Tristan looked at her in bewildered amazement as she all but ran away from them, bumping into chairs and tables along the way. She trotted up to a few of the other waitresses behind the lunch counter and pointed over at Nyle and Tristan, talking animatedly. All three girls erupted into silent screams with their eyes bugging out. They waved at Tristan and Nyle and the men kindly waved back. The girls silently screamed again and turned to one another, talking and fanning themselves with glee.
Tristan and Nyle redirected their attention to one another, their expressions hardening once more as their eyes met.
“Like I was saying,” Tristan tersely began, “I appreciate you meeting me here. I know it’s not easy. Thank you.”
Nyle simply sat there looking at him.
“You want something to drink? I could call her back over here if- “
“No.”
“You want to order food or something before we talk?” Tristan’s words were casual, but his tone was biting and dripped with ice. “Are you hungry?”
“No, I ate very well this morning thanks. My wife made me a delectable breakfast.”
A sarcastic smile tugged at the corner of Nyle’s lips and Tristan wanted to knock it off his face. But he was less vigilant as before. Hearing Nyle refer to Serenity as his wife had knocked the air out of his lungs.
He shook it off. “Yeah, she was always a good cook,” he breezily said, faking bravado. “She used to cook for me plenty of times.”
If he thought that would unnerve Nyle it had no bearing on him whatsoever. Nyle loudly sighed and pulled his jacket across his chest. “What do you want Tristan? Why’d you want to meet me here?”
Tristan lifted the mug to his lips and tasted the stale coffee. Fuck, he needed a cigarette. He needed one bad. “I just thought we should talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“Don’t you think it’s more than a little overdue Nyle?”
“I don’t think it’s necessary. I could’ve gone the rest of my life without talking to you honestly. It would’ve suited me just fine.”
“Look man, I know we’ve gone through a lot, I know we have some shitty history between us- “
Nyle dryly chuckled and incredulously looked at him. “Shitty history? That’s putting it mildly.”
“Look, I’m trying here man. Stop being an asshole.”
“I’m being an asshole? I think you have it backwards Knight.”
“Nyle, whether you like or not, I’m back now. Okay? And I’m not going anywhere. I just thought we should meet and discuss some shit before things got ugly.”
“The only way they’re going to get ugly is if you don’t leave well enough alone and try to stir some shit up.”
Tristan heatedly glared at him. “Look Nyle, I- “
“Why did you want to meet me here Tristan? We’ve known one another too long for you to try and bullshit me. Why don’t you just cut to the chase? Why did you call me and ask to meet me here? What was the point?”
“I have a point if you just shut the fuck up for a minute and let me talk- “
“Well you’re taking too goddamn long. I’m a busy man; I have shit to do. Why don’t you just talk to me like a man, stop pussy-footing around and tell me what it is that you really want.”
Tristan flinched at him and gritted his teeth. He looked away from Nyle and distractedly smacked himself on the arm. He clenched his jaw and ran his hand over his face. “How is she?”
“How is who?”
“You know who I’m talking about Nyle, don’t play games. How is Serenity?”
Nyle took his time answering him. His eyes scanned over Tristan’s face and natty attire with disapproval. It made Tristan feel weak and small, but he fought hard not to show it. He was used to being the more attractive of the two. Nyle had surpassed him in spades. This was definitely a different Nyle. The old Nyle a was lanky guy that wore glasses, rarely did his hair, had an acne problem, and sometimes wore the same shirt and jeans for days before changing his clothes.
This guy belonged in a GQ magazine or on the cover of Men’s Fitness. He had changed tremendously and not just with confidence. There was a darkness beneath. It made Tristan uncomfortable and that was saying something. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was chillingly dark and intimidating about this new Nyle.
“Serenity is fine,” Nyle finally answered him.
“Is she doing okay? I heard her mom’s back in rehab and- “
“She’s more than okay. Matter of fact, she’s the happiest she’s ever been. Ever.”
That last statement was said with enough arrogance to send Tristan’s fury over the edge again. But he continued to hold it together. He looked down at the table for a minute and gnawed his lip. “Can I talk to her? I need to talk to her.” He looked back up at Nyle. “Can I see her? Please?”
“No.”
Tristan’s eye twitched as he looked over at him. “Nyle,” he patiently began, “I really need to talk to Serenity. I need to tell her- “
“I said no.”
“What are you afraid of? What, you think I’m going to talk to her, and she’ll realize she made a terrible mistake marrying you?”
“Fat chance.”
“Then what’s the harm in- “
Nyle’s tone was patronizing as he leaned across the table to address him. “Isn’t it ironic Tristan? Isn’t it ironic that eight years ago, you all but stole her virginity and strung her along for a year until you realized she was way out of your league and she wasn’t what you really wanted? And now, seven years later, your old comrade is married to her and laying it down to her every night, driving her out of her mind.”
Nyle sharply grinned; then his smile slowly faded to a visceral scowl. “To think, the only other man who knows how awesome your girl’s pussy is, is a man who was once your best friend. It’s kinda like an episode of Scandal, isn’t it?”
Tristan harshly glared across the table at him, turning red.
“You want to know if I enjoy fucking the shit out of that juicy pussy every night? The pussy that used to be yours? The answer is yessssss. Abso-fuckin-lutely.” Nyle put his ringed finger to his face and teasingly stroked his beard, enjoying Tristan’s discomfort as he eyed it. “And you know what? You were right. She is amazing in the sack. And that pussy is amazing. After seven long years, you can only imagine how tight that shit was- “
“You son of a bitch- “
Tristan jumped up from the table with his fists balled. He made a move to lunge at Nyle then seeing the slick, satisfied look Nyle’s face, he retreated and slowly sank back in his chair. He glanced over at the lunch counter to make sure their fans hadn’t seen him and was relieved to see they were all busy or attending to other patrons.
Tristan looked back at Nyle and sadly shook his head. He bit his lip hard and put his hand to his mouth, running his fingers through his beard. He tried to think of a comeback, but he was empty. He’d never felt so humiliated and so wounded in his life.
“You never would’ve thought it’d be me, would you Tristan?” Nyle taunted him. “Trustworthy Nyle. Reliable Nyle. Loyal Nyle. Well, I’ve got news for you bud. That Nyle is gone. He’s never coming back.”
“Yeah, you’re riding the wave of a success I brought you,” Tristan griped, leaning over the table to peer into Nyle’s wicked blue eyes. “The success of a group I put together. You know you only rose to the top because I’m no longer in the spotlight.”
“Right,” Nyle sarcastically retorted. He put his ringed hand up and shook a finger at Tristan. “You know what? Maybe you’re right. I appreciate that. Thank you. Because it put me in a position to have everything I want. Everything that you turned your back on and walked away from. Even better, it finally gave me her.”
Tristan breathing grew heavier as he snarled at him.
“I did everything I was supposed to do man,” Nyle brusquely continued. “I was there for her. I stood by her. I wiped her tears when she cried. You didn’t have to
deal with all that. You weren’t there during the sleepless nights. You weren’t there when she was going through crazy shit with her mom and I was the only one there to diffuse the situation. You didn’t have to see her clawing her way back to life. You weren’t there when she cried for days and days on end because she missed you so much and couldn’t understand why you left. Why you just turned your back and walked away from her, away from everything you had.”
Nyle punched his chest for emphasis. “I had to explain all that! I had to be strong for her. I had to be there for her, love her, and take care of her. I had to show her what a real man is because you didn’t. You left me here to clean up your mess, to pick up the pieces like I always did. Now you want to come back like everything is everything? Like it’s all good? Like the past seven years didn’t matter? You’re pissed because I fell in love with her and she moved on? What was she supposed to do? Wait until you were dead?”
“Not you man. Not you.”
“If it wasn’t me it was going to be someone else.”
“But not you. You were my best friend. You’re the last person I ever expected to do something like this. Ricky, maybe. Dennis? Definitely. But not you. I never thought you would make a play for my girl.”
“I have news for you Tristan. It was always about Serenity for me. Always. I loved her from the first moment I saw her; the first moment you brought her around. You thought I was just biding my time waiting on you to fuck up and dump her like you did with all your other girls?”
“That’s exactly what I think.”
“The shit just happened man. Even with the way I felt about her all that time, I never thought it would actually happen. I never planned on it. And neither did she.”
“How long was it going on? While I was with her?”
“No.”
“Yeah but you were gunning for her that whole time. I know you were. You were just waiting for the opportunity for me to fuck up so you could have your chance.”
“That’s not how it was.”
“I’m sure if she would’ve offered it to you, you would’ve taken it.”
Nyle emphatically shook his head, looking humble for the first time that day. “No. Not back then.”
“Bullshit.”
“Nothing happened until you left Tristan. Nothing.”
Tristan paused and leaned back against the hard, plastic booth cushion, eyeing him suspiciously. “How long did you wait?”
There was a long pause. “I mentioned it a few minutes ago. Five years.”
Tristan blinked repeatedly. “Five years.”
“I figured that was long enough.”
“I didn’t know there was a statute of limitations on fucking your best friend’s girl.” He paused, chewing the inside of his jaw. “What did you tell her?”
“What do you mean?”
“What did you tell her? Why did you tell her I left?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I gave you specific instructions on what I wanted you to say to her. I guarantee if you’d done as I asked, things would be a hell of a lot different right now.”
“I told her what she needed to know.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Why don’t you ask Dennis what I said? Or Ricky? I know you guys are still in touch.”
“Yeah and I’m sure you don’t like that do you?
“I could give a fuck one way or another Tristan,” Nyle blandly said, rolling his eyes. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think about you often. If Ricky wants to continue to have a relationship with you, that makes total sense to me. You guys were friends just like we were. It’s really none of my business or my concern. My only concern is your relationship with my wife and you no longer have that so everything else is fair game.”
“You didn’t do what I asked you to do because you knew if you did, there was no way in hell she would want you. You went against the bro code man. You broke the rules. I confided in you and leaned on you. I trusted you to take care of my girl and you used it for your own gain. You manipulated the truth and used it to your advantage.”
“I’m not a trained dog Tristan. I don’t jump when you say jump. I told her what needed to be said. I told her what I needed to tell her to give her the freedom to move on.”
“You mean move on to you.”
“You can think whatever you want to think man. I really don’t give a fuck.”
“So what did you tell her? Whatever it was it had to be damn good to make her lose her mind and fall in love with you. If that’s what it is.”
“Oh, that’s what it is bro. Trust me.”
“The only reason why she’s with you; the only reason she married you is because I wasn’t there.”
Nyle shrugged indifferently. “Okay.”
“She doesn’t love you like she loved me,” Tristan passionately insisted. “She can’t. What we had is something that can never be duplicated or replaced. You can’t make her feel as good as I did. I know you don’t please her the way I did.”
“You’re right. I’m better. She told me so.”
Tristan placed his hands square on the table and bared his teeth, hissing through them as he growled at Nyle. “If there weren’t other people around, I swear I’d snap your neck right now.”
“You had a chance to take me out and you didn’t.”
Tristan’s eyes flickered with confusion.
“Oh yeah,” Nyle said as he reached into his jacket pocket and took out a pack of gum. He pulled out a stick and offered one to Tristan, taunting him. Tristan ran his teeth over his lip, fighting for control.
Nyle shrugged and put a stick of gum in his mouth; then put the pack back in his pocket. “I know all about that sorry ass little ploy you had to kill me. But you couldn’t do it, could you? You ran away scared. You were a cowardly little bitch just like you were seven years ago.”
“The only reason you’re still breathing is because of Ricky.”
“If you wanted me to be dead, I would be dead. But you couldn’t do it, could you? Deep down you knew if you did, you’d lose her forever. Which as it turns out, you have anyway. So, either way, you lose bro.”
“I want to see Serenity, and I’m going to see her. You can’t stop me.”
“Believe me I can stop you.”
“You’re not keeping me away from my girl.”
“She’s fucking moved on Tristan. She doesn’t want you anymore. She’s over it. And stop referring to her as your girl. She’s a woman now. And she’s my wife. And you might want to start getting used to that fact.”
Tristan’s emotions were starting to get the best of him. He hated himself for it. “What happened to you man?” he ruefully asked Nyle, sitting back again. “We were best friends. We’ve known each-other since we were kids. We had an unbreakable bond, even with all the petty bullshit we went through at times. Even when the record company tried to break us up and make us betray one another and go solo we refused to let them use us and tear our friendship apart. That meant something to me. I thought it meant something to you.”
Nyle chewed his gum slowly. “It did Tristan. More than you will ever know. But you didn’t just desert Serenity, you left me too. You left the group. You ran away to Europe and never looked back. You didn’t return my phone calls. You all but forgot about that bond. You stayed in touch with your Mom. Understood. But I was like your brother, and you shit on our brotherhood. Our friendship. So, I forgot about you. I let what I felt was a respectable time pass… and then I went for what I wanted. I never figured you’d come back here. After a while, I didn’t care that you didn’t come back. And I don’t care that you’re here now.”
“You know what really hurts me Nyle? You knew the truth. You knew why I really left, and you didn’t think enough about me or our friendship to tell her the truth. Now you may not have been gunning for her at that time. But you stabbed me in the back long before you pursued a relationship with her.”
Nyl
e silently assessed Tristan, not saying a word. Tristan knew Nyle knew he was right. But hell would freeze over before he admitted it. This had been a waste of Tristan’s time. He should’ve done what he’d planned to do all along. He just wanted to be a respectable man and let Nyle know what he was going to do before he did it. He hadn’t owed him shit. The only one he owed was Serenity. And he wasn’t going to rest until she knew everything. He just hoped Ricky had given her the letters. If she read them, there was no way she would refuse to see him or listen to him.
Mine All Mine : Book One Page 7