“Why? You haven’t.”
“I could be here for someone else.”
“You could. And I could be Andy Garcia’s long-lost brother, but we both know that’s not the case.” He shrugged. “I know my daughter, and Brandon, you gotta know, she still loves you.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked out loud like an idiot. “I mean, I was the one who ended it and—”
“And broke her heart?” I flinched at the words. Knowing I’d hurt her hit hard. “You did, kid. I seriously wanted to kill you. But about a week later, I knew why you had done it. I didn’t like my little girl hurting, but I got it. The fact you’re here and have been looking at her like she’s the star and moon and the sun means you still have feelings for her.”
“I do, sir. I never stopped loving her. The distance and… It was a lot.”
“I bet.”
“I did what I thought was best. I’m sorry I hurt her.”
“I’m not the one you have to apologize to.”
“Right.”
“I’m taking them out to dinner. Sushi.” He scratched the side of his head as he looked toward the women in his family, “She should be back home by nine.”
“Nine?”
“In case, yah know, an old friend wanted to stop by and say hi.” He shrugged as he looked out toward the crowd, and his eyes softened. “Unless you wanna approach now.”
“Now?” My tongue felt too thick for my mouth.
“You have about a minute to decide.” He patted my shoulder and walked off, leaving me stumped. I scanned the area, and sure enough, she was by the exit, her cap in hand, long flowing hair over her shoulders, still in her robe. I watched as she slipped out, and even though I knew it would mean delaying their family dinner, my feet had a mind of their own.
One step after another, my heart thundering in my chest, they took me to my girl.
Chapter Three
Nina
I NEEDED A breath of fresh air, and despite it being the start of June, there was still a nip in the air. Thank God. The auditorium was packed, and I needed a moment to myself. The memories of those seventy-three days together were bombarding me. One after another. Small, insignificant moments I hadn’t thought about in ages were bright and clear in my mind’s eye.
I looked out. The sun was starting to set. The sky was ablaze with orange and purple hues. Even the sun setting made me think of him. Of the sunsets we’d shared. Kissing and holding hands in the sand on the California beaches. Whispering sweet good-nights over the phone during the endless phone calls the two years that followed.
Sunsets in different time zones we’d shared.
“Nina.” God, I was so stuck in my head I could swear I heard my name from his lips. I closed my eyes, wondering what that would be like. Having him right behind me, his strong body pressed up close.
“Nina.” A whispered rasp made me open my eyes, and I realized the heat I felt was very real. “Niña linda, turn around and let me see those pretty eyes,” the deep voice ordered, and I didn’t know how I got my body to move, but it did. I turned, and there he was.
Right. Freaking. There.
Tall. A hell of a lot taller than I remembered. Broader shoulders than the last weekend I’d been able to sneak off and see him before his deployment overseas. There was no hiding his lean but muscular frame. Not even the light blue dress shirt and navy slacks he was wearing. And damn, he wore it well.
“Are you real?” I whispered and winced at my stupidity.
“One hundred percent.” He smiled cautiously.
“What are you… How…” I couldn’t say anything else. Not when my nose stung and my eyes blurred.
“I promised you I’d be here.” His voice was confident, and his words undid me. A sob wracked out of me and made me make a weird choking noise before I could cover my face. I didn’t want him to see me cry. I didn’t want this first time to see him be something ridiculously awkward, but I couldn’t get myself under control. Instead of freaking out, Brandon did what Brandon was great at. He took charge.
Without hesitation, like he had done countless times that summer, he pulled me into his body. Warm and smelling like sin and temptation while feeling so freaking familiar and new. His arms wrapped around me, and I couldn’t stop my own arms from wrapping around his narrow waist and letting myself enjoy how he felt. Like home.
His hands stroked my hair, and I held on for dear life.
“I’m fucking proud of you, Nina,” he finally said to the top my head, and I felt his words in my heart. I knew they were sincere. He knew how much today meant to me. “I’m sorry,” he said, and the words clung in the air between us, making it almost impossible to breathe.
“Sorry for?”
“I… I needed to see you today. I needed to see if you were…”
“What?” I looked up. His eyes were serious on me.
“If you were happy. If you were okay.” The tone in his voice killed me, and I couldn’t look at him because he would see. If I was okay. I wanted to pound on his chest and tell him I hadn’t been okay since he broke it off.
“Are you?”
“Bran…”
“I watched you walk out here, and I needed a moment with you,” he admitted, and I sniffled. I let myself enjoy the feel of him for five seconds before I found the strength to pull away. His dark gaze made me dizzy. There was so much in his stare, and I wanted to give it all. That was the problem. I always wanted to give Brandon Chu everything.
“I made a mess of your shirt,” I said, looking at the makeup and tears on his chest. I tried to wipe it away, gain me some time to figure out what the hell to say, but his hand held mine, forcing my eyes to meet his.
“I miss you,” he laid out, and my stupid heart gained hope. Hope that this out-of-nowhere visit meant something. That it was more than just a quick hello.
“Just like that?” The cynical, hurt side of me spoke up as I took a step back and crossed my arms in front of me, realizing I looked like an idiot in a graduation robe the first time I saw him after so long.
“I’ve missed you every single minute since that call.”
“Bullshit,” I croaked out.
“Nee—”
“Are you really doing this now? Today?”
“If not now, when?” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I miss you. I still love you, and I know it’s out of freaking nowhere, and for all I know, you have someone.”
“I could,” I callously said, feeling the pain in the flinch of his eyes.
“I’m sorry about the last two years…” he said, taking a step closer. His hand on my hip, he leaned down. God, he was tall. I knew it, but how could I have forgotten exactly how tall he was? “Being with you and having that distance between us was so fucking hard.”
“You don’t think it was hard on me?”
“I had to end it for us.”
“That’s asinine,” I clipped.
“We both knew it was going to fall apart, Nina. We weren’t close. Life was keeping us busy and away from each other. Just finding a moment to talk was like pulling teeth. We were going in two different directions.”
“We could have tried,” I stressed, and he shook his head. “Don’t shake your stubborn head at me! We could have fought tooth and nail to make it work. You said, you told me it would only be four years.”
“Baby, we would have stayed together, I would have talked you into marrying me so I would have you next to me.”
“Why didn’t you?” God, how many times had I thought of that? Why hadn’t he just asked me to marry him? I would have given my right arm just to wake up next to him.
“Because that wouldn’t have been fair to you. You needed to finish this first. You needed to get your diploma,” he stressed, running his fingers through his silky dark brown hair. I frowned. I wanted to argue he was wrong, that I wouldn’t have stopped going to school, that I would have finished, but I knew he was right. I would have been at a fork in the road, and I
would have wanted to start my life with him. Create a family and make my life about us.
“I hated you,” I whispered almost breathlessly. His hands dropped to his side, slipping into the front pockets of his slacks. “I hated you so much. You broke my heart.” My voice quivered, but I couldn’t stop.
“I know.”
“You don’t. You have no idea. I hated that you just… You never called.” He blurred in front of me. “Not once in the last two years, not once. I didn’t hear one word from you. Not a text or an email. Nothing.”
“I know,” he said, the tortured look on his face engraving itself in my heart.
“I hated how I woke up reaching for you. How I wanted you in my life and you were out living yours without a second thought about me.”
“That’s not true. I thought about you every single day, Nina.”
“I didn’t know that. Your silence spoke volumes. For two years, Brandon.”
“Baby—”
“I hated that as much as I hated our situation, I couldn’t really get myself to stay mad at you. How I couldn’t stop loving you.” I couldn’t stop talking. If this was the only chance I would have to tell him everything I’d gone through, of how I felt, I was going to take it. “I hated how I couldn’t move on. Not really.” I took a deep breath, his eyes studying me quietly as I purged it all out. “And you gotta know I tried, Brandon. I freaking tried, but I couldn’t.”
“Baby.” He took his hands out of his pockets and walked forward. I took one step back, letting him follow my every move.
“I have loved you every single day. Thought about you—” There wasn’t a chance for me to say another word because before I knew it, I was back in his arms, and this time, there wasn’t enough space between us to fit a sheet of paper. Before I could ask what the hell he was doing, his lips were on mine.
Brandon Chu was many things. Strong and sweet. Side-achingly funny when he was on a roll about something that amused him. But he was also an amazing kisser. Kissing Brandon was like getting lost in a pitch-black cloud that suddenly filled up with fireworks. Not just generic pretty, sparkly ones. Bright and colorful ones that made you cling to feeling live. He kissed like his life depended on it, and I kissed him right back.
Brandon
She gasped, and I took my opportunity, swooping my tongue into her mouth as my hand rested on the small of her back. Jesus and Buddha. Nina tasted good. Fucking excellent. My memories didn’t serve her justice.
“Wait. What are you doing?” she panted, pulling away from my lips, ending our kiss earlier than I would have wanted, but I knew I was fucking it all up. I was coming on too strong and moving too fast.
“I have loved you every single day since I saw you on the beach in that yellow fucking bikini.”
“Bran—”
“I never stopped. There hasn’t been anyone since you.”
“What if I moved on?”
“You just told me you didn’t.”
“But if I had?”
“I doubt anyone would ever be like you’re in my heart, Nina Montenegro. I love you. I fucked up. Got tired of waiting, and in trying to do the best thing for us, I screwed it all up. You’re right. I should have stuck it out. But I wanted you to make your dreams come true.”
“We could have done that together,” she repeated as she shook me off her and stepped to the side as she looked out. “My family is in there. I should probably go. My dad wants to take us to dinner.”
“Sushi?”
“How did you know?”
“He likes making his girls happy, and all-you-can eat rolls definitely make all of you smile,” I told her, excluding the fact her dad had clocked me only moments earlier.
“Yeah…. I forgot how well you… I should, umm…” She was rambling. It was cute and endearing and gave me hope that even though two years had passed by, my girl was still who I remembered.
“Go. Right.” I crossed my arms across my chest and clenched my hands into fists so I wouldn’t be tempted to do something even crazier than I already had. Like pull her in and over my shoulder and drag her back to my hotel and show her how much I’d missed her while finding a way to talk her into giving me a second chance with my mouth, fingers, and cock.
“Where are you staying?”
“La Mirada.”
“That’s only about two miles away.”
“I came here for you, Nina. In case I wasn’t clear about that earlier. That’s why I’m here. For you.”
“I still have the same number…” she shared, and my jaw clenched. How many times had I brought her number up on my phone? How many times had I written out a text and deleted it? How many times had I convinced myself she had probably changed her number? “Text me your room number. I’ll stop by after dinner. That okay?”
“Beautiful, I’m not here for a booty call.”
“I didn’t know I was offering one.” Her cheeks flushed, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. What we were both thinking.
A hotel room with the two of us in it. Just like the first time I’d had her.
“You come over, you gotta be sure you can fit me in your life, Nina. For the long run,” I warned, leaning down so I could graze my nose against hers.
“Again, I wasn’t the one to cut you out last time,” she softly reminded me.
“Nina….” She stepped away and ran her fingers through her long hair.
“Text me or not, it’s up to you. But that’s a tonight-only kind of offer. Do you understand? You text and I go over there, and we figure it out. If you don’t text tonight, it’s because this little reunion isn’t what you thought it would be and we really should move on.”
“Nina…”
“I hope I hear from you,” she whispered so softly it made a knot form in my throat. Her hands cupped my clean-shaven face, and she stood on the tips of toes to reach me, giving me a sweet kiss goodbye.
Chapter Four
Brandon
I WATCHED HER leave and felt Sam come up next to me.
“That’s the famous Nina?”
“That’s her.” I couldn’t deny the smile on my face as I watched her. She had taken the black robe off, and the sweet red summer dress she had been wearing beneath showed off the sweet curves of her body.
“I get it. I think. Who’s the girl with the red hair?”
“Her best friend, Macie.”
“Nice ass.”
“Shut up, man.”
“So? How badly did you fuck up?
“Scale of one to ten?”
“Sure, let’s start low.”
“Twenty probably.” I sighed, running my hands through my hair and resting them atop my head. I’d moved too fast. Pushed too hard. But there was a chance. She didn’t hate me. She still loved me.
“Salvageable?”
“I think so.”
“So?”
“She said to text her my hotel number.”
“Then what the fuck are you waiting for?”
“For her to really think what giving her my room number means for us.”
“Dude.” He laughed, and I turned to look at him. “I hate to break your bubble here, but you do know even if you give her the number, there’s no guarantee she’s coming to see you?” he said, planting the seed of doubt in my head. He wasn’t wrong.
“Shit,” I cursed. Here I had been feeling slightly confident the ball was in my court, but it really wasn’t.
Fucking Sam and his practical logic.
What if I did text her and she didn’t show up?
Nina
“Leti,” I warned as we stepped into the bathroom.
“Oh no… nu-uh. There will be no Leti’ing me. Not when you have that dopey look on your face,” my younger-by-two years sister said, and I rolled my eyes trying to school my face. I just couldn’t. She was probably right. I was probably sporting a dopey smiley look.
“I agree. Something’s up. Spill,” Macie added as we stepped into the spacious bathroom at the restau
rant. “Something’s up with you. You’re like a huge bundle of nerves all tightly wound.”
“Spill what? I have no idea what you guys are talking about.” It wasn’t that I was trying to keep Brandon a secret. I just had no clue what had happened and much less of an idea of what would happen. I glanced at my cell. Still no text.
“She has no idea,” Mace repeated, looking at Leti, and Leti had the nerve to laugh, shaking her head.
“I know that look, Nina.” She grinned, pressing her lips together, her eyes wide and on me, waiting me out like the nosy younger sibling she was. “You’re nowhere as smooth as you think you are.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I denied, acting like I still couldn’t feel his lips on mine and his arms around me.
“Brandon freaking Chu, that’s who I’m talking about.”
“What about him?” I asked, but even I could hear the tremble in my own voice.
“Oh my god, was he there?” Macie asked, looking back and forth between Leti and me.
“What?” I scoffed, but Leti was looking at me like she knew, and I cracked, “How did… When did you see him?”
“I didn’t.” She giggled. “I just guessed, and you confirmed,” Leti said with an I told-you-so smile pasted on her face.
“You’re a pain in the ass.”
“You love me though.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Wait, focus!” Macie ordered. “He was at graduation?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“And we should get back to the table before Mom and Ita come in here and—”
“Nina.” Leti spoke softly knowing the tone would get me to stop and look at her. “What happened?”
“I have no idea.” I shrugged. “I promise I’ll tell you. I just… My mind’s still spinning, and I seriously need some food so I can process it all. Okay? Just… give me a little time.”
“Was it good or bad to see him?” Leti asked, wanting to take the pulse of the situation, but before I could answer, Macie cut in.
“Was he not hot anymore?” she asked. The worry in her face made me laugh.
5 More Minutes (Timeless Series Book 1) Page 2
