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“Hey, Xavier.”
NATALIE
I walk back into my room, flop onto the bed, and just scream out loud, the biggest happy scream you’ve ever heard. I can’t even process what just happened.
He loves me.
Not just thinking it but deep down to my core, I know he loves me.
I’m torn. I want to call Zara, but I just don’t even know how to articulate what I’m feeling. Like, really.
When you fight something for all your adult life and then let down your ten-foot walls, it takes some time to get your head around it.
Maybe I need to eat something. Jordan seems to think that fixes everything, from a paper cut to the biggest world crisis. Who knew the world according to Jordan was so simple.
Sitting at the kitchen counter, I open up my emails on my tablet, when my eyes focus solely on the top one. Sasha’s name brings chills, and they aren’t good ones. What if I find out it was all lies, his words were just to get me to give in. He wouldn’t, I know he wouldn’t, but my mind is racing with all kinds of stupidity.
My finger hovers over the touch pad. You’ve already made the leap, Nat, just open it.
Dear Nat,
By now Jordan will have told you the truth about our friendship and marriage of convenience. I don’t know how you feel about what we did, but all I can say is, I’m truly sorry. At the time, it seemed like the perfect solution for both of us.
I needed a cover, and he needed a safe space. Those football-chasing women can be like starved crazy hyenas on a good day. For a man who was hopelessly in love with you, they would have eaten him alive, and one slip-up could have seen him stuck forever. So, I was the perfect choice. A friend was all he needed, and in a way, so did I. Someone else who was living in the public eye, a common problem of having so much to hide, perhaps me more than him.
You may hate me for what I have done, taken away time you could have had together, but I just want you to know that I did it with the best intentions.
Dani and I will never be able to repay Jordan for what he has done for our happiness. We now have some big decisions to make. I promise we will do it as quick as we can so the two of you can move forward with your lives.
I need to run, as our flight is about to board, and my controlling girlfriend is giving me the death stare. God, that feels good to write that. Maybe that’s my answer right there. Time will tell.
I know I don’t need to tell you how amazing he is.
Sending love and hoping for understanding.
Sasha xx
The tears again start rolling down my cheeks, but for once, they are happy tears. The final piece of confirmation that I didn’t know I needed, but of course, deep down I did.
Knowing she’s now in the air, I start typing my reply to her. I have felt so many emotions toward Sasha, but the final one is sadness for her having to hide who she really is. She is more worried about what I think of her than about how hard her life is, just trying to be happy. Maybe once this is all sorted, we can start again and form a friendship. Because for Jordan to live years with her under his roof and trust her with his deepest darkest secret, me, then I’m sure I will love her too.
Pouring my heart out to Sasha feels so good and the morning gets away from me. Showering and straightening my room up after our little moment this morning, I know I’ve been putting off what I really need to do. I’m actually surprised I haven’t had a call from Xavier yet this morning. Our twin sense has surely been on high alert for days. Walking into Jordan’s office, I sit in his chair, gaining the strength from the feel of Jordan all around me.
My finger hovering over my brother’s name, I take a deep breath, and as I’m exhaling, I push the button.
“Hey, Sis. I hope you’re enjoying your holiday living it up in style, while I’m here working my guts out covering for you.” The sarcasm in his voice tells me he doesn’t mean a word of what he just said.
“Hi, Xav. Yeah, I’m just in the spa as we speak, with my mango daiquiri and fruit platter. It’s just really annoying because there are no chocolate-covered strawberries. I yelled at the maid for that mistake. She’s busy in the kitchen now fixing her error.” Both of us laugh which breaks the ice perfectly for me.
“You forget I’ve stayed with Jordan, so I know there’s no maid and there’s no spa. All jokes aside, how’s everything going? I haven’t heard a word from you. Plus, you know I’ve known that something has been wrong for days, but once again, you are too stubborn to reach out for help. So, are you going to finally tell me what’s going on?”
“Where do I even start?” Gulping, I try to get myself ready to repeat the speech I prepared in my head.
“Oh shit, is his shoulder really that bad? The scans didn’t indicate that.” The love and concern for his friend are evident in his voice.
“No, it’s nothing like that. Actually, couldn’t be further from that if I tried.”
“Nat, are you okay? Do you need me to come there?”No, no, no, that’s the last thing I need right now.
