Wild Nights With My Brother’s Ex-Best Friend novel Chapter 173

NICOLE

I’m drop-dead tired by the time I reach the penthouse.

Roman rushes toward me before I even have time to exhale. He’s dressed in a gray cotton t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair is disheveled, and oddly enough, this reminds me of Sebastian and how he looked not half an hour ago.

“I’m sorry,” he says right away before trying to kiss me on the lips. I give him my cheek instead, and this is instinctive. Roman tenses but doesn’t comment.

-I’m not trying to cause problems, but I kind of am.

It’s hard to explain.

Things become even more complicated when I decide that I want to know what kept him from me all night, and he was so busy that he couldn’t even call. “How is she?”

Roman exhales, “Nikki, I-”

“I want to know, Roman.”

His eyes search mine. I’m getting angrier by the minute, and I can’t stop myself from feeling this way. Yes, I want to start a fight. Yes, it could be that I’m being irrational now. But I’m angry and I’ve had a terrible day, and it isn’t fair to me, either.It really isn’t. None of this is.

Why can’t I be angry?

Why do I have to think about what everyone else will feel?

What about me? Who thinks about me?

“Why, Nikki?” he asks in a low voice. He tries to touch my cheek but | turn my face away again. “Why are you doing this? Why do you want to know? It’s going to cause us both more pain, baby.”

“Don’t, Roman. I want to know. Don’t I have the right to know what happened to that bitch that kept you from me? You didn’t call or text or anything, and I sat in that room waiting for your return until I fell asleep! So, tell me!

Roman breathes in deeply. He looks to the side and assume that he won’t say a word about her. But then he probably changes his mind because he says to me, “She was really thin. Hadn’t eaten for days. She passed out and was taken to the hospital. She refuses medication and treatment if I’m not there, and then she screams and causes scenes when I try to leave. It’s so…fuck, Nikki. I don’t even know where to begin. This is my biggest mistake and I can’t take it back. I can’t. It kills me. You don’t know how desperate it makes me.”

The longer he talks, the worse I feel.

“I wanted to call you, but I kept hoping she’d fall asleep so I could leave and not have to call. Then, it got too late andI figured you were probably asleep. I didn’t want to wake you. I know it seems like something else to you, but l promise you that it’s not like I forgot to call. I was painfully aware of each passing minute. It’s horrible, Nikki. This shit’s taking years off my life.”

He steps toward me tentatively again, and this time, I don’t pull away. “So, please. Don’t think I didn’t call because I was having so much fun. Please, baby. It wasn’t the case. I’m sorry, alright? I’m really sorry.”

He kisses my forehead and I wrap my arms around his middle. My heart feels so heavy. I still want to cry, but I’m almost too tired to do that.

“Is that why you went to work?” he asks after a few beats. ”

Because you were mad at me?”

“I just didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know what else to do and all the waiting was making me sick.” After a few beats, my barely suppressed anger rises to the surface.

What did youthink? That I had to sit around and wait for you to remember that I’m here, waiting?”

He sighs. The remorse on his face is unmistakable. “I’m so sorry.”

I pull back and peer into his eyes. Now, I feel bad, and it’s my turn to sigh. “I don’t want to pick a fight, Roman. I just….”

“No, you can. You should.””No. It’s not right.”

“You met him?”

“Roman, it’s really not a big deal, alright? He wanted to talk to me about the lawsuit, and he apologized to me for what he said. He admitted it was his fault and-”

“Fuck, Nicole!” he yells. “I don’t want you meeting that guy! I don’t want him anywhere around you! Why would you go to him!?”

I scoff. “To talk about the lawsuit, Roman. I did it for you.”

“For me?” Anger flashes in his eyes. I have to admit that I’ve never seen him this angry before. Hell, he’s raising his voice at me. “I’d rather go to jail-to fucking jail-than live with the fact that he did this to impress you and you fell for it!”

“Come on, Roman! You’re being so irrational right now!” I yell back. “We had a civilized conversation and he-”

“Civilized,” he interrupts. “So, that’s what it boils down to, is it? He’s civilized and I’m not? I’m the guy who goes around punching people like the low-class trash I am, right? He’s sophisticated. Civilized. And I’m irrational?

You don’t fucking think sometimes, Nicole. Don’t you see what he’s doing?”

I give up, and my anger washes over me again. “So, you can see your baby’s mother but I can’t see a friend? Is that it? You’re thinking so clearly, and you’re so much smarterthan me for going to see her, but I’m a dumb cunt for going to Sebastian to find out about something that would actually benefit you?”

“Friend,” he echoes. Of course, that’s the only part of my speech he heard. “Now he’s your friend?”

Roman walks toward the exit when I don’t answer him, and honestly? I don’t ask him to stay. I’m so angry that it’s best if he leaves anyway.

That’s all he’s good for.