21. Hot and Nice

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Nadia sat quietly in the almost deserted diner save for the old man dosing over his food by the corner, her eyes constantly switching gazes between the entrance and her wrist watch. She wondered how Sasha had been. Despite her jolliness and easy-going nature, Sasha was one to get rocked hard by pain but she would hide it. Eventually the bell by door of the diner jingled and Sasha walked in, looking considerably thinner that the last time she remembered her. Nadia waved her over and after a brief, very much needed hug, they both sat down.

At first it was just a looming silence and out of nervousness, Nadia ordered two cups of coffee for them with some sprinkled doughnuts.

“So how have you been?” she eventually broke the silence.

Sasha looked at her, swallowing down a chunk of bitterness, “How do you think I’ve been, Nadia?”

“Look, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me,” she started.

“Honestly, I’m not surprised. You are so good at pushing people away and what for? We are friends, best friends, and we both lost her that day,” her voice grew a bit hoarse, bitter tears threatening to spill, “Trina was my best friend too. I don’t know what happened, how she died and the only person who knew her as much as I did, was you but you shut me out. I couldn’t talk to anybody because none of them could understand me better than you,”

“How was I supposed to face you and tell you she died for me? I was the one supposed to be dead but she intercepted it and I’m here, still very much alive while she is gone for good this time,” she was trying not to let the tears have their way.

“If she died saving you, then it was her choice and we should celebrate her for it,” she shook her head, “She was just being Trina. You know, the big sister we never had. She always looked after us. Even when we messed up, she would reprimand us and still stick by our sides even through our series of bad choices. That was just Trina. This doesn’t excuse you from shutting out everyone who cares about you, Nadia,”

“You are right and I’m sorry for everything. I wish you could believe that,”

Sasha sighed, reaching over the table and squeezing Nadia’s hands together in comfort, “ I just need you to promise me that no matter how bad things get, you are never going to shut me out ever again. Whether you like it or not, you and I are stuck with each other for a good, long while. Even we fight or drift, you will always be the one person I’d be ready to give up my life for. It’s what best friends do,”

“I promise, Sasha,” she smiled. It felt like despite everything, she still had family.

“I need to go back to New York. My boss wouldn’t stop calling me and well, I couldn’t just leave without knowing my best friend was okay,” she dropped the bomb.

“Crap! I’d forgotten about this part of our lives,” she sighed, “I need to go back to New York too. My agent must be freaking out right now. I mean, there were several emails from him but I was too drained to even read one,”

“What about Collins?” She inquired with genuine concern.

Nadia froze for a second, her thoughts reverting back to their conversation this morning. Why had those words remained stuck in her throat? What had been so hard to tell the man she couldn’t keep her hands off, that she loved him? Or, what exactly could these feeling be coined? Were they not love? What was making her unable to say them?

“I’ll talk to him about it. Besides, the past few weeks have been nothing but a rollercoaster. I need a break to just get away from everything even for a little while before I confront this part of my life. I mean, whether I like it or not, I’m part of this strange world,” she shook her head in self-pity, “You want take a walk?”

“Yeah, I’d love that,”

After paying up, they walked out, a gust of cold evening wind hitting them. It was getting particularly cold in this town around this time of the year. Good thing they had both brought some coats to shield them from the ruthless snare of the cold evenings. It was probably around seven and the people who were still in this town, were rushing around; some of them running home from work while others running to their nightshifts. It was crazy how they had idea had transpired in the same place they called home.

“So what about you and Danny? Anything sizzling I should I know about?” Nadia wiggled her eyebrows mischievously.

Danny. Right. The one person she didn’t even want to talk about. She wanted to distance herself from her memories of him and how he always made her heart skip a bit with just his presence. She was immensely attracted to him and she knew it despite how many times she’d tried to deny it.

“Um…we are not a thing. He just a coward,” she shrugged.

“What? I was already shipping the two of you. I’m a hundred percent certain he likes you so much,” Nadia bubbled on excitedly.

“No, he doesn’t. Maybe all it ever was between us, was just sex. I mean, we were only together one night but he made it so easy for me to want more. The lingering gazes, the sly smile and how he would act like he gives a fuck about me, “she paused, exhaling, “I thought that finally I should give real dating a chance. If he had asked me out, or at least given me a sign I meant something deeper to him, I would have let myself be swayed so easily into his direction,”

“Oh my God!” Nadia whispered eyes widened as she stared at her best friend.

“What?”

“You like him and I’m not even talking about the mere kind. You fucking like Danny. Okay, I have to admit I never thought I would be alive to see you like someone beyond the bedroom walls,” It was almost as though she squealing.

“He doesn’t like me the same so it doesn’t matter. Besides, I’m leaving this town and I won’t ever have to see him or Christian again. I’ve had far too many memories in this town to last me a whole life time,”

“Christian? Who is Christian?”

“Remember the plumber who came to fix our shower?” She questioned but Nadia just gave her a confused look, “Doesn’t matter. He is who I’ve been with for the past few weeks. I needed someone to help me get through the pain and he was there. He let me crash at his place, drink his booze, complain about you shutting me out and literally eat everything in his fridge,”

“Sounds like a nice guy,” Nadia mused.

“He is,” she smiled unknowingly.

“Well, if Danny is being such a baby why don’t you give Christian a chance? He sounds like someone who wouldn’t break your heart,”

“Didn’t you hear the part about him being nice?”

“Is there something wrong with that?” Nadia had to admit she was downright confused.

“He is nice and extremely hot. It’s never a good combination, Nadia. Haven’t you learnt a thing about life?”

“I’m not sure I’m following,”

“Hot and nice is a red flag, Nadia. Nobody believes you when you find the ugly skeletons hidden in their closets. No offense but if I was ever to date or even give someone a chance, I would definitely go for anyone else but a nice boy. Its just my preference,” she said then added before Nadia could inquire more, “What do you say we pay a visit to Trina? I’ve been going there at least once a week and someone keeps leaving a bunch of red roses on her grave. I have no idea who to be honest,”

“Maybe it was someone who cared about her,” Nadia shrugged as they change lanes, heading toward the graveyard where Trina was buried.