Broken #4 (The Broken Series - Book #4) (10 page)

I
went to the kitchen and poured a glass of wine. I took a slow sip of it, and
wished that I could run a bath and relax in some hot water. But that was going
to have to wait.

Heading
to my bedroom, I heard the shower stop running. I opened my door and closed it
behind me. I went and lay down on my bed, trying to get focused on writing my
project. It had been really stupid of me to put so much of my focus on Jet when
it came to my art projects. Now I was in distress over Jet and yet I had to
work on projects that involved him. I didn't know what I was thinking, and the
funny thing was that Julie had warned me against doing just that.

I pulled
out my notepad and reviewed what I had written a few days ago. I had been
writing for a few days, and I had written everything right up until the
Thanksgiving dinner. I had included everything that had happened so far, and
the whole thing just made me sad. I considered ripping it up and starting from
scratch, but it would be too much work. I would have to come up with a new
story, and I didn't think that I could do it.
Especially with
my current state of mind.
It was too much work. But I didn't think that
I could deal with the ending that I had, either. I wanted to change
it―not have the ending be as it was. This was my work of fiction and I
wanted it to be incredible, not just another lame ass story about a guy who
cheats on his girlfriend. So I went to work on it. I changed how the
Thanksgiving dinner ended; there was forgiveness. There was love at the end,
and the guy never strayed again. He stayed with the girl he was with, and
eventually fell in love with her. They lived happily ever after, as they say.

Too
bad reality didn't work the same way. Ugh, I was already sick of my own
attitude. I had to get out of the funk I was in. Really, what was I going to
do? Was I going to grab Julie once again and return to the bar to drown my
sorrows away in drink? No, I was done with that. I would move on, and I would
grow from my experiences. In the end everything would work out just the way it
was supposed to.

I
set my story aside and sipped the wine. I loved Julie's choices of wine; they
were speciality wines and types I never would have chosen myself had I gone to
the wine store.

My
phone chirped, and again it was Jet, asking if we could talk. I shut my phone
off and leaned against the pillows on my bed. There was a knock on my door, and
Julie peeked in. She was wearing a black silk robe, and her hair was tied up in
a towel.

“Hey, how ya holding up?”

I
smiled. “I'm okay.”

“Are
you really?”

Tears
welled up in my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. Julie hurried into the room
and sat on the bed beside me. She took me in her arms for a big hug, and it was
the perfect tight hug to make me feel better.

“
It's
okay, Natalie, everything is going to be okay.”

I
sobbed into my friend’s shoulder, feeling a combination of foolishness and
relief. When my tears finally stopped falling, I pulled away from her and wiped
at my eyes. I could just imagine what I must look like.

“God,
I'm sorry.”

“Don't
be silly, Natalie, it was probably the best thing for you. I don't think I saw
you cry even once over Tom. It's okay to be sad, but it's also okay to forgive
and move on.”

“Do
you think I'm being an idiot about Thanksgiving?”

“Of course not.
What happened that night was wrong. You definitely shouldn't have had to deal
with that sort of nonsense.
And Katie?
That girl just
needs to get slapped.”

I
laughed. “Well, it just seems like you are on Jet's side.”

“No, darling.
That isn't the case at all.”

“Then
why do you want me to talk to him?”

“Look,
Natalie. What happened was shitty; there is no doubt about it. But I think
maybe you're being a little too hard on Jet. Katie, I think, is the
one
who is at fault here, and maybe Jet shouldn't have let
her fawn all over him, but I don't think this is a case of cheating at all. She
did something wrong, Jet just happened to be there. You haven't directed any of
your anger toward her at all, even though she did the kissing. Instead, you
won't even talk to Jet. Don't you think you have tortured him enough? Let's be
honest, all guys make mistakes, but I think he's paid his penance, don't you?”

“I
don't know. I just don't want to go through what I did with Tom again.”

“I
don't blame you, but I don't think that's what happened here at all. I think
that you have this picture in your head of walking in on Tom and Lisa, and you
think it’s the same thing as Thanksgiving, and it's not. Tom was a willing
participant in that, and he stayed with Lisa afterward. Jet didn't cheat on
you, and he's still trying to work things out with you. Isn't that worth
something?”

I
put my head in my hands. “Oh God, I just don't know what to do. I'm so messed
up.”

“
It's
okay, Natalie. You don't have to figure everything out
right now.
It's
okay to wait until your head clears.
I'm just worried you're throwing away a good thing for the wrong reasons.”

“What
do you mean?”

“Jet
is crazy about you, and I think you know that. Do you really want to lose him
over the fact that some girl he doesn't even like kissed him?”

“She's
so beautiful. I don't understand why he doesn't want her.”

“Natalie,
you're beautiful too. He wants you because you
are
beautiful, and you're smart and talented. Katie doesn't have
anything on you. Yeah, she may be a tough girl that all the boys like, but she
isn't you, and I think she learned that the other night.”

I
smiled. “Thanks, you're the best.”

“Anytime, girl.
Just remember that you deserve to be happy, and that means you deserve to be
with a guy like Jet. Cut the guy some slack. At least hear him out, and give
him the benefit of the doubt. Now I was kind enough to run you a hot bath after
I got out of the shower, so grab your wine and go relax.”

“That's
the best thing ever. Thanks, Julie.” I hugged her again and picked up my wine
glass. I was going to sit in that hot bath and not think of a single thing for
the rest of the night.

The
second round of the nationals for Jet was that night and it was all I could
think about. I knew it was a special night for him, but I just couldn’t bear to
go and watch him with things the way they were between us. I didn’t know what I
to do, and I struggled all day during my classes. At that point I was not even
sure it would do him any good to see me there; it could throw him off his game,
confuse him so that he missed something important. But I was also torn by the
idea that if I didn't go, he could lose as well. People are under stress
behaved far differently than usual, and maybe Jet wouldn’t be able to
concentrate properly without me ringside, cheering him on. Those were the
thoughts that haunted me for an entire day.

As I
was crossing campus on my way home, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to
find Katie standing behind me, looking guilty and rather stupid.

I
lashed out immediately. “Oh God, what the hell do you want? Don't you think you
have done enough?”

“Take
it easy, Natalie.”

“No,
I am not going to take it easy. You have no right even coming up to me. What
could you possibly have to say to me at this point?”

“How
about, ‘I'm sorry?’”

“I
couldn’t care less. Sorry from girls like you hardly ever means anything.”

“What
do you mean, girls like me?”

I
rolled my eyes. “I mean the kind of girl who would pursue a guy when she knows
he has a girlfriend. The kind of girl who would kiss him at a dinner he was at
with his girlfriend. That's the kind of girl I'm talking about.”

“Okay,
maybe I deserved that. But I really am sorry, and I'm not the bad person that
you think I am. I have just been in love with Jet for half my life, and to be
honest, I thought at one point we would get together. When you came into the
picture, I sort of lost it and the idea of losing him completely really hurt
me. So I was determined to do anything I had to in order to win him from you.”

I
was shocked by her honesty and I couldn't help but feel terrible about the fact
that she loved someone she could never have. That wouldn't have been a very
good feeling, and maybe Katie was right. Maybe you could go crazy at the idea
of losing someone you really wanted.

“Look,
I know that you hate me, and I understand that. Maybe you will never be able to
forgive me and that's fine. But I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was for
my behavior.”

I
nodded. “Okay, you told me. Thank you.”

“Natalie,
you really should go to the fights tonight. I know you and Jet haven't been
talking yet, but I know he would really like you to be there.”

“And
how do you know that?”

“Because
every time I have a conversation with Jet, you are all he talks about,
especially right now, since he is worried he lost you forever. You are all he
talks about, Natalie, and I know he would want you to see him get the chance to
be the national champion. You and I both know he has a great shot at winning
it, so you really should be there.”

I
didn’t know what to say to her, so I decided to stay silent for the time being.
I was emotionally exhausted from the whole ordeal, and I really wasn’t sure
what to think of her apology or her remarks about Jet. The truth was they were
still talking, and although it was obvious they weren't together, it was clear
that she would always be a part of his life, and that would be something I
would have to be okay with.

“Look,
I have to run. I'm actually fighting tonight as well, and I need to prepare.
Just think about it, okay?”

I
nodded, turned, and walked away from her without another word.

I
walked into the arena and the fights were already all well underway. The fact
of the matter was that I was really late. I had thought about the fights all
day, and had come to the conclusion that I just wasn't going to go. Julie had
given me a really hard time about it, to the point where I thought maybe I
should go. It didn't mean I had to get back together with Jet; it just meant
that I was going to go support him during a time when he needed me.

So I
headed over there, but I knew I was really late. So late, in fact, that when I
walked into the arena Jet was already in the cage fighting to be the national
champ. I slowly made my way up to the cage down one of the aisles as the crowd
was going insane on either side of me. Jet was swinging a high kick at his
opponent and he connected it, causing the guy to drop. I noticed his corner was
cheering him on, and Katie was there like she had been the last time, screaming
no less loudly than the coach was. I went up to the front row, but I stayed in
the aisle, I didn't have tickets for the front row because there were no
tickets left, but I wanted to be close. Jet went in for a four-punch
combination, and then pulled back. When he did so, he made eye contact with me.
The look on his face said that he had just found a fresh new breath that was
going to get him through the fight. That was all it took for him to send off
another spinning back fist that connected with his opponent’s face, knocking
him out cold.

His
corner went nuts, as well as the crowd, and I smiled hugely for him. He didn't
even wait to hear the decision from the judge. He flew out of the cage and
headed right for me. I was shocked, as was everyone else in the room. When he
got to me, he pulled me to him and kissed me passionately―so passionately
that I could barely catch my breath. He put his forehead against mine, and it
caused tears to well up in my eyes.

“Natalie,
my God, you came. I thought you weren't coming. This means so much to me.”

“Katie
apologized and explained everything to me. I want to move on now.”

He
kissed me again, and I felt safe in his arms once more.

My
eyes drifted closed as Jet tilted the shower head toward my face. The shampoo
washed down my body and into the drain. He slid his hands down my hair to help
the soap trickle down my body. I could barely keep it together with him so
near. I seized the soap, made lots of bubbles, and started to wash his chest.
His skin hard and smooth.
He jerked at my touch, and his
eyes flickered up to mine. I felt weak in the knees.

“Is
this what you wanted when you were out there getting hit?”

“I
want you. I want you to put your lips on mine.”

Jet
pressed his lips to mine and kissed me roughly, withdrawing only to let me
catch my breath.

My
chest was heaving, and my heart was pounding in my chest. Without thinking, my
fingers pushed into his hair and I pulled him towards my lips. His tongue found
mine first, and he lifted me up in the air so that we were level. His closeness
set me on fire; he was exhilarating as he pushed into me. I sucked his tongue
hungrily, and he turned off the shower, lifting me to carry me to his bed. He
draped a towel over me as I clung to him. He lowered me over the comforter and
rubbed the towel over my skin while he smiled and said, “Let me go get dry.”