He drove us to a trendy restaurant downtown and valeted his car.
“I hope this is okay?” he asked as I climbed out of his car.
I glanced over at the restaurant. A few tables lined up against the brick wall; oversized glass light fixtures hung from the ceiling. The place was crowded. It sure as hell was the nicest place I’d been to.
“It’s perfect.” I smiled back at him and thanked God Delaney made me change into something nicer.
Julian rested his hand on the small of my back as he led me inside. The fragrance of herbs and garlic wafted through the air. Soft chattering from the tables could be heard over the soft music that played in the background.
“Welcome to Ferrero’s,” the hostess greeted us. “Do you have a reservation?”
Julian provided her with his name and we were led to a small tall table in the corner.
A small tea light candle flickered in the center. The waiter went over the specials and I quietly listened to all the options, hoping my face didn’t demonstrate my anxiety. I was a college student. My dinner most nights consisted of mac and cheese or ramen noodles. Fancy silverware and lamb chop specials weren’t something I had experienced before.
I ordered a glass of water and nervously glanced at the menu.
“Have you been here before?” Julian asked.
I looked up at him and shook my head. “I’m out of my element.”
“Why? Do you not like Italian?” His eyes widened with worry. “We can go somewhere else.”
“No.” I reached out and grabbed his hand. “This is perfect.” Julian smiled and looked down at his menu.
After dinner, we headed toward Main Street and grabbed some hot chocolate. He held my hand the entire time and made sure he asked me questions to keep the conversation going. I dodged a few the questions about my family and asked him about his life.
Julian seemed perfect. He was charming, he made me laugh, and was a complete gentleman. He was a great guy; a guy I could date. We could be together for a while and have some fun, but there wasn't any magnetic pull. Not like I experienced with Nate.
At the end of the night he walked me to my door, kissed me on the cheek, and asked to see me again. I should have said no. I should have said we were probably better off as friends, but because I knew how much it bothered Nate, I went against my gut and told Julian I'd love to see him again.
The following Wednesday morning after my date with Julian, Nate waited on the hood of his car until I parked a few spots away. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and another on the trunk of his car. I shut my car off and gave myself a quick glance in the mirror before I hopped out.
“Good morning,” I sang as I walked over to him.
“Morning.” His voice was dry.
“You're here early.” I swayed side to side to keep warm. The temperature had dropped a few degrees in the past few days. It wasn't below freezing but it was pretty chilly.
“I figured I'd get us some coffee.” He took the extra cup and handed it to me.
“Thanks.” I wrapped my hands around the warm cup and brought it to my lips. “Shall we?” I walked toward the building.
“You're not going to tell me about your date?’ I heard his footfalls behind me.
I spent the entire Saturday night after Julian dropped me off explaining how the date went to Delaney. She continued the conversation on Sunday about how we would spend the holidays together and go on double dates. I figured Del had chewed his ear off when she spent Sunday night with him.
“What is there to say? Your brother took me out, we had a lovely time, and then he brought me home.” I shrugged and continued to walk.
“Brielle?” Nate said my name in a stern voice.
I halted and turned back to him. “Okay, what gives?” I couldn’t mask the irritation in my voice. ”You have a girlfriend. In fact, my best friend is your serious girlfriend. Why do you care that I went out with your brother?”
“You’re going to see him again?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
My eyebrows scrunched together and I looked at him sideways. “Nate, you and I are friends, and who I see is none of your business. Why does this bother you so much?”
“You said it would interfere with school.”
I bit my lower lip as I contemplated how to answer this. I didn’t have time for someone like Nate. He was consuming. I would be lost within him. I knew that every second I wasn’t with Nate, I’d be stuck thinking of him. I wouldn’t concentrate on school. I would focus every fiber of my body on loving him. That was the power he held.
A fire.
A spark.
All from one fucking kiss.
“If me dating Julian is a problem, maybe we shouldn’t be friends.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t.” Nate licked his lips and waited for me to respond.
“Well, then, thanks for the coffee.” I turned and marched toward class.
Being with Julian was easy. Mindless, really. He understood that school was my priority and he never pushed the issue of wanting to be with me every single second. We met three times a week for lunch before I had to go to work. We spent Saturday night together either studying, sitting in my dorm room watching a movie, or grabbing a bite to eat with Del and Nate.
What I liked most about him was that he never pushed the topic of sex. We had been dating for a few weeks and we had never gone farther than making out. I wasn’t a prude or anything, and I had slept with men before, but with Julian it seemed different. To be honest, I didn't have the spark with him. It wasn't an instant attraction, but more like a slowly burning ember that I hoped would grow over time.
Nate and I didn’t speak to each other after our disagreement. We were cordial to one another, and while we were out with our significant others our conversations consisted of short, one-word answers. Thankfully, Neither Delaney nor Julian noticed anything off since neither knew about our friendship, but I hated that we weren’t talking.
Late November
The semester was coming to a close and I had to study for finals, but I was putting it off until after Thanksgiving. Instead, I was in the dorm under the covers curled up with a new book I had borrowed from the library.
I was halfway through the latest John Green novel when Delaney came barging in.
“Pack your bags!” she demanded.
“Shh!” I waved my hand at her to keep it down. She marched over to my bed and grabbed the book from me. “Hey! Rude much?”
“Didn’t you hear me? Pack your bags! We’re going away for Thanksgiving weekend.” She began to dance as though there was music playing.
“I tell you every year.” I sat up and reached for my book, but Del was quicker and tossed it onto her bed. “Thank you for the invitation, but I’m not spending Thanksgiving at your Nana’s in Savannah.”
“Good, because neither am I.” She jumped on my bed. “We’re spending it with the Wrights, right here in Jacksonville.”
Julian hadn’t mentioned anything to me. “Nope.” I shook my head.
“Yep. Check your phone. Nate just texted me that his mother invited us both to join them.”
I didn’t want to meet his mother. Thanksgiving was a time when family came together and the craziness came out. I avoided family time. I avoided my family all the time. “Del, I can’t.”
“Please, Brie.” She held both hands in a silent prayer under her chin.
“You don’t need me to go with you.”
“Yes, I do.” Her shoulders slouched. “Nate said he is only going home if Julian goes, and Julian will only go if you do.”
“Why don’t you take Nate to meet your parents instead?” I pushed off my bed and brought my cold tea to the microwave, blasting it for a minute.
“So he can see how crazy my Aunt Sara is and how Nana drinks more hooch than any other southerner? No, thanks!”
“Please, Brie.” She pouted at me. “I’m really in love with Nate and I want to make this work. I wan
t his mother to love me so she can see me as a great daughter-in-law.”
I shook my head slowly. I’d planned on ordering Boston Market, binge watching crappy TV, and sleeping through Thanksgiving. I exhaled as I weighed my options. “Can I think about it?”
Her eyes widened and a full smile overtook her features. She knew she had me convinced. “Yes!”
Wednesday after class, Delaney and I waited for Nate and Julian to arrive at our dorm. I’d packed a small overnight bag while Delaney’s bag looked as though she was planning to stay for a month. She complained she needed options. I needed this weekend to be over already. Spending the weekend with Julian’s mother and her husband seemed pure torture. I even debated going back home to my parents’ house.
I sat on top of my carry-on sized luggage and waited for Nate’s Jeep to arrive. The radio from his car blasted as he and Julian pulled up. He stopped the car and Julian jumped out and rushed to me.
“Hey, beautiful.” He leaned down and captured my lips with his.
“Hi,” I whispered.
In my peripheral vision, I noticed that Delaney had jumped into Nate’s arms and the realization that I would be spending all weekend with them sank in. What the hell did I get myself into?
I let Julian grab my suitcase and toss it into the trunk, and I climbed into the back of the car. Nate’s scent smacked me in the face and burned my throat. It was too consuming, too powerful. His cologne lingered in the air. It was manly yet sweet. It was captivating to say the least.
Julian hopped in the back seat with me while Nate and Delaney climbed in the front. Del sat on her side and looked back at Julian and me as she discussed in full the apple pie recipe she had printed out. I, on the other hand, rested my head against the seat and noticed that Nate’s eyes were on me. When I couldn’t pull my gaze away from the mirror, I decided it would be best if I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Before we were even on the highway, I’d drifted off.
Louisa, Julian’s mother, was sweet, greeting us with open arms. She was petite in stature and looked a lot like Julian with hazel eyes and ash blonde hair.
“My boys.” She extended her arms as we walked up the sidewalk to the house.
Her home was a small Colonial with white siding, navy blue shutters and a matching blue door. Her husband, Warren, stood next to her with a beer in his hand. I knew from Delaney that Warren was Nate and Julian’s stepfather.
“Mom.” Julian hugged his mother. She pulled away from his embrace and held her arms on his shoulders to look at him. Her eyes twinkled with pride and adoration. “This is Brielle. Brie, this is my mother, Louisa.”
“Hi,” I murmured with my eyes lowered.
Louisa released Julian’s shoulders and threw her arms around me. “Look at how beautiful you are!” Her hands rubbed up my back quickly before she let go and looked over at Nate and Delaney. “Both of you ladies are absolutely gorgeous!” She hugged Delaney. “You must be Delaney.”
Julian carried our bags into the house and gave us a quick tour. Warren offered the boys a beer and walked into the kitchen while we followed Louisa up the stairs to the bedrooms. “Brie, you can leave your stuff here,” she stated and then opened the door to the bedroom across the hall. “Delaney, this is your room.” Instantly, my heart dropped as I realized we would be staying in our boyfriend’s rooms with our boyfriends. Unlike Delaney, who spent every weekend with Nate, I hadn’t had sex with Julian. We hadn't even slept in the same room together.
“Where are the guys sleeping?” I asked nervously, but I already knew the answer.
“Brie!” Delaney’s eyes widened.
“I figured you kids are all in school together. There’s no point in separating you.” Louisa smiled and rubbed her hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t you two freshen up?” Louisa looked over at us. “I’d love your help in the kitchen later.”
“Yes, of course.” Delaney agreed. I could only nod. This was going to be the longest weekend of my life.
Twenty minutes later, Delaney and I were elbow deep in potatoes. She peeled and I diced while Louisa asked us about our families. Delaney, of course, offered every bit of information she could. She started at the very beginning with how her parents met.
“It was so romantic!” Her voice held a joyous tone as she continued. “Daddy always said he knew from day one he would marry her. And when he proposed, he made sure it was a proposal she would never forget.”
For ten minutes Delaney talked, and then it was my turn. My heart raced and sweat began to form on my brow.
“What are your parents doing for Thanksgiving?” Louisa asked.
I diced the potatoes quicker. What was I going to say? My dad was an asshole and I personally thought my mother was naive and stupid. “Um . . . not too much. I don’t come from a big family.” I swallowed the ball of nerves in my throat.
“Do you have any traditions?”
“Is your mother a good cook?”
“Where did you parents meet?”
“Are you an only child?”
My heart raced a mile a minute as I dodged every question. I skipped around and forced myself to be vague.
“I—I think I need some fresh air,” I stuttered. “I think I’m a little light headed from the car ride.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and pulled the kitchen door open. I didn’t wait for Delaney or Louisa to say anything as I rushed out across the deck and then down the few wooden steps. I sat on the last step and buried my face in my knees. Inhaling slowly, I tried to catch my breath.
“Want to take a ride?” Nate’s voice was clear and close.
I snapped my head up. Unshed tears pooled in my eyes.
“Yeah,” I said breathlessly. I needed to get as far away from here as possible.
“Come on.” He reached his hand out for me.
I entwined my fingers with his and rushed to his Jeep before I had a change of heart.
He didn’t say a word until we were a few miles away from the house.
“You okay?”
“I’m better now, thanks.” I looked over at him and studied his profile. He had a lean jaw with high cheekbones. He was only in his early twenties but he looked much older.
“Thanksgiving has a way of making people crazy.”
“You have no idea.” I pulled my gaze from his and looked out the window. “Why were you outside?”
“I love my family, I do, but a few minutes with them is all I need. Warren and Julian usually talk about sports, which I don’t follow, and my mother has a tendency to hover, so most of the time I’m outside working in the garage.”
“Oh.”
“I saw how you ran across the deck and dropped down like you wanted to disappear.”
“That obvious, huh?”
“A little.”
“Your mother is sweet and kind, but it’s hard to speak to her when Delaney has the perfect answer for everything.” I shook my head and dropped my gaze to my lap.
“Don’t you hate how perfect they are?” I heard the humorous tone in his voice and smiled. “My parents, Julian and Delaney. They’re all so perfect and know exactly what to say. I thought Thanksgiving was supposed to have family drama.”
“I know, right? God, why are they so perfect all the time?” I rolled my eyes dramatically. “I guess you and I are the dark and twisted ones.”
“You definitely can say that again.” His tone dropped and I looked over at him. His green eyes were dark like a hidden forest. I lifted one eyebrow, silently as if asking him to elaborate. “You don’t want to know my dark and twisted side.”
Before I had a chance to ask what he meant, he stopped the Jeep and shoved it in park. It was then that I took in my surroundings. We had pulled in to a park surrounded by trees that still bore their red and orange leaves. The grass wasn’t as green, but the crisp waters of a pond glistened as tiny ripples danced across the surface in the distance. With each pass of the wind, the red bled from the trees. Its reflection was mesmerizing.
“This
place is beautiful.”
“I come here to get away.”
Unable to pull my gaze away from the vibrant fall colors, I failed to notice that Nate had rounded the car and opened the door for me.
“Come on.” He extended his hand.
We walked side by side toward the water. It was rare that I had the chance to appreciate true fall foliage like the scene before me.
“You know, she’s not that bad,” Nate said, kicking the pinecone at his feet. I looked up at him with my eyebrows furrowed. “My mother. She’s overbearing at times, and she talks a lot, but she loves Julian and me. I think this is the first time we both have both brought someone home at the same time. To her, it feels like Christmas morning having you girls there.”
“No, it’s not that. I think Louisa is very sweet.”
Nate chuckled and stopped walking to look at me. “You ran across that deck like the house was on fire.”
Nervously, I massaged my scalp. “I’m not used to the whole loving family thing.” I shook my head. “It felt consuming and I didn’t want to let her down. You know?”
“I get it.” He squatted and picked up a rock. He twirled it around in his hand a few times before he spoke again. “She’ll only be this crazy today. Tomorrow morning, she’ll have us go to the soup kitchen and serve dinner. Then her mother-in-law comes with Warren’s side of the family and she mellows out a bit.”
“Thanks for the heads up.” Nate walked over to the edge of the pond and flicked the rock across the water. It skipped three times before it sank to the bottom.
“I never learned how to skip rocks.”
Nate dropped his gaze and picked up another rock. “Hold it sideways between your pointer and thumb and then throw it.”
I did exactly as Nate suggested, and when the rock met with the water, it sank to the bottom. “Yeah, not that easy.”
Nate laughed, and the sound that escaped his mouth made me shiver. There was something about him. I had no idea what it was, but it pulled me toward him like a moth to a flame.
Torrid Affair Page 5
