✨Your laugh is too much for my
heart sometimes ✨
"I'm sorry for that." Says Harvey as we finish up dinner and wine. I smile "I don't think this is something you should apologize to me for, Harvey." He sighs and pushes his hand inside the pocket of his slacks "I know, but I'm still sorry."
We stood near the front door, saying goodbye to everyone. Nick was gonna ride with us back too... Harvey offered. Amanda smiled at me "You should come here often, Lana. It was nice spending time with you." I nod "Of course." Chloe grabs a hold of my arm "We should have a sleepover together. A girl's night. You could invite your friend Jade too. I loved that girl." I nod again. I looked at Harvey because I wanted to go home now but his dad stops him "Harv, come with me for a second. I need to show you something." He nods and passes his car keys to Nick "Start the car for me. I'll be down." He looks at me and I answer "I'll wait for you in the car, okay?" He looks at his brother and then at me with a smile that did not reach his blue eyes but he nods anyway.
I needed to get out and get some fresh air. The tension between Mr. Blackstone, Harvey, and Nick was suffocating enough for the day.
I said my goodbyes and walked out with Nick to the elevator. He kept his distance from me. By his face, I could tell he was exhausted too. He suddenly asks "So how was it meeting your boyfriend's family?"
My boyfriends? Not his brothers? Wait, am I Harvey's girlfriend now? Huh?!
I nod "They're nice people, Nicklaus." His face scrunches in distaste "Don't call me Nicklaus. My family calls me that when they're cross at me." He looks at me "I don't wanna hear that from your lips, Curvy." My lips part as our gaze met. His eyes looked sad... tired. Like some wounded puppy. He turns his head as the lift opens and we make our way out.
He unlocks the car and I sit in the passenger seat and watch him as he takes out a cigarette and puts it between his teeth, lighting it. He gets in the driver's seat and starts the car. I almost choke because of the smoke in the car and he apologizes "Sorry." And gets out. Closing the door. Taking a drag of his cigarette, he cranes his neck up and then puffs out the smoke. His head turns to the side as he watches the elevator door slide open and it's Harvey. He doesn't pay attention to me in the car but walks to Nick and stands in front of him. They talk about something but by the expression on Harvey's face, it looks heated. But at the same time, Nick makes it look like it's nothing at all. Harvey grabs his cigarette and throws it on the floor, smashing the burning stick under his shoe, and then walks past Nick, to me.
He opens the car door and as soon as he inhales, he sighs and says to Nick "Did you have to smoke in my damn car, Nicklaus?"
He's pissed.
My gaze went to Nick as he shakes his head with a smile as if saying 'I told you so.'
X
When we reach our building, Nick is the first one to get out of the car. He closes the door and as I'm about to get out, Harvey grabs a hold of my hand and at the same time Nick turns around and asks "You're not coming?" Harvey answers for me "I'm taking her out for donuts, do you have a problem with that?" Nick rolls his eyes and says to me "Bring me back one, okay?" And then walks up the stairs and into the building.
I turn to Harvey "Are we going for donuts?" He smiles "I just wanna spend more time with you right now. So I thought donuts would be a good idea." I looked at the time and it was already 11:00.
Why would I say no to donuts?
I smile and nod "I'm buying." He chuckles "No way. I am." I shake my head "No, last time you bought dinner. Donuts are my treat." He drives off with his one hand on the wheel and the other grabbing mine "Fine, but I'm getting the coffee or whatever you wanna drink. Okay?"
"I can live with that."
X
I was the one who suggested Krispy Kreme.
We got a glazed donut each. I got iced mocha frappe while he he got hot bitter black coffee.
We made our way to the ugly green chair and as I sat, he sat right beside me. Not opposite. He rests his face on his hand and just stared at me with a smile. I noticed the staring when I picked up my donut and was about to take a bite "What?" He shakes his head "I just find it fascinating when you eat donuts." He leans and kisses my cheek and then takes a sip of his coffee. I smile like an idiot with my cheeks burning up and it burns even more when I hear him chuckle to himself and whisper under his breath "Adorable." I say "I'm not, Harvey."
"Who says that? Because they're wrong, Lana."
I scoff "How dare you make me feel all special?" Which earns me a full-blown laugh that made my heart flutter like butterflies and birds and bees. If that even makes sense.
I finally took a bite of my donut and kept a napkin in my hand at all times. He pulls my hair behind my shoulder and I noticed that he likes touching a lot. I didn't mind though. I was not uncomfortable with that.
He says "I'm truly embarrassed at what happened today." I finish the bite in my mouth "How many times do I have to tell you that you don't need to apologize." He nods "I know... it's just... it's just that Nicklaus makes me so angry sometimes." My ears perk up like the curious bee I was "Why?" He takes a moment and then replies "Nicklaus and me... we always had our differences. That doesn't mean that I don't love him, but sometimes that jerk has ways to get on our nerves. He knows how to push the right buttons."
"So how did Nick become your step-brother. If you don't mind me asking."
He shakes his head "It's not a secret. His mom married young to his father in Paris. Teenage pregnancy... but his father wasn't supportive enough for his wife and son so she left him and came back here. Nick was only seven. Her parents didn't take her back because she had run away from home and to support herself, she worked as a hostess in this art gallery that my father owned. After a couple years, they fell in love and he wanted to marry her." I asked, "What about your mom?" He answers "She died when I was three. Car accident. I don't really remember her except for her pictures. But if I ever think about my mother, Amanda comes to my mind." I smile sadly "I'm sorry."
"It's good. It's all in the past." He takes out his wallet and then takes out a passport size picture of a young woman. She looked in like she was in her mid-twenties with deep black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a white dress with a baby in her arms, smiling at the camera. Her smile resembled Harvey's a lot. I said, "You have her smile."
"My dad says that too."
I give the picture back to him and I noticed another picture in his wallet of a young Amanda with gorgeous brown wavy hair like Nick. He looked exactly like his mother.
Harvey says "I was ten when I first met Nick. I was excited for a sibling but Nick was quite the opposite. He threw a lot of tantrums growing up. A lot of anger issues too. He beat up a kid in his second year of middle school because the kid called him an orphan for no reason. I got there in time to break the fight apart before the principal knew. But it was no use. His mother came to complain and Nicklaus got suspended for a week. The same thing happened in high school but he got kicked out in junior year."
Did Nicklaus never finished high school?
To be honest, this did not sound like Nick at all. I. my mind he was bold, mysterious, and kind. Not violent, angry, and crazy.
I asked, "What about Chloe?" He answers "Oh, she's our half-sister. We both love her to death. Nicklaus is especially possessive when it comes to Chloe." He jokes "You can blame all the bad influence on him." I smile and grab my frappe, taking a sip. "Alana." He calls my name and as I look at him, I hear the click of the camera "No, don't take my pictures like this." He shows it to me and my eyes were wide with the straw in my mouth. My round cheeks were red and puffy. He says "You look beautiful."
X
He refused to delete the picture no matter how many times I said that I hated that one.
We drive back with two glazed donuts in a box on my lap. He says "I still can't believe that you got him the donuts." I smile "Yeah." He takes a second, his eyes were still on the donuts on my lap. He looks at me and then says "Lana, I don't mean to sound like a bad guy here... try to keep your distance from him. The only thing Nick knows is how to disappoint people and break their hearts. That's all he does. I ask "Why would you tell me that?"
The car stops and I noticed that I'm home. He answers "Because I don't like the way he looks at you." I sigh and nod. I don't know what I was nodding at but I did. He takes a hold of my hand and raises it to his lips, gently turning my hand and kissing right on the middle of my palm. I smile "When you said that you'll always ask before kissing me... does that rule apply to me too?" He shakes his head "No, you can just grab me and kiss me whenever you want to."
"Even now?"
"Even now."
Resting my hand against his cheek, I pull him to myself, pressing my lips against his and kissing him slowly. He groans against my mouth and I felt his hand on my knee and gently stroking his thumb against my skin. His kisses trail from my lips to my chin. And before he could kiss my neck, I stopped him by putting my thumb against his lips. He stopped and looked at me with heavy blue eyes, almost breathless just like I was. I smile "Good night, Harvey." He nods, pecks the corner of my lips, and then rests his back against his seat "Good night, Lana." I get out of his car and he waits till I go inside the building with the donut in my hands.
I walk up the stairs with Harvey's words in my mind about Nick.
Before I could put the key in the keyhole, I stopped and looked at the donuts again.
I mean, what could go wrong if I give him donuts? It's just donuts. Right?
I sigh and walk up to another flight of stairs. It was already one in the morning.
Maybe he's asleep. I don't know. Should I knock or ring the doorbell? I should knock because if he doesn't answer, I won't ruin his sleep.
I try my luck by knocking gently on the door. Within seconds, the door opens and there he stands in a pair of dark blue sweatpants and a white shirt. A beer can in his hand. I could tell by his eyes that he was slightly buzzed. He takes a swig of his drink and asks "Yes, Curvy?" I hold up the donuts for him "I know you asked for one but I got you two." His brow knits "You got me donuts?" One second he stares at the box with confusion and the next he bursts out laughing. He says "You are the most precious thing in this world, Curvy."
My heart was stupidly beating in my chest, my stomach was aching with butterflies, my ears were ringing, and my cheeks were very warm. This was the first time I hear him laugh.
He clears his throat and coughs slightly and says "Thank you." The smile on his lips never falters. I just nod "Well, you're welcome. Good night, Nick." I was close to calling him, Nicklaus.
I turn around and as I'm about to take one step down the stairs, he calls my name "Curvy?" I stop and look at him. He leans against the frame of the door with the softest smile "Good night." I smile back and then walk down the stairs to my apartment.
I walked inside the door and the first thing I do is take the make-up off, shower, and change into a comfortable pair of shorts and shirt.
I lay in my bed and my body ached with the adventures of the day. I had both brothers in mind.
Why does my heart not believe what Harvey said about Nick?
•••••
So... Hi...
I updated four chapters because I love you all so freaking much! Getting me to 10k reads when this story isn't even half way through? Yo, why so much love?! 😭♥️
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Love, Hope
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