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Twenty Four: The Morning After
She woke up to the sound of her phone ringing, dazed, and tasted the smell of her drinks the night before in her breath. She pierced her eyes to see who was calling, pressed the accept button under Kelsey's beautiful face.
"Hey girl ... Happy New Year!!" her usual cheerful voice greeted her, then her dazzling morning look was visible on her screen.
"Hey babe, Happy New Year!" her hoarse voice surprised herself.
"Whoa ... you looked like you had a pretty good night," Kelsey laughed. She was descending some stairs outside an unfamiliar house.
"Where are you?" Julie wiped her eyes and yawned.
"I had to crash at a friend's house last night 'cause ... well ... you know," she pressed her car alarm, Julie heard the tweet.
"Who?" she was curious.
Kelsey entered her car, sat on the driver's seat, and took a deep breath, "Zachary's ... he held
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The Boyfriend Twenty Five: Nathan Knows
Later that day, Nathan came back from Ardor and took her out to a seaside restaurant for an early dinner. It was one of his favorite spots on the island where the sunset view was extraordinary and the coffee was excellent.They sat facing each other enjoying a plate of oysters in garlic and lime for appetizers, ordered a grilled red snapper with mash potatoes and salad on the side for the main course. The ocean breeze blew out her hair and her light summer dress. The sunset reflected on her skin. They talked about the night before, all smiles and laughter."I feel like I could stay here for the long run," her eyes gazed at the ocean rolling its waves towards the shores.Nathan turned and looked at where she was looking. "It's beautiful, isn't it? That's why I chose this island for Ardor, I can see myself living here for good too ... it's like, you don't need a vacation to break away from your daily life."
The Boyfriend Twenty Six: The Bookstore
She received her first paycheck from Ardor and knew exactly where she wanted to spend it. Nathan took her to the bookstore where she met Kelsey for the first time. She took a cart, knowing she will be buying more than a few books.She went straight to the Fiction shelves. She studied the covers, picked out the most interesting titles, read the synopsis, and followed her gut instinct whether to put it in the cart or put it back on the shelves. She could do that for hours, while Nathan was in the Business section because that's what he was reading lately.She saw him reading by the store window. The sunlight penetrated the glass and made his skin looked golden. He was looking down at his book, he pouted his lips. The world around him seemed to disappear, he wasn't aware of her watching him. He was like her when he reads, she thought. She could spend hours in that store, and he wouldn't be bothered waiting for her.She turn
The Boyfriend Twenty Seven: Love Another
She closed her book right after they left. Poured some more wine into her glass. The silence was loud. It used to be comforting, that night, she felt alone. She stepped out of the balcony with her book still clutched between her arm and her waist, white wine in her left hand. Once in a while, in these kinds of nights, she felt there's something missing in her life.She didn't feel it very often, that empty space inside. Sometimes she filled it with books, sometimes with music. More often than not, Kelsey made her forget there was even a space to fill. Preston never failed to turn up whenever she needed him, and lately, there was Nathan who started to feel more and more like someone that fits the mold.Spending so much time with Nathan for the past month made her forget that he was Kelsey's boyfriend. The dozens of times their eyes met, she wished she didn't feel that tingle in her stomach, but she did. She looked away every time, but Nathan
The Boyfriend Twenty Eight: Breakfast With Kelsey
They talked until she finished the whole bottle of wine, and then some more. It was almost 3 AM when she fell asleep on her bed and Preston was the one who pressed the red button. She slept through the night, the last memory of the night was Preston's voice talking to her.She felt a little soar in her throat when she woke up. She went out to the pantry to get some water with a mild headache. She jumped and spilled some water when she turned and find Nathan leaning against the corridor wall staring at her."Good morning, did you finish that book last night?" He looked fresh and not the least bit hungover."No ... actually, I was on the phone with Preston 'til late," she replied.He pressed his lips together, "That explains the empty bottles, how is he?" he pretended to care.She lifted her shoulders, "He's okay ... how was your night? Did you guys have fun?"
The Boyfriend Twenty Nine: The Kitchen Incident
When he saw her on the other side of his door, his heart fell. She was a sight for sore eyes, for sure, but her being there meant his night was taking an unexpected turn. He was enjoying his night too much for any altercation. A few drinks and three bars later, he still thought his night would've been better at home.His heart and his mind were saying one thing, but his body couldn't resist her. He knew she wasn't faithful to him, even though he hasn't got any proof yet, but her behavior was sending all the signs. He knew he didn't have half much fun being with her than being with Julie, but Kelsey was still his girlfriend. If he ended it with Kelsey for no apparent reason, he would've come out as a jerk, and lose his friendship with Julie as a result.So when they were back at his villa, in his bedroom, despite all the scenarios he had played in his head, he succumbed to his bodily weakness. It was easy, it was quick, and it was good. The r
The Boyfriend Thirty: I'm Coming On Valentine's Day
It was something they never spoke about again after that night. Just like the kiss on New Year's Eve. It was better to pretend that it was nothing.She worked on her report diligently. She worked for Ardor equally hard. She drafted their financial report, calculated their taxes, managed their social media accounts. She designed their digital marketing campaign, she was doing everything. And he was growing more dependent on her, professionally, and personally.He built another shelf for her. He organized all her books on the old shelf, and was going to take her out on another book shopping spree. Two months into her internship, he can hardly remember what life was like before her.Kelsey had been calling him more frequently. She talked about her feelings more openly towards him. He found himself numbed, unable to return her affections. She cheated on him, he was sure of that, but he didn't even care anymore. He couldn't b
The Boyfriend Thirty One: Let's Make That Video
He watched her from Ardor's balcony that afternoon. He had to do something about it because it was slowly driving him crazy. Wanting to be with her as much as he did and not being able to touch her, or even say anything about it to her.She felt it too, he was sure of it, but she was too good to do anything about it. He had to do it the right way, and there was no right way to do it. She was already avoiding him after that call from Kelsey. She went on a stroll by herself all afternoon and locked herself in her bedroom when he came home. No matter what he'll do, the chance of losing her was there.He couldn't sleep that night. He went back and forth to the front of her door. He wanted to knock but changed his mind, twice. He laid awake on his bed, stared at the ceiling, figuring out ways to make it work. He thought about it until his head hurt, there was no way around it.**********
The Boyfriend Thirty Two: Welcome To Uomo
Nathan asked her to pack light but prepared a few outfits just in case they get wet. So she packed a few changes of clothes and a beach towel. It seemed like Nathan wanted to do the video by the water. It's a remote area where not many people know, it's barely touched by tourists.They packed up all the equipment needed in one giant backpack. Nathan stuffed his seasonings in a duffle bag. They made it as light as possible, but it was quite some baggage. They rode on a pick-up truck that came to take them to the beach. Julie chose to ride on the back, Nathan joined her and leaned on their stuff while enjoying the scenery along the way.She filmed their trip across the island when they pass the paddy fields, through narrow roads in villages, sometimes rocky roads by local farms where there were cows and goats fed on the green grass. She turned her camera to Nathan who at some point fell asleep. The trip to the beach took almost four hours only
Latest chapter
- The Boyfriend Epilogue
- The Boyfriend Thirty Nine: Graduation
- The Boyfriend Thirty Eight: Your Biggest Mistake
- The Boyfriend Thirty Seven: Going After Kelsey
- The Boyfriend Thirty Six: Hostage
- The Boyfriend Thirty Five: One Fine Day
- The Boyfriend Thirty Four: Saved By Preston
- The Boyfriend Thirty Three: Surprise?
- The Boyfriend Thirty Two: Welcome To Uomo
