“I choose later,” I heard him sigh deeply, “Can we just spend our last day here without worrying about work or what tomorrow is going to bring?”
“Don’t tell me the place is starting to grow on you.”
“Don’t make me vomit. It would be a shame to waste such good food in that way.”
He shook his head in an attempt to hide his laughter, “okay then, I have another question.”
“What is it?”
“Why do you hate me?”
I was taken aback by the question but not exactly shocked by it, “I don’t hate you. I never hated you Nathan.”
“Yes you did,”
“No, I didn’t.” I chuckled to myself, “You and I are not so different and I knew that from the moment I met you. I hated that and I hated what you represented.”
“And what’s that?”
“Everything I wanted to be at some point but wasn’t,” I admitted
“I don’t understand.”
It isn’t surprising that Nathan thought I hated him, hell I did at a certain point but it wasn’t until I took my time to actually think about it that I realized that I didn’t actually hate him and I was just misunderstanding the emotions I had towards him. I didn’t like him at first but I most definitely did not hate him.
“We’re the same to them, the media, the people. You’re the horrible journalist without emotions who everyone fears and I’m a bitchy ice queen but they love you and they hate me. You stood for everything I wanted at the beginning of my career, to be loved, appreciated and respected,”
“You walk into a room and everyone goes silent because they want to listen to what you have to say. I walk into a room and I have to scream to even be heard. I was jealous and I hated that but I never hated you.”
“Add to that the fact that you spilled drinks on two very expensive outfits and you were rude to me at that café.”
“You were rude first,” he cut in and I shot him a look that would make plants wither.
“Maybe, but you were rude period.”
“If I wasn't, would you have even agreed to work with me?” I stayed silent because he had a point.
If he had simpered and cowered like everyone else that I knew then I would have never spared him a second glance. It was the fact that he was willing and able to match my attitude with one of his that made me consider it.
He stayed silent and we delved into a comfortable silence. I can’t remember the last person who wasn’t Olivia that I was able to do this with.
“Everything is going to change when we go back,” I said softly.
“It doesn’t have to.”
“We work together, Nathan,” I deadpanned, “that is enough reason for everything to change.”
“Do you regret it?” he had asked me this question earlier.
“No,”
“Then that’s all that matters for now.”
His fingers intertwined with mine and I let them. For once I chose not to think about what could be or what would be and just stop and smell the roses, or in my case, admire them.
CHAPTER 24: 3 DAYS AFTER…. WELL, HIM
We got back to New York yesterday evening.
