Page 84 of Nathan
No Comment
Nathan
The music in the pub blared too loud and made it hard to hear what my friends were saying. Liam, Brody, Jacob, and I sat with our heads close in the corner booth like we were plotting a crime.
“When was the last time you spoke to her?”
“We text more than we speak.”
“And what’s yer feelin’, mate? I mean it’s been six days since ye came back, and sometimes things cool down.” Liam had his hand on his pint of beer. “Is she still into ye?”
I scratched at my throat, like speaking about this made everything itchy. “It’s hard with all the shit they say about me in the media.”
Brody squeezed my shoulder and spoke with his Scottish lilt. “Awk, don’t worry about it. Ye told her not to believe a word of it, didn’t ye?”
I looked at him. “I did go to prison for assault. I did grow up in a cult, I did survive a mass murder, and my mum was killed in cold blood. The only thing I keep telling Serena is that I’d never be a danger to her or any other woman.”
Brody shook my shoulder. “A pretty significant detail, I’d say.”
My head hung low. “It just feels…” I searched for the word.
“Impossible?” Liam suggested before he received a warning headshake from Brody and Jacob.
“I was going to say fragile,” I said. “Like every time I talk to her could be the last. The Justin Long rumor threw me for a loop. I was fucking losing my mind for six hours until she called me.”
Liam lowered his brow. “Ye mean the photos of them kissing and hugging in the airport?”
I made a sound to confirm it.
“But ye talked to her about it, didn’t ye?” Brody asked.
“Of course. Serena said it was a random meeting when she returned home to LA after staying with her parents. Justin is one of her old friends from back when she performed on Broadway. They were just happy to see each other.”
Liam skewed his mouth. “But he kissed her on her lips.”
I groaned. “I’m aware.” I’d been beside myself from seeing photos of Serena smiling, hugging, and kissing another man.
“Looked more like a peck on her lips to me, and it could be a theater thing,” Jacob said with a hopeful tone. “Artists can be very free-spirited and affectionate.”
“Serena assured me that it meant nothing, and I trust her.” We were quiet for a moment, drinking from our beers and leaning our elbows on the table when Jacob nodded to my phone on the table, which kept buzzing.
“Do ye want me to check it?” Jacob had a strong Irish accent and always gave me shit about me living in Dublin practically my whole life and still speaking like an Englishman.
Turning my phone to see the display, I quickly put it back down again. “It’s nothing. Just another unknown number. Probably a journalist looking for comments.”
“Do ye want me to tell them to stop callin’? I don’t mind tellin’ them all to fock off.”
“Be my guest, but it’s better to ignore them…” I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence before Jacob had answered my phone.
“This is Nathan’s assistant,” he said and straightened in his seat.
“What? Ye have to speak up, lass, I can’t hear ye.
“An interview… Naw, I’m afraid Nathan is too busy at the moment. When?” With a lopsided smile, Jacob struggled to find a serious tone. “We’ll have to get back to ye on that one. Bye now.”
“What happened to tellin’ them to fock off?” Brody asked when Jacob ended the call.
“I couldn’t. It was a lass, and she sounded really friendly,” Jacob said in an apologetic tone. He was still holding my phone when it rang again.
