The second chance

Chapter 29

Things got complicated. Paige cuts her palm in a bar rage when Erick shows up, and he later takes her to the hospital. She needed a few stitches, but luckily it was nothing serious. They got better, so at least it was good for something. One conflict averted, but the other flared up all the more strongly. Nicholas caught up with Erick at Paige's house and explained it his way. He became jealous again and accused them of betrayal.

It made me angry. Why was Erick coming to her house anyway? He avoided my apartment, where there was no danger of my brother showing up at my door, and went straight into the lion's den at Paige's. According to Erick, Nick insulted Paige, even him, and left the apartment upset.

The first days were terrible. No one was talking to anyone. Everyone avoided everyone else and we stepped around each other more carefully than experienced soldiers on a minefield. And since my brother was still mad at Paige, I was mad at Erick. I didn't want to make it easy for him because he was the main cause of this chaos. I was glad that Paige didn't talk to him either and blatantly ignored him. Erick also needed to get a tutorial.

Later, it was the angel Paige who melted the ice and calmed the turbulent surface. Although she solved the situation in her own way, it could not be said that it was some extra genius move. But it was still better than watching and doing nothing. Erick and I took this exact position.

Paige nailed it at Nick's, and I'd really like to know how she did it. I thought it would take a superhuman effort to break through the protective barrier my brother built around his hard heart, but Paige did it. Be that as it may, they began to meet again and form a couple. I was happy and deep down I suspected that nothing better could have happened to my brother. Paige was the one for him.

Paige found the strength to forgive Erick as well. They became friends again and met secretly, so I took Erick at his mercy too. This time it was relatively easy for him. But that's only because I started to miss him immensely and wanted him more and more every day. I missed his touches, the looks with which he could turn me on, our dinners together, when we just watched TV in each other's arms, cooked together or talked about trivial things. These tiny moments and little things reminded me of what is most important in a person's life and especially how bad loneliness is.

The following weeks passed relatively smoothly. Although nothing was solved, it was not spoiled either. I watched from the sidelines how Paige and Nick's relationship developed, but I did not interfere in it. I was happy with them and hoped that when the time bomb we were all standing on finally explodes, the foundations of their relationship will be so strong that even the news will not shake them.

I met Nick only once a week, and even then only at evenings together, organized by my mother on Sundays. I avoided the topic of having a boyfriend and kept Erick a secret as much as possible. Nick was the same way. He also didn't admit to having someone, even though I had first hand information.

That made me a little sad for Paige. She was beautiful and the sweetest babe I'd ever met, so Nick had no reason to be ashamed of her. My brother had no reason to keep it a secret, but I assumed that it was probably still too fresh for him and quite new after so many years of not dating, and he probably wanted to be completely sure of their relationship.

Paige and I met regularly, as work permitted, and discussed our relationships. On my part, it was to some extent also for selfish reasons. Since I still didn't admit to being related, I needed to know where Nick and I were going or what their plans were so we wouldn't run into each other.

Paige was also careful, and like me, she informed Erick in advance if there was a danger that they might run into each other. She volunteered to work at Nick's firm for an indefinite period as his personal assistant to fill in for her brother's secretary who needed to take time off for family matters. Erick and Nick worked together on several projects, so they often met. So Paige had accurate information about Nick's work schedule and was passing it on to us with good intentions.