Chase scoffed at him before taking a huge gulp of his liquor. He shook his head with a“whoa!”before getting into the details of how therapeutic traveling the world had been.
Nicolas was happy for him. Truly. He deserved that much out of the shitty situation that led him to leave.
“Right.” Nicolas’s fingers curled around his glass. “So, you’re completely over Natasha?”
The light in Chase’s eyes died at the mention of his ex-fiancée.
“It’s been two years,” Nicolas reminded him like a professor would, stern and with intent.
“I never said I wasn’t,” he stated, avoiding eye contact.
It was a feeble attempt.
“Chase.”
“Huh?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“When Molly treated you like shit back in college, lying and messing around behind your back, did you forget about it in a year much less two years’ time? No, you were a pussy for almost three years until you finally decided to move on.”
“This isn’t about me. We’re talking about you right now. Don’t try to change the subject.”
“I wasn’t,” he said gruffly. “I’m only making a comparison.”
“Yeah, okay.” There was a pause. “Are you over Natasha?”
The two held each other’s eyes, the fire of stubbornness burning inside. That was something they both admired about each other.
However, Nicolas was growing annoyed. “Are you fucking deaf? I asked if you’re over her.”
“I am, okay?!” Chase finally blew up. “I am!”
A few people glanced over at his outburst.
Nicolas took a big gulp of his drink.He so fucking wasn’t.
“I swear I am. It’s just that—” Chase paused, eyebrows scrunching up as if he was in pain. “I think of her from time to time, alright? I tell myself to hate her for what she’s done to me. God knows I didn’t deserve that after how well I treated her. You of all people know that. I would’ve bought the moon and given it to her if she told me she liked the way it shined.
“I struggled to open up to a woman all these years and then I finally find someone that’s so fucking likable and thought,Maybe marriage won’t absolutely suck if I spend the rest of my life with her.Finally, when I’m at that point of not being an absolute fuckup, getting my life together,thathappens…”
“You deserve better,” Nicolas told him seriously. “It’s frustrating you can’t see that too.”
Not bothering to take up his half-empty glass, Chase grabbed the entire bottle of liquor before bringing it to his lips. During his chugging, Nicolas spotted a tear roll down the side of his face.
Looking away, he patted his friend’s back awkwardly.
Chase sniffed and cleared his throat. “Enough about me. What have you been up to these days, Mr. CEO? I saw that you got ‘Businessperson of the Year’ fromTIME. Congrats, by the way. Is there a woman inyourlife we cantalk about, or is it still the same routine? Work, work, work?—”
“Who are you? Rihanna?”
“Impatient ass. I was gonna add ‘casual flings’ eventually.”
Nicolas made a face. “I can’t do that anymore.”
Chase narrowed his eyes. “Can’tis very different fromdon’t. If you’d said the latter, I wouldn’t be nearly as curious as I am right now. So tell me, do you actually have a woman? One you like enough to keep around for more than a month? Who is she? And when can I offer my condolences for tying your icy ass down?”
“It’s not only that I can’t, but I don’t want to. I actually like being settled down.”
