Page 7 of Yours, Truly

“Forever! No matter what,” she chimed.

“Forever,” I smiled as we laid on the floor, leaning our heads together as we rested in the pile of papers scattered around us.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath not wanting to start crying. I was beginning to feel overwhelmed; the wedding, the wine, the stranger, work. All replaying in my head at the same time on full volume. I didn’t want to drag Ivy in my spiral, to ruinthe night that was supposed to be her wedding planning. I needed to find a way to breathe through my emotions. To calm the raging anxiety that wanted to break through. At the moment, it was a battle I was scared of losing control of. Despite this, I was determined to make this the best wedding in the world for Ivy; she deserved nothing less.

The next morning was a struggle; my head pounded and I couldn't remember how I stumbled into the guest bedroom. I fixed my hair into a messy bun, threw on an oversized T-shirt accompanied with my grey sweatpants and made my way into the kitchen for coffee. Ivy was already awake, coffee brewed, cooking breakfast in a way that I honestly didn't know how she did it. It was as if she didn’t have anything to drink last night.

Ivy was completely put together in a cute pyjama set, her hair brushed into a neat ponytail and her face looked fresh. She was a total contrast to my scruffy appearance. I shouldn’t be surprised by this anymore as she always looked her best.

“Here babe,” she handed me some painkillers and water.

“Thank you, my saviour!” I laughed, as I retrieved the glass from the counter, quickly swallowing the tablets as she pushed a coffee cup across the counter to me too. She knew exactly what I needed.

This was the plus side of a ten-year friendship, three years sharing a dorm and TMI conversations about everything. We knew each other inside and out, in both the best and worst parts that not even our own family and partners knew.

“We have a busy day today. We need to tidy the mess before my parents get back home later, and plan the engagement party. Mum invited you to stay for dinner as she hasn’t seen you for ages.”

I took a sip and nodded, accepting the invitation. I hadn't seen Carol and Mark since summer when we had the BBQ for Mark’s birthday. I got on really well with her parents and they sometimes invited me out for dinner. Her parents were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this week in Thailand.

“Sure, sounds good,” I smiled, letting the warm liquid flow down my throat, subsiding the nausea. “Ivy… how are you okay? I'm hanging,” I groaned, putting my head in my hands as I leaned on the counter for support.

“Sure, looks like you had a good evening,” a rough voice projected from the doorway behind me. My heart stopped, anxiety flared up.No way.

Turning around slowly, afraid to make any sudden movements; it was him. Mr Barcelona. He was smartly dressed in dark Armani pants, the sleeves rolled up on his taupe shirt and sunglasses that shielded those beautiful eyes. The familiar scent of Hugo boss filled my lungs, igniting my body and jump-starting my memories. He removed his shades keeping his eyes on me, my breathing hitched, my throat dry.

“NATE!” Ivy startled me as she ran up throwing her arms around him.Nate. Frozen, I finally knew his name. His focus shifted to Ivy as he returned the hug, pulling her tight, lifting hertiny frame off the floor. “You're finally home! It's been a while.”

He settled her back down and she playfully punched his arm.

Finally, it started to make sense, my mind rummaged back through conversations with Ivy, remembering she had an older brother she hardly ever saw. I couldn’t remember her ever mentioning a name or even seeing a picture of him. I was not expecting this!Her older brother was my one-night stand.

I knew he worked away from home a lot and only saw her a couple times a year; he wasn’t spoken about much as he’d had a massive falling out with his dad.

“I thought I'd come visit Mum. Wanted to give her a gift, especially since she’s been married tohimfor a long time, she needs some kind of medal,” he playfully said.

“Nate,” she softly scolded. “She will be home later.”

His focus returned to me as I realised I hadn’t stopped staring at him. A second of silence passed until Ivy remembered me.

“Nate, this is my best friend, Gigi. We’ve been best friends since uni. Gi, meet my big brother Nate!”

She introduced us, oblivious that we had already met intimately a couple months ago. He goes by the nickname of Mr Barcelona; the nicknameSHEgave him. Nate's expression relaxed, his smile softened into a subtle smirk. He now had my name just as he had wanted that night.

“Hey Gigi, Nice to meet you.” Nate replied, swallowing the lump in his throat. His Adams apple bobbed softly. His voice sent a chill down my spine igniting my arousal; my body loved the way my name rolled off his tongue.

“You too,” I smiled gently, subtly squirming in my seat. Ivydanced back to the other side of the kitchen to refill her coffee, allowing me to glare at Nate, alarmed at the discovery. Amused at my reaction, he strolled into the kitchen, cool as a cucumber, grabbing some bacon from the plate. Ivy swatted his hand away but he just chuckled at her.

He wandered to the space by the back door, his body glowing from the sun that seeped into the kitchen. He folded his arms which bulged his muscles as his gaze focused back on me.

Those eyes darkened as if he was reliving the memory of that night, even though I looked like a mess. My body was reacting to his presence and I couldn’t stop it, my cheeks heated up as he kept his attention on me. As bad as it sounded, I was grateful Ivy was oblivious because I was panicking internally, anxious that she could figure out the passionate night shared between the two of us.

“Mum and Dad won't be happy with the party Iv,” he tutted playfully, telling her off, not taking his eyes off me. I wasn’t uncomfortable with his examination. I welcomed it.

“You're just jealous you weren't invited,” she continued to plate up breakfast and wash the dishes as she went along.

“Yes, I am” he strung out his sentence, a hint of flirtation in his tone.

Quietly, I sipped my coffee, not wanting to draw any attention, having to fake a smile as Ivy focussed back on me. My brain was all over the place; I wasn't sure what I was thinking. I needed to keep myself busy to try to hold back the anxiety attack that I could feel surfacing. I couldn't believe I’d had thebest sex of my life withmy best friend’s brother.

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