He gently pulled me by the elbow and shoved me behind his back.
Simon looked at him for a moment and then he smiled. “Nice to see you, too, bro.”
“You have no right calling me that,” Nick said. “And you don’t get to talk to my girl.” He took a step toward him and in a low, murderous voice, he said, “Not this girl. I swear to God, I will kill you this time.”
Simon looked shocked for a moment and then he took a step back. “Now, you just made me want her even more,” he said in a mischievous voice.
Nick narrowed his eyes and then without warning, he took a swing and his fist landed solidly on Simon’s jaw.
Commotion erupted and suddenly, people were around us. Some were holding Simon back, some were holding Nick back. Nick wanted to come at him for another punch but Blaze was suddenly in his way, pushing him back.
“Nick, he’s not worth it,” Blaze said. “Not worth going to jail for, at least.”
“Right, go ahead! Let your little brother do the dirty work for you again!” Simon spat.
Nick looked at Blaze, giving him a confused expression, as if he had no idea what Simon was talking about.
Blaze took a deep breath and turned to Simon. “I thought that was our dirty little secret, Bennet. Or you want everybody here to know what a filthy son of a bitch you are and damn coward begging me not to break your face for what you did to my brother!” he said angrily. “Come on, you bastard! I’ve got enough money to get me out of a murder lawsuit ten times over!”
Blaze was about to launch a punch at Simon, but this time, it was Nick who pulled him back.
“Blaze!” Nick shouted as he held his brother back. “You’re right. He’s not worth going to jail for.” Blaze stopped and stared at Nick as if he was out of his mind. Nick said, “Not you, at least.” And without warning, Nick punched Simon again, making him fall to the floor, squirming in pain, holding his broken nose.
Tyler and the other guys stood between them to keep them apart, preventing the brothers from murdering Simon with their bare hands.
I pulled Nick back. “Nick, please stop,” I said.
Nick stared at me for a moment. His face was red with anger. He took a couple of deep breaths until his expression softened and he nodded at me. Then he turned to his brother and said, “We’ll talk later.” To Simon, who was still holding his bleeding nose, he said, “I mean it. Get anywhere near Mackenzie and I will kill you. No one will be able to stop me the next time.”
Nick took my hand in his and led me out the door. We walked to his car in silence. I could tell that he was trying his best to calm down.
I’ve never seen Nick this angry, almost out of control. He looked ready to go to jail just to hurt Simon. Tyler said they used to be closer than brothers and now, he looked ready to kill him without a second thought. And I thought I was starting to figure out why.
***
Silence could be deafening. Worse, it could be excruciating.
As I sat on the passenger seat while Nick drove to the middle of nowhere, questions raced in my mind. I wanted to scream and demand answers from him. But what was even more irritating was that I was not even sure I had the right to ask those questions.
Nick was also lost in his thoughts. He was staring ahead on the road, not making any sound at all. I would give anything to know what’s going on in his head right now.
I could conclude one thing. Nick was hurt, angry, betrayed. He lost not just a girlfriend, but also a best friend. And my heart actually broke for him.
I wanted to console him but I didn’t know how. I wanted to assure him that if he chose me, he wouldn’t have to go through that again. I was different and it would be different with me.
We turned the corner and entered the driveway of a huge hotel. He got out and quickly rounded the car to open the door for me. He took my hand in his and intertwined our fingers as he led me inside the hotel. He guided me to the elevators and pressed P. He didn’t look at me or speak to me but neither did he let go of my hand.
I waited with bated breath until the elevator doors opened to our floor. He opened the door to a huge one-bedroom suite. I stepped inside the room and quietly observed the elegant design of the beige interior with gold trimmings. There was a huge fireplace in the middle of the living room.
Then I turned around to face Nick. He was staring at me with a somber look on his face. Before I could open my mouth to say something, he said, “The bathroom is over there if you want to shower before going to bed. There’s a new pair of sleeping gowns in the cabinet in the bathroom.”
I nodded and didn’t say anything. As soon as I locked the door of the bathroom, I leaned against the door for a couple of minutes, taking deep breaths to calm and steady myself.
There were so many things I wanted to ask Nick. A part of me wanted to scream and ask why we were in this situation right now, when two days ago, we were happily planning this vacation with his family. But I knew he didn’t need that right now. Margot’s return into the picture, while he was starting a thing with me, must have thrown him out of balance. And then this Simon showed up, waking up the sleeping wrath within him.
And in the middle of all this mess, I wondered where I stood.
We were supposed to have the talk. I had been holding my breath for it the whole day. And now, all I needed to do was to keep him level-headed enough to keep from murdering Simon while we were in town.
I took a cold shower to cool my nerves and my senses. I cried as much as I could so that when I finally faced him, there would be no more room for tears. He didn’t need to see me cry. I would not allow him to choose to stay with me because he saw how much this was hurting me.
After my bath, I dried myself with a towel and blow dried my hair. Then I opened the cabinet inside the bathroom and found a fresh pair of underwear and a new pair of purple silk nightie. It had spaghetti straps and ended a few inches above my knees when I put it on. It had a matching silk robe with long sleeves. The fit was perfect and even though it was the first time I ever wore a nightie, I was surprised that I didn’t feel awkward wearing it. And when I looked at myself in the mirror, I had to admit that I also didn’t look bad in it.
I took a deep breath before I went out of the bathroom.
“This is it, Ken,” I said to myself. “Your fate with Nick awaits you on the other side of the door.”
When I came out to the living room, Nick was nowhere to be found. Wood was quietly burning in the fireplace, keeping the room warm and cozy.
“Nick,” I called.
I didn’t get an answer. I walked over to where the bedroom was on the right side of the living room. With a shaking hand, I turned the doorknob.
My heart was pounding inside my chest, and for a short moment, I was tempted to just lock myself up in the bathroom. Or better yet, change back into my outdoor clothes and run, take a cab to the airport, and fly back home.
But I couldn’t do that to Nick. Looking all over town, worrying about where I’d gone should be the least of his worries right now. And I couldn’t do that to myself either. I have always been the rip-off-the-bandage kind of person.
I thought I was prepared for anything. Maybe I was even prepared for my first broken heart waiting for me inside the bedroom. I was even ready to find a note on the bed, telling me that he’d left and chosen Margot instead of me.
I thought I was ready for all the possibilities of how this night might turn out. But no, I was not prepared for the sight that greeted me when I opened the bedroom door. As I stared at the view in front of me, I thought I forgot how to breathe altogether.
The room was dimly lit by the candles all over it. The petals that covered the floor filled the room with a faint rose scent. The middle of the ceiling was made of glass, giving a view of the starlit sky above. Nick was standing in the middle of the room with his back to me. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of gray pajamas. The entire view before me was completely breathtaking.