Keep it to Yourself

Two

"Is this some kind of sick joke, Bryant?"

I leaned my head against the payphone door – watching as Nikki filled up his car. "Afraid not."

Wyatt stayed silent for a moment, my surprising news turning more into a nightmare as the minutes passed. He let out a sigh, "You're 20 years old – got your whole life ahead of you but you decide to fuck it all up by eloping that idiot." His usually soothing voice dripped with anger.

It was a total whim – Nikki and I were just sitting around, and he brought up the idea of getting married. We'd been together for a year almost and the thought of marriage never crossed my mind. I didn't even think Nikki found our relationship to be serious half the time. He had dreams of becoming a rockstar – a wife – the old ball and chain – would only hinder that dream. There was no ring – no getting down on one knee. It was basically you have this one chance to say yes and get it done or it'll never happen again. We scrounged up enough money to get a marriage license and were married the next day at the courthouse. A random guy from the street was our witness – Nikki buying him a bottle of booze as payment. It wasn't the fairytale wedding most girls dream of, but it worked for us.

"I thought maybe you would have a change of heart and be happy for us."

An annoyed laugh rang through the receiver, "Be happy for you – Bryant, you need to be married to this kid like you need a hole in the head. I've told you from day one that he wasn't the one – have you're fun and then leave. You need to be with a man that has structure – someone with a steady income – I don't give a shit if the guy works on Wall Street or at the gas station on the corner, Nikki is not the man you need in your life."

"That's rich coming from you, Uncle Wyatt." I muttered.

This seemed to piss him off even more – "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

I played with the phone cord, unsure of what to say. "It's just –"

"Just what, Katherine?" His tone aggressive as he used my legal name. "Now that you're married, you think that you can talk to people however you want? Just remember this little girl-" He paused. "I've known guys like Nikki all my life – Hell, I've been one of those guys and I know how they pick one girl, stay for a bit, and then move on to the next thing. Don't come crying to me when he kicks your ass to the curb when the next little hottie crosses his path..."

I could pick the man out of a sea of people.

His hair was a little longer than I last remember – his clothing changing with the times and trends. The fancy sports-car that the guys purchased for him glistened in the California sun – the sun hitting the red paint just right.

"There she is." His arms spreading open expecting me to jump right into them for one of his 'famous hugs.'

"Hey, Doc." I forced a smile as he pulled me in.

His touch felt more like relief than welcoming – kind of like a forced thank you for coming and saving my ass. "I've missed you, kid."

I pulled away first as he took in my appearance. It'd been almost three years since we've seen each other – a lot of things changing in that time. "You look great." He smiled. "More mature – nothing like that little girl I met backstage."

"Yeah, well –"I shuffled nervously. "Someone had to grow up and become the adult."

His eyes locked with mine, squinting as my words coursed through his brain. "May look different but that attitude is still the same." He pulled my suitcase out of my hand, placing it in the trunk as I placed myself in the passenger seat. I took a couple deep breaths – the reality of what was about to happen finally hitting me. I was cool as a fucking cucumber the whole flight – only worrying that Wyatt would pop up at any second and drag me off the plane by my boots. I didn't think about what I would do or say when I finally saw Nikki again. I already knew that he wasn't going to be happy – raging would be more like it.