Page 92 of Trials of a One Night Stand
They can’t be serious. “Let me go home. I’ll be fine in the morning.”
“One more day of dealing with a dejected Nathaniel Lowe is one day too many. I even miss when you’re an egotistical asshole. The way you are now is pathetic.” Zelda presses a button on my desk. “Come in, everybody.”
My friends file in, their expressions a mix of concern and determination. Ashton, Chloe, Sophie, Jack, Christina—even Sam and Hildy—are here, which surprises the hell out of me. The aroma of Chinese food fills the air, but that doesn’t stir my appetite. I can’t remember the last time I had a full meal.
“So, you really want to do this?” I ask, though I know the answer.
“We’re all here, aren’t we?” Bradley plops down on my desk. “You’re being an ass and letting the best thing that’s ever happened to you walk away without a fight.”
Man, Bradley is usually nicer, but he went straight to the icepick to the forehead.
I wince, thankful he only threw words at me and not an actual icepick. “Jayne asked for space. I’m giving her what she asked for.” Instead of what I want, which is her.
Sam rolls his eyes. “There’s space…”
“And then there’s space,” Hildy finishes for him.
I shake my head. “I have no idea what that means, but what the fuck are you two doing here? You live in New Zealand.”
“Zelda said you needed us.” Sam smirks. “Couldn’t turn down a chance to see you suffering.”
I laugh. At least Sam hasn’t changed.
“Oh, look,” Ashton says. “My brother hasn’t forgotten how to laugh. That’s something, I suppose.”
Chloe glares at her husband and then turns her attention on me. “We’re all worried about you, Nate, and about Jayne.”
“Jayne?” My heart skips at her name. “Have you seen her? How is she?”
“Probably better than you,” Ashton quips, earning an elbow from Chloe.
“She’s okay, but she looks tired,” Chloe says. “And lonely.”
Fuck, do I understand lonely. Soon, that’s what they’ll call me. Nate Lonely Lowe. I hate how well the words go together. Maybe that’s my lot in life.
As they spread out the food, I notice the couples standing side by side, as if they are electron pairs in Pi bonds. Their easy companionship only highlights what I’ve lost with Jayne.
“Look,” Ashton says, his voice firm. “We love you, bro, but you’re being an idiot.”
“A colossal idiot,” Max agrees.
“An idiot of astronomical proportions,” Bradley adds helpfully.
“Okay, okay, I get it. I’m an idiot,” I grumble, not understanding their definition of an intervention. “Care to elaborate on my idiocy, or did you all just come here to insult me?”
“You pulled a classic STEM move,” Bradley explains. “You tried to solve the equation without all the variables.”
As my friends point out my mistakes, each observation feels like a paper cut to my already bruised ego. But beneath the sting, something else grows—understanding. I went back to Jayne’s place to give her a say in things, only it didn’t work out that way. Not at all. And just like with Sam and Hildy, as well as Zelda, I didn’t give them any say in what I was doing. I just acted, thinking it was in their best interest when it was only in mine.
“Oh God.” I bury my face in my hands. “I’ve been a complete and utter ass, haven’t I?”
“Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner,” Hildy exclaims. “No chicken dinner to give you, but we do have General Tso’s Chicken.”
Everyone laughs, with Sam being the loudest. The guy stares at his wife with goo-goo eyes. I want to do the same with Jayne if she’ll let me.
“The question is,” Jack says thoughtfully, “what are you going to do about it, Nate?”
I have no idea. Knowing what I did wrong is one thing, but making improvements is another. At Zentello, we have an entire process to get from one stage of a product’s development to another, except I don’t have years or even months with Jayne.
