Chapter five

Nathan’s POV

“ I can’t believe you did that,” Lucy shook her head, and disappointment flashed in her eyes.

“ I screwed this up. You don’t have to look at me with those little judgy eyes. I panicked, okay?” I said, annoyed by her expression.

“ Oh, sorry. Let me fix it. I will clap my hands, admiring how you handled it.” She took a step back and did as she said.

“ Cut it out,” I almost growled at my best friend.

Lucy and I have known each other since we were kids. We support each other when needed and point out mistakes when needed. There is only one little flaw in this friendship. Lucy has no filter regarding being honest, especially regarding me.

“ I am sorry. Am I hurting your feelings? Too bad, because I do not care. Not after something like this.” She glanced at me, and I exhaled, already regretting this conversation. Lucy has been roasting me since I told her about last night. “ I think I need to listen to this story one more time.”

“ No, thank you,” I replied, pressing my palms to my temples, hoping to silence the growing headache. “ I said I screwed it up. What else do you want me to say?”

“ Maybe you can start by explaining what happened in your head when you decided it would be a good idea. Your neurons disconnected?”

I leaned back on my chair, massaging my neck. It was a bad idea to start this conversation with Lucy. Now, she thought I was some pervy pig.

“ She needed help. I could see that,” I said slowly, ensuring my voice was calm. If I will piss her off a little more, she will tear me a new one.

“ Dragging a girl to your bed… interesting. What kind of help is it? Especially when she is not single,” Lucy tapped her chin with her long nail.

My anger rose when she mentioned this bast*rd, even without using his name.

“ I could tell she was in need, and I had to step up.” I tried one more time to present my point of view, but Lucy was not having it.

“ And you both ended buttnaked in sheets. I get it; she was in need.”

“ Don’t push it,” I warned my friend, but she seemed unfazed.

“ And what are you going to do with this mess right now, genius?” She asked me, and I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came. “ Just as I thought. No wonder you need my help. Someone needs to tell you how to clean up this mess.”

“ Let me remind you that I was doing such things for you, too,” I pointed out, and my friend pursed her lips.

I was the one to take care of her when Lucy came out as a lesbian, and her conservative family turned her back on her. She became homeless overnight. I took her in and gave her a job at my company, where now she was a lead technician and where she met her wife, Cassie. The couple lived peacefully for the last four years.

“ You can not compare our situations. What you did is…” Lucy paused for a moment, probably searching for the best insult.

“ Disgusting, I know. I should not have done that.”

“ That is not what I meant,” my friend replied, but I knew her too well to miss her lie.

“ I need to get some fresh air and clear my mind,” I said, grabbing my jacket. I was afraid that in a couple of minutes, my anger would get the best of me. And the last thing I needed was to fight with my best friend. I slammed the door to my office, leaving Lucy inside. She will find the way to her department. I had to be alone for a while.

I wandered the streets for at least twenty minutes, thinking about last night. Lucy was right. What got into my mind? How could I believe it was the right thing to do?

I strolled through the town when someone slammed into me at full speed. I had a second to react as the woman who bumped into me lost her balance. I wrapped my hands around her, hoping that would help.

And then I recognised Margot. The scent of her perfumes hit my nose. I remembered how her skin smelled last night.

“ You keep falling into my arms. It must be destiny,” I spoke, helping her to catch the balance.

Margot raised her head, and her eyes immediately filled with hatred. That was not looking good.

“ Take your hands off me,” she hissed, and then it hit me that I was still embracing her.

“ I thought you liked my touch,” I said, but I loosened my grip, and she almost jumped back.

“ You are disgusting!” Margot glared at me. I was hearing this word quite often today. One time, it came out of my mouth.

“ Are you stalking me? Haven’t you done enough?” Margot clenched her jaw.

“ Don’t flatter yourself. I was just enjoying fresh air.” I replied, holding her look.

“ Bulls*it!” She almost spat on the ground.

“ Wow, such language in such pretty lips. They are made for better things than that.” A small smile tugged on my lips.

“ Did you come here to check if I am keeping my word?” Margot balled her fists. She looked so sweet when she was angry.

“ Come where?” I asked, sincerely surprised by her words.

“ Don’t pretend. Do you want me to believe you were accidentally passing by my boyfriend’s company?” Margot chuckled, and I looked around. She was right, at least partially.

“ Your boyfriend’s company? Is it not your company as well? Did he steal it already from you? Shocking.” This time, I chuckled.

“ You should know a lot about stealing,” Margot replied coldly.

“ What is that supposed to mean?” I asked harsher than I intended. My patience was wearing thin, and I was not going to let anyone insult me, not even her.

“ Seriously, you are asking about that?” Margot smirked, “ You really have no shame. Sam was right about you.”

“ And what did your boyfriend tell you about me? I doubt there is anything that could be true. He usually struggles with being honest.” I spoke through my gritted teeth.

“ Don’t you dare to insult Sam!” Margot took another step back and stomped her feet on the ground. I could not believe my eyes.

“ Or what? You will run to the teacher?” I asked, referring to her childish behaviour.

“ I know why you are here. You couldn’t wait to tell him about last night, could you? What you did was not enough damage, so you came here to cause more havoc? And what are you going to tell him? That you drug*ed me and used me while I was unconscious?” Margot looked at me as if she was challenging me.

Unfortunately, this time, she pushed it too far. I came closer and grabbed her arm, making sure she would stay still.

“I already told you that I do not need to use dru*s to make women willing to be with me,” I hissed, struggling to control my nerves. “ And I don’t take anything that is not mine. That is the difference between me and your beloved Sam.”

“ You are nothing but a monster,” Margot yanked her arm and walked away before I could say another word.

I stood there, panting, trying to control myself, when something caught my attention.

“ What the h*ell does it mean?”