Because You're Different ✔

26. Yellow Ledbetter

Nathan

June: Nathan!!!!!!!! This

Is

Gold

I swear

I can't believe I've been listening to Valentina's shitty hip hop stuff all these years!

I smiled, clicking on the link to see whatever song she'd discovered this time. Pearl Jam — Yellow Ledbetter. Of course. One of the masterpieces in this world.

Nathan: You need to listen to a live version.

Jealous now that I saw them this year?

June: Infinitely jealous.

"Nathan, are you ready, darling?" Charlotte came into the bedroom, covered in necklaces and rings and earrings, her hair in an elegant knot, wearing a dress that reached her ankles. My eyes traveled down to her shoes, and I shook my head.

"Nope," I said, walking towards her and taking her in my arms. She'd put on the expensive perfume, the one that was so heavy you couldn't breathe in her vicinity for the first few minutes. "You're wearing heels. That's dangerous. What if one of them breaks and a handsome guy swoops in to save the day?"

She smiled, biting her lip, dimples in her cheeks. I loved her dimples. "Well," she said, "if you are that handsome guy, I don't mind."

I pulled her in to kiss her, wondering how the hell we'd gotten from that moment to this one. I thought I would get used to it at some point, but I still didn't really grasp what was happening, or how. How in the name of god had I ended up here, staying with Charlotte in the bedroom of her childhood home, an ocean away from California?

"Oh, no!" she said, as we broke apart. "Now I have to do my lipstick again! Oh, and you're covered in it, come here." I held in a chuckle as she wiped away the pink with her thumb, then marched into her bathroom again to reapply her make-up.

I didn't blame her for needing to feel perfect. When I met her parents, a week ago, I felt awkwardly inadequate in their company, even though I'd been wearing dress pants and a shirt. They were unfathomably wealthy, of the kind even my parents didn't cross paths with frequently, and again, I'd felt guilty for falling for such a rich girl. It wasn't her fault though; just like me, she couldn't help to which family she was born into. Besides, they were nice enough: a little unworldly, but kind and empathic. At least, they called their staff by their first names and treated them like humans. Nonetheless, I was glad this was only a vacation and I'd be returning home in a short while.

Nathan: Have to go. Dinner in a few.

You need to try some Backspacer songs. It's my favorite album.

"June again?" Charlotte's eyes moved from my phone to me, meaning she didn't like it. She tried to hide her disapproval with a smile, only I'd gotten to know her pretty well in the five months we'd been dating. "She really misses you, doesn't she?"

I didn't say anything, just locked my phone and slid it in my pocket. I wasn't going to have this argument again. Apparently, she didn't want to either, because she smiled swiftly and took my arm.

I didn't know how, but the primary and only problem in our relationship was another person. I'd come to realize that most of our arguments came down to something having to do with June, which, when I thought about it, was strange. I supposed Charlotte, as an only child, was used to being the center of all attention, and she had a hard time adjusting to the fact that it wasn't always like that. Be that as it may, I'd chosen to be here with her, and I think it'd put her mind at ease. For all her beauty and wealth, she was a very insecure person.