Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 164828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
He calls me from behind, “Eliza!”
“Go home to Robert, Nathan. I don’t want to talk to you.” I march on.
He grabs my arm and pulls me back to face him. “Jesus Christ, woman, will you listen to me for one fucking minute? I’m not with Robert. I was never with Robert.”
“I saw the pictures of Ibiza, Nathan.”
He frowns, as if confused.
“At your mother’s. I saw the photos.” I splutter, “How can you still lie to me after all this time? Did our friendship mean nothing to you at all?”
“We were on a Contiki reunion trip with twenty other people, Eliza. Separate rooms and very limited speaking. There is nothing with fucking Robert, like I told you.” His eyes search mine. “You left me for Henry Morgan?”
“No.” I sigh. God, how this must look? “That’s the first time I have seen Henry since I left… not that it’s any of your business.”
“You kissed him?”
“Yes.” I throw my hands up. “I kissed him, all right.”
“What else have you been doing?”
I stare at him, and a pull toward him overwhelms me. He’s so familiar.
So loved.
“Lying on the couch crying over you, Nathan.” My eyes fill with tears at how pathetic I must sound. “So stay the fuck away from me, okay?”
His face falls and he pulls me close. “Baby.”
“Don’t.” I struggle to break out of his arms, and he holds me tight against my will. “Let me go.” I struggle, and finally break free. I push him hard in the chest and he stumbles back. He shakes his head, knowing that I’ve completely lost my shit.
“I just want to talk.” He splutters.
“You’re too late.”
“I can’t move on until we do.”
He wants to move on.
My strength returns. “Fine.” I drop my shoulders as I prepare for war. “Let’s talk. You have exactly ten minutes.” I march into the closest bar and take a seat at a high table. He tentatively sits down beside me. The waitress approaches.
“We will have two margaritas with Agave top-shelf tequila, please,” he says.
I clench my jaw. I hate that he knows my drinks. “I don’t want to drink with you.” I bark.
“Fine. I’ll drink both.” He snaps.
The waitress raises her eyebrows as if surprised by my bitch antics, and I clench my jaw. I give her my best, You don’t know the whole story look.
He’s a jerk, okay?
I twist my fingers on my lap. I don’t want to blurt out nasty things so I’ll just stay as quiet as I can.
His eyes come to mine, and he smiles softly. “It’s good to see you, Lize.”
I clench my teeth shut and give a curt nod.
It’s so good to see you.
His brow furrows as if he’s searching for the right thing to say. “You’ve lost a lot of weight.”
“Couple of kilos. I’ve been going to the gym.”
He fakes a smile and scratches his head.
“You wanted to talk, so talk,” I say.
“Did you mean it? The letter?”
I shake my head as disappointment fills me. “I can’t believe you didn’t read it until now.”
“Neither can I.” He sighs. “I just… .” his voice trails off.
“You just, what Nathan?”
“I didn’t handle things as well as I could have.”
“You think?”
We stare at each other, and I know that this is it: my moment of truth where I need to say all the things I didn’t say before. I have so many regrets, and I need to be honest now, or forever hold my peace.
“Neither did I, Nathe. This isn’t all your fault. I’m to blame as well.” I shrug sadly. “I shouldn’t have left a letter. I should have said it to your face.”
“Can you say it now?”
“It’s too late.” I sigh. “It won’t mean the same now as it did then so just forget it.”
We stare at each other and sadness rolls over me. It really is too late for us.
There is nothing left to say that can erase the hurt between us.
He takes my hand in his and rests it on my thigh. “Please.” He closes his eyes as if steeling himself to hear it. “Eliza, you said you’d wait forever.”
I get a lump in my throat. Seeing him in the flesh brings it all back. The happiness, the heartache, and everything in between.
“I wanted you to know that I understood that you needed time, and that as your friend, I wanted to give it to you.”
His eyes hold mine. “Why would you say that?” he asks softly.
“Because I was watching you struggle.”
He squeezes my hand in his as if prompting me to speak openly. “How was I struggling?”
“Nathe.” I smile over at the beautiful man in front of me. I know it’s too late for us but I still adore him. “You were going along as normal, and then all of a sudden you got these feelings of attraction for me. And you acted on them almost instantly.”