Page 59 of Meet You in the Waves
I found Nick in his gym in the boat shed, a light sheen of sweat on his back as he pounded the treadmill. He immediately slowed the machine but I hadn’t come in here to interrupt him.
“Keep going,” I indicated, moving to the little sofa and taking a seat. Nick smirked at me before he upped the speed again and I sipped on my coffee while perusing the man candy before me. How had I never noticed how much I liked man candy?
“Enjoying the view?” he smirked.
“You have no idea,” I purred back, watching as his smirk deepened.
“You’re making it very hard to run,” he said eventually, reaching down to palm himself.
“You’re making it very hard to watch,” I returned, snickering when he scowled at me.
“If we weren’t a potential scandal in the making, I’d come over there and wipe that smile off your pretty face.”
I said nothing, kind of wishing he could carry through with that threat.
“I’m pretty sure Dane knows about us,” I eventually admitted, taking another sip of my coffee. Nick glanced up at me at those words before shutting off the machine and slowing to a walk. He stepped off the treadmill, using a towel to wipe the sweat off his neck and forehead before he stepped towards me.
“Why do you think that?”
“I don’t think he missed my carefully phrased defence about not being with another girl last night.”
“Huh,” he mulled, face contemplative. “And … and are you okay with that? With Dane knowing about us?”
“I probably would have preferred him to find out in a better way but yeah, I’m fine with him knowing about us.”
A whole heap of tension dropped instantly from Nick’s shoulders at my affirmation. It only really dawned on me then how important that would be to him. Especially after Mateo who wouldn’t publicly claim him in front of anyone but their closest friend.
Not that what Nick and I had was the same as that. It wasn’t like we were in a relationship or anything. He wasn’t myboyfriend. And I wasn’t his.
At least, I didn’t think we were.
A soft knock at the door to the boat shed had us pausing, not realising we had been having an intense little moment until Dane’s shadow fell on us.
“Thought I’d find you in here,” Dane said, words directed at me as his eyes bounced between me and Nick. I tensed a little but didn’t feel the need to clarify his suspicions. “I just thought you would like to know that Kira is leaving.”
“She is?” I asked. I hadn’t meant to sound quite so upbeat at his news as Dane narrowed his eyes at me.
“Yeah, she is,” he reiterated. “Look, man, I don’t know what’s going on with you but think about this clearly for a minute, will you? Once Kira walks out that door, she’s not coming back again. Are you really going to just let everything you have go, just like that? You’re ready to turn your back on our foursome for some tiny little slight that didn’t even lead to anything?”
I sighed deeply, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Dane, it wasn’t just one little slight. Next time you’re so quick to jump toKira’s defence, please just talk with her and make sure you have all the facts.”
“She swears she’s telling the truth,” Dane pressed, not ready to give in, not ready to accept a truth that meant Kira was a liar and Nick was not.
“And yet after a year of her dramas and lies you’ll forgive me if I choose not to believe her,” I returned. “Honestly, Dane, you don’t even know half the story. But I’m not going to be the one to give it to you either. You’ve clearly chosen your side here.”
“Fine,” Dane huffed, heaving a breath of air. “But Dee and I are going back to Sydney for a bit too. Kira needs us.”
“You know, I probably could have done with a bit of support this week too,” I told him, watching as his gaze narrowed again.
“Well, looks like you found it,” he spat back, eyes on Nick.
“Don’t start, Dane,” Nick sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re supposed to be Ajay’s best friend but all you’ve done is make him feel like shit while taking the side of his lying, cheating ex-girlfriend.”
“Why are you involved in this?” Dane asked, lifting his hands in exasperation. “This doesn’t concern you at all and yet every time Kira has tried to make things up with Ajay, there you have been in the background blocking them.”
“Someone needed to have Ajay’s back seeing as you hung him out to dry.”
I could see this descending into another fight so I wearily stood to my feet, holding a hand up to Nick’s chest.
