Page 53 of Greased

“Hello?” Nicky says, slowly. That gruff voice of his unsure at who's on the end of the line.

For a moment there is nothing. Noah must say something and knowing him, its fucking creative. The colour drops from Nicky’s face as he locks eyes with me. I just give him an innocently sweet smile.

He listens still for a while longer, humming his agreement every so often. His eyes are still blown wide at the abuse I'm sure he is copping from my best friend.

Checkmate.

Nicky’s face is comical during the entire exchange. He remains silent during the entire call but every so often, his face twitches or he shivers during what I am sure is an absolute beat down. I know that even if Nicky wanted to reply to whatever he was being told, he would haven’t even been given a chance. When Noah gets into these rants of his, there is no stopping him.

His words cut Nicky deep. I watch as his face contorts. At first it's in shame, knowing just how deeply he has hurt me. Then it's in horror. I chuckle to myself as I watch the way his eyes blow wide. Nicky and the guys might be big and tough but when it comes to fiercely protecting people they love, Noah is unstoppable. After a while, Nicky eventually nods.

“Yeah man, I hear you loud and clear. I know my promises may seem empty to you right now and I’m not trying to butter you up. I know just how badly I fucked up. I will forever regret the choices I made that day,” he lets out a sigh, “I broke my girl's heart. I willregret that everyday for the rest of my life. But nothing will stop me from making it up to her. I will win her back. I will protect her with my life. I will be there no matter what, even if she doesn't want me anymore.”

Nicky then listens intently, nodding every so often before saying a short goodbye to Noah. He hands me back the phone. I pull it up to my ear, already chuckling.

“I would love nothing more than a word count on how many times you said the words ‘cunt’ in that exchange.”

“There’s a reason it's my favourite word,” Noah sniggers. “I set that fucker straight though, Scar,” I go to butt in but he doesn’t give me a chance, “and before you go saying that you already had it under control, I would be the world’s shittest best friend if I didn’t tell at least one of those fuckers exactly what I thought.” I roll my eyes but I can’t help but feel grateful to have someone like Noah in my life. There is a reason he is my best friend and this is one of them.

“I love your face.”

“I love your face even more. Now that I’m done abusing men for the night, I’m going to head to bed. I’ve got training first thing in the morning.”

“Ok. Good night.”

“Night, Scar.”

I end the call and quickly tuck my phone away in my back pocket. Nicky hasn’t moved from his position in front of me. I look up at him and note the expression on his face. I remain silent as we stare into each other's eyes.

It's not some kind of alpha versus alpha pissing contest, but more of a communication between injured souls. Souls that refuse to fight the distance the bodies continue to put between them. We both knowwhere our path will lead us. Our fate has been set from the moment our journeys collided. We are both equal in our inability to fight it. He has always been mine and I have always been his.

At that moment, as we remain locked on each other, I am able to see it clearly.

For god’s sake, I even lost all memories of where our childhoods were so deeply intertwined. No matter how far we are apart, whether that be different cities or on opposite ends of the planet, we will always find our way back to each other.

Not a single part of me rebels at that fact. If anything, I hold it closer to me. It might not be okay right now, but it will be.

Nicky eventually smiles bringing us both out of stupor. “Noah was fucking brutal,” he chuckles quietly, his voice low.

I nod. “He’s fierce when he is in protection mode. I’ve never been on the receiving end of his wrath but I can imagine how your ego might be feeling right about now.”

He laughs, nodding. “Yeah, you can say that again. His choice of abuse is quite…” he pauses, trying to find the word, “colourful.”

I snort, “That’s an understatement. I’ve heard some of the things he has thrown around at dickheads down at the pub. They don’t quite make sense but they are effective.”

“Lets just say I’ve never been called a ‘douchemonging koala fucker’ before.”

I can’t help the full belly laugh that escapes me then. I eventually calm myself down enough to look up at Nicky. His smile is wide as he looks down at me as I catch my breath.

“So your ego took quite a hit then I guess?” I ask.

He nods but his stare is still locked on my face, “Yeah, it did. That along with the dressing down Mr Green just gave us too. But it's healing with the way you are looking at me right now.”

I will the smile off my face but it won’t fade. I feel a light blush slowly tinge my cheek. I look away, trying my best to cover it. Nicky brings his hand and lifts my chin back up to his gaze.

“Don’t shy away from me, baby girl. I want all of your emotions. No matter what they are, I can handle them.”

I smile ruefully at him, an eyebrow lifting, “Be careful what you wish for.”

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