N I C H O L A S
TONIGHT WAS Noah and Tori's engagement party. To say it was well overdue was the understatement of the century, but Jackson sure knew how to keep his new Step-Dad on his toes.
"Wow, Step-Dad," I think and chuckle to myself.
Noah had the ring our Grandmother gave him last Christmas burning a hole in his pocket for at least five months before he found the perfect time to pop the question. Though, the last month was waiting for Jackson to make a decision if he accepted Noah's proposal to his Mom or not, but we all knew he was leaving him hanging as long as possible to make him suffer. I would've done the same to be fair.
He had wanted to marry Tori last November, but was waiting for the right time to do it. When our Grandmother gave him her ring over Christmas break he knew he would have to think of doing it soon. Noah was crazy about Tori, from the moment they met you could tell they liked each other. That embarrassing dinner six years ago, when they first met was the first of many other embarrassing moments together. I was happy Noah finally found his one true love, but that couldn't be said for myself. The girl I wanted, the girl I loved was off limits.
She was always off limits.
"It feels weird."
"What does?" I say, snapping out of my trance to look at Nat. He walks into the kitchen rolling up his blue shirt sleeves to his elbows, grabbing the keys to the car.
"Noah getting married, it feels weird - does it feel weird?"
I chuckle at him, pulling on my black suit jacket. "Nah man. They've dated for long enough, I say it's about damn time."
"Wish Ryan was here to celebrate with us tonight. It's not right her missing her own sisters engagement party," he says staring off into the distance.
"I guess she still doesn't want to come home yet."
We hadn't seen Ryan in two years. Two very long years. Sure we had spoken to her, over the phone weekly, messages almost everyday, but we did really miss seeing her in person. We never knew the reason why she never came home after she left for New York, but me and Nat guessed it was all the bad memories she has from high school. It couldn't of been anything else.
We came close to seeing her last year, planned to make a trip to New York to see her over the summer when we had some quiet time at work, but her Mom told us they were all travelling back home to England over summer vacation so we never got a chance to see her. We were hopeful she'd come back home this summer, unfortunately, when Nathan casually asked Noah if he heard anything last month - whether she was staying there or coming home, he said 'no' and it meant another summer without her again. We did miss her, A LOT, but she was a college student, an adult discovering the world while we were stuck in California, building houses, apartments, coffee shops, nightclubs.
"You driving or am I?" Nat asks me, dangling the keys in my face. I hadn't noticed I zoned out again, but I missed Ryan and Nathan was right - it was weird celebrating their engagement without her.
"I'll drive, we need to get Samantha anyway," I tell him. He rolls his eyes, pushing a curse word into the silent kitchen - aimed at me because of my choice of date, but she was going to be a distraction. "What?" I shrug.
"Samantha? Didn't we like..." he waves his arm at me, like he is trying to think of something nice to say, but even I know it's impossible when it comes to Samantha, "dump her?" He finally sighs.
"Yeah... twice."
"And she's coming because....?"
"Because I don't want Aunt Hilda trying to set me up again with her friends friend, daughters, cousin or what ever," I moan.
Our Aunt meant well, she always did, but at twenty six years old and CEO of mine and Nathan's own company - plus Noah getting married, it was a never ending battle of her trying to set me up on a date. As the middle child of three and Noah already spoken for, I was the next nephew on her hit list. Hence why Samantha was my date.
"And my date?"
"Call Melanie."
"I did, she's got that benefit tonight."
"Then suffer without one," I chuckle, leaving him annoyed.
"So it's okay for Hilda to not pester you about settling down, but she can me?"
"Your the youngest, your safe till am married at least," I shrug.
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AT OUR MOM'S new house across the city, the party is in full swing. Everyone from family, friends, to neighbour's and business associates are here. Half of them are our mothers guests, only noticing some of Noah's high school and college friends plus a few who seem to speak to Tori the most - guessing they are her work friends. I notice Jackson and a small group of teens with him in the corner, sitting in the lounge chairs while Mr and Mrs Blake are talking with our Mom and the happy couple greeting guests near their gift table. The DJ plays music for the older generation, swaying softly to Sinatra or Elvis. In true mother fashion it's turned into her party and I just hope she takes a step back, letting Tori take control of her own wedding rather than it being her party like she has done tonight.
"Am I coming home to play later?" Samantha says, hanging off my neck.
"Your my date Samantha, not a play thing tonight, understand?"
"But I thoug-"
"You thought wrong. No play time tonight, this is a family function and your only here to keep the claws of my Aunt off my back about settling down. You got it?" I tell her with a straight face.
"Bet I can-" she starts to say, wrapping her arms around my neck once again.
Groaning in annoyance, I pull away from her embrace, picking up my drink and looking back at the rest of the party going on around us. Samantha shuffles in her seat, leaning closer to me only this time she wraps her arms around me again, trying to bite my earlobe. I'm really not in the mood for this shit and I'm regretting my decision to bring her tonight. "This is my family Samantha, you need to behave yourself. As soon as the party is over your going back to your apartment, not the house, understand?"
"We'll see baby," she smiles at me in a devilish way, leaning into me again, finally managing to bite my earlobe.
"I need another drink," I groan, pushing her away from me.
Myself and Nathan had known Samantha just over a year and half. We've dated, casually for a few months but never anything serious. Samantha was the kind of girl you took home for the night, not for the long run. As much as she has persisted in the past she wants me and also wants Nathan - I know I couldn't.
She is a good distraction after a long week at the office, but that's all. You can't hold a conversation with her and that right there is what turns me off. She thinks Brad Pitt should be president because of his looks and that the only important thing in life is Vogue magazine. She is one hell of a estate agent and we've traded contracts back and forth over the time we've known each other. But Samantha is not the kind of girl I want to be around me all the time. There's only one girl I ever think about and Samantha does not even come close to comparing to her.
"Kill me, kill me now bro," I say, standing next to Nat.
"Out of all the girls in your little black book, you choose her?" He chuckles.
"Like you said, Mel was unavailable."
"Still man, Samantha? You know you can only take so much of her before she pisses you off, she's only good for one thing and she only does it well on her knees," he laughs.
He was right. Samantha was a good fuck, actually she was a okay fuck - I've definitely had better, but she was kind of the last minute 'I'm desperate' kind of call. I never called Samantha because I wanted too, I only called her out of pure desperation. It's sounds fucked up, believe me, I know, but she knows the score between us. Although, that never stopped her from trying to get more from me before. Like I said, she was a good fuck, but again, I've definitely had better.
"I should of just come alone," I grunt.
"Wanna call her a cab and get her outta here?" He smirks.
"God yes!" I think.
I know what your thinking, why bother bringing her in the first place? Only one answer. I was desperate. Melanie, a girl I known for a long time wasn't available tonight, Jules, who works in our legal department had a family function of her own and the rest of my normal contacts all had plans as well.
Both Nat and I had girls at our beck and call when we needed them. Only, Samantha was the only one who was willing to come and it wouldn't of surprised me if she cancelled plans to be here if it meant she was gonna get laid at the end of the night. The only reason I kept her around was purely because of how submissive she is to me in the bedroom, it's not everyday you find a girl willing to do things that others find too much.
"As much as I would love to get rid of her, I still don't want aunt Hilda on my back about settling down."
"And you think Hilda will approve of a girl like Samantha? In that dress?" He says pointing behind him and I follow to where he points to her sitting on a chair. "She looks like a cheap hooker Nic," he says, in a reasoning tone.
It was true, Samantha did not dress for a family party and judging by my Mother and Aunt's glances at Samantha all night, she hasn't impressed her at all. Knowing Samantha, she's purposely wore the shortest dress in her closet as a way to tease, not only myself, but probably Nat too. But the short dress, with her body on show like she's dressed for a night club wasn't going to work tonight. She was purely here for my own selfish reasons and I wasn't ashamed to admit it.
"I can't control what she wears Nat!"
"I know, I know," he says drinking his drink as he walks over to the side by the snack table.
"This was a mistake," I huff scratching my neck.
Samantha was here to help me out, but I should of just come alone and dealt with my Aunt how I always do. Just smile and nod at whoever she tries to set me up with, then gently let them down with Hilda out of ear shot. It's worked before. Many times before. But instead Samantha was here, annoying the fuck out of me and I was starting to regret it every second she tried to lick or bite me.
"You know, you cou-..." Nat says, stopping mid sentence. Nathan stands there, mouth wide open and his chest rising and falling as his breathe hitches. I shake my hand in front of his face, waving to get him to focus, but he is too engrossed in something more interesting across the room.
"Nat?" I call out to him but he's completely motionless. "Nathan," I try again, my hand waving more vigorously now, "seriously?" I follow his trail of sight towards the dance floor. The floor is packed with all the people our age, dancing along to Bruno Mars. When I look back at Nat I still can't figure out who or what he's staring at, but whatever it is it has him in a trance. He only ever acts this way when he sees something or should I say someone he wants, "Nathan? Snap the fuck out of it man," I say clicking my fingers in his face. But he still stays transfixed on the dance floor in front of us.
"How-...? When?" He says breathlessly.
"How wha-..." then I see her.
Her natural tanned kissed skin, her bright green eyes and flowing dark hair. That gorgeous smile, with the brightest teeth and that cute one cheek dimple she has on the left hand side. Her emerald green eyes twinkling in the lights that surround my Mom's garden, eyes I've missed every-damn-day for the last two years. I hear her contagious giggle, as she twirls the floor with Matthew in her arms.
It's her, it's really her. Ryan. But this isn't the Ryan we know and love, this Ryan is different. Her black off the shoulder top shows off her kissable neck, kissable shoulders, kissable sto-
"Calm down Nic, for fucks sake!" I think as I examine her body in front of me.
Her skirt, that flows down her legs with a long slit up the side leaves nothing to the imagination as it stops on her upper thigh, I have the urge to run up to her, wrapping my jacket around her so one else sees her beauty. When I look further down I notice her shoes or should I say lack there of? I can't help but tug a corner smile at the black Vans on her feet, she was always in comfy sneakers and I know her Vans are one of her favourites.
"Ryan," Nat whispers.
"Did... did you know?" I ask him.
"No," he says shaking his head, "I'm seeing things right? Like, that's her, that really is Ryan?" He says. Nat is in just as much disbelief as I am, after two long years she's finally here.
Our girl is home.
"That's her man, no one else has eyes like she does," I say.
Both of us watch as Matthew twirls her, dipping her back as she giggles and she pulls at her top, making sure her chest is not exposed. I can't believe my eyes, she's totally different from the girl we last saw at the airport when she left. Her confidence is overflowing around the dance floor as she moves around it with Mathew, still with that gorgeous smile. And even though we are bit of a distance from the dance floor, I can honestly say I've missed the sound of her laugh. Ryan looks, happy. And she's never looked more beautiful than she does right now.
"I can't believe she's back," he says.
"I know."
"I guess Mathew is the reason she never wanted to come back," Nate says, from the corner of my eye I can tell he never looks away from her. I do the same, fearing that if I look away she'll disappear like a mirage. A evil figment of my imagination.
"What do you mean?"
"She looks really happy Nic. Like really happy, it's clear her and Matthew are in a relationship. I mean, look at them," he says gesturing his hand towards them. There was no denying that she didn't look happy, because she did. There was never a obvious sign of them eventually getting together, but in the two years she had been away we don't know what happened with them - we never spoke about such things over the phone. But if Matthew makes her that happy then that's all that mattered to me.
"As long as she's happy," I repeat to myself in my head.
*word count - 2552*
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Awwwwwww! They did miss her!
I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, the last chapter actually just led onto
the next chapter after & this one never existed at all. It's like a
needed added chapter because I wanted you to see the moments that led up to
them seeing her for the first time. Plus at the time of writing it first, I had no chapters
with POV in Nicholas or Nathan.
So I hope you enjoy it! 🙈🤪
I tried to make Samantha as annoying as possible & I hope I achieved that,
she's just rude!
If you liked this chapter please comment & vote!
Would love to hear what you think!
Stay safe...
CeeCee
xoxo
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