by E. L. Todd
“It was fucked up that he cheated on you,” Coen said. “But it was the lying part that pissed us off. That wasn’t okay.”
Henry nodded. “I don’t have any regrets.”
“I hope you didn’t hurt him too badly,” Nancy said.
“We just messed him up a little,” Coen said. “But you shouldn’t care anyway.”
“I still want to be friends,” Nancy said.
“You do?” Sydney asked.
“I’m not cold,” Nancy said. “If he and I don’t work it out, he’ll lose all of you.”
“He should have thought of that beforehand,” Henry said.
“I appreciate everything,” Nancy said. “But I just want to move on from what happened. It was my fault. I should have broken up with him a long time ago. I never belonged with him.” Now she knew exactly where she belonged and who with.
Derek approached the table and stood near Nancy.
All of her friends turned and glared at him.
Derek looked at Nancy. “I just wanted to say hello. And see how you’re doing.”
“I’m fine,” she said as she looked at him. There was a dry cut on his lip and his eyes were slightly swollen.
“Well, I’ll see you later,” he said as he turned away.
“Derek, please sit with us.”
“Are you sure?”
“I said we could still be friends.”
He sat down and looked at her. “I really am sorry about everything. And I do regret it. When I told you I loved you, I meant it.”
“It’s in the past now,” Nancy said. “Let’s just forget about it.”
He looked at everyone else at the table then looked down at his food.
She looked at her friends. “If I can let it go, you can too.”
Henry shook his head. “You’re lucky Nancy is okay with this. She’s my best friend and I have her back to the end. You mess with her, you mess with me.”
“Yeah,” Derek said with a nod. “I know I lost the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”
Nancy didn’t look at him, concentrating on her food. After they sat in silence for a long time, she addressed everyone. “I’m dropping out of school.”
“What?” Sydney said.
Henry dropped his fork. “Huh?”
Nancy smiled. “I love my job at the gallery and I think my artwork is going somewhere. Thatcher showed my paintings at the gallery and a woman offered 100K for it.”
“A 100k?” Coen asked. “That’s fucking insane. Forget getting a PhD.”
Sydney didn’t look reassured. “Don’t throw all your eggs in one basket.”
“I’m taking a leap of faith,” Nancy said. “I know where I belong. It isn’t here.”
Henry nodded. “Follow your heart, Nancy. It’ll tell you exactly where to go.”
“I know,” she said, thinking of Thatcher.
“Will we still be seeing you?” Derek asked.
“Of course,” she said. “We’ll still hang out all the time. I just moved into a new apartment. We should have game night. I can cook.”
“Cool,” Henry said. “How about tonight?”
“Sure,” Nancy said. “The place is a little messy but it should be alright. We can do it when I get off work.”
“We’ll be there,” Sydney said.
Nancy left the cafeteria and finished her classes for the day. She didn’t have the heart to tell Dr. Drake she was leaving the university yet. She knew he would be supportive if she switched majors, but he wouldn’t be supportive if she abandoned her education altogether.
She changed at the apartment then went to work in the gallery. She arranged the desk and started working on the paperwork. He had a lot of finances and overhead he had to take care of. When she saw his yearly income, she almost fainted. But when she saw all the money he gave away to charity, her heart melted. He kept a good size to himself, but gave at least half of it away. Seeing that just made her fall harder for him. He was nothing like her dad. He was generous, caring, and compassionate.
“Hey,” he said when he walked into her office.
“Hi,” she said as she smiled at him.
“How was your day?”
“It was good.”
“See your friends?”
“Yeah,” she said. “They were relieved that I was okay.”
“Good.”
“Henry and Coen beat up on Derek.”
He smiled. “Excellent.”
“I didn’t want them to do that.”
“Maybe he should keep his dick in his pants or in his hand, then.”
She never heard him talk like that. She averted her gaze and pretended it didn’t happen.
“Did you see him?”
“He had lunch with us.”
“How was that?”
“Fine. I still want to be friends.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to take all his friends away from him.”
He nodded. “That’s very noble of you.”
“Even though Derek was an ass and wasn’t the right guy for me, I still don’t think he’s a horrible person. I really do think he changed. But he’s hurt me so much that I can’t look at him the same. We were better off as friends.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
She waited for him to say something more, to address their relationship, but he never did.
“My friends are coming over to play board games tonight.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“Yeah.”
He sat in a chair facing her desk and looked at her.
She felt his heated gaze. “Would you like to come?”
“I would love to.”
She smiled. “They are coming after work.”
“Would you like me to bring anything?”
“No, I went grocery shopping before work.”
He rose from the chair and stood with his hands in his pockets. “I’ll see you later, then.”
She stared at the form of his body under his clothes and wished she could see him shirtless again. “Okay.”
“And is Laura going to be there?” he asked with a grimace.
She laughed. “No.”
“Phew. It’s hard to keep her away.”
“I’m sorry about that. She can be very forward.”
“I picked up on that,” he said. “Will Derek be there?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Is that okay?”
“It’s up to you.” He turned and left her office.
She worked for a few hours until her shift was over. Even when she wasn’t working directly with art, she still loved what she did. Thatcher was a wonderful person and an amazing boss. She couldn’t believe she landed a job like that.
When she walked upstairs, she stopped before she reached his living room, not wanting to intrude on his privacy. “Thatcher?”
He came to the top of the stairs. “Yeah?”
“I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving.”
“You can come in,” he said with laugh.
She blushed. “I didn’t want to trespass on your privacy.”
He shook his head. “You are always welcome here. Please just come in whenever you want. I have nothing to hide.”
“What if you were walking around naked?”
He shrugged. “Then you would get a special treat.”
She smiled. “Aren’t you conceited?”
He grabbed her waist and pulled her to his chest. “Do you not want to see me naked?”
“I didn’t say that…”
“So you want to see me naked?”
“I didn’t say that either.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You sound confused.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against his chest, enjoying the moment of closeness with him. She had been looking forward to it all day. “Are you ready to come over?”
“Yeah. I’m excited to get to
know your friends better.”
“They already like you.”
“They do?”
“Well, they didn’t say anything bad about you.”
“That’s not the same thing,” he said with a laugh. He took her hand and walked her outside. After they arrived at her car, he helped her get inside then walked to his truck in the driveway.
After they arrived at the house, he helped her prepare the tacos, placing them on a platter on the kitchen table.
“I’m so glad you know how to cook,” she said. “I just burn things.”
“You can learn. I’ll teach you.”
“Okay.”
There was a knock on the door so Thatcher answered it. “Hello. Please come in.”
Sydney and Coen stepped inside. Sydney looked at Thatcher. “Oh. I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Nancy invited me,” he said with a nod. “It’s nice to see both of you.” He shook Coen’s hand then smiled at Sydney. Coen pulled Sydney closer to his body. Nancy shook her head and rolled her eyes.
Sydney walked to Nancy and hugged her. “I like your place.”
“Thanks. I put everything together pretty quickly.”
“When did you move?”
“Yesterday,” Nancy answered.
“Wow. You did this by yourself?”
“No. Thatcher helped me.”
“You have a really cool boss.”
Nancy smiled. “I know.”
Sydney looked over her shoulder and saw Thatcher and Coen talking. “Coen is weird around him.”
“Why?”
Sydney shrugged. “He says he’s a pretty boy.”
Nancy laughed. “I’m going to tell Thatcher that.”
“He’s just threatened by him. I’m not sure why.”
“Because he’s gorgeous.”
“But I married Coen because I think he’s gorgeous.”
“There’s no comparison.”
Sydney raised an eyebrow. “You have a thing for your boss?”
“What? No, I’m just stating the obvious. He’s a very good looking guy.”
“Did you invite Laura?” Sydney asked.
“No.”
“Good,” Sydney said. “Because she would have taken him in a bedroom and jumped his bones.”
“Thatcher isn’t like that.”
“Like what?”
“He doesn’t sleep around,” Nancy said.
“And why would you know that?”
“He told me.”
Sydney raised an eyebrow. “And why would your boss tell you something so personal?”
She shrugged. “We just talk a lot.”
Sydney crossed her arms over her chest. “So you do have a thing for him?” she asked, eyeing Nancy closely.
Nancy avoided her gaze. “We’re just friends.”
“I can totally tell you’re lying.”
“I’m not.” Her cheeks turned redder than a tomato.
“Are we really going to do this?” Sydney asked. “I’m your best friend. I know when you get that stupid grin on your face that means you like someone.”
“Okay,” Nancy said in a whisper. “Yes, I have feelings for him.”
“Did you…?”
“No, nothing happened between us. You know I’m not like that.”
Sydney breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay. I’m glad.”
“I’m not Derek.”
“So, is something going to happen between you?”
“I don’t know. Derek and I just broke up.”
“So? He was a fucking asshole the entire you were together besides, for like, a week. If you like this guy, you should go for it.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Sydney leaned toward her hear. “That guy is a catch. Don’t lose him because you left the net in the water too long.”
Nancy smiled. “A marine biology metaphor? Really?”
“Shut up,” Sydney said with a laugh. “You understand my point.”
Henry and Ren came inside and Thatcher greeted them. He spoke with Henry for a while and made him laugh. Nancy watched them for a moment with a smile on her face. When her friends moved to the living room, Thatcher came back to her.
“Do you need any help?” His eyes shined bright with merriment and excitement. He was always so polite and kind to everyone, getting along with anyone and everyone. He was sweet, loyal, and honest. Thatcher had everything right from the beginning, even the night when he lied about losing his keys just to talk to her. He had done so much for her, helping her pursue her dream and understanding her in a way no one else did. She had feelings for him like she’d never known. Instead of being scared that he might break her heart in the future, she decided to forget about that, live in the moment, and seize the man she wanted, the person she wanted since the moment she met him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
He stilled under her embrace, letting her lips touch his.
Nancy pulled away, looking into his face. He was smiling, his mouth wide and his teeth showing. He rubbed his nose against hers.
“I’ve been waiting for that for a long time,” he whispered.
“I know.”
“And I’m not upholding my promise anymore.”
“Consider it void.”
He leaned in and kissed her forehead before he pulled away. When Nancy looked past his shoulder, she saw Sydney smiling at her, giving her a thumbs up. Henry had an eyebrow raised, asking Sydney what was going on. When Nancy looked at the door, she saw Derek standing there, a bottle of wine in his hand. Her heart fell when she saw the despair in his eyes. She had no idea he walked into the apartment. Thatcher must have left it unlocked.
Her friends fell silent when they realized Derek was standing there.
Thatcher stepped away, breaking their connection.
Nancy walked to Derek and stopped in front of him. “Derek—”
“So you get mad at me for cheating on you, but you’ve been fucking him the entire time? Wow. That’s fucked up.”
“What? No, I didn’t sleep with him.”
“Doesn’t look that way.” He turned and left, slamming the door behind him.
She followed him then stopped when she reached his car. “Derek, listen to me. I never cheated on you with Thatcher.”
“Now I know why he took you on that trip to San Francisco.”
“Listen to me. Nothing happened.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“I’ve had feelings for Thatcher since I met him but nothing happened between us. I’ve been faithful to you. I wanted to work out our relationship even though he kept telling me to leave you. When he told me you cheated on me, I still didn’t touch him. That was the only kiss we had. He’s treated me right from the beginning and I want to be with him. I’m sorry if that hurts you, but that’s how I feel. If you hadn’t fucked up so many times that never would have happened. I could have fallen in love with you, Derek. Don’t blame this on me.”
He came back to her and stared her down. “You never cheated on me?”
“I swear on my life.”
He sighed. “I believe you.”
“I’m sorry for hurting you. I didn’t know you were standing there.”
He put his hands in his pockets then leaned against the car. “It’s okay. After what I did to you, I deserve it.”
She didn’t refute his statement.
“He’s a nice guy. I’ve always liked him.”
“I like him too.”
“And you guys have a lot in common. I guess it isn’t surprising.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“And all the girls swoon over him.”
She smiled. “They definitely do.”
He sighed. “I wasn’t expecting you to see anyone for a while, but I guess it doesn’t matter. Our relationship was doomed to fail from the beginning. I was an asshole and had a lot to learn.”
“At least you’ll get it right next time.”
<
br /> “Yeah, I guess.”
“Are you okay with this?”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “When I said I loved you I meant it. I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy. After the way I treated you, you deserve to be with a guy that doesn’t have to fuck it up so many times to get it right. Yeah, I’m okay with it.”
“Really?”
He smiled weakly at her then hugged her. “If he’s the guy you want, you should be with him. You two make more sense than we ever did.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Thank you for forgiving me and still being my friend.”
“You were a shitty boyfriend but you’re a great friend. I didn’t want to lose you,” she said.
“I didn’t want to lose you either.”
She pulled away. “So, still friends?”
He smiled. “Always.”
She took his hand and they walked back to her apartment. When they walked inside, she dropped his hand. Thatcher watched them from his spot on the couch. Nancy came over to him then sat on his lip, making him smile in surprise. Derek came to him then extended his hand.
“Take care of her,” Derek said.
Thatcher shook his hand. “I will.”
“You’re the better man.” Derek turned and walked away, taking a different seat on the couch.
Thatcher looked at her. “I’m proud of you.”
“For what?”
“For seizing what you want.”
“I’ve always wanted you. I don’t know why it took me so long.”
He rubbed his nose against hers. “Now you’re stuck with me. I’m never letting you go.”
“I don’t want you to let me go. I wouldn’t survive if you did.”
“We won’t have a problem there.” He looked into her eyes, seeing the happiness he felt reflected back at him. The joy that radiated from her was infectious and affected him most of all. He smiled at her, making her feel warm inside. She was heartbroken by Derek’s actions but she realized it was the best thing that ever happened to her. Thatcher was the man she needed in her life, not just the one she wanted.
20
Thatcher didn’t seem like someone who played board games, but he won every single one. Sydney, who was perfect at everything, even seemed threatened by him. Nancy leaned into his shoulder and touched his arm while they played, happy they were finally together officially and all her friends were supportive. It was very sudden since she and Derek just broke up, but after the way Derek treated her, they didn’t hold her actions against her. She may have had feelings for Thatcher but she never acted on them. That was the important part.
