He was taken aback by the raw and pure confession. “No Brooke. It was all you. If I had not heard people praise your work, I probably wouldn’t have employed you.” Which was a pure white lie, but Nathan let it slip because right now he had to raise the self-esteem of his friend. “You know sometimes I feel like I was wrong for being stubborn…” “No, Brooke. You were never at fault. You believed in true love and I really think it’s beautiful. True love is the one that is, deep, abiding love that is impervious to emotional whims or fancy. It is a choice. It's a constant commitment to a person regardless of the present circumstances.You’re a gem of a person, Brooke. You’re kind and beautiful and a hard-working woman who believes in love. He’s an idiot for choosing his bed partners over you. If Greg cannot say no to physical pleasure for you, it’s his problem.” Nathan smiled when Brooke laughed at his words. “He really can’t. I learned later that he had many one-night stands.” “Oh yeah
Next day went surprisingly well for Brooke. The work at the mansion was going good and she’d started getting new projects from a few clients. She was about ready to leave early that evening so she could reach Nathan’s place by 7. She was excited to see Nathan again. She had given Donald an early leave and had stayed back alone for half an hour. She was about to close her office when Greg came in, with a wild look in his eyes. Brooke gasped as she turned around only to come face to face with Greg. “What are you doing here?” She gritted her teeth, anger visible in her posture.. Greg looked taken aback for a moment. She could understand though. The guy had never seen a furious side of her. He had always seen Brooke compromising, balancing, taking the middle ground. Even when she walked out on Greg, her anger stemmed more from being resigned or dejected. But this Brooke who had been bruised and suffered, was strong now. This Brooke was formidable. She was a survivor and she was not g
Nathan was equal parts nervous and excited. Brooke was finally coming over to his house. He wasn't sure how Brooke would take to him cooking for her but he knew he liked her enough to not like hiding things from her. For instance, his cooking skills. And also the fact that he wanted to come clean to her about the fake girlfriend issue. Even though Brooke might not understand everything, he hoped she would understand enough to forgive him or understand the reasons behind his actions.Even though Nathan was nervous he found himself relaxing when he started preparing the dinner. There was something about chopping up onions and mushrooms that just calmed his nerves and soon he was smiling, humming low to himself. The smell of garlic and tomatoes filled the kitchen and Nathan poured himself a glass of red wine while he continued to put his lasagna together, stirring his pots carefully while the oven heated up. He had promised Brooke a great dinner after all. Initially he was just going to
They headed back to the kitchen and Nathan took out the lasagna from the oven and put it over the kitchen counter. He opened up his cabinet and took out two glasses and swiftly opened up the champagne bottle that Brooke had gifted him. He poured two flutes of champagne and turned over to see Brooke was watching his every move with wonder in her eyes. “Do you want to eat in the kitchen or in front of the TV?" He asked. He really wanted to eat at the table, lit candles and everything but he wasn’t so sure that Brooke would appreciate that. It would look too romantic and Brooke didn’t know his secret yet. So he decided to go casual. He wanted Brooke to relax and feel comfortable before he told her the truth. "Oh, we can eat on the couch, maybe watch a movie?" Brooke suggested. She was impressed with the huge TV set that Nathan had. Besides she needed a distraction to get her mind off of her run in with Greg. "Of course," Nathan said, surprised with the suggestion and walked towards t
Nathan found Brooke’s behavior quite odd. It was unlike her to get away in such a hurry. Something was not right. He figured whatever it was that Brooke was dealing with, he’d give her the night to calm herself and he’d go guns blazing the next day. Because he couldn't stand to watch her in a disturbed state. Besides there was also the fact that he wanted to tell her the truth about his girlfriend. He wanted to come clean with her and tell her that he loved her. There was no doubt in his mind that Brooke would get upset with him, she may get angry at him, lash out at him and do everything that a woman would do if she was lied to. But he was also sure she would understand him and forgive him because deep down in his heart he knew she had a big heart. He just hoped she’d understand and eventually fall in love with him. The next morning as soon as he woke up he dialed Brooke’s number. It took a few rings for her to answer her phone all the while it ade Nathan nervous. “Hey, are you ok?”
After that eventful call, Brooke and Nathan became best of friends.They had lunch together and sometimes even dinner. The progress of the renovation was going at a good pace. The library and the office section at the mansion were almost done. Brooke was healing and enjoyed Nathan's company, genuinely believing that the man only wanted to be friends with her and there could be nothing more in between them. Slowly but steadily Brooke accepted that maybe she was reading too much into this girlfriend scenario. But her brain constantly reminded her that if Nathan claimed to be her best friend, then why wouldn’t he talk about his girlfriend with her. Just normal things like when did they meet? Where did they meet? How many years into the relationship? And so on. It all came to a head when Brooke directly questioned him at a lunch date. “How come your girlfriend never visits you?” She asked as they were having lunch at the Taco Joint. Nathan flustered. He had no genuine answer to that que
After that eventful call, Brooke and Nathan became best of friends.They had lunch together and sometimes even dinner. The progress of the renovation was going at a good pace. The library and the office section at the mansion were almost done. Brooke was healing and enjoyed Nathan's company, genuinely believing that the man only wanted to be friends with her and there could be nothing more in between them. Slowly but steadily Brooke accepted that maybe she was reading too much into this girlfriend scenario. But her brain constantly reminded her that if Nathan claimed to be her best friend, then why wouldn’t he talk about his girlfriend with her. Just normal things like when did they meet? Where did they meet? How many years into the relationship? And so on. It all came to a head when Brooke directly questioned him at a lunch date. “How come your girlfriend never visits you?” She asked as they were having lunch at the Taco Joint. Nathan flustered. He had no genuine answer to that que
Brooke finally invited Nathan to the bar and introduced him to her friends.Nathan’s time was cut short because the ladies at the bar demanded to take some pictures with him and kept asking him to share one dance with them. One dance became two which became ten and then Brooke had to step in and tell Nathan to meet them back at her house. Brooke couldn’t handle all the touchy and swooning ladies going after her Nathan! There was only so much sharing that Brooke was willing to tolerate while he was out with her. The whole group had their own private party at Brooke’s house. A few drinks, four pizzas, and five packets of chips later, everyone was buzzed. “Dude, it’s like you’re like...I’m like flying…” Beth said, squinting her eyes while looking at Nathan from where she was spread out on the carpet next to the coffee table. She was wasted. The woman had a good capacity when it came to drinking. But when she drank, the alcohol had a tendency to hit her hard and fast. “What do you mean