Page 22 of Fate Forever and Always

“Nick, you’re in love with her. This trip is the perfect opportunity to tell her how you feel.”

“I can’t. She is too vulnerable right now. She got cheated on two weeks ago. Today is her fucking wedding day, for god’s sake. I can’t do that to her and confuse her even more.” I turnedback to the game and resumed playing. “Plus, I’ve been throwing playful hints around, but she doesn’t seem phased. I can’t ruin our friendship. If I lose Callie, I’ll lose you all. Aubrey and Callie are soulmates and you know it. You and I are the secondary characters in their story.”

He laughed, “You know Aubs would never leave you in the lurch like that, Nick. I don’t think it would go badly, but that’s just my opinion. You guys already fight like you're married anyway. You guys need a good fuck.”

“I can’t just fuck her dude, she’s too special to just get it over with, plus it would be—”

Shit. I don’t know how to finish that sentence without giving away that I’ve never had sex before, but I know he's going to ask. It’s too embarrassing to admit.

Link was staring me down, waiting. I looked away and sipped my beer to give myself time. “You can’t tell the girls. Promise me you won’t fucking tell them.”

He slapped his hand on the back of my shoulder. “Guy code, my dude. I got you. What’s up?”

“I…I’ve never actually…ya know.” I paused when Link’s eyes widened. He was waiting for me to finish. “I’ve never fucked a girl before.”

“No. Fucking. Way,” Link said with a smile.

I immediately got pissed off because I thought I knew what was coming. “Don’t make jokes, dude. I don’t need that kind of shit right now. This is why I don’t—"

“Nick. Stop.” He cut me off. “I won’t make fun of you, at least not yet." He smiled. "I have questions, though.” He looked me right in the eyes, and I could tell he was being completely genuine. “How? You’ve had girlfriends, right? Don’t you go on dates? How do they not end with sex at least once in a while?”

They are valid questions.

“Honestly, being with someone else never felt right. I have always compared everyone I met to Callie.”

He seemed to think for a second, unsure of what to say, so I continued.

“I know what you are thinking, and yes, I’ve done basically everything else. Just no sex. I always stopped it before it got to the point of actual sex. They are always well taken care of and satisfied.”

Link raised his eyebrows and slapped me on the back of the shoulder. “My dude,” he said appreciatively. “I can't wait to hear how it goes with Callie.”

I still didn't believe he wasn't going to break my balls, but I added fuel to the fire. “I know you probably think it’s lame as fuck, but none of them were her,” I shrugged. “I have loved Callie since I was eighteen—probably even before that, if I’m honest. I don’t know how to explain it. It just always felt right to wait.” I took another swig of my beer before looking at him again.

He was quiet, like he was thinking hard about something. A different smirk appeared on his face. I was about to protest whatever came out of his mouth until he surprised me when he said, “I get it.”

“You do?” I asked with wide eyes.

“Just because you haven’t hit a home run yet doesn’t mean you haven’t ever played ball. If I’m being honest, if I had known Aubrey sooner, I would have waited for her forever, too. Yeah, I was a player and slept with god knows how many people, but she changed it all. When you know, you know. You knew, so you waited. I get it.”

I was in shock. “Um…thanks, I think.”

Just then, the girls walked in. Link looked at me and made the zipper motion across his lips. He got up and pulled Aubrey into a kiss. I felt a rush of jealousy surge through me. We all talked for a little while longer before Aubrey and Link headed home.

Callie and I chatted over some leftovers. She told me Aubrey was taking care of some arrangements for the honeymoon for us, like getting us separate rooms, making sure our massages were separate, etc. The thought of doing things separately upset me more than I was willing to admit, but I guess it was probably for the best. I don’t know what this trip will bring, but I’m excited to find out. Let the anxiety-filled countdown begin.

Chapter eight

Callie

October

It’s been about a month since my almost wedding day. Jake has called a total of four hundred seventy-one times since the breakup. Most recently, he called when he found out that his plane ticket had been transferred out of his name. I’m not sure if he thought he would still be coming or what, but he was pissed. I told him I had canceled them so I wouldn’t have to answer more questions. I still can’t bring myself to tell Nick or Aubrey that I haven’t blocked him yet. I have zero intentions of picking up the phone, so again, I’m not sure why I haven’t. Luckily, he has left Aubs and Nick alone.

Nick and I leave for our trip tomorrow. He got the approval to take a few weeks off from work. I was glad he had saved up all his sick and vacation leave time over the last few years.

I had been looking forward to this trip for so long. The reason for going may look a bit different, but I was going to spend this trip of a lifetime with one of my best friends by my side. I just knew it was going to be a memorable two weeks.

I was washing some dishes when Nick came up beside me and started drying them. For a split second, I thought he was just being nice, but then he began to bug me again, just as he’d done numerous times as of late. He’s been up my ass about every little thing. He’s driving me insane. He has tried to pawn off his place on this trip to Aubrey multiple times over the last month.

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