Page 93 of Nathan
“Holy…” I covered my mouth. “Where did you get this picture?”
“From Maximum. He challenged his co-worker to prove that her brother was really having an affair with Storm, and the brother delivered this photo to her a few hours ago.”
“Why? He would know not to give out evidence like that.”
“I don’t know why. Maybe he was proud and didn’t want people calling him a liar, or maybe he’s tired of the affair being secret.”
“Wow!” My eyes darted around my bedroom as details from the last months fell into place. “So, that’s why Storm never told River that the thing with me was a scam. He wanted her to think it was genuine because having her grieve in public made him look like a womanizer. God, I truly provided him with the perfect cover to hide his sexuality, didn’t I? That bastard has been laying it on thick and that’s why he won’t stop feeding this non-existent scandal. It’s his way of distracting everyone from seeing who he really is.”
“But why? It’s not like being a homosexual is a big deal anymore. Why would he stay in the closet this long? Isn’t he over thirty?”
“You know why. Most of the roles Storm is cast for have a romantic element to them, and directors aren’t crazy about casting an openly gay actor in romantic movies. It’s unconvincing to the audience.”
“Ahhh… but he could play other roles, couldn’t he?”
My mind was racing with what this meant. “He’s willing to break River’s heart and ruin my career to hide this… what a douche.”
“River is falling apart. She says she won’t ever trust a man again and that she’s a wanker magnet.”
“I can see why she would feel that way, but maybe Storm is bisexual and really did love her.”
Nathan snorted. “You don’t discard someone you love like that. He may be into both men and women, but River already told me that Storm wasn’t very sexual, and that tells me he’s probably not into women.”
“You know it’s only a matter of time before the press finds out, right?”
Nathan nodded. “We’re not the only ones who have the photo Maximum sent us. Storm’s lover might have agreed to not tell anyone, but he’s obviously proud and bragging about them sleeping together.”
“Then maybe we should help him spread the word,” I suggested.
Nathan hesitated. “It’s tempting, but no... I can’t be part of that. River is convinced the world is going to laugh at her when they find out she’s been taken for a fool by Storm. She’s deeply humiliated by it. She says people will say she turned him gay.”
“No. That’s crazy.”
“Maximum and I tried to tell her, but she’s a bit fragile right now.”
“Do you want me to call her?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. She’s still not your biggest fan.”
“Oh, okay.” I tried to focus. “It’s just a matter of time before this story blows up. We should make it work in our favor?”
“I’m not sure how you can. To me, the media feels like quicksand; if you take one step into it, it’ll pull you down.” Nathan was quiet for a moment, his face changing to one of worry as a frown line appeared.
“We have to try, Nathan. This could help people see we didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I’m so tired of being yelled at on the street and having my car scratched up.”
“Then let me use this information, please.”
With a long sigh, Nathan turned in bed and held the phone above him so I could still see his face.
“Use it if you feel it’ll make a difference, but I doubt it. Things are…” He trailed off and looked away.
With every day it felt like we were drifting further apart. We spoke about practical things, but the flirting from Sweden was fading.
Keeping our closeness was like holding on to water with your bare hands. These past few days, I’d feared that Nathan would break up with me, and seeing him this quiet and sad suddenly made my bra feel three sizes too small as my chest tightened.
Holding my breath, I squeezed my phone, preparing myself for the inevitable words that would break my heart, but Nathan just sighed.
