Chasing Princess Charming

Chapter 55

“I mean, I’m not privy to his sexual escapades, but let’s just say that Mother never caught him with a girl in his bed. That didn’t mean he was not having sex though. It just meant he didn’t make them stay the night. And he’d always be home after a night out, which meant he didn’t want to spend his night in a bed that was not his, unless it was a hotel room and he’d be in it alone.”

“I don’t believe you. Besides, he had a girlfriend for five years.” My heart sank at the thought once again.

Blaze narrowed his eyes and asked, “Can you imagine how shocked she was?”

“I didn’t know about Margot,” I said. “I was sort of shocked too.”

“Nick didn’t mention her?”

I shook my head.

“Maybe because she wasn’t worth remembering.” There was a hint of bitterness in his voice when he said that.

“She’s gorgeous and five years is always worth remembering,” I argued.

Blaze drank his whiskey again and gave me an unimpressed smile. “Five years in a calm, boring relationship is forgettable compared to a few months—even weeks —of exciting, nerve-wracking, world-spinning passion. Remember that.”

I stood there in silence, taking in what Blaze just said to me. Calm, boring relationship? Was that how Nick’s relationship with Margot was? Would that mean there was a chance that I could ever take her place in his life? Was there a way to win when you’re fighting against a first love? Or worse, the love of his life?

I heaved a sigh. I was sad, I was frustrated. I did not know what tomorrow would bring, what he would say. I really prayed that tonight, he wasn’t dreaming about her, wasn’t reminiscing what his time with her was like.

Nick and I were just starting. We went on about a dozen dates. We haven’t even slept together yet. How could he compare our time with his time with Margot? She was his first love; they were together for five years. How could I ever top that?

I forgot that I was not alone in the kitchen. Blaze had smoothly moved to my side, and now he was standing a foot away. When I looked up, I was staring into his mesmerizing gray eyes. How did this guy move so silently, like a ninja?

“She wants him back, you know,” he whispered.

I sighed. “I can tell. And it seems as though he’s still harboring strong feelings for her.”

He was. He hated her. If she dumped him, she was sorry and wanted him back. If he dumped her, he was still angry because he was still hurt. And anger, hurt, and hatred are not the opposites of love. Indifference is.

“I bet he is,” Blaze said. “I know I would still be.”

I didn’t like what Blaze said, and how he said it. But I also knew he was only being honest. And right now, honesty was what I needed. Especially from Nick.

“Nick and Margot were best friends in university,” Blaze said. “They were best friends before one of them became stupid and suggested they try becoming more than friends. Nothing changed much in the relationship for five years. They were comfortable with each other. They could tell each other anything. There was absolutely nothing they hid from each other. Well, almost nothing,” he said. I saw the evil grin he tried to conceal by drinking his whiskey.

“What happened?”

Blaze stared at me for a moment and then he said, “Nothing changed about Nick. He was obsessed with cleanliness, tact, and perfection. He was more possessive of his personal space than he ever was with her. He trusted Margot and everybody else around him. She was free to do whatever she wanted, bond with her girlfriends however long she wanted.

“Everybody thought they would get married one day. They didn’t fight, didn’t argue. He’d always say yes to her; she’d always say yes to him. The formula worked. What else do you ask for in a relationship that had trust, respect, love, friendship, and balance, right?

“It was a safe relationship. No risks at all. Her family adored Nick, and Mom and Bee doted on Margot. All they needed to do was get married and have babies. It was perfect.”

I didn’t realize it but as Blaze was telling me their story, tears were flowing down my cheeks. I was crying silently, listening to the beautiful story of the love I was up against.

Blaze watched me carefully, watched the tears rolling down my cheeks. He continued: “Then one day, Nick dumped Margot. Everybody asked. He wouldn’t say why. There was no other woman for him. He kept it to himself. He didn’t cry, didn’t mope, and didn’t ask us to go on strip bars. He was just quiet. Nick wasn’t the most vocal person about his emotions. He mostly kept to himself. So until now, everybody thought they could be fixed.”

Now, I realized with horror, what if Nick didn’t mean to break up with Margot? At that time, he was feeling emotional and he left for the States in a hurry. What if he realized now that it was a mistake to leave her?

I looked up at Blaze and asked, “Do you know why he broke up with her?”

He gave me a small smile and he slightly nodded. “He didn’t tell me. I have my ways of finding out though. But sorry, sweetheart, I’m not going to tell you either. Even big brother doesn’t know what I know.”

I wiped the tears from my cheeks. “Tomorrow, there’s a chance I will return to the States on my own,” I whispered. It was the fear that was in my mind, and now I was blurting it out to Nick’s stepbrother.

“Why?”

I sighed. “I told Nick to sleep on it. I told him to find out what he really feels and make up his mind. Tomorrow, he’ll tell me how he feels for me and for her.”

Blaze shook his head. “Stupid of you.”

“Why? It’s only fair I give him a chance to sort out his emotions, right?”

“You girls always complicate things. All that will make us feel is how insignificant you think we are! We aren’t like you! You girls fall for the unselfish one, the one who sacrifices his love to make it easy for you to choose. Guys are not like that. We want to see a girl fight for us, too. And I’m telling you now, Mackenzie, Margot is going to fight for Nick. The question is, are you going to just give him away? Or are you going to fight back? Will you show him that he means more to you and he’s worth the fight?”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked. Wasn’t he supposed to be on Margot’s side? He’s Nick’s family and they all thought she was the love of his life.

“Because I know my brother more than anyone,” he said. “We don’t get along well all the time, but I have always been a better ally to him than his best friends ever were. I took one look at you and him, and I knew, you’ll make him happier than Margot ever will.”

“I hope he knows that,” I whispered.

“I think he does. But it does not help that you were practically pushing him away. Don’t go down without a fight, Mackenzie. And give him something to fight for, too.”

I looked away from Blaze. Was he right? Did I ruin my future with Nick by giving him a chance to think about how felt he for me and Margot?

Suddenly, light flooded the kitchen. I was startled when I saw Nick standing by the door, arms crossed, and looking sternly at Blaze and me.

“Didn’t I warn you already?” he asked his brother, his voice full of threat.

Instead of feeling scared or intimidated, Blaze just laughed. “Relax, bro. I was just getting to know your friend.”

I cringed at the last word, remembering how annoyed Nick was when I introduced myself as just his friend. But in fairness to me, we never agreed that I should use the term girlfriend now.

I smiled at Blaze and then walked toward Nick. “I was thirsty,” I said to him.

“You could have woken me up.”

“For a bottle of water?” I asked.

Nick raised a brow. And then firmly, he said, “Yes. Even for a small thing.”

“It’s okay, bro. I gave her all the help she needed.”

I closed my eyes for a moment and then I turned back and glared at Blaze. He was making things worse. Couldn’t he see that Nick was already in a foul mood?

But he only grinned at me innocently. Nick’s brother was probably devil incarnate! For a while there, I thought he was sincerely offering me advice, telling me to fight for Nick. But now, he was taunting his brother, making it appear as if we were sneaking behind his back. It felt as though he purposely kept me long in the kitchen, knowing his brother would be looking for me and catch us together.

“Let’s go,” I told Nick.

Nick gave Blaze one last stern look and then he put an arm around my shoulder and walked with me in silence to his room.

“Do you always treat each other like that?” I asked him as he opened the door for me.

He stared at me for a moment and then he shook his head. “Blaze is a menace. I’ve always been tolerant of him. Then…” He gave me a hard look. Then he shook his head. “Nothing. I guess, we just like taunting each other. But I love that guy. He always has my back. Go to bed. Big day tomorrow.”

We lay next to each other in bed. When I opened my eyes, I was staring directly into Nick’s. He looked as if he wanted to tell me something. He reached forward and pushed a lock of stray hair away from my face. He took a deep breath and then he leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead.

“Tomorrow,” he whispered. “We’re going to have a very long talk, okay?”

My heart pounded in my chest. Did that mean he had made a decision? Would he send me away? Had he chosen her? Or did he decide not to choose at all? I knew that even if he didn’t choose Margot, he may still choose to ask for more time to sort things out and think things through.

I nodded and gave him a small smile. Then I closed my eyes, savored the feel of Nick’s body close to mine. I would never know. This may be the last night I lay in the same bed with him.