Chapter fourty six

" Yeah, okay. I'll see you... bye, " Crystal finished with the phone call and set the phone aside. Then she dug her hand into her hair and let out a long needed breath.
" Everything okay? " Nick asked, shifting to stand behind her. She was currently seated at the island, having just woken up not more than fifteen minutes ago.
" That was Miguel, he says he's coming over later since there are some things I have to sign. "
" What things? "
She shrugged, wrapping her hands around her coffee mug and bringing it to her lips to take a sip.
" I'm not sure, but it has something to do with my resignation. I'm required to surrender power or something like that... can we not talk about this? "
" Sure. "
Nick was actually surprised that Miguel hadn't asked her to rethink her choice and go back to her dad. Saunders had been calling him nonstop, according to the detective, Crystal's dad was blaming him for his daughter's acts considering the fact that he had been the one to suggest Nick for the job.
And instead of taking care of his daughter like a normal bodyguard would, he had ' filled her head with foolishness and kidnapped her from home ' .
Asshole.. Nick thought as he wrapped his arms around Crystal and urged her to lean back against him which she willingly did. And they stayed like that for a while before she looked up at him and smiled.
" What? " he asked but all she did was shrug, her smile perfectly intact. Then she raised her hand and cupped his cheek gently.
" What? " he asked again, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Shaking her head, Crystal sighed, then she turned around on the stool to face him, playfully locking her fingers with his before she widened both their arms.
" It's nothing, you're just so darn cute! " she said as she looked at him, he scoffed, turning his head to the side as if to avoid looking at her. But even if she was unable to see his face, she could tell that he was fighting a smile.
" I just wanna look at you all day, " she added and he shook his head, trying to unlock their fingers and step aside, but she didn't let him.
" Come on, that's enough, I thought there's somewhere you wanted to go, " he said afterwards, and Crystal let go of one of his hands and cupped his cheek, making him look at her. Then she gasped before she burst out laughing.
" Oh my God! Nick, are you blushing? "
" Of course not, that's absurd. I'm gonna go freshen up. "
He managed to get his hand free and turned around, but then she jumped off the stool and ran to stand in front of him, placing both her palms on his chest.
" Crystal..stop it! " it was an attempt to sound stern but he failed.
" Is it because I called you cute?... cause just so you know, it's true. And you're also really hot, have I mentioned that yet? "
He ran a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the stupid smile that was threatening to overtake him.
" You ARE blushing, aren't you? "
" Like I said, I have to go freshen up, "
Stiffling back a laugh, Crystal pursed her lips shut and stepped aside, but then Nick grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. With a shocked shriek, she grabbed onto his shirt. But then the shriek transformed into a laugh as he carried her to the bedroom.
" This is for trying to act smart, I hope you like cold showers, " he threatened and she would have begged him not to do it, but she was too busy drowning in laughter to do anything.
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After an hour of teasing and playing around, they both managed to get ready and head out. Crystal wanted to visit the her mom at the cemetery since she hadn't been there since she arrived at Seattle.
When her mom had first been buried, she had visited that place around five times each week. Sometimes she would just sit there and talk, other times she would just take out her sketchbook and draw, while on some occasions she would simply cry her heart out.
Her mom and her had been close, not as close as she would have liked but definitely closer than she was with her dad. The two of them would go shopping together, and ride horses during those lazy Sunday afternoons. And she had always tried to show Crystal that she loved her even though she had not said it that much.
Plus she never forgot a birthday unlike her dad.
And growing up she had always been envious of Miguel, his parents loved him so much.... too much even. He was literally the center of their world and to them everything revolved around their son.
When they got to the cemetery, Nick had gone with her. And he had spent the entire time scanning the surrounding and making sure there wasn't any harm around. The visit had been short, and despite the fact that his concentration was on ensuring her safety, he had heard everything she had said.
Like when she had told her mom that she was in love with a really great guy.... a little grumpy sometimes but great nonetheless. And when she said that she could picture herself spending the rest of her life with him. She had looked at him then, and he could tell that she had been telling the absolute truth.
And that made him realise that a lifetime together was a really long time, and unless he told her the truth then their relationship would be based on a lie. And he could not believe that he was considering actually telling her the truth... but then on the way back he had thought about it and decided not to. It was safer, but just to be certain he decided to ask Matt what he thought later on. He might not seem like it but he was smart when it came to every aspect of life. And he was counting on him to assure him that he was doing the right thing.
" Psss! Hey, are you listening to me? " Crystal asked from the passenger seat. He turned to her with his brows raised, asking her to repeat what she had just said.
" What were you thinking about? "
" Nothing, it's nothing. "
He could tell that she wasn't buying that, but she still chose to let the matter slide and went ahead to entertain him with her endless conversation.
They drove around aimlessly for a while, only heading home once the sun had set. And when they got back to the apartment, they were shocked to find Miguel and Dahlia pulling in at the same time.
" We brought food and wine, I mean, I can't drink it but still... " Dahlia said as she gestured to the foiled treys in their hands and the bottle that Miguel was holding. They were still in the parking lot, and Crystal had been delighted to see Miguel again.
" Come here you, " he said as he spread his hands and she had welcomed hug. Miguel was her best friend, and it would always be so.
" How are you holding up? " he asked next to her ear. Referring to her being disowned by her father.
" I'm good, really. I've actually never been happier. "
" It shows, so you and him... it's serious huh? "
She nodded, pulling back from the hug and taking one of the treys from him. Then she went and said hi to Dahlia, giving her a hug as they exchanged pleasantries. And while she did, Nick stood still as he and Miguel exchanged glances, as if both daring the other to make the first move and say hi. And eventually, Miguel decided to take the first step.
" Hilton, " he formally addressed.
" Diaz. "
" Treat her right okay, otherwise you'll have me to answer to, " Miguel said as he took the outstretched hand Nick held out.
" I wouldn't even dream of hurting her. "
Crystal smiled, stepping aside to let Dahlia say hi to Nick, and she pretty much jumped on him as she squealed excitedly.
" Blondie! " he said, sounding shocked as his arms went around her.
" Oh come on, don't pretend you didn't miss me and my cooking, we both know that you did. Which is precisely why I went out of my way and cooked for you. "
" I think your pregnancy is making you delirious. "
Laughing, she stepped away. And together they headed inside where Crystal and Dahlia helped set the table. The food was great, and the conversations were even better. Crystal showed them all the places she was thinking of checking out and turn into her work space.
" There was this place in London, it used to be a coffee shop but it was just perfect. I always imagined myself buying it one day since it had these great windows and the space was exactly what I needed. But now that I'm here, I guess I can find something just as great. " she said as she shut her laptop and placed it aside. And Miguel also informed them that he had proposed to Dahlia and she had said yes.
" And you're only telling me this now?... here, let me see, " she took Dahlia's hand and admired the crazily large diamond. And Nick watched the fascination on her face, and the dreamy way in which she stared at the ring. Choosing not to ponder on it too much since that was a step he doubted he would ever be able to take. He was fine with how things were, and he didn't see the need to change anything.
" If you want, I can give Gabriel a call and ask him to give you a job. He owes me a lot of favors.... like seriously, a lot! " Miguel said afterwards and the idea appealed to Crystal. But she doubted she was good enough to actually work for Gabriel Germaine. He was like a legend when it came to... everything. And his paintings were the real deal.
" I don't know, that's like, really huge. "
" I know, and I'm sure he'll be lucky to have you. Just think about it okay? " she nodded. Then Dahlia insisted on seeing some of her work. And she was surprisingly comfortable with doing so, which was odd since she had never liked it when people looked at her work before. She had always feared negative criticism. But all Dahlia had said was ' Wow ' about five times as she walked around the storage room slash current working space
" These are great!.... I mean, I don't know much about art but I'm sure that you're right up there with Picasso. "
Laughing at the exaggerated flattery, she asked Dahlia to choose one that she liked and offered it to her. And the beaming smile she received in return was just heart warming.
" Consider it an early baby gift, "
" I'm gonna place it in the nursery. Can you believe Miguel already has one completely prepared?.. there's like a crib and everything..oh, and don't get me started on the hundred of toys he's already bought, "
" He must be really excited. "
" He is. I mean, the baby isn't even born yet but he already has a trust fund set. And for some reason he's convinced that it's a girl so he had me sit down with him for like an hour to pick a baby name. "
" And what did you settle on? "
" Nothing, we just couldn't agree on anything. He chose Brooke and I preferred Kendra, so he suggested we let the baby choose, I have no clue what he meant but as long as I don't have to go through another grueling hour of nonstop arguing then I'm cool with it. "
Crystal listened as Dahlia went on and on. And then she found herself dreaming up images in her head. She wondered what it would be like if she and Nick.......
Shaking the thoughts away, she concentrated on the present.
They both went back to the living area where Miguel and Nick were both seated casually talking as they drank the wine. And Miguel took out the papers Crystal had to sign, she didn't even bother reading through them since there was no use. She just wanted to get it over and done with. They talked for a while longer before Dahlia and Miguel said they had to leave.
And after accompanying them to the door, they all said their goodbyes and thought it would be great if they did that again sometime. It made Crystal rally glad to know that Miguel supported her decision to set out on her own.
" Call me if you need anything okay?... and I mean anything, " Miguel told her as he gave her a goodbye hug and kissed her cheek.
" I will. "
" Okay, and just so you know, I'm really proud of you for standing up for yourself. I could tell you weren't happy at the Firm. "
" Thanks Miguel.... I love you, "
" Love you too little siz, " he said, using the name he always used to call her when they were younger and had decided to form a bond where they considered themselves siblings. She had spent her entire teenage years calling him big bro. And although they hadn't been in touch while she had been away, no love had been lost between them. He would always be like her elder brother.
After the two left, she shut the door and leaned against it. Then she looked up at Nick and smiled.
" You okay? " he asked on seeing the far away look she wore. And it had been like that since she returned from the storage room with Dahlia. Nodding her head, she assured him that she was okay.
" Better than okay, I'm great. "