I didn’t know how long I slept or how I got home. But when I opened my eyes, it was already morning. I realized I wasn’t lying down on the ground by the beach where I last remembered I was. Instead, a down feather duvet kept me warm as I lay comfortably on a firm mattress. The pillows, duvet, and bed covers were all white, matching the eggshell paint on the walls.
At first, I thought I was in a hospital, but then I realized the bed I was in was far too comfortable and a lot wider than a hospital bed. Something about the room I was in was very familiar, as if I’ve been here plenty of times before.
The next thing I realized was that I was completely naked under the sheets. I felt tired, as though I went through a rigid exercise regimen the night before. Apart from that, I was feeling a little sore there, too, in my most private part.
Shit!
Suddenly, I felt movement behind me. An arm draped over my waist and I felt warm kisses on my neck.
I panicked!
I was with a guy! I was naked! We had sex last night! And it looked as if he wanted more!
I quickly turned around and acted on instinct. I started punching the person in bed with me.
Shit! I thought I knew what happened now. I passed out on the streets and somebody found me, took me home, and took advantage of me. He took advantage of the fact that I was in mourning and blacked out from all the alcohol I had in my system. I was in my most vulnerable state.
“Fuck you! You son of a bitch!” I cursed. “I’m going to kill you! You will not get away with this!”
“Whoa! Wait!” I heard a familiar voice say to me as I kept punching, not caring which body part I was hitting. “Stop it! Stop it! Kitten!”
I stopped, my heart pounding in my chest. I finally worked up the courage to look at the guy’s face. And I found Nick’s familiar eyes staring back at me.
“Nick?” I whispered.
“It’s me, babe,” he said.
Fuck! I’m hallucinating!
I quickly sprung out of bed, putting distance between us. I kneeled and took the white shirt I found on the floor and put it on me. Then I stared back at Nick. He was sitting on the other side of the mattress, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. He was looking at me wearily.
I blinked several times thinking he would disappear in a puff of smoke before me. But no matter how many times I blinked, he was still there, looking at me with an eyebrow raised, and a confused expression on his face.
Was I still in a dream? How could he be here? How could he be alive? Maybe I drunk and drove last night. Or maybe I worked up the courage to run to the sea and drown myself. Maybe I was dead, too. That was the only way I could be seeing him.
“Are you… real?” I finally asked.
“Yes, what else would I be?” he asked back.
“But… but…” I started slapping my face. I didn’t know what was real anymore.
Nick slowly approached me. Then he reached out for my hand. Nick gently pulled me to him, sat down on the edge of the bed, and made me sit on his lap.
He felt so real!
“Babe…” he said gently. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks. I shook my head. “I don’t know. I must be losing my mind. I can’t be seeing you. They said you were dead, and I couldn’t accept it. That’s why maybe my mind is making you up. That’s why you’re here alive.”
Nick’s eyes widened. He looked at me with a bewildered expression on his face. Then he asked, “What are you talking about? What do you mean I’m dead? Who told you that?”
I stared back at him, hope starting to flicker inside my chest. Could all this be real? “You’re not? This is not a dream?”
He recovered from his shock and his expression softened. He smiled at me gently. “Kitten, I’m not dead. You’re not dreaming. I’m real.” He took my hand in his and brought it to his chest, making me feel his heart. “Do you feel that? My heart is beating.”
Oh my god! It’s true. I could feel his heart pounding beneath my palm. His skin was soft and warm. His cheeks were pinkish, his eyes had the same loving expression he gave me last night when we made love in what I thought was my dream.
“So last night, when I made love to you. It wasn’t a dream?”
He smiled at me widely this time. “It felt real to me. Didn’t it feel real to you?”
I smiled for the first time since yesterday, relief washing over me. And then I laughed. Tears kept rolling down my cheeks, but I wasn’t really crying. I threw my arms around Nick’s neck and hugged him as tight as I could. He hugged me back.
“Whatever gave you the idea that I was dead?” he whispered. “On the contrary, maybe I should be happy. Because if you didn’t think I was gone, you probably would still be mad at me.”
I didn’t say anything. I just lost myself in the warmth of his arms, thankful that the nightmare was over, that I wasn’t too late yet, that I was given another chance to make things right. And now, I’ve learned the most valuable lesson in life. When you love someone, show them, tell them. Life can be short and we don’t know what will happen to our loved ones tomorrow. So don’t wait.
Love them. Laugh with them. Fight with them. But after the fight, kiss and make up, then have lots of makeup sex. Don’t spend too much time resolving your issues. Don’t make your loved ones suffer for their mistakes more than they should. Apologize and learn to accept apologies. Make every second count.
When I pulled away from Nick, he wiped the tears on my cheeks. Then he leaned forward and kissed me.
“I love you, kitten,” he said. “With the same intensity as the day you left.”
“I thought I would never hear you say that to me again,” I said. “I thought I lost you forever.”
He shook his head. “You will never lose me. I’m Superman, remember?”
I giggled and cried at the same time. “I wish that was true. Because last night, I got a taste of what it was like to know that you’re gone, and I thought there was nothing left for me here.” I leaned forward and kissed his lips. “I realized that there is nothing more important to me in this world than you, Nick. And I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you that. And to tell you that I have forgiven you a long time ago. I’m not mad that you had a deal with my dad. In fact, I was glad that you did. Because you met me, you went after me and you made me fall in love with you.”
He kissed my forehead. “But still, let’s agree. No more secrets, okay?”
“I’d like that.” Then I leaned forward and hugged him.
“Kitten, why did you think I was dead?” he asked, as he planted butterfly kisses on my shoulder.
I pulled away from him so I could look into his eyes. “There was a woman in front of your house yesterday. She said she was a real estate broker and she’s selling this house.”
“Oh yeah. I know that woman. She called me a dozen times yesterday. They were actually listing a house up South. The broker got the directions wrong. She was insisting that my house was for sale. I filed a complaint to their office yesterday.”
“She told me that the house was for sale because the owner died.”
“Fuckin’ A!” Nick cursed. “I will really sue her for the hell she put you through!”
“Nick, that’s not just it. I don’t believe everything strangers tell me. So I went to the diner to ask Margaret. They said she was in London because somebody close to her died.”
“And you assumed it was me?”
I shrugged.
“Margaret’s stepbrother died. They haven’t seen each other in a decade but they communicated and remained close. Grandpa Chef too since he was an old family friend. The guy lived in London. I can’t be the only guy she knew there.”
“I know. That’s why I called your house.”
“Which house?”
“London. Brad was listed in the directory.”
“And?”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think it was Beatrice who got the call. She said you were gone.”
Nick stared at me for a long moment. It was hard to believe, I know. I wouldn’t believe myself too if I didn’t witness it firsthand. “She… she said that? Maybe she meant I was gone someplace else, like I flew back to the States.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to get Beatrice in trouble, but sometimes, covering up for somebody doesn’t really help them. You’re only teaching them that it is okay to be mean.
“Her exact words were ‘Nick’s dead.’ I don’t think I could have mistaken that for something else.”
Nick narrowed his eyes and the expression on his face turned to fury. “Things were bad between Beatrice and me. We were always fighting. Maybe Margot was getting to her head. Bee had always been a little brat, always used to getting what she wanted. She could manipulate anybody in the house, Blaze and my mom included. But I had always been less tolerant. We never really got along. I berated her for what she did to you when you went to London.”
“How… how did you know?”
“That she intentionally left you behind when she had strict instructions to take you with them? Blaze told me. Then Blaze told everybody last week, during our family dinner. Dad was severely disappointed with her. She was planning a huge birthday party for herself in eight months, and my stepfather was going to pay for it. He cancelled everything when he found out what she did. Unfortunately for Bee, she didn’t have savings of her own. And Brad forbade her to touch her trust fund for anything other than emergencies or high yield investments. So she was pissed at both Blaze and me. She said we socially murdered her. Beatrice was twisted sometimes. Her friends and her social status mattered more to her than her brothers.”
“But still to tell your caller that you’re dead, that’s pretty low.”
“Yes,” Nick agreed. He smiled at me apologetically. “I apologize for my sister’s behavior. She had always been a jealous person and she didn’t like it that her own father seemed to adore me more than her. She was jealous of you, too. You stayed for a couple of days, and my entire family couldn’t stop raving about you. My stepfather kept telling me to marry you before you get away. Even Blaze was infatuated with you.”
“Blaze was joking,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Nick stared at me for a moment. And then he shook his head. “I love Blaze. He’s my little brother. In any other circumstance, I would sacrifice anything for him. But not this time. No matter how sorry I feel for him that the first woman he ever fancied seriously was already taken.”
“Nick? What are you saying?”