Today is the final day to get Mr. Montague to collaborate with Estelle, and if I don't seal this deal, I can just kiss goodbye to my pay raise and well...my job. Taking a deep breath and letting out a long exhale, I proceed to knock on the door.
"Good morning, Ava! It's good to see you again." Martha exclaimed, greeting me with such love and warmth. "I see that you've brought someone?"
"Brought someone?" I questioned, feeling my brows furrow at her baffling question. "I didn't bring any-"
Puzzled, I followed her gaze and looked over my shoulder, surprised at who it was. His figure towered over mine while his cologne and morning freshness infiltrated my nose, sending jitters through my body.
"What are you doing here?" I must admit, the suave and confidence was truly a sight to behold in the early morning. It felt like my eyes just got their very own rejuvenation.
"It's been ages, Nathan! How are you?" Martha burst out, giving him a big hug.
Wait a minute. They know each other?
"It's been a while, Martha." Nathan smiled, showing the two rows of sparkly teeth.
"Please, come in!" She said, gesturing us into the house. Meanwhile, Nathan nudged my arm, displaying that sickening smirk of his.
Right. Sickening.
"Am I too much a sight for sore eyes?"
"Yeah, With the amount of dirt you brought with you, it's definitely going to cause me a sore eye." I scoffed, only to hear a chuckle travel from his lips. "So, what are you doing here? And how did you know her?" I asked, pressed for answers.
"Whoa, slow down there, honey. We're not even official and you're all over me?" I felt as if fumes were exiting from my very nostrils.
"Don't you 'honey' me, you fart-"
"He's in his room," Martha interjected, with worry and distress coating her expression, something that always happens whenever she talks about Hugo. "You know where to find him. I'll be in the kitchen."
"Come on, honey." Nathan teased as he began his ascend, with me following suit.
"Come on, honey." I mimicked while rolling my eyes, copying his expression and gesture, making sure that he heard it loud and clear.
"As much as I love your sassiness and smart mouth," Nathan said as the both of us reached the door. "It's time for you to get to work."
Opening the door, Nathan allowed me to step into the room, a room that seemed to have contained all, if not more gloominess than the first day I got here. As soon as the entrance was shut, Nathan and I stood by each other; side by side. I hate to admit it, but the heat emanating from him did make my stomach jump in excitement.
Having the same pose as before, Mr. Montague was now holding a beer can at the ends of his fingertips, swaying it front and back while his hair covered his face.
"Nate." Mr. Montague said slowly as he gave us a side glance. "And I see you're here again, Miss Ava."
"Hugo." This was in fact the first time I have heard Nathan sound this serious. Yet, it was laced with a noticeable affection. "You look good, just like how Blaire would have wanted you to be."
Does he know?
"If you are here to mock and ridicule me, you are very much welcome to see yourself out. I do not need for this right now." Hugo sneered, crushing the can in his hand before throwing it on the ground.
"No. It's been two years, Hugo. It's time to move on."
"Move on?" The silence that settled, added the finishing touches, aggravating and worsening the somber atmosphere. And the only thing that could be heard was the soft and gentle weeping of Hugo who had his heart emptied of happiness and replaced with the fullness of pain. A man who remains broken from his past.
"I can't. I have no right to. I've let her down." Hugo tucked his knees closer to his chest and laid his forehead on his knees.
"I wanted to make it up to her. That day. I was on my way back when I got the call." Hugo muttered; his voice strained with sorrow. "But I was too late...I lost the chance of being a husband and a father. I lost her."
Piece by piece, I watched him come undone. The hatred and guilt that welled up within him over the past two years turned sour in my heart; his feelings reaching out to me. Unknowingly, a tear escaped from my eye. I felt like I could feel the pain that Blaire felt. The pain of disappointment and abandonment. The emotions that she had to carry by herself seemed to speak my story. Abbey's story.
"You didn't lose her." I blurted, feeling a sudden urge to speak up.
Immediately, the attention of the two gentlemen was on me, with Hugo's face in full view, his eyes full of shock at my choice of words.
"I know that it's not my place to have a say in this, but I believe that she has forgiven you," I murmured, with thoughts of Nicholas gushing in my mind. "No matter what you did, or how much hurt you caused her. No matter how many times that she may say or convince herself that she hates you. Deep down, it is hard for hate to overcome the love that she felt for you. Trust me, I know. I've been there." As I said this, I subconsciously looked over to Nathan, who seems to have his breath caught in his throat as he stood rigidly. The emotions I saw in Nathan's eyes spoke as one of pure regret.
"I've spent five years persuading myself that I shouldn't love him after all the hurt he caused. I've spent five years reminding myself to hate him, and to learn to hate him..." More tears trickled down to my chin, falling onto the floor as I felt my heart scrunch up with the pain that had been buried for far too long.
With my gaze still fixated on Nathan, I sook a consolation, that as I spoke to him, my feelings would somehow reach Nicholas. And even if it doesn't, I'm perfectly alright with it.
"I felt really pathetic at myself for loving someone that trampled on my feelings. There were so many accounts where I wanted to scream at him, for him to even experience the pain that I felt. But the truth is, the more I tried to fill myself with hate, the more love abounds. It took a while for me to realize that in my heart, deep down; I had already forgiven him. Despite what he did, I wanted him to be happy. I really do."
It felt like our gazes held a story that deviated from Hugo and Blaire's encounter; like the world was revolving between the both of us, as if time itself became motionless.
"Do you really think she has forgiven me?"
I snapped back to reality, returning my attention to Hugo who seemed to be listening intently to every word I had spoken.
Reaching into his coat's inner pocket to retrieve a small notebook, Nathan approached Hugo in slow and steady steps, bending down to hand it over to him.
"This was found back at home before she got married to you." Nathan stated, "She would have sent me to the gallows for giving you this book. Saying how it would embarrass her or something like that. But now, I'm sure she would have wanted you to have it."
Hugo received the book gingerly, as if it was his most prized possession. His wails deepened as he opened the book, clutching it harder as he pulled it into his chest.
"Come on," Nathan whispered, nudging my arm as a signal to give the man a little space. Complying, I turned round to take a last look before the door closed.
"How is he?" Martha asked while she fumbled with the fabric of her clothes.
"He is going to be fine." Nathan assured, confident that the worst is over. Heaving a sigh of relief, Martha let out a smile, one immersed with delight.
"Would you two like to have some tea?" She offered.
"Sur-"
"I'm sorry, but we can't. There's still tons of work to do." Nathan interjected, politely rejecting her kindness.
Oh no. He did not just reject a food offer on my behalf.
"No, I'm pretty sure it's you-"
"Well then, we best be going. Goodbye, Martha." Grabbing my wrist, Nathan pushed through the doors in a great hurry, as if to stop me from coming up with any retaliation.
"Hey!" I shouted, "You can't just reject food. My food." I shook his hands off my wrist as we were now positioned in front of his car.
"I'll get you better food." Nathan opened the door of the passenger side, gesturing for me to enter. "Hop in."
What do you mean better food?
Food means food.
Eyeing dubiously, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, amused at the thought of what he has in store.