More Issues In Aruba | ✔️

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Blah, blah, blah," I taunted Nate with an eye roll. "What are you, an expert in colors? Teal looks way better against her skin tone than coral does."

Nate mimicked my expression with the opening and closing of his hand. "Blah, blah, blah, I actually had to take a styling class on matching colors a year ago for a certain Fall photo shoot. The photographer wouldn't let anyone on set who didn't have an eye for color. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

"Both of you, are clearly amateur's. The white dress is the obvious choice," Ricky snapped at us from his place in the cushion across the dressing room. While Bessa was out looking for a pair of sandals to match the skirt she had just bought, the three of us were waiting for Nicole to emerge with the dress of her choice.

That is, if she ever made a choice. She was easily the most indecisive person I'd ever met. She picked the same dress in three different colors, which is what we were fighting over. Since we stepped into this little clothing store that had trendy pieces, we've been helping Nicole try to find suitable outfits for her weekend to the Hamptons with Steve upon our return to the mainland.

Nicole finally emerged in the white dress that clung to her waist and flowed down just above her ankles. "Do I look like I'm about to walk down the aisle?"

"Yes," Nate and I both answered together.

We looked at each other and just snickered into our palms as if we were sharing an inside joke, much like we have been since we left the hotel.

It's been the best day so far having Nate join us.

To say that the past twenty-four hours have been overwhelming was an understatement. I've been walking on the same cloud since the eye-opening conversation with Nate yesterday that ended with a revelation that changed everything between us.

Obviously, it caught me off guard at how quickly and openly Nate confessed his feelings for me. After years of waiting, I had to take a few minutes to digest the information, and then a few more minutes to figure out what I wanted to say. My mind was running ten miles a second with thoughts but I had to silence it all because there was only one thing I had to do.

Acceptance. It had finally happened. There was no need to wonder or have lingering questions because the answer was now laid out in front of me clear and in plain sight. Instead of doubting it or being cautious and guarded, I found it in me to follow my heart and go for it. There was always something stopping me before. It could have been my subconscious making up excuses to avoid getting hurt. But now, I was ready to accept whatever was getting thrown my way.

Yes, I was internally screaming, I would proudly admit it to anyone. Who knew after all this time, one single confession from him could make me feel like a high school teenager fangirling over Chris Evans?

I've had butterflies in my stomach since yesterday.

I'm honestly not entirely sure how if I'm handling this situation correctly or even at all. It's happened so fast - one thing we're having drinks discussing Chelsea's lie and the next, we're shopping with my best friends. It's a lot to process for someone who usually has control over situations.

But, the reason I decided to throw all doubts, worries, and questions out the door is because when I saw Nate smile at me after confessing his feelings, I felt completely happy. It was a type of happiness that I'd never experienced before. It was almost scary how happy I felt, because I knew it was just a matter of time before reality would push me back down to the ground. It was that type of happiness that would cause the worst heartbreak.It was the type of happiness I was afraid of feeling three years ago, which was the reason why I pushed him so far away.