Chapter 236 Spill it so I Can Enjoy it
Nicholas had a knack for roasting people, his sharp tongue unmatched.
Tristan glared at him, sending a chill down Nicholas's spine, but he still had the nerve to say, "Nice fight. I came back just to watch you guys bicker. If you stop, what am I supposed to watch?"
Right after he said that, a pillow flew at him. Nicholas caught it with a grin. "What's the beef? Spill it so I can enjoy it—no, so I can steer clear!"
Nicholas was convinced it was Tristan who had ticked off Katniss, considering Katniss usually had a good temper.
But he was dying to know what Tristan had done to make Katniss so mad! It had to be something really messed up.
"It wasn't my fault," Tristan muttered, thinking about the drawer full of punctured condoms, feeling a knot in his chest.
"No way," Nicholas shot back. "You say stuff that's more annoying than hers, and you're less rational."
Seeing Tristan's dark expression, Nicholas added, "Of course, it's because you care too much, so your emotions and demands are higher."
"Cut the crap. If you're not drinking, go home." Tristan grabbed the glass on the coffee table and downed it.
Sensing Tristan's mood hit rock bottom, Nicholas stopped roasting him and quietly messaged Ryan.
Judging by the looks of it, they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon without drinking a lot. Ryan would be there to help.
Half an hour later, Ryan rushed into the private room. As soon as he opened the door, the strong smell of smoke and alcohol made him frown.
"Mr. Kennedy, why are you drinking with Mr. Forbes?" he grumbled about having to work overtime late at night.
"It wasn't my idea. Katniss argued with him, and he was in a bad mood, so he asked me to drink with him," Nicholas explained.
Ryan hesitated for a few seconds, muttering, "I don't buy it. Ms. Grey invited him to lunch this afternoon. He was busy with work all afternoon. When did he have time to argue with her?"
Tristan paused mid-drink and suddenly looked at Ryan. "What did you say?"
"Clarify what you just said. Who invited him to lunch?" Nicholas's face also turned serious.
"This afternoon, I suggested canceling your unimportant lunch meetings because Ms. Grey invited you to lunch. But you were in a hurry to sign the contract, so I told her you had something come up." Ryan's voice grew smaller as he saw Tristan's face darken.Nicholas walked over to Ryan, threw an arm around his shoulder, and gave him a hard pat. "Ryan, you're digging your own grave, buddy. Might wanna go online and pick out a burial plot, then let your family know where to find your body." With that, he let go of Ryan.
Ryan stared at Tristan on the sofa. The moment Tristan moved slightly, Ryan bolted out the door.
Tristan was so mad he laughed, pressing his tongue against his cheek, replaying the scene of meeting Katniss at noon in his mind.
So, she thought he had ditched lunch with her to hang out with Lila instead?
Nicholas plopped down on the sofa. "This beautiful misunderstanding, if you don't clear it up tonight, you're not a real man."
Tristan's lips pressed into a thin line. He glanced at the phone on the table, hesitated for a long time, then picked it up and found Katniss's number but paused.
"I'll help you out." Nicholas poked the screen, and the call went through.
Tristan's throat tightened instantly, but he didn't hang up, trying to organize his thoughts.
Regardless of the whole condom mess, he needed to explain the noon incident first.
If she didn't believe him, he'd go find her and explain in person.
Nodding to himself, he cleared his throat.
"Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..." The call was automatically disconnected. Tristan stared at the screen.
"What happened?" Nicholas leaned in. "Why'd you hang up? Don't let this misunderstanding fester overnight; it'll hurt your relationship."
Tristan said in a deep voice, "Her phone's off. Maybe it's out of battery."
She never turned off her phone, so he couldn't think of any other reason besides a dead battery.
"Out of battery?" Nicholas didn't buy it. "She's at home, and her phone's out of battery?"
A thought popped into his head. He nudged Tristan's arm and said, "Why don't you try messaging her on Facebook?"
Tristan lit a cigarette, opened his chat window with Katniss, and pondered over what to say.
He typed and deleted several times, always unsure.
"Why are you overthinking it?" Nicholas couldn't stand it. "Send an emoji and see if she's blocked you!"
Tristan was shocked, turning to stare at Nicholas, wanting to say it was impossible!
But his lips stayed tightly pressed.
"You don't believe me?" Nicholas chuckled. "Give me her number."
He took Tristan's phone, found Katniss's number, and dialed it on his phone.
Within seconds, the call connected, and Katniss answered. "Who's this?""Katniss, it's me," Nicholas said, glancing at Tristan with a mischievous grin. "I just got back from Nightfall City. I'm at D.V. now. Want to come hang out?"
Katniss hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Is Tristan with you?"
"Yeah, he's here. He drank too much and is in a bad mood. You know, about this afternoon..." Nicholas tried to explain on Tristan's behalf.
But Katniss cut him off. "I'm not coming. Goodbye."
The busy signal echoed in the quiet room. Tristan clenched his jaw, his face a mask of tension.
Nicholas turned off the phone and said seriously, "Tristan, this situation is pretty serious."
Tristan felt a surge of irritation.
"You could have a couple more drinks. I'm going to get some air." Nicholas patted his shoulder and stood up.
Having been friends for so many years, it was rare to see Tristan so embarrassed. Nicholas couldn't help but find it amusing.
He quickly walked out of the private room and met Ryan's trembling gaze, which made him burst into laughter. "Let's go laugh over there. We don't want him to hear us..."
Nicholas pulled out a cigarette and handed it to Ryan. "Ms. Grey blocked him. Don't hold back; laugh if you want to."
Ryan almost cried. "Mr. Kennedy, how could I dare to laugh?"
It was his fault for not explaining things clearly at noon. But how did a simple lunch escalate to the point of being blocked?
"You're no fun. I'll find someone who dares to laugh with me." Seeing Ryan's miserable face, Nicholas called Saskia.
When the call connected, he exaggeratedly recounted the situation between Katniss and Tristan, making it sound like they were no longer speaking to each other.
"Is it that serious?" Saskia felt a pang of anxiety. "I better call Katniss to check on her."
"Don't call her. When I called Katniss earlier, she was crying. What good will a phone call do? Why don't you take a red-eye flight here? We can talk face-to-face tomorrow morning; it's much better," Nicholas suggested.
Saskia couldn't imagine Katniss crying. It must be really serious.
She immediately made up her mind. "I'll pack my bags now. Book me a flight to Velvet City tonight and send me Katniss's address. I'll go straight to her place tomorrow."
"Okay!" Nicholas nodded. "Don't forget to bring your driver's license."
In five minutes, Nicholas had tricked Saskia into taking a red-eye flight to Velvet City and booked her ticket.
Finally, he rubbed his slightly sore cheeks, composed himself, and returned to the private room."Had a good laugh?" Tristan's voice was icy. He knew all of Nicholas's little tricks.
"You can't stop me from laughing. We're friends. Can't I enjoy the show? Didn't you just laugh at me?" Nicholas said righteously, then sensibly sat down beside him. "I think Katniss is really mad. I tricked Saskia into coming back. Don't worry, I'll help you get her to come out."
"No need," Tristan said confidently, downed the drink on the table, grabbed his coat, and left.
She was angry enough to block him, clearly very upset.
The G-Wagon sped down the smooth road, his mind racing, lips tightly pressed as he thought about what to say when he saw her.
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the apartment building. He went straight upstairs and turned on the entryway light.
His eyes fell on the key to his house lying in the entryway. It was Katniss's.
His heart sank a little more.
He unbuttoned his cuffs, rolled them up, and headed straight for the balcony, agilely climbing out the window.
His strong forearms gripped the security net above, and he climbed directly to Katniss's bedroom balcony.
He tried the window and found it unlocked, raising an eyebrow as he easily jumped in.
By the moonlight, he could see the bed was clean and tidy, the covers neatly arranged.
Katniss was nowhere to be seen!
He turned on the bedside lamp, the room suddenly bright, but still empty.
"Tristan." Aaron, looking sleepy, stood at the door, rubbing his eyes to make sure it was really him. "How did you get in? Where did you come from?"
Tristan didn't have a key to this place. He never expected to be shut out by Katniss!
"Where's Katniss?" he avoided answering.
Aaron pointed across the hall. "About twenty minutes ago, she went to the apartment across the hall, saying her room wasn't safe, and told me to lock my door when I sleep."
Wasn't that just to keep him out?
She had anticipated his move, knowing he would climb in through the window in the middle of the night.
Tristan smirked and walked out. "Go back to sleep. I'm leaving."
"Okay. Are you coming with me to school tomorrow?" Aaron asked.
Tristan stopped at the door, not turning back. "We'll see."
Back downstairs, facing the empty room, he tugged at his tie.
A sleepless night.
In the morning, Katniss made a simple breakfast, finished it in ten minutes, and took Aaron to school.
When the elevator doors opened, Tristan's tall figure stood inside, his veined hand pressing the open button. Seeing her hesitate, he said, "Aren't you coming in?"
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