Chapter Nineteen

The week passed before I knew it, and I was on my way to Charlotte. I’d emailed my new employer to ask about time off in August to visit my grandparents, and they’d told me that as long as I could work remotely, they were good with that. That was the most awesome thing I’d ever read. Well, until I got a new text from the guys, but yeah, I fell in love with my soon-to-be employer at that moment.

I got the things ready I’d need for work, the applications they wanted me to use on my computer plus a few other things that needed to be done. I was going to be working with a public relations firm and most of my work would be online research, writing blog posts, and managing social media for a small client for the time being. Once I had some experience, they’d put me with larger clients, bigger chances, and I was really looking forward to it.

On top of that, it was experience I could take with me if the guys decided to leave their trust funds behind. I could really help them in my free time, and I liked that I’d be able to do that.

Mom was busy most of the week, so I didn’t get to talk to her, but I would soon. When we both had some time to do that. The guys came back to North Carolina around the time I made it to Brooklyn’s. They offered to swing by her place, but I told them to just head home. It would be too awkward to explain it all with them there.

They understood, for which I was so glad, and promised they’d call me later in the weekend. That meant they had things to do too, so I was happy. They’d all started to sound a bit sad by the time they were supposed to come home. Somehow, when I left Las Vegas, I took the sunshine with me. At least figuratively.

While that made me feel like I mattered, it also made me sad. I didn’t like knowing they were unhappy in a place where they should be living it up. We’d see each other again, soon, like Mom and I, when we had time. Later, we’d have all the time in the world together when they moved close to Charlotte. For now, I’d have to make do with phone calls and the occasional trip down.

I walked up to the apartment Brooklyn and Stuart were now renting and knocked on the door. Nervousness hit me as I waited for one of them to answer. Would she accept my decision, what I’d done? I knew she was fairly open-minded, and that she wanted people to enjoy their lives when they could but would this just be too… too? I didn’t want to think the word, but it was there. Would this be too slutty, even for her?

I felt like a creep for even thinking the word, but it was there. No matter how progressive we wanted to be in my generation, that word didn’t seem to fade. It was whispered now by most, shouted by others, but we still used it.

It was an ugly word, full of disgrace and shame that women shouldn’t have to bear anymore, but we did. Even in our own minds. I took a deep breath as I heard locks being undone and put a smile on my face.

“Hi!” I called as I saw Brooklyn’s face and stepped in to hug her. “God, I’ve missed you.”

I inhaled her perfume, something that must be her own scent because I never saw her with a bottle of the stuff and felt my body sink into hers. I really had missed her.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said and sank into me the same way. “I’ve missed you, girl.”

“How are we going to survive not living together anymore?” I asked as she opened the door wider and stepped aside.

“I don’t know. I might have to rent a bigger apartment and move you in,” she joked and pointed down the hall. “Come into the living room. Well, that’s what we’re calling it. It’s really just the other end of the kitchen.”

It was a very small apartment, with one bedroom and a small bathroom, kitchen and living room. It wasn’t in a bad neighborhood on the outskirts of Charlotte though, and it had a nice view of the city in the distance. “It’s nice.”

“Thanks. It’s going to have to do for a couple of years, until the baby is old enough to go into her own room, at least. By the way, you don’t mind sleeping on the couch, do you?”

“Not at all,” I answered and sat my bag down at the end of a black leather couch that I knew was second-hand. I’d been with her when she found it on a Facebook group.

“Good. There’s a pullout bed in that thing, but they’re never comfortable, not unless you’re a kid.”

“I understand, Brook, really. It’s alright. I’m not judging, you know that.”

“I know,” she said with a tense smile. “It’s all so different now, though, isn’t it?”

“It is.” I took her hands and we sat down on the couch together. “But we’re still the same people, alright? You’re still the awesome nurse that’s going to rock the world with your skills, and I’m going to be a huge firm’s dream PR person or something like that. But deep down, we’ll still be those girls that spent freshman year talking all night long and giggling with each other. No matter what.”

I didn’t add the ‘I hope’, to the end of that. I still had to tell her about my weekend.

“Dinner is almost done. Hi, Nic!” Stuart came over to tap a kiss against my cheek and stand back up. “You look great!”

“Thanks, Stuart,” I had on a pair of jeans, with a black blouse and a light jacket on top of that. “I’m not sure why though.”

“You look… different.” He pursed his mouth and narrowed his eyes. “Did you have your eyebrows tattooed on in Vegas or something?”

“What?” I gasped, astonished at his question. “No, I didn’t, thank you.”

“Well, something’s different. I just don’t know what.”

“Wait,” Brooklyn said, pulled back away from me to gaze at me more intently, and then narrowed her own eyes. “You did it! You lost your virginity!”

“How can you fucking tell?” I asked, completely astounded that they’d guessed.

“You have this confidence or something. I don’t know, but Stuart’s right, you look great and I’m happy for you.” She hugged me then pulled back, Stuart still in the room. He’d always been a part of this dialogue, so I didn’t mind him being there. I hadn’t planned to discuss this so soon, but it was out in the open now.

“Who’s the guy? Or the girl? Was it a girl?” Brooklyn asked, her eyes wide with delight. “Oh, hurry up, girl, details!”

“Well,” I looked at both of them, my breath caught somewhere in my throat before I forced it out. “You remember the Rome brothers?”

“I do!” Brooklyn declared, her eyes even wider now. “Which one?”

“Well,” I looked at her, doubtful, ready to run if she started to scream at me in anger. “It was kind of…”

My words trailed off. I was terrified suddenly, but the look of excitement on her face and the idle curiosity on Stuart’s urged me to carry on.

“Girl, I will beat you if you don’t tell me which one,” Brooklyn growled, her eyebrow quirked before she grinned. “Was it the one with the scar? He looks like he’d be wild in bed.”

“Well,” I began but she interrupted.

“Or that one with the curly hair? My God, he’s hot.” Brook fanned her face.

“It was…,” but again, she interrupted.

“Or the oldest? He’s so frowny and solemn though. I can’t imagine it was him, so it must have been Daniel, the other one. I bet it was him, he looks like your type.” She nodded as if to answer her own question and looked at me expectantly.

“Are you going to interrupt me again?” I asked with a grin. “Because if you are, I won’t tell you.”

“Oh, sorry,” she apologized, and her pale skin became tinged with pink.

“It was, to ease your curiosity,” I paused and looked at them both with glee. “All of them.”

“Huh?” Stuart asked, but Brooklyn’s eyes just went impossibly wide before she screeched with delight.

“No!” she declared and leaned into me. “Tell me you aren’t joking; you tell me right now!”

“No, I’m not. It was all four of them. At the same time, separately, on the bed, on the couch, on a table, in the pool, against a wall, against a balcony…”

I let my voice trail off as I was afraid she was about to pass out because I was certain she’d stopped breathing.

“Oh, my word! I can’t, oh God, I can’t breathe.” She waved at her face and took a breath despite her claim. “I’m so… oh my, girl, you’ve just made my day!”

“Have I?” I asked doubtfully and looked at her. I’d been so afraid, but I should have known better.

“This is the best day ever! Not only did you lose your virginity, but you went all out for it! All four Rome brothers? You are a star, Nicolette.”

“That’s not all,” I admitted and waited for her to stop sputtering. “It was supposed to be Amanda. She dropped her phone one day, and well, I found their texts. I’ll explain more later but suffice to say when she showed up in Vegas, justice found its place in the world. At least, for me it did.”

“Now I want to know all about that,” Stuart replied before his wife could, his hazel eyes alight with amusement, “but the dinner is ready and the garlic bread is about to burn, so follow me into the kitchen slash dining room.”

We ate spaghetti with a sauce Stuart made and garlic bread, as I recounted the rest of the story to them. I thought Brooklyn would hurt herself laughing as I told her about the whole Amanda thing, and Stuart nodded as if he was well-pleased by it all. That wasn’t the end of our story though, not yet. We still had July and August to get through.

After dinner, Stuart brought out a bottle of wine and I shared it with him while we continued to talk about my experience in Vegas. I had to go over the parts with Amanda more than the rest, repeatedly because Brooklyn was so delighted about it.

“I’m just so happy for you,” she gasped through a cloud of happy tears. She wiped at her eyes before she continued. “To know they’ve done all of that before they even knew you… yeah, they’re keepers.”

“I know. It’s amazing, all of it. I wouldn’t believe it, except that… well, I’m still sore so something happened,” I laughed at that and they joined in with me. I was slightly tipsy after two full glasses of white wine and that made me tip over on the couch, right onto Brooklyn.

She stroked my hair as I stayed in her lap, a comfortable place that was familiar.

“I used to do this when she’d been especially cruel to you. It always soothed you, Brooklyn said gently, her fingers softly stroking through my hair.

“It did, still does. It wasn’t something Mom had a lot of time to do, even when I was sick. You’ve always been like the sister I wanted to have. I’m glad you were assigned to be my roommate.”

“Fuck, imagine if you’d been assigned to someone like Amanda?” I felt her cringe above me and had to agree with that sentiment.

“I’d have lost my mind. But I got you. And she’s getting her comeuppance. Maybe a few years too late, but at the right time too. She’s going to have a hard time. Especially since her dad cut off her credit cards.”

“What? You didn’t tell me that!” Brooklyn nudged me up with her thighs, so I got up to face her.

“I forgot. Yeah, he cut her off. She’s somewhere on her last few thousand dollars, trying to find her way, I guess.”

“That might be a little too harsh.”

“Well, she can always go to work at a restaurant somewhere.” I sniped, a little peeved. “I’m sure she’ll have him wrapped around her finger again soon.”

“You’re probably right. I shouldn’t feel sorry for her, but that is harsh, you have to admit. To go from being rich to poor in an instant must be hard.”

“People do it all the time,” I replied and picked up my glass of wine. Stuart had found another bottle.

“I know. Anyway, it probably serves her right. After what she did to you? Yeah, you’re right. She deserves whatever she gets.”

“I know I’m right. That bitch can suck it.” I slapped my hand over my mouth and felt my eyes go wide in surprise. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. It made Stuart and Brooklyn both laugh though, and I couldn’t help but join them. If only she could see us now, after all the things she’d done to break me. I wasn’t broken at all.

“You get so crudely funny when you’ve had a drink,” Brooklyn teased, her eyes full of glittering amusement.

“I know. You’d think I’d get more genteel or some shit, but oh no, I turn into a gutter-mouthed troll.” That made me laugh even more, and Brooklyn rolled her eyes.

“I think you need coffee, missy.” She got up to make me some, and I was the one to roll my eyes.

“I know I’m a dude and all, Nic, but I’m glad you’ve lost your, ahem, you know. And that you got some payback with Amanda,” Stuart said from a dark blue, velvety recliner he’d sat down in. One arm was wonky on it, but it didn’t smell, and it still worked. A nice addition to their first home, I thought with a smile as I sprawled out on the couch.

“Can I have a blanket?” I asked as exhaustion took over. I think that had more to do with being relaxed, slightly drunk, and good food than anything. I hadn’t done enough that day to be tired and I wasn’t usually one to drink. I didn’t mind it, even if I had wanted to stay up longer with Brooklyn.

“Sure, I’ll get you one.” He got out of the chair and went in to tell Brooklyn not to worry about the coffee.

She brought me a blanket a minute later and draped it over me. She got down on the floor on her knees and I opened my eyes.

“Hi honey, I’m home,” I whispered, the world spinning a little now and all I wanted to do was get to sleep.

“I know, and I’m glad you are. I love you, Nic, I want you to know that. I’m glad you’ve found some kind of happiness too, honey. You deserve every bit of happiness that comes your way.” She brushed my hair back from my face and kissed my cheek before she stood up and left.

All was right in the world again. The fear had gone, as had the worry. I only had one more person to tell my secret to and then I’d know how my future would be. But that was for later. For now, I needed sleep.