Chapter 16
Early the next morning, Ricky decided he was going to treat us to breakfast. The bastard forced Hope and I to get up. I refused to get dressed so I walked out of the house in my blue care bears pajama pants and blue tank top.
Ricky had to get dressed and look perfect, while Hope just settled for a pair of jeans and a green Kermit the Frog shirt.
We headed out of our apartment and down the street to Ricky’s black Ford Escape.
“Ricky… I don’t wanna walk… carry me.” I pouted as he rolled his eyes at me.
“God you’re annoying.”
“Ricky, just carry her so she shuts up!” Hope said with a small laugh. I stuck my middle finger up at her as Ricky knelt down to my height and I jumped on his back.
“Thank you!” I kissed his cheek and giggled. “Now… RUN!”
Ricky ran down the block as I clung to him, giggling. Hope ran after us laughing at how stupid we were. None of it really mattered though. Ricky and I always had fun no matter what we did.
Finally, he dropped me onto the floor and I fell on my ass, laughing.
“You ass!” I stated, letting out a huge snort.
“I’m sorry, you got heavy!”
“EW!” I climbed up to my feet and glared at him. “Well you’re… you’re… ugly!”
“WHATEVER! You didn’t think that in freshmen year.” Ricky beamed at me and I covered my face with my hands.
“What happened freshmen year?!” Hope asked, pushing a strand of her dark hair away from her face.
“She was so in love with me, she told like everyone about it.” Ricky cackled and I hid my face in my hands. “She even wrote me a love letter.”
“Fuck you! I was 14!” I was so embarrassed, especially since I was such a dork when I was younger.
“Aww that’s adorable.” Hope was laughing at me. Grr! I shot her a look and she continued laughing. “Sorry! It’s funny though!”
“No it’s not! Ricky you so need to burn that letter… along with the prom pictures.”
“Nat, I’m keeping those for blackmail. You’re bound to get something bad on me eventually, and I need it to blackmail you back…”
“You scare me…” I shook my head at him and laughed.
The three of us got in the car and headed to IHOP for breakfast. I still felt like I was being watched though. It was like at every moment, even when I was sleeping there was someone breathing down my neck and watching me.
I told Ricky and Hope about it, Ricky laughed at me but Hope freaked out a little. She wondered if it was Tommy and Justin.
I highly doubted that. I mean Tio Eduardo paid them, they had no reason to come looking for me. I didn’t tell the cops anything; I just went back to my life. I mean it was hard to go back to the way things were. I wasn’t able to adjust again, that’s kinda why I moved out.
Things had become too crazy, and I needed my space now. I trusted my family, but to an extent I didn’t. I mean if I didn’t know my Uncle was doing dealings with the mob, God knows what else I didn’t know.
**
Beautiful, that’s the only way Justin could describe his angel. Even at the wee hours of the morning she was beautiful. He sat in his blue Mitsubishi Spyder and watched Natalia, Hope and that bastard Ricky walk down the street.
His heart ached in his chest as he saw Natalia and Ricky hug and flirt. It disgusted him. She was his girl. Justin would be damned if he let some pretty boy win her over.
Watching the three get into Ricky’s car, Justin picked up his cell phone and quickly dialed Tommy’s hotel room number.
“Hello?” Tommy answered groggily. By the sound of his voice you could hear that he had been crying.
The once great Tommy Ryan had been reduced to a sniveling baby. All Tommy did was cry about his lost love. It was pitiful. But Justin knew that sooner or later, with the help of Joseph, the both of them would come running back.
“Tommy, get your ass dressed now.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Justin. So just stop it and let me sleep.”
“Listen you fucker, I just overheard them saying their going to breakfast. Andrew is no where in sight…”
“I don’t give a fuck man… it’s over. I don’t know why the hell I even came to New York. She doesn’t love me anymore.” Tommy began to sob. He was a broken man and Justin felt sorry for his friend, but he needed to shake the sense into him.
“Man you need to get over this. You have to try and talk to her. You’ll never know what could have happened until you do.”
“I don’t know…” Tommy sighed. “I just need some time to get over it.”
“Don’t take too long man…” Justin quickly flipped his cell phone shut and followed Ricky’s car to a tiny IHOP.
He watched them get out of the car through his tinted windows and glared when Ricky’s arm made its way around his love’s shoulder.
Justin waited a few minutes before finally walking into the IHOP and getting a table where he could see and hear them perfectly. He brought a newspaper up a little lower than his eyes, pretending to read some article about John Kerry. Stupid Democrats.
“So, Hope, when are you going out with my brother again?” Natalia winked at Hope and giggled.
“Tomorrow actually. He’s gonna come by the bar and after work we’re gonna go out to dinner.”
“Cuuute!” Ricky grinned and sipped some of his coffee. Justin wished he could have slipped some rat poison in it. That would take care of the bastard.
“I know! I’m so excited about it. Nat, can I borrow your red Armani dress?”
“Of course, wear your black Manolo Blahniks with them.”
“I was thinking about my red Jimmy Choos…”
“Naa… black Manolos definitely. It would be too much red if you wore the Jimmy’s. You can use your black prada bag too. That would be cute.” Ricky agreed and Justin raised an eyebrow. He knew about shoes, and fashion?? Okay…
“He’s right. That’s my boy!” Natalia hugged Ricky and grinned. The jealousy bubbled in Justin’s stomach.
How could any man enjoy women’s fashion? How could he actually memorize it and discuss it? What a weird guy…could he be gay? No… that couldn’t be…
“So Louis is busy so Nat, we’re boozing it up tomorrow.” Ricky smiled and Natalia giggled happily.
“My favorite pastime! Woo!”
So that was it. He was going to follow them tomorrow…and he would reveal himself to her then. In a day Natalia would know the truth. Justin was back and he was not going to her get away again.
