Page 78 of The Suite Life
I can’t help but wonder what Eleanor was talking about when she mentioned money. The only thing worse than Geoff just being your standard-issue arsehole who is happy to cheat on his fiancée while he’s away on business would be if that was all a grift, a way to get money out of ‘G.G. Marsden’ and the thought of him sleeping with me, to try to get his hands on the money he thinks I have, turns my stomach.
There’s nothing to say, is there? There is no way he can talk himself out of this one, and I’m sure it goes without saying that I would take absolutely any of the other men I’ve met recently to Lucy’s wedding before I would go with him – I would sooner rock up as part of the fourgie I turned down.
I’m not up for a confrontation, I just need to get out of here. I glance at the notepad lying on the desk. With a deep breath, I grab a pen and scribble a concise ‘no thank you’ message. I also leave his laptop open, so that he knows I’ve seen his message from Eleanor. I’m sure Geoff can put the pieces of this puzzle together on his own. If he’s got an ounce of decency, he’ll get the message, and he won’t try to find me. It’s my cue for a hasty exit, leaving the tangled situation behind.
I slip out of Geoff’s room like a burglar – I would say I was leaving with less than what I arrived with, but knowledge is power, and I’m definitely leaving smarter. I tiptoe a few steps before picking up the pace. Soon, I’m practically sprinting toward the lift, my heart pounding like I’m being chased by a lion. The elevator doors close behind me, and I release the breath I’ve been holding as if I’ve just finished a marathon.Pathetic really, because he’s not scary at all, he’s just a Geoff with a G – and a GF.
I laugh to myself, now that I’m safe. I was so close. I almost had a wedding date. If I hadn’t ventured into his room, I’d be oblivious to the fact that he wasn’t single, and I would have taken him to the wedding. I’m a real mix of emotions – relief, disappointment, and a splash of disbelief.
For some reason, the first person I want to tell about this whole ordeal is Donnie, so I head back to the suite. It’s only as I’m approaching that I spot Nathan lingering outside.
Wow, I didn’t realise it was National Dickhead Day today. Can’t believe I missed that in the calendar.
‘Gigi, there you are,’ Nathan calls out as he sees me approaching.
‘Here I am,’ I say, sighing at the sight of him. ‘What’s up?’
‘Sunshine and I had a row,’ he confesses.
‘Well, you can’t sleep on my sofa, it’s taken,’ I point out as I try to walk past him.
‘Gigi, wait,’ he insists, putting his hand on my arm to stop me. ‘Don’t you want to know what we’ve been arguing about?’
‘Not really,’ I tell him with a laugh, smiling to myself. It’s nice to know that I actually really don’t care.
‘We were arguing about you,’ Nathan blurts to the back of my head. ‘She doesn’t think I’m over you.’
I stop in my tracks.
‘I don’t think I’m over you,’ he adds.
I exhale deeply as I turn to face him.
‘Nathan, you don’t want me,’ I insist. ‘I know you better than you know yourself, and if you think other people want something, you want it too, and if you think you can’t have it, then you want it even more.’
‘It’s not that,’ he insists. ‘You seem… different.’
‘No, I don’t,’ I reply. ‘And neither do you. We weren’t happy, but I probably never would have pulled the trigger, so I owe you a thank you.’
‘You seem happy,’ he points out, seeming horrified at the thought.
‘I am,’ I tell him. ‘And so are you, so you go back to Sunshine, and I will go in here, and we’ll pretend this conversation never happened.’
‘I can’t,’ he replies. ‘When we were together, we were happy, right? Things were good. Life was normal. With Sunshine, nothing is ours. Every single thing she does is for social media. I’m sick of my life being plastered all over the internet, where every tool with a smartphone or a laptop can unload exactly what they think of me in the comments. Not only that but, with Sunshine too, I never know what’s real, and what’s for her Instagram. Even her gestures seem empty, when she uses them for content. You never did that. You just loved me.’
‘That’s right,loved,’ I reply. ‘Past tense. Nathan, come on, we weren’t happy – plus, you left me, remember? You definitely thought it was worth doing at the time. Your issue isn’t with me, it’s with Sunshine, caring more about her followers – and ultimately herself – than anything else. So go and take it up with her, like an adult, or do what you usually do and dump her to go off in search of something better like you did with me – I really do not care. Your happiness isn’t my problem any more, okay?’
Oof, that felt good.
‘Gigi—’
‘Okay,’ I cut him off. ‘Have a good night.’
I walk into my suite with my head held high, certain now more than ever that not only am I completely over Nathan, but, so much so, that I’m not actually that bothered about competing with Sunshine any more. If they’re happy, then good for them. That’s what I want – to be happy too. I would rather spendmy time looking for someone to love than some silly date for a wedding.
I realise Donnie is fast asleep on the sofa, so I decide not to wake him. Instead, I watch him for a second and smile to myself.
If I’m being honest, I would rather hang out with him at the wedding.
