‘I didn’t know you felt that way, Nate. That I’m boring everyone, boring my friends, boring you,’ she said tightly.
‘That’s not what I meant,’ he said, tilting his head.
‘No, I think we all know what you meant, that you’re too good for your old friends, now you’ve got a…’ she assessed Laurel, ‘shiny new plaything.’
‘What the fuck are you talking about, Lucia?’ He lent forwards, towards her.
‘Alex told me what you did, Nate. Punching him? Really? Choosing some bit of skirt over your best friend?’ Lucia flicked her eyes to Laurel in disdain.
Nate took a deep breath. ‘Alex made some unsavoury comments. I asked him to stop and he didn’t.’
‘Oh, I’m sure Alex was just joking,’ Lucia said, putting her hand on Alex’s leg, like it would make him jealous or something. ‘Weren’t you, Alex?’
‘Of course I was, Lu. I’m an enlightened man.’ Alex’s face erupted into a smug smile. ‘Nate just doesn’t understand comedy anymore.’
‘Don’t fucking start, Alex,’ Owen said.
Jess rolled her eyes and Paul whispered something to Angeline. It had taken so long for him to see Alex for what he actually was, Nate was a little embarrassed. And now Lucia was the only one left who had it in her to defend him.
‘Fuck off, Owen,’ Alex said under his breath.
‘What was that, Alex?’ Jess snapped. ‘Because if you told my husband to fuck off in his own house, you can leave. Right now.’
‘Come on, I think things have all got a bit heated,’ Lucia said. ‘What about another drink, and we can all relax.’
Nate looked at Jess for guidance. It was her house, after all.
Jess narrowed her eyes at Alex. ‘Alright, but no more shit from you.’
Laurel stood, brushing her skirt down. ‘I’m going to leave you guys to it, head up to bed.’
‘Laurel.’ Nate tugged on her hand to sit. ‘Stay.’
‘No, it’s okay.’ She gave him a reassuring smile. ‘I’ll see you guys in the morning.’
‘I’ll show you up,’ Jess said, glaring hard at Lucia.
Nate watched the swish of Laurel’s skirt in the yellow glow of the lights as she went into the house with Jess, who was no doubt apologising for whatever the hell was going on.
‘You’ve changed, Nate,’ Lucia said bitterly, when Laurel and Jess had disappeared. ‘As soon as there’s a bit of skirt in your eye line, you change everything about who, and what you are. Alex can see it, I can see it, we can all see it.’
Paul coughed politely and shared a look with Nate that said ‘what the actual fuck is she going on about’.
‘Changed? What the fuck?’ He spread his arms wide
‘Nah, man. I saw it first hand,’ Alex said, swigging from his bottle. ‘You’re not the same.’
‘You know what? Perhaps I have changed, and that’s alright,’ Nate said. ‘I’ve grown up, I’ve got different values, I want different things. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not twenty-five anymore, and, unlike some, I’m not behaving like it.’ He snapped his mouth shut and sat back in the garden sofa.
‘What the fuck are you trying to say, Nathanial?’ Alex drawled from his position next to Lucia.
‘That it might be time for you to grow the fuck up, Alexander.’
Nate downed his drink. ‘Sorry, Owen,’ he said and headed into the house.
Chapter Seventeen
Laurel
