Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 129

I swallowed. "You look good."

Her smile grew a fraction. "Thanks. So do you."

"No, I don't."

She grimaced and said, "Well, you do look a little tired."

"Heh," I said, "you can't talk to me like that. You're fired."

Her mouth dropped open in shock, and her discomfort melted away. "I'll sue," she retorted, falling back into our old banter. "I'm black. I'll win."

"I'm half black. I get the privilege and race cards, and I'm rich."

Natalie clicked her tongue against her teeth. "Ouch. Got me."

She looked up and gave me a genuine smile, and I returned it. For a moment, everything felt normal between us again.

Then that pit in my stomach returned, and like a vapor, that peace was gone.

"So, I'm leaving town for a few days," I said.

"Where are you going?"

"Vegas."

"Couldn't you go anywhere in the world right now? Why Vegas?"

I shrugged and sighed. "I have stuff to do, so it's not like I can go too far right now. I just wanted to be able to get away for a few days. The paparazzi have been up my ass, and I just need a break."

I debated telling her about Cartwright but decided against it. Natalie didn't need to know about any of the extra stuff. It wasn't like we were dating, and there wasn't anything she could do about it anyway.

"How's Tyler?"

Natalie stared at me for a full ten seconds before she finally responded. "He's fine," she finally said, and I could tell she sensed that I wasn't telling her everything. "Do you want the truth?"

"Not really," I said and immediately regretted it. I could see on her face that my tone had hurt her a little, but what did she expect? I'd been the one who wanted a relationship with her, so why would I want to hear about how amazing her new boyfriend was?

Still... my reaction felt catty. I sighed and resigned myself to being a good friend, "Actually, yeah."

"He's treating me better than Garrett did," she said. "I've been really happy the last couple of days."

She looked as reluctant to tell me all of that as I felt, but we were trying to maintain some sort of friendship, which meant confiding in each other. It was time to man up and stuff my feelings down where they wouldn't hurt.

I nodded and said, "That's good. I'm happy for you, Nat."

She cocked her head to the side and gave me a disbelieving look.

"I mean it," said, trying to convince myself as much as her. "I hope you guys are happy. If you need anything from me, just let me know.

She gave me a tight-lipped smile and whispered, "Thanks."

"Alright, I'm gonna go," said. "I'll be back on Monday. You got this till I get back?"

"Marcus," Natalie said, adopting more of the usual tone was used to, "You have no managerial role in this company. We'll be fine."

"Yeah," I said, giving her a grin. "You can't talk to your boss like that. You're lucky I need you to manage things while I'm away."

"Have fun, Marcus," she said. I turned and walked out the door, trying to manage the mixed feelings coursing through me.

Tuesday, 8:49 pm

Music played from my phone as i lay on my bed, staring at the large brown box lying on the ground. I was still trying to work through the complex matrix of emotions I felt after meeting with Natalie. Part of me wanted to just get over it and move on with my fucking life. My god... I was the wealthiest man in the world with multiple women who doted on my every whim; it should have been easy to shake this melancholy.

On the other hand, seeing Natalie... talking to her and experiencing that confortable banter while looking into her dark eyes. I hated that gnawing pit in my stomach attempting to eat me from the Inside out every time I closed my eyes and saw her smile. I hadn't felt this way for more than a few hours when Jessica broke up with me, and I'd been dating her for months. Technically, Natalie and I hadn't even started, so why was this hitting me so hard?

My music went dead as my phone started buzzing, and I looked at it to see who it was.

Speak of the devil. Jessica's name was on my phone.

I stared at it for a long moment, contemplating whether or not I should answer it, and before I'd even come to a decision, I reached for the phone and hit answer. "Hello?"

"Marcus?"

"Hey."

It's Jess."

"I know."

"Oh. Hi."

I didn't respond. I just sat there with my phone to my ear, staring once more at the brown box next to my bed and listening to her breathing over the phone.

"What do you want?" I finally asked after about ten seconds of silence.

She fell silent, and I didn't try to help things along. Jessica had been trying to reach me for days. She had been insistent despite having dumped me. If she wanted to talk, she would have to carry the weight of this conversation on her shoulders. I certainly wasn't going to help.

"I just wanted to talk. I missed you."

"I don't miss you," I said with conviction. Like I said, I'd spent more time pining over a relationship I'd never quite had than mouming the one that had lasted half a year.

"I deserve that," Jessica said a few moments later. The sting my "I deserve that," Jessica said a few moments later. The sting my words caused her was evident in her voice. "Not even a little?"

I sighed and asked again, "What do you want, Jessica?"

There was a knock at the door, and then it opened. Helen slipped In and shut it behind her quietly when she saw was on the phone. She arched an eyebrow at me, and I understood her unspoken question of whether it was okay for her to be here. I nodded.

"Look" Jessica said, "this isn't easy for me."

"I'd imagine not. How's the new boyfriend, by the way?"

Helen passed by the box next to my bed, pausing to look at it before moving on. She slowly stepped around the foot of my massive California King. Her height dropped several inches as it became obvious that she had removed her shoes. My eyes tracked her, and she stared back with her icy blue ones as she continued to listen in on half of my phone call.

Jessica didn't immediately respond.

"Jess?" asked, wondering if I'd pushed her to hang up.

"We're not together anymore."

I sat halfway up when I heard that, propping myself up with one elbow. "What?"

Helen had closed the distance between us and sat on the bed next to me. She watched me closely with a concerned look on her face. Her hand rested on my thigh and squeezed it lightly.

"He... found someone else. He didn't want me." She sounded like she was about to start crying.

I wasn't convinced it was real.

Turning on the speaker phone, I immediately opened my contacts, found Chloe, and started typing - Chloe, is it possible to see if Jessica Kemp is in a relationship with anyone? She lives in Lawrence, Kansas, and her phone number is (785) 555-5417.

"Marcus?"

"Why the fuck did you call me, Jess? Were you looking for a little sympathy from the guy you dumped to be with him?"