The mere thought makes me flinch...which causes to Rafael abruptly release my hand.
No!
Fear pierces my heart the moment I see the tautened lines of his face, and I realize he's completely misunderstood my reaction.
"Rafael—-"
"Mi dispiace, bella." Rafael cuts me off with a coolly delivered apology. "Love triangles have never been my thing, and I don't want you enough to change my mind on this."
I quickly shake my head, desperate to make him realize all of this is just the most awful misunderstanding. "It's not like...that." My voice trails off in the end, since Rafael has already started to walk away, and I'm unable to muster the courage to go after him.
All I can do is watch numbly as he steps into another elevator, and as the doors slowly close after him—-
"What the hell's going on?"
The memory of Rafael walking away from me is temporarily forgotten as I turn to face Nic, and I find myself marveling at how everything has changed so quickly and suddenly, and how surreal it feels to not have my heart ache even when Nic is holding Francesca's hand right in front of me.
I still have no idea if all these years I was simply besotted or infatuated.
Maybe it was just a crush or puppy love.
In any case, what I do know now is that I was never in love with Nic, and that's why I found it so easy to do the most sinful things with Rafael.
"Zee?"
Nic's warning tone makes me bite back a sigh. I used to feel thrilled when Nic acts fiercely protective like this, mostly because it was my way of convincing myself he would eventually return my feelings.
Now, however...
One big brother is already one too many, and so having Nic as an honorary one is already too much.
"Will you tell me what's going on?" Nic demands impatiently.
"I'd rather not—-"
"You either tell me the truth," Nic threatens, "or I tell Stone everything."
Shit.
I wish I could say Nic was just bluffing, but since he's never been the type to do that—-
"Long story short," I say with a grimace, "I thought myself in love with you for years."
Nic starts to laugh, but when I only make a face and he sees Francesca wincing at his reaction—-
He chokes and stares at me like I've lost my mind. "Are you an idiot?"
Francesca lets out a gasp, but his words only make me laugh. I used to think that Nic's blunt attitude towards me means I'm special, but now I know it's only because he sees me as someone no different from his niece Scarlett.
"Yes, Nic," I say with a long-suffering sigh. "I was an idiot, and a stubborn one at that." I look at Francesca, and although I feel uncertain and awkward at first—-
"You don't have to say anything," she says gently. "It's all water under the bridge now...right?"
I nod fervently. "I can't even remember what I ever saw in him." It's no lie either, never mind if the words make Nic snort and his fiancée laugh.
"I'm not sure if I believe you," Nic drawls. "I've been told I'm difficult to get over—-"
Francesca and I roll our eyes at the same time, and when we realize what we've done...
A moment passes, and as the two of us laugh, it feels like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders.
This was how it should have been between the three of us from the start, and while the sight of Francesca used to cause me so much pain, now I'm just happy that Nic's marriage means I'll soon gain another sister.
And to give these two an early wedding gift—-
I clear my throat and wait for the couple to turn my way before speaking. "I never told anyone this, but I actually cried myself to sleep after seeing how Nic was looking at your photo."
"Do I want to know how he was looking at my photo?" Although Francesca's tone is teasing, her eyes are a little brighter than usual, and the sight tells me I've said exactly what she needs to hear.
"I'll leave that to Nic to figure out," I say with a grin, "but my point is, it hurt that time because I was still an idiot back then, but now..."
Nic is caught off guard when I suddenly grab his hands...and place them right on top of Francesca's chest.
The other woman sputters, and then she sputters some more when Nic automatically squeezes her breasts.
"Enjoy your night!" I give them a little wave before turning away to leave, and the last thing I hear before taking the elevator to the lobby is the sound of Francesca's whimper blending with Nic's low chuckle.
Thank You, God.
The speed in which I'm able to close the door on my infatuation with Nic feels like a miracle, but the relief I feel instantly vanishes when I don't find Rafael anywhere inside the hotel's still crowded pub.