Chasing Fate (Dark Love 5)

The sad reality—I’m none the wiser.

No doubt, the stress of everything is only adding to my late period, but I refuse to think about it, training my brain to focus on anything but this even if I have to entertain Eric and his over-imaginative vision of Noah and me.

“Just drinks. That’s it.”

Eric purses his lips. “When it comes to Noah Mason, something tells me you’ll be unable to resist.”

***

Meeting Noah for drinks…

From the moment Noah joined me, we’d instantly hit it off. Sure, I came prepared with bottles of liquor and a desperate need to forget my life back in Manhattan existed. And yes, my body began its signs of warning me of an impending period but still nothing.

We laughed so hard until my lungs struggled for air, teased each other with sexual innuendo while playfully splashing around in the water. Noah couldn’t resist trying to make a move, which perhaps is exactly what my ego needed at that moment. Broody men are so yesterday.

I suggested we take it back onshore, carelessly making decisions drunk on tequila. There’s not much I remember besides the cool air against my skin, the cold sand beneath my feet, and the torches illuminating the area around us.

Oh, and I finally got my period.

Tonight was surreal, sharing it with a complete stranger. The last few years have forced me to alienate myself from the social scene. If and when I did mingle, it was for business, and with that came a different persona. I can’t recall the last time I had laughed so hard.

Noah was so easy to be around, which is why I admitted what was going on with my life back home. He didn’t judge me, and I mean, how could he have given we were both sitting inside a jail cell for acting on impulse.

Everything about tonight is beyond crazy yet, at the same, time perfect. Whether it was the liquor or the careless decision to swim in the Pacific Ocean or the company of a sexy man beside me, tonight was the wake-up call I needed.

Life doesn’t need to revolve around work. I just need to find a way to balance it all. If Charlie can run her business, take care of two kids while pregnant, and have time for her friends, I surely can do this without the added responsibilities.

Back at Charlie and Lex’s place, Noah disappeared along with Lex. She suggested I stay the night, and luckily for me, I have some spare clothes which I left behind the last time I stayed here. After the longest, hottest, and most relaxing shower ever, I make my way back to the kitchen where Charlie is sitting with two mugs filled to the brim with hot tea and what appears to be homemade cookies.

“Have you turned English?” I question while taking a seat and eyeing the tea.

Charlie sits across from me. “I’m not allowed to drink coffee, remember? One of the many joys of being pregnant.”

I nod my head in silence, grabbing the cookie and breaking it in half. Tonight, I drank copious amounts of tequila. I haven’t quite sobered up even though I drank three glasses of water and strong black coffee the cop gave us while waiting to be bailed out.

“Can you please walk me through what happened tonight? This isn’t you… I know you like to have fun but not law-breaking fun.”

“I don’t know how to explain it,” I admit, wrapping my hands around the mug. “At first, we were fooling around, but Noah isn’t like other guys, he just… I don’t know.”

“He is exactly like other guys,” Charlie tells me. “That’s why he’s here. His dick got him in trouble back home.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Okay, so you guys wanted to fuck on the beach or whatever,” she mutters, covering her mouth with her mug. “But you’re both feeding into each other’s bad habits. Noah prowls on vulnerable women like you, and you’re trying to sleep with another guy to prove a point.”

I’m hurt by her words, though sadly, she’s right. This isn’t me. I don’t sleep around to prove a point to anyone, yet why did I so easily fall into this pattern? This woman I’ve become is cheap, cowardly, and running toward the wrong things instead of trying to fix the broken pieces inside of me.

My temple begins to throb, the hangover imminent if I don’t control what I do over the next hour before I fall asleep. I can’t recall the last time I drank so much, but holding liquor well is in my gene pool. I grew up with a dad who could chug a whole keg of beer and still run a marathon the next morning. His brothers, my uncles, were the exact same.

As if Charlie could read my mind, she leaves the table, returning moments later with a bottle of water and Advil.

“Take two of these, finish all the water plus your tea and cookies.”

“You’re right,” I mumble, popping the Advil’s into my mouth and swallowing them with a large amount of water. “I shouldn’t have tried to screw Noah. I partially blame Eric for the pressure.”

“There’s nothing to stop you from being friends. It might do the two of you good to have each other since he’s single, and so are you. Just lay off the hard liquor… and stay out of jail.”

Charlie places her hand on top of mine, letting out a yawn. I suggest she go to bed, knowing it has been a long night for her, and she agrees.