Five hours in a car with Nathan could have been a fun time to get to know each other even better, but we're both too nervous to talk much. Nathan has been unable to think about anything but the fact that Trevor's trial is starting in a few days and I'm dreading meeting Angelo, afraid that I won't get him to approve of me.
It is good to know that even though we don't feel like talking, we are still able to be there for each other. There's no one I'd rather have with me, no matter what my mood is. Since we're mostly speeding down an almost empty highway, he's got his hand on my thigh for most of the drive and just that little bit of contact comforts me more than anything. I've hooked my phone up to the sound system in Nathan's fancy car and my favorite songs are blasting through the small room. I'm singing along, making Nathan smile from time to time when I do a weird shimmy dance even though I'm strapped into my seat firmly. I can tell that he's just as happy to have me with him during this stressful time.
"Okay," I finally sigh when the navigation app on my phone alerts me that we're only twenty minutes away from Angelo's place. "Is there anything I need to know about Angelo and Gina before you throw me into the lion's cage?"
He's already told me that Angelo is 42 and Gina is 39. They have a little girl that's 3 and a boy that turned 8 last week, so he's in second grade just like Rose. Angelo's parents were both born in Italy and Gina is half Italian, half American. He's a carpenter and she's an interior designer. They earn some extra cash by flipping houses whenever they stumble onto a great opportunity. Even though they are great at it and are able to reduce costs by doing almost everything themselves, they don't want to do a project like that too often because apparently, they are known for their epic fights and flipping a house means spending even more time together than they normally do, which doesn't always end well.
Nathan told me that the neighbors once called the cops on them because they'd been screaming at each other all night long. According to Nate they never get violent and they love each other more than life itself, but I'm more than a little glad that I'm not in a relationship like that. I've had my fair share of grief with my exes, but I never got into screaming matches with them that caused the neighbors to take such drastic action.
"I already told you know all you need to know," Nathan assures me. "Some of the things I told you may not sound that great, but they truly are great people. Gina will try to make you feel welcome even if Angelo won't. She's the only person he will listen to when he gets all stubborn and proud. Without her, I don't think he would know what to do with himself."
We chat for a few more minutes before we both fall silent again. Only a few more minutes and I'll be face to face with both of Nathan's best friends and their wives. When I moved out of my parents' house in October, I never thought that come February, I would be in this situation. When I glance at Nathan and see him smile at me, I know that there's nowhere I'd rather be.
When we arrive, it is so dark that it's hard to see where I'm going. For once, I'm allowing Nathan to be the perfect gentleman because I can really use his help getting out of the car and to the front door. Why the hell am I wearing heels? Well, I know why. It's the same reason I'm wearing a pretty dress and did my hair and make-up. It's insane to look this good just to sit in the car for five straight hours on a Friday night, but I want to make a good first impression.
"Nate!" A small woman with enormous breasts and bright red curls opens the door and immediately throws her arms around Nathan. "Oh, it's been too long! We're so glad you decided to come." Her million watt smile almost blinds me when she turns her attention to me. "And you must be Caroline. I've been dying to meet you ever since Nathan told us about you. I'm Gina, obviously."
I awkwardly hug her back when she presses me against her. I'm not tall, not at all, but I tower over her and it's not just because I'm wearing heels. She's a tiny little thing, although she's got curves that make it obvious that she's a lot older than she appears from her size alone. When she leans back, I notice that her face betrays her age as well. Not that she looks old, but she does look 39.
"Come in, come in, Sean and Jillian arrived an hour ago and we dropped the kids off at my parents' place for the entire weekend, so we've basically just been waiting for the two of you so we can finally get this party started." She winks at me. "Nathan is always the last to arrive, sometimes even when he's the one hosting the weekend. I hope for your sake he's better at being on time when he takes you out for a date." She tells us to drop our bags in the hallway and we follow her into an enormous living room that looks like it belongs in a lifestyle magazine. Gina is an interior designer, after all.
Sitting around on the large corner sofa are Sean, Jillian and a man that must be Angelo. The minute he gets up I immediately realize that he's not tall either. In fact, he's rather small for a man, but he makes up for his unimpressive height by being broader than Nathan and Sean combined, even though Nathan is definitely no slouch either. Angelo looks like he could lift a truck with his pinkie. The man is ripped.
Angelo and Nathan give each other a quick hug and they slap each other's shoulders with huge grins on their faces. When they're done being boys, Angelo turns his attention to me.
"So..." He lets his eyes trail over me from head to toe, frowning. "You must be the 20-something floozy that's currently keeping Nathan's bed warm."
Oh hell. This is going to be a long weekend if he's gonna be like this all the time. If I don't bite back right now, I may as well turn around with my tail between my legs.
"No, we left her back home," I say calmly. "I'm Caroline, the woman your best friend is in love with. You must be the dickhead that is rude to strangers to compensate for his fragile little ego."
For a tense moment, everyone is quiet. The first to start laughing is Gina. She slaps her husband on his arm teasingly. "I can tell Nathan wasn't kidding when he said you could take him," she tells me with a wink. "Angel, we talked about this. Be nice. We don't want to scare her off."
Angelo doesn't seem impressed with me at all. "Who says that's not exactly what I want to do?"
"I do," Nathan cuts in, putting an arm around me. He presses a kiss to my temple and gives Angelo a hard look. "Be cool, dude."
Apparently, those are the magical words, because finally, Angelo smiles and extends a hand to me. I shake it, flinching at how hard he squeezes. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of complaining about it, so I return the pressure, making him frown again.
"Wine?" Gina yells over her shoulder as she walks to the kitchen. "White? Red? Or maybe beer? Scotch? Tequila?"
"She'll have all of us drunk within the hour," Jillian grunts when Gina returns with a bottle of chardonnay, filling up everyone's glass before ordering Angelo to go get some more beers as well.
I follow Angelo into the kitchen, ensuring Gina that I'm perfectly capable of getting myself a glass of water. Her husband spins around the moment I enter, handing me a glass and pointing at the tab with a scowl.
"I can't believe he actually brought you here," he grumbles, leaning against the counter. "And why the fuck are you wearing an outfit that belongs in a magazine? Do you really think a dress and some heels are going to impress me?"
Fucking hell this man is even ruder than I expected.
"Well, then I guess you won't mind if I kick off these heels," I reply, forcing myself to stay perfectly nice even though he isn't. I take off my heels and sigh contently when I stretch out my toes. "And yeah, I am trying to impress you. If a dress won't do the trick, then what will?"
"Break up with him," Angelo says in a low voice, making sure no one in the living room will be able to overhear him. "I will call you a cab and even pay for it if you agree to leave Nate the hell alone."
"That's never going to happen," I inform him, struggling to keep smiling. Who the fuck does he think he is, trying to drive me away? "For your information, I love him. I get that you don't think a 25-year-old is right for your friend, but you don't even know me. Age isn't all that matters. Don't you think you should wait at least a day before deciding that I need to be cut from his life?"
He shakes his head, moving in closer. Even though he's the same height as I am, he's still pretty damn intimidating. "I don't need to get you know you, Caroline. You're just in this for the thrill. Forbidden fruit tastes better and all that crap. You may think you know Nathan, but you don't. He always does this. When he likes someone, he convinces himself that it's love and he gets in far too deep way too soon. He turns a blind eye to all the things that don't add up and ends up completely broken and alone."
I step in even closer, refusing to let him scare me off. "And what exactly doesn't add up about me?"
"You're a fickle little slut," he hisses, his breath tingling on my face. "You don't love him. You just want a fling and that's not what Nathan wants. The sooner you leave him, the less it will hurt him. If you care about him even a little, you will listen to me. Get the fuck out of his life. Now."
"No," I bite back, feeling my cheeks turn bright red with anger. "Never."
"You say that now, but you've got no idea how horrible this weekend is going to be for you," Angelo warns me before taking a step back and grabbing the beers from the counter. "Nathan may want me to be nice to you, but I've never been particularly good at following orders." He stalks out of the kitchen before I can respond, leaving me standing there like a fool.
It takes me a minute to pull myself back together. How can Nathan be friends with someone like that? I can't imagine any of my friends being this nasty to Nathan. All of my friends and family accept him, even though I've got a lot more to lose than he does. If our relationship is discovered within the next few months, it's my job on the line. All Nathan will face is a few snide remarks from some of the other parents, but he won't suffer any real fallout. Elise might be nasty for a while, but it's not like their relationship was all that great to begin with.
On top of that, my heart will be broken if he leaves me. I don't like to admit it to myself, but I'm not just in love with him. I'm in so deep that I would shatter if he decided to walk away from me. When we lightly touch subjects like moving in, getting married or having kids, I feel myself getting excited at the prospect. I want a future with him and I hate that we have to wait until the summer break to start this thing for real, out in the open. I can tell that he's freaked out by how fast our feelings for each other are developing, but I'm in. Completely. Deeper than I've ever been before. Not even Angelo will keep me from going after what I want.
"Hey, are you okay?" Nathan asks when I walk back in and take a seat.
"Yes," I reply, grimacing at Angelo's glare from across the coffee table. "Just having a chat with your friend."
Nathan's eyes move from my face to Angelo and he grunts. He doesn't ask anything else, which probably means that he already knows the kind of crap his friend pulls when he's not around. His hand finds mine and he squeezes in reassurance.
"Are you sure don't want some wine, Caroline?" Gina asks. At least she is nice to me.
"I'm sure." I could use some liquid courage, but I'm already tired and I haven't eaten in hours, so I know that alcohol wouldn't be wise right now. I need some water and something to eat, not to muddle my thoughts with wine. There are all kinds of snacks on the coffee table, so I grab a pizza bite and a few cheese cubes.
"So, as I was saying," Sean picks up the conversation about his son they were having before me coming in interrupted them, "Pete has a new girlfriend."
Jillian rolls her eyes at her husband. "Honey, you've got to let it go. I know you liked his last girlfriend, but we both knew that puppy love doesn't last."
"You know it's not about that," Sean argues, gesturing widely. "He's in college! What is he doing with a girl that's still in high school? She's only 16, for crying out loud!"
"Yeah," Angelo agrees with his friend, eyes still on me. "Why would anyone want to date a younger woman? They are so incredibly immature."
Okay, I'm done. I am not just going to sit here and take his abuse. "Most women are way more mature than men, no matter what their age." I can feel everyone's eyes on me, but I don't care. "And isn't Gina three years younger than you, Angelo? Are you saying you think your own wife is immature?"
Angelo slams his beer down on the table and leans forward angrily. "Don't you dare talk about my wife like that, you-"
"What?" I ask snidely. "Are you going to call me a fickle little slut again? Or are you too much of a coward to talk to me like that now that it's not just the two of us anymore?"