ve had night sweats. They began after I was put on anti-depressants. I only stayed on them for a few months, but the sweats refuse to go away. It was just another reason not to date. I was voted the most unattractive student at Western, so add profuse sweating to the mix and I can’t imagine what would be said about me now. I don’t have them every night, just when I’m hormonal or stressed. Being guilted into attending your sister’s wedding to your ex-boyfriend will do that to a person, especially knowing that I’ll be her head bridesmaid. I half-wonder if that was my mother’s idea; I must remember to quiz her on it later.
Reaching for my phone, I end up knocking half the contents off my bedside table. Several curses later and I discover the intruding piece of technology on my bed from where I must have thrown it in a fit of frustration last night. The envelope icon flashes at me, so I open it to find a message from Nate.
How was it? Callie and I missed you last night. Xxx
I half smile, glad to have heard from him but anxious about having to ask him to Emma’s wedding. Being that they’re so desperate to tie the knot, and the fact that Ben and I have been avoiding them for so long, we only have a few weeks before the big day.