Nadine:


    I couldn’t contain the feeling of ecstasy that was going through me; it had been quite a while since I had felt genuinely happy like that, and not for someone else, but for myself. I knew I had to be discreet, so I took my bath, got dressed in one of my beautiful gowns and slunk out of the house. I decided not to use the driver, as yton couldterpel him to ask where I had been so I called for a designated driver. On the way, inside the car, as cool music filtered through the car’s stereo, I thought about my rtionship with Enzo. It had morphed from a mere friendship into something deeper, something more intimate, and it both terrified and excited me. Whenever we talked on the phone, I could detect the feelings in his voice and I knew he could in mine.


    “We’re here, ma’am,” the driver said as he slowed down and parked in front of a hotel.


    “Thank you,” I said and handed him the wad of cash that I had folded in my hands.


    I walked to the reception and demanded to see Enzo.


    “Room 120,” the receptionist said and I walked away towards the elevator.


    I had called him before I spoke to the receptionist so he was waiting for him outside the door. He had on a pair of pants and a t-shirt, something as simple as he was.


    “Hey, beautiful,” he said to me with his characteristic disarming smile.


    “Hi there, handsome,” I said to him as we hugged casually.


    “Maybe we can have a few drinks at the bar first beforeing back up here,” he suggested.


    “Okay,” I said with a shrug. “Anything you say. I mean, you’re literally the celebrant.”


    He gave a short, heartyugh before saying, “well, as much as this is celebrating mypany, it is also just wanting to enjoy being with you, you know.”


    I smiled as he held my hand and we walked back to the elevator.


    The bar was how I hoped it would be – quiet and dimly lit. I did not want anyone recognizing me, or Enzo, and saying something to yton, or spreading foolish rumors; the citizens of this city seemed to binge on rumors in a way that disgusted me. I wished everyone would just mind their business.


    “Congrattions, once again,” I said to Enzo. “Really. I’m happy for you.”


    “Well, thank you,” he said. “Wait, let’s say a toast.”


    He raised his shot ss and said a toast to more wins and bigger things in life, and most importantly to the boon of friendship.


    We continued like this for a while, drinking and chatting about everything until his demeanor assumed a severity and he said, “Nadine, I would like to tell you something.”


    “Ohh, what is it?” I asked. “Is anything the problem?”


    “No, not exactly,” he said. “But it’s actually something quite serious.”C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    “Spit it out, then,” I said, giving him a gentle nudge on the elbow.


    He breathed heavily before he continued to talk. I could see the tension on his face. In fact, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, making me quite concerned. He had always managed to maintain hisposure since I had known him.


    “Nadine, the truth is that I am head over heels in love with you,” he said.


    I was disoriented; I stared at him with my mouth agape. I had seen iting, but I didn’t expect that he would express his feelings for me so tantly. I just stared at him, as if he was an alien that had just emerged from a spaceship.


    “I mean it, Nadine,” he said, “I’m very much in love with you, so much that it is driving me crazy.”


    “Ohh,” I said, still confused, not knowing what to say.


    “So?” He said, brows arched. “Are you going to say something about it?”


    “I-I don’t know, Enzo,” I said. “I mean, I’m confused. And besides, I’m your brother’s wife; you seem to have forgotten that. What am I supposed to say? You put me in a very awkward situation, Enzo,”


    “I know, I know,” he said and took my hands in his. “I know that this is very awkward, Nadine, and maybe quite unexpected, but I couldn’t bear to hold it in me much longer. Besides, I haven’t forgotten that you’re my brother’s wife; I just couldn’t help myself.”


    “Enzo, I don’t know about this,” I said, pulling my hands away from this.


    “And you can’t deny it, too, Nadine,” he said.


    “Deny what exactly?” I asked, my brows furrowed.


    “Your own growing feelings for me,” he said decisively.


    “What?!?!” I said, my voice raised a few notches. I got on my feet.


    “Hey,e on, Nadine, rx,” he said and got up with me. “I didn’t mean no offense.”


    “I think I need to leave,” I said. “This is getting too ufortable.”


    “Come on, Nadine,” he said. “Please, I’m begging you. Hear me out, okay.”


    “I’ve heard enough, Enzo,” I said and took my handbag, but he grabbed me by the wrist.


    “Nadine, please,” he said. “Alright, let’s get out of here. This is not a ce for that kind of talk. Let’s go to my room.”


    “Your what?” I said. “That’s even worse.”


    I wrestled my wrist from his and left the bar.


    Enzo:


    I went back to my room, dejected and filled with shame.


    “What the fuck were you thinking?” I said to myself.


    I called her a couple of times, not for anything, but just to confirm if she had gotten home safely. She did not pick. I ordered a few more drinks from the bar and drank myself to sleep. I was awakened by my phone buzzing. When I looked at the screen with my bleary eyes, I saw that it was Nadine.


    “Hello,” I said.


    “Hi,” she said. “I’m sorry I stormed off like that.”


    “It’s fine,” I said.


    “I have something I want to tell you, too,” she said.


    “What?”