Page 71 of Never and Always
Nick looked at him, surprised by his presence, and wondered what sort of meeting they’dhave.
“Baby, who is it?” Mia called out and came into the corridor to join him. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Glenn and looked from him toNick.
Glenn looked over to her and Nick felt bad when he saw the sadness in his eyes. He’d missed her. It was evident and written all overhim.
Usually Glenn would be either getting the house ready with all sorts of Thanksgiving things for Mia, or they’d be heading to Hong Kong to see theirparents.
Nick would be going to see his mom, but this year she was cominghere.
“Hi.” Glenn spoke first against the awkward silence. “I know you guys weren’t expecting me. I…did some investigating of my own to find out where you guys werestaying.”
Nick raised his brows at the effort. He supposed none of their friends would have told him where they were because they all knew what had happened to drive themapart.
“Why are you here?” Miaasked.
He was glad she was talking, because Nick couldn’t. The mixture of emotion that raged through him was preventing him from doing so. It was awful, feeling ripped between remembering Glenn as a friend who he trusted, and one who turned on him. Not to mention that he knew Mia missed him and was affected by not seeinghim.
They’d been living together for nearly three months. In two weeks, it would be three months. That’s how long Mia hadn’t seen Glenn. It was longer for Nick because it was a month before that that Glenn had made histhreats.
“I wanted to see you guys and apologize. Make peace. I would have come before but wanted to give you the time and space to be together, but with it being Thanksgiving tomorrow I couldn’t wait any longer.” Glenn could barely look at them as he spoke. He looked ashamed andsorry.
But it wasn’t enough. Not for him. If Mia wanted to accept him, it was fine, but Nick was feeling too torn up to be in Glenn’spresence.
“Talk to him,” Nick said to Mia. “You should, he’s your brother. I won’t keep you from him.” Nick turned and walked away from them both but Glennfollowed.
“Nick,” Glenn called afterhim.
He went out onto the terrace so he could get some air. But Glenn followed himthere.
“Nick,” he called outagain.
Nick turned to face him. “What do you want from me,Glenn?”
“I don’t want anything. I have no right to ask for anything. Not evenforgiveness.”
“Damn right,” Nick snarled. “Damn right, because you destroyed me like you promised. But it was in a matter of seconds. You took the one thing you knew would hurt me and blindsided me with it. You knew I wouldn’t care about anything else, and that taunting me with my father’s death would hit mehard.”
“Yes.” Glenn nodded. “That’s exactly what happened. All I can say is how sorry I am. I don’t expect you to get over it, or forgive me for being so despicable, but I had to let you know how sorry I am. How sorry I am for putting you throughthat.”
Mia walked out onto the terrace and came over to take Nick’shand.
Glenn looked down at their hands joined together and then focused back on them. “I’m sorry for putting you both through distress. It was unfair and selfish. You look happy, you both look happy, and in love. But then you always did look that way. I just allowed my overbearing, controlling ways to get the better of me. Nick, you’re the very best friend I’ve ever had, and I was horrible to you. Mia, there are no words to express how sorry I am for everything. I miss you guys. I really do. I hope that one day you can forgive me and we can move forward.” He looked at them both, nodded curtly, then turned to walkaway.
“Wait,” Mia called after him. She looked up at Nick and searched his eyes. He already knew what she was going to tell Glenn before she spoke, and it would beokay.
She looked back at Glenn and brought her hands together. “Maybe we can,” she said to him. “There’s a lot of hurt here, but maybe…wecan.”
Nick observed the gratitude in Glenn’s eyes. He looked happy for the chance, but sadness returned to his face as he turned back toNick.
“Nick. Do you think thatwecould extend to you?” Glenn pulled in a breath. “The last time I thought I was going to lose you I ran to your old man, because I knew he’d save you. He’s not here anymore for me to run to, and I’m the cause of this. I used to act like I was the good one and you were lucky to have me. But it was the other way around. You changed into someone people can admire, and I stayed the same. I’m reallysorry.”
Nick looked at him and really tried hard to see Glenn as the friend Nick used to know. His words were gripping. Nick would even admit that they pierced through the hurt Glenn caused him, but being friends again would be difficult. What had happened wasn’t like their run-of-the-mill arguments that would have been pushed to the back burner with a few words of sorrow or any amount of time that passed. Glenn had hurt Nick a lot, in a way he wasn’t likely to simply getover.
Nick continued to focus on him, with each passing second carrying more weight than the first. He looked to Mia and beheld her beautiful face staring back at him, her expression filled with understanding for whatever he chose todo.
Few things could make him say no to her or put her in a position that would make her feelawkward.
He loved her, and because he knew it would be unfair to expect her to be with him and live in an awkward environment where she’d always be wishing that he and Glenn could make amends, he decided he wouldtry.
