The Boyfriend

Later that day, Nathan came back from Ardor and took her out to a seaside restaurant for an early dinner. It was one of his favorite spots on the island where the sunset view was extraordinary and the coffee was excellent.

They sat facing each other enjoying a plate of oysters in garlic and lime for appetizers, ordered a grilled red snapper with mash potatoes and salad on the side for the main course. The ocean breeze blew out her hair and her light summer dress. The sunset reflected on her skin. They talked about the night before, all smiles and laughing.

“I feel like I could stay here for the long run,” her eyes gazed at the ocean rolling it’s waves towards the shores.

Nathan turned and looked at where she was looking. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? That’s why I chose this island for Ardor, I can see myself living here for good too … it’s like, you don’t need a vacation to break away from your daily life.”

“Exactly, everyday is like a holiday,” she agreed.

“So … does that mean you’ll continue working at Ardor after graduation?” he looked at her hopeful.

She smiled and turned to look at him, “I love Ardor … do you think I’d make the cut? It’s been a full month, you should evaluate me.”

Nathan made a hand gesture as if he was blown away, “Pffft … with flying colors … I could use your help to set up everything else I’d like to start after this … I’m pretty confident with the potential.”

Julie smiled and nodded, “Me too … I’d love to work for you here, and I get to go to The Rockabillies every now and then..”

He was beaming in delight, “I’d take you there anytime … oh and that book shopping you requested, I can take you there this week, you need to fill those shelves I’ve prepared in your room”

She giggled, she hadn’t had the time to read a single book since she got there, she knew it was time to buy some books. She took a bite on her chocolate cake dessert when a strand of hair blew over her face. Nathan reached for it and tucked them behind her ear. The look in his eyes made her look away, her heart pounded faster. The midnight kiss surfaced in her mind. It was supposed to be a friendly New Year’s kiss, but it didn’t feel like one. The warmth of his lips on hers, his thumb on her chin, she pretended it wasn’t intimate. She felt his eyes looking at her even when she avoided them. He was starting to terrify her, not because of his gestures, but what she was starting to feel about him.

“She’s cheating on me, isn’t she?”

His question halted her train of thoughts, pulling her gaze back at him. “What?” She wasn’t sure she heard correctly.

“With Zachary?” he added.

She froze. He wasn’t backing out, he waited for an answer.

“Nathan!” somebody called his name.

They both looked for the source of the voice when a man came to their table.

“Hey man! Haven’t seen you in awhile!” the man slapped his hand and Nathan stood up to hug him.

Lucas owned a high end restaurant on the island, they talked for a while and Nathan introduced him to Julie. Nathan knew many people on the island, he was around a lot. Bhorma was a small island where you can bump into the same person twice in one day. She was saved by the encounter.

After they finished, they were silent. He asked her if she wanted to go home, she said ‘yes’. They hopped on Nathan’s motorbike and rode back to his villa without a single word exchanged. The day was almost dark, the long night before left them tired at the end of that day.

She was about to enter the front door when he stopped her.

“Julie … if she is cheating on me, would you tell me?”

Julie fidgeted on her feet, she couldn’t look at him in the eyes. “Why are you asking me this? I don’t want to be in the middle of you two, you know that?”

“But you are in the middle of us … more than you know,” he said.

The fidgeting stopped, she wasn’t sure what he meant by that. “You should take some time off and work things out with her, Nathan.”

“You think so?”

His stare made her look away again. “It might answer your doubts and worries,” she said.

“I have doubts … but not worries … I don’t even know what that means,” he furrowed his eyebrows, it was weighing in on him.

“She’s my best friend in the whole world, we’ve been that way since we were four … I love her … very much,” she cleared her throat, she felt the need to say it.

“I guess that answers my question?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

She didn’t respond to that, she didn’t know what Nathan made out of what she just said. All she knew, she didn’t want to stay in that conversation a minute longer. “I think I’m going to sleep now … I’ll see you in the morning.”

He nodded, “Good night.”

There was a solemn look on his face. She couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. The conversation left a bitter taste. She had seen how Nathan worked so hard for his restaurant, he hardly had any time to do anything else. He was keeping his end of the bargain. She had seen him calling and texting Kelsey just to check-in, most of the time he couldn’t reach her. It felt so unfair, yet she couldn’t tell him what was really going on. It was a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. In a way, she did answer his question.