Nico comes our way, and he looks too gorgeous for his own good. I don't think I can do this. He's dressed in a fitted cream suit with a crisp white button down and caramel-colored leather loafers. His brown hair is gelled away from his face, and his eyes are covered by black wayfarer sunglasses.
"I'll see you later, Bella," Mark says before walking away. It's shocking to me that he doesn't stay to talk to his son.
Nico meets my stance, and I feel a smile form on my face. It's purely nerve-filled. Knowing me, the second that I open my mouth, I'll start rambling.
"You were going to leave without saying hi?" Nico asks. He pays Charlie no attention and is gazing at me.
"Uh, Bella, I'll wait for you in the car," Charlie says. I smirk at him and watch him walk away before bringing my eyes to look at Nico.
"I'm on the clock. Just came here to deliver something."
He lets out a breath, chuckling at the same time. "Why are you talking to me like that?"
"How am I talking to you?"
He pauses, and it's clear that whatever he's thinking right now is causing him some sort of distress.
"Like you don't even know me."
His words slice through my heart, so I feel the need to correct him. "Nico, you know that's not true."
"I don't know anything anymore, Bella."
I take a gulp and press my lips together. "I should get going. Charlie's waiting for me."
He nods his head, but I can tell that he doesn't want me to walk away.
"Bye," is all that he says, and something about his tone is sad.
"Bye," I whisper, and proceed for the driveway.
When I get back to the car, Charlie is on the phone with Wendy. He holds his finger up to me as he continues to nod his head at whatever she's saying.
"Got it. Will do, Wendy. Bye." He hangs up the phone and looks at me. "Change of plans. You're staying."
"Excuse me?"
"You're staying. Wendy said that she wants you to help out with the food and whatnot. She's paying you extra, by the way."
"Why me? Why can't you do it?" I blurt out.
"Trust me, I'd love the extra cash, but she specifically said you. She also said to call the store when you're done and someone will come get you."
"Unbelievable," I mutter under my breath as I slam open the door.
I return to the backyard, but this time, Nico is talking to his dad. I'm trying not to stare too long, but their conversation seems pretty heated. Mr. Bradford is doing most of the talking as Nico stands there with a cold expression on his face.
I make my way over to the banquet table, uncover the trays, and start organizing everything so that the table looks clean. Hayley helps me assemble the silverware and serving utensils, and I begin to help people with their plates.
"You're welcome," I tell the elderly lady who thanks me when I hand her a napkin.
From the corner of my eye, I see Nico making his way to the front of the house. I continue to smirk at the woman until she walks away, but I can't help but wonder where he's going. And soon enough, I find myself following him.
"Nico," I call from behind him, but he's walking too fast and I'm struggling to keep up. "Nico, wait up!"
"Don't follow me, BC," he orders, and I missed hearing it. BC.
He gets into his Porsche and starts the engine, but I slam my hands down on the hood of his car before he can actually drive off.
He rolls down his window with a pissed look on his face. "You did not just slam your hands onto my car," he says.
"I did," I tell him matter-of-factly. "And if you don't tell me where you're going, I'll do way more than just that."
"Don't you have a job to do?" he asks as he keeps one hand on the steering wheel and the other laying across the windowsill. He must realize that he's being rude because he changes his tone almost instantly. "I'm sorry. Just...stay here."
"Just tell me where you're going, dammit."
He looks at me for a few seconds, and I know that he's actually considering it. But then he snaps back to reality. "I'll be back soon, okay?" And when I don't say anything, he asks again, "Okay, Bella?"
"Okay," I finally say.
***
It's been two hours since Nico left, and I can't help but wonder if he forgot that I was here...waiting for him. I'm always waiting for him.
At least I've been busy. I hate to admit it, but it's a good thing that Wendy had me stay here. There's too many people and too much to clean up.
"Bella, have you seen Nico anywhere?" Mr. Bradford approaches me and asks. "People are asking for him. Important people."
"I haven't," I say. Mr. Bradford has always intimidated me. Something about his demeanor is stand-offish.
"Well when you do see him, tell him that I'm very disappointed in him." He begins to walk away, but then stops and turns to me. "Oh, and Isabella...thank you for your help today. Maybe you can teach my son the meaning of hard-work."
That's Mark Bradford for you. Always reminding his son that he's a disappointment. Gillian, on the other hand, would never say something like that to Nico. Now that I'm thinking about it, she was nowhere to be found, which, I guess makes sense if they're talking about a divorce. But, at the same time, Gillian's all about appearances, and this was a major work event.
I don't dwell on the thought for too long because I hear a car pull into the driveway. I make my way to the front of the house and find Nico stepping out of an Uber. I wonder where his Porsche is.
One look at him and I can tell that he's been drinking. His hair is disheveled, his shirt is unbuttoned, and he's smoking a cigarette. Nico doesn't usually smoke, but when he does, there's a reason for it. I hate this side of him, but even that hate is not enough to make me not love him.
"Nico," I say when he comes up to me.
"Bella!" he beams, pushing my hair behind my ears with his fingers. Yup, he's definitely been drinking. I can smell the whiskey.
"Where've you been?"
"Don't worry about it," he trips on his foot and consequently comes closer to me.
"Nico," I shake my head, "you look terrible."
"Well, you look really beautiful," he says in a low tone. The words don't hit me like they should because this isn't Nico talking. This is someone else.
"Your dad was looking for you," I tell him. I'm not sure that bringing up his dad is the smartest move, but I do it anyway.
"Like that asshole gives two shits."
"Nico, what happened?" Something in my tone breaks and I can't help my emotions from getting the best of me. I see the hurt in Nico's eyes, and that in turn, hurts me.
"I don't want to talk about it," he states, rolling his eyes. They're so dark that I almost don't recognize their beauty.
Fortunately, the party has pretty much cleared out and Mr. Bradford is nowhere to be found. The last thing that I want is for his father to see him like this, which is why I propose, "Let's go for a walk."
He looks at me with a pained expression. "I thought you hated me."
"I couldn't hate you even if I wanted to," I whisper, but with the way that he's looking at me right now, it's like he doesn't believe me.