It’s loud, but the atmosphere is good. Drinks are flowing through everyone and I love being out with El. Watching her on the dance floor, she’s got the biggest smile on her face, and now that we have a plan to execute together for the future, it helps both of us so much.
Nash is watching Jess like a hawk, and when the girls step away to the restroom, I take the opportunity to talk to him about the second location for the gym. Especially because he’s leaving town for her birthday. “I think I found a spot to open Mechanical 2.”
“Really?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I grab my phone, pulling up the listing pictures and slide it in front of him.
He scrolls through, not really saying much. Then asks, “How much?”
“Just a little under a million. If you like it, I’ll try and get it. There’s potential for additional income with the strip mall. There are still a few open stores in there paying rent now.”
“Nate, I think it would be dope, but I want us to make the right financial move.”
“I promise, we will. Have I let you down at all?”
He shakes his head and raises his beer to me, and I do the same. “To Mechanical 2?” he asks.
“Hell yeah.”
“What are you two celebrating?” Amanda asks as she sits down next to me.
“The possible new home of our expanding empire. Behold: Mechanical number two.” I pass her my phone with the pictures and she looks through them intently.
“Damn, that place is huge,” she says.
“It would be perfect. I’m gonna see if I can make an offer and close the deal quick, with Elania’s help of course.”
“Speaking of, where is she?” Amanda asks.
Just then she comes out of the restroom, both her and Jess are giggling walking arm and arm. Clearly, they’ve made a connection.
I don’t have to answer Amanda. She sees the two girls coming towards us and her eyes are just as fixated on them as are mine. “Hi, Amanda,” El says, giving her a hug.
Jess says hi as well and then drags Nash onto the dance floor. As the three of us begin to talk, my phone rings. It’s sitting in the middle of the table, right where Amanda set it down, face up for the world to see. As it rings, Andrea’s name shines on the screen with a picture of her basically naked. Shit, I forgot to delete her contact. I grab it, trying to hide it, but not quickly enough. Elania’s eyes were glued to the screen.
She’s still staring at the table, right in the spot where my phone had sat and won’t look at me. I decline the call, watching her, waiting for her reaction. What the fuck do I say? She finally looks at me and asks, “Who was that?”
“No one, El. It was no one.”
Tears fill her eyes and I catch Amanda slip away out of the corner of my eye.
“Don’t bullshit me, Nate, I’m not fucking stupid. Who was that? She’s fucking naked.”
“She’s no one, I promise, El.”
She glares at me, tears running down her cheeks when she blinks and I hate that this is happening.
“You’re really going to lie to me?”
“I’m not lying,” I say, reaching for her arm. She pulls away from me with disgust written all over her face. Just the gesture alone is hurtful enough, but the look in her eyes absolutely kills me. “Please, El.”
“Don’t ‘Please, El’ me, I gave you the fucking chance to tell me who she was and you won’t.” Angrily, she grabs her purse off of the chair and leaves.
I react right away, following her outside. No! She can’t drive – she’s been drinking – plus, I can’t let her walk away from me. I need her. Her legs move quickly, and the second we step outside, I grab her, spinning her around and force her to look me in the eye. I have to tell her the truth about who Andrea is. She’s not going to let this go until I do.
“She’s someone I used to sleep with, before you. But that’s it. I never dated her and I haven’t been with her since we’ve been together.
She looks at the ground and then asks, “I thought Arion was the last person you were with?”
I shake my head, disgusted for being dishonest.
“Then why not tell me that in the beginning?”
“I don’t know, I didn’t think…I guess.”
“I guess?” she repeats and laughs, starting to walk away from me.
I step in front of her. My leg gets wobbly as I move, but I don’t care, I have to stop her.
“She means nothing to me, she never has. Please know that.”
“Well, you slept with her, she had to mean something, and why is she calling you anyways?”
“She’s having a hard time letting go, she wants more from me. I told her that I’m not interested and have been ignoring her, but it’s not helping.”