The Stripper And The Anxiety-riddled Dork

Bastard

Chapter 13
< 3 days until the Wedding >

"Say, where'd Codi and her girl go?" Parks questioned from his spot beside his big sister, Zen sitting atop of his shoulders as they walked through pleasure beach. Lucas walked on the other side of the silent brunette as they passed by several rides.

Zen was too short to get on most of them.

Lucas shrugged at his future brother-in-law while shoving his hands in his coats pockets, his blue scarf blowing along with the wind.

"Hell if I know. Probably gettin' a quick snog in, if anything."

"Lucas." Nel spoke up, the sternness in her voice making him blink at her.

"What'd I do?"

"Your sister isn't that kinda bird." She explained. Her leather-gloved hand came out of her coat pocket in order to press her scarf against her lower face. Lucas pursed his lips before shrugging, his head tilting back a bit to gaze up at the cloudy sky.

"You sound so sure. You can never truly know someone, you know. Hell, I don't even know what Codes does for a livin'."

"She writes books." Zen offered up, her heels lightly hitting her brother's chest as her eyes roamed around the park. The blue in the young Roberts eyes sparkled when she caught sight of a Candy Floss stand.

"How do you know that?" Lucas questioned the young girl, Zen pointing towards the candy station and trying to guide her brother towards it.

"Cause she told me." Zen answered, the 'duh' was awfully clear in her tone. Lucas's brow furrowed as Parks finally obeyed his baby sister's demand and headed towards the tooth-rotting stuff.

Nel and Lucas watched as they got closer, the slightly shorter brunette crossing her arms as she turned to face her fiancé.

"Lucas."

"Huh?"

"What's Codi's favorite color?" She asked. Lucas turned to face Nel as well, neither of them watching as Zen was given the blue-colored Candy Floss.

Parks happily took the pink one offered to him.

"What's that gotta do with anything?"

"Humor me."

"Blue?"

'Orange'. Nel nearly corrected but held her tongue. She lightly tapped her foot against the ground.

"How about her favorite animal?"

"Dogs?"

'Tigers, you wank. You're not even in the ballpark.'

"What's her favorite food?"

"Chicken?"

"Are you serious?"

"What? Is it Pork?"

"Codi's a bloody vegetarian, Lucas."

"She is? Since when?" He questioned, the genuine shock in his voice making her stare at him in disbelief.

"You've never noticed that she doesn't eat meat? With all the times we've eaten with her?"

"I just thought she wasn't hungry or something. She would always get a salad or something."

"Cause the restaurants we've been to didn't have vegetarian options!" She exclaimed, Lucas's head reeling back slightly while Nel huffed before asking one more question.

"When have you and Codi last talked to one another? Or even just hung out together?"

Lucas's eyes moved from Nel's to the rides and carnival games that were behind her. His silence being the answer to Nel's question.

"When she left, did you even bother to reach out?"

"Did you?" He countered, his face flushed a soft red. The redness no longer being caused by the cold as Nel glared at him.

"Yes. I did reach out, I left messages. Bloody voice mails. I nearly-I..." Nel trailed off, realization finally coming to her.

She finally knew why Codi left without telling her. Why Codi never answered her calls, Why Codi never read her messages, Why she was willing to pay nearly 1,000 quid for a damn plane ticket. She finally knew why Silus threatened her when he answered his master's phone on her final try to reach out to the other brunette.

Because Codi knew. Codi knew what she did with Lucas.

And now she knew. She knows why it had hurt so much. Why she sought comfort with someone that she didn't truly love.

It was because she fucked up. She fucked up the best thing that had happened to her.

She fucked up the only relationship that she truly enjoyed.

She broke the heart of the one bloody person she was in love with.

'I'm worse than a knob.'

'I'm a bastard.'