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“Why? You’re Aurelia Bird! Every grown man in the western world wants to kiss you!”
“I doubt it. And Isaac certainly isn’t proud of it. He thinks it will stop him from being able to protect me properly.”
Tawny’s face straightens. “If you and Isaac have some sort of a thing, it will only make him more effective at protecting you, if you ask me.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I sigh. “He’s been pretty clear about the fact it was a huge mistake. And I’m not his type anyway. I’m way too young for him. And I don’t just mean that I’myoungerthan him. He likes older women like Paris Navitsky. I’ll never be that to Isaac, so it’s pointless even thinking about it.”
Tawny sits back and lets out a long, even breath. “Maybe,” she says.
I hear a shuffle inside the villa and I look up to see Isaac walking towards the door to the boardwalk. His shoulders are set back, his gait smooth and defiant. He has one of those physiques where his shoulders are unfeasibly broad, and his muscular back tapers down to a solid waist. I can barely take my eyes off him.
Tawny and I watch as Isaac opens the door and steps backwards. I can hear several different voices out on the boardwalk but only one person walks in. It’s Nate. For a few seconds, he and Isaac stare at each other. Nate is still a boy in my eyes. His abundant fair hair is stylishly mussed up, his black jeans snug around his slim legs, an oversized fishnet sweater pulled over a thin black vest. He looks every inch the boyband singer. Meanwhile, Isaac towers over him in both height and width. His clean-shaven face and close-cropped hair seem to mock Nate’s disheveled look, and his thick combats, heavy boots and SKS branded tee—the outfit I insisted he wear when he first moved me here—could quite literally stomp all over my comparatively weak-looking ex-boyfriend. My heart lurches seeing them both eyeing each other up, communicating silently in the way guys sometimes do.
“Where is she?” I hear Nate ask.
Isaac doesn’t reply. Instead, he simply nods our way and watches as Nate heads in our direction. Tawny and I stand and Nate saunters towards us, far too cool to show true enthusiasm. It reminds me of the side of him I was never comfortable with. He didn’t like to go to people; he liked people to come to him. He was always bigger and more famous in his head than in reality, and he hated the fact my popularity was greater than his. I plaster on a smile. “Hey.”
“Hey you,” he says, a genuine smile brightening his face. He steps up to me and holds out his arms, surprisingly not presumptuous enough to assume I would want to hug him just yet. But, in that moment, the familiarity of his face and the warmth I also remember from our time together, come surging back through my veins and I throw my arms around him. There’s relief in his laugh and he wraps his arms tight around me. Despite everything Nate put me through, it’s good to see him again. “You look amazing,” he says, and my chest floods with emotion.
“So do you,” I reply, pulling back to have a good look at him. We stare at each other for a few seconds, then I hear Tawny cough behind me.
“Oh, God, I’m sorry,” Nate says. “I’m Nate. Pleased to meet you.”
“Hey,” Tawny says, shaking his hand. “I’m Tawny. I work here.”
“Right,” Nate replies, and his eyes flicker over her uniform.
“I’ll leave you two to it,” she says. “I’ll come by later Aurelia, before the show?”
“Sure,” I reply, watching her leave. “And, um, thanks Tawny,” I call after her.
She gives me a small wave before stepping back inside the villa. I hear her exchange a few words with Isaac, then the door goes again and she’s gone.
