The Pickup (Imperfect Love 1)

Grabbing Celeste’s hand, I pull her to sit next to me. “We need to talk,” I say, cutting her off. Her brows furrow with worry. “Last night I was—”

“Nick, whatever it is you’re about to say, don’t. I don’t want to know.”

“I spent the night at Olivia’s place.”

“I said I don’t want to know!” Celeste stands.

“I’m not going to hide shit from you.”

“I can’t handle knowing if you cheated on me. Please, just don’t tell me,” she pleads. Tears fill her lids, but she quickly blinks them away. “Don’t tell me,” she whispers.

“Celeste, did someone cheat on you?” I ask. Her eyes go wide for a split second before she schools her features. “You know you can talk to me,” I add.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she says, her voice now completely devoid of all emotion. I assess her for a moment, but when it’s clear she’s not going to open up to me, I give up on trying to get anything out of her.

“Nothing happened,” I say, needing her to know that I would never cheat on her.

“Okay, good.” She nods her head up and down several times. I stare at the beautiful woman I’ve known my entire life. When I was told I needed to settle down and Celeste had reminded me of our pact, I thought it was fate. I was done with love and relationships. We agreed on a marriage of convenience with a prenup and no kids. She knew exactly what she wanted, and I thought it was what I wanted as well. But now as I look at her, I know all I was doing nine months ago was taking the easy way out. I didn’t want to go up against my parents. I didn’t want to risk letting another woman down. Celeste was safe. But the truth is, I never would’ve lasted in a loveless marriage, and Celeste deserves so much more, even if she doesn’t realize it.

“Celeste.”

She grants me a small smile, one that most don’t see. It’s one that screams vulnerability. When she’s unsure of how to make something right. When the situation is out of her control. The fact is she’s not a bad person. She’s one of my best friends. When she lets you in, she is sweet and kind and supportive. She was honest with what she wanted, and none of this is her fault.

“Don’t do this, Nick. Please.” A single tear escapes, rolling down her cheek. “We have a good thing going.”

“This type of relationship isn’t for me. And it shouldn’t be for you either. We both deserve more. To be with someone who we love and who loves us back.”

“So, what? You’re in love with Olivia?”

“No, but I want to find out if I could be. What if she’s the one?”

“You thought Fiona was the one, and she—” Before she can finish her sentence, there’s a knock on the door. She walks over to it, and my parents are standing there. That’s when I remember my dad had mentioned he was going to bring the papers by for me to sign.

“Celeste, what’s wrong?” my mom asks.

“Nick believes he could be in love with Olivia.”

“Wait, is this over the baby?” My mom gives me a confused look. “Celeste said you chose to stay home last night instead of going to the party even though she found a nanny.”

“I don’t want a nanny. I want to raise my son myself.”

“You had a nanny,” my mom points out.

“I don’t want my son to have the same kind of life I had.” The words are out before I can stop them, and my mom flinches as if she’s been slapped.

“You had a good life.”

“According to who? You? Dad?”

“You were given every damn thing you wanted,” my dad says, joining the conversation. “Most would kill for your damn life. So stop acting like a spoiled brat.”

“Yeah, I was given materialistic shit, but neither of you actually raised me. If it wasn’t football related, you didn’t even know I existed.”

“Oh, Nick, stop acting like a damn little girl,” my dad scoffs.

“Tell me this. Other than football, what did I participate in, in high school?” I turn to Celeste. “Don’t say a word.” She might sometimes be self-absorbed, but she was still my best friend growing up, and unlike my parents, she actually knows me. And even when I had no one else at my various school events, Celeste would always be there.

“Nicholas! Why are you acting like this?” my mom screeches, avoiding the question she can’t answer. “Your father and I have done everything in our power to make sure you had your future paved for you. You should be thanking us, not judging us. You have no idea what the real world is like.”

“What I do know is that growing up, all I wanted was to make both of you happy. I busted my ass in football to the point where I lost my love of the sport and my girlfriend left me. Did you know that when she left me, she said I put you guys first? And what sucks is that while I was putting you two before my girlfriend, you were putting yourselves first! It’s the parents’ job to put their child first, not the other way around.”