My Lovely Jerk {Completed}

Chapter - 13

“I never heard of you being shy, Ms. White,” Niko joked as he walked away from me and more so into the living room.

I turned around and saw Niko plop down on the beige suede couch that Bryson and I sat on last night.  “I’m not shy,” I informed him right before he turned on the television. With small steps, I walked over to the couch and took a seat on the opposite side of the couch, creating distance between Niko and I.

Niko stopped changing the channels and looked over at me. His blue eyes studied me for a second before he nodded once. “Glad to know,” a smile crept on his face before he averted his attention back unto the television.

“So ... you’re a friend of Bryson?” I questioned as I tried to make small talk with Niko.

Niko, who was still searching for the right channel, sighed. “Yeah, we are friends.”

His answer was short and I was unsure if that meant he didn’t want to talk or just wasn’t one for conversation. I pegged it to be the first one, so I curled up to my end of the couch and remained silent.

Time flew by and before I knew it I found myself looking at the clock over the entertainment center and finding that I’d wasted three hours just sitting here watching T.V with Niko. “Hey, do you know what time Bryson is supposed to be home?” I asked as a commercial break came on.

Niko looked at his wristwatch and shrugged. “He was supposed to be here at eleven. Bryson is only running an hour late ... maybe the meeting went longer than expected ... Thirsty?” Niko asked me as he got off the couch.

At first I was confused at his question but then I realized he was headed to the kitchen. “No,” I replied as I got off the couch and followed him. “Hey! I didn’t get the chance to ask Bryson, but do you know why he had to meet with his lawyer?” I questioned once we entered the small kitchen.

Walking over to the silver, stainless steel, refrigerator, Niko pulled out a coke. Closing the refrigerator door, he opened the can and then looked at me. “No clue why he needed to meet with his lawyer … Bryson is a secretive man, there are very few things in his life that I really know about,” Niko commented.

“But, your friends,” I exclaimed as I wondered how they could be friends and keep stuff from one another. Randall and I never kept secrets, because hiding something showed that you didn’t trust the other person ... and for me friendship is based on trust...

Then again, I can only assume that the eighteen-year-old me had a different philosophy because according to Bryson, I kept our relationship in the dark from everyone.

Only, now, did I hope that I told Randall about Bryson and I because it eats me up inside to know that he might have died not knowing something as big as the relationship I had with Bryson.

“Yes, we are friends. However, friends don’t have to tell each everything, Elle. Sometimes, it is better to have some secrets. It can keep the peace and it can also not burden the other person with problems. Bryson and I are very good friends but I really don’t want to know everything that is going on in his life and I know damn sure he doesn’t want to know everything going on in mine. That is just how we work...”

I nibbled on my bottom lip as my mind kept begging to ask a question. However, I was doing everything in my power not to ask but before I knew it my mouth was open. “Did Bryson ever talk about me? I mean, did he ever speak of me before yesterday, when he asked you to watch me.”

Niko, who was now leaning against a counter by the refrigerator, looked at me with a sly smile. “Why do you ask?”

Sighing, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why are you avoiding answering the question?”