*This chapter contains sensitive content*
Chapter 14
As the sun fell, Nathan found Karina in the 'her' side of the master bathroom. She was seated at the vanity dabbing her ring finger over her eyelids.
"There he is, my ghost boyfriend," she sang. She leaned away from the lit mirror and smiled at him through the reflection.
"Leaving now?" he asked quietly, leaning against the sink across the room.
Pulling a small brush from a bag, she waved it over a box of color swatches. "Mhm. I can't remember the last time you watched me do my makeup."
"Where are you going?" he asked. He had a few guesses already. She was in a tight mini dress. She was either going out to a bar with her girls, another influencer party, or a lounge.
"To the Palm Lounge. Why? Are you coming with me?" She asked, turning around with a frown leaning towards disgust.
Nathan grumbled, "No."
"Aww poo." She pushed out her lips and leaned back into the mirror. "I almost thought it was a full moon or some shit making you want to be adventurous for once. But I do need to take the car since I'm not coming back here."
"Speaking of coming back, Karina... we need to talk about us." He rubbed his prickly chin, recalling the conversation with her father in the morning.
"Well, yeah. The award ceremony is three nights away."
"That's not what I wanted to talk about."
"Jesus Christ, Nathan. I don't want to go through another fake breakup right now. I'm meeting with my girls later. Not a good time."
"When is it ever a good time to break up?"
"Well, considering that I've been here for the last three days and you've been hiding at the Tower? Why do you think I called you a fucking 'ghost'?"
"Because I have a job." He pushed away from the counter. "Does it not bother you right about me wanting to break up? Huh, Karina?"
"No, because you're predictable, and that's one of the few things I like about you."
"Why were you even here for so long?"
"Umm, you live in a mini-mall and have help who speak English. Well... one speaks."
"Easy Karina." He threatened.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You're just such a nice millionaire who hires to meet the diversity quota. Now all you're missing is a baby and a Jamaican or Spanish-speaking nanny." She said before slinking out the door.
He followed her to the gallery stairs. "What do you like about me? The money?"
"Yes."
"The house?"
"I just said that a minute ago."
"Sex?"
She stopped in the middle of the flight and she said flashing her eyes open, "I mean... you haven't really been performing well in that category. It's been like four months, and I can count on my finger how many times you could stay hard. Do you need to fuck other people? I'm cool with that you know."
"No, I don't need to fuck other people, but do you?" He folded his arms.
"Yeah," she said, exaggerating the word with a wide mouth.
They continued down the stairs. "And have you?"
"With no one, you know. They were literal nobodies," she shrugged. "You don't sound or look mad about it."
"I'm not because I'm fucking done."
She met the last step and laughed, "With what?"
"With you and this bullshit relationship."
Her smile vanished after a blink. She ascended a few steps back to him. "Nathan? C'mon. You know this is how we work. And it benefits both of us."
"I don't want to do this anymore," he repeated with widened eyes. "We don't love each other."
She hesitated, and her voice shook. "I do love you, okay? We just have an unconventional relationship. We're not regular people, so we can handle this."
"It's not good enough," he shook his head.
She pulled back and cocked her jaw. A blankness passed over her eyes and she murmured tearfully. "You and I take care of each other."
"I take care of you," he spat.
She grabbed his hand and said with a smile, "As a man should want to do for his woman. Which means attending events with me without complaint."
He pulled away, and "Has it not been obvious, I don't have fun at these events? I hate getting high, and I don't have fun when we're together."
"You used to."
She didn't lie. Their first nights were a blur from all the sex and drugs, it was like his first years in college. He and Chaz were out and about, doing whatever until Trish came along. Nathan ended up finding himself a girlfriend too, but that didn't work the way he assumed it would. He saw the destruction of caring about nothing and someone all at once. But he never admitted how quickly he grew tired of being up for a party or leaning on his family name and inheritance to get him through with little effort on his part. The solitude was there even in the middle of a room, but it went away with the right entertainment.
"Those were distractions," he admitted thoughtfully.
"What's going on? Are you depressed or something? Everyone has a fucking mental illness or some self-diagnosed thing," she complained with a frown and pulled out her phone.
He flattened his face. "Karina, I meant everything I said. This is it. You walk out this door, and I don't want you to come back."
"I'm not going to keep having this fight with you so–"
"It's over!" He finally roared.
She grabbed his arm and looked into him. "As far as we both know, I'm Abraham's bigger client. So, I can say anything and you can find out what it's like to have no money, no house or business. You need me."
He jerked away and pulled the front door open. "Get out of my house."
He slammed the door. Feeling a presence, he looked to his right. Belle stood in the dining room entrance. She approached him at the door and kept her eye on him.
Calmly, she said, "Mary returned an hour ago, but I refused her assistance. Dinner will be ready in thirty, and I would like to sit and enjoy it with both of you."
Nathan took off. In a hurry, he knocked on the front door to the guest house. He didn't have to wait for more than a minute before Mary opened the door.
"May I come in?" he asked, putting his hands in his pocket.
She stepped back, letting him through. He looked around and saw the news on the screen to the left, and to the right, a white candle burned on the high breakfast table. The house smelled like flowers.
Mary turned off the TV and stood under his watch reluctantly. He was in her private space, and it hurt him to see her avert her eyes.
"I think I get it," He started. "I guess I scared you–"
She lifted her pointer finger, about to interrupt, but she stopped to lower her lashes again. Nathan stepped closer. "No, say what you were going to say."
Her eyes widened before she swallowed and pulled out her phone. You did scare me.
"I'm sorry. You... and Belle mean a lot to me. I wanted you to know that I value all the work you've done here and your friendship that I hope I haven't lost entirely."
Hearing him say what they were brought relief to her posture.
"Are you okay?" he asked cautiously. "I know I pushed too hard this morning. I was worried."
My sister took me to a therapy session.
Nathan lit up. "That's great! How was it?"
Mary paused to read his sudden glow. Smiling, she mouthed, "Good."
"Congratulations, Mary!" he said, opening his arms, and she goggled his gesture. Nathan was on the verge of dropping his arms, mid-apology, but she took a step into him.
She melted into his embrace. His heat channeled a calm inside of her she knew it could, and his familiar scent was welcomed. Nathan rested his chin on her head, and by instinct, she curled her fingers into his back.
"I have an idea," Nathan murmured.
"Hmm?" she hummed. Her eyes shot open and she pulled back to see his similarly rounded eyes. He smiled bigger but was wise not to bring attention to what they both heard.
"I-I think we should celebrate."
She twisted her nose and lips.
He tussled his hair. "There's an art opening, two nights from now, and I thought we could go."
She pointed at herself and him in question, and he confirmed, "Yeah, just you and me. Just as friends. Completely platonic."
"Or is that too overwhelming?" He considered. "The dress code is a little more formal because it's a private event, but... that does mean there won't be too many people there. Maybe less than one hundred people."
What? He could have said there would be a thousand. Yet she wanted to go, though the idea of going out to a public event did scare her. And it being fancy nonetheless. She would be with him, he reminded her with a hopeful smile
I don't have anything fancy to wear. Mary shared with worry.
He read it and grinned, "Oh yes you do."