Billionaire's Best Friend

XII. Friendzone vs Brozone

Matthew’s POV:

“So, you and Nina are still just friends?” Neilson asked as he held Alice. We decided to leave the club when the girls passed out. Alice passed out somewhere, and Neilson had to carry her back. Nina passed out...underneath the table.

I glance at her. “Unfortunately, yes,” I replied, tucking a strand of hair back.

Neilson nodded, holding Alice closer to him when she started mumbling something incoherent. “Is everything taken care of?” I asked.

Neilson glanced at me. “Yes, everything is taken care of, don’t worry.”

“So how long have you and Alice been together?” I asked, attempting to pass the time.

“I’ve known you for over two years, and you’re finally asking that question?” He knows I can care less.

I shrug, holding Nina closer to me while she wraps her arms around my neck. I adore this side of her, where she is entirely defenseless, depending on me for everything. She thinks she is a burden on me, but it’s the exact opposite. “Just making small talk.”

“We have been together since she was sixteen. Eight years.” Neilson responded.

I felt a pair of lips on my ear, and soon I realized Nina was playing with it, using her mouth. I smiled uncontrollably and made light circles with my thumb on her upper thighs. “Since you know my story, why don’t you amuse me with yours?”

He smiled, but not a happy one, more bitter. “When Alice was fifteen, she got her first boyfriend. She came to me, all excited, saying how she got her first kiss. If only she knew, I took it a long time ago, but I was still pissed.”

“And?” I question.

“I beat the kid up and told him to break up with her, or I’ll break his arm.” Neilson releases a chuckle, looking as if he is reliving the moment.

“So, what happened next?”

“When she turned sixteen, I asked her out. Alice, being Alice thought we were friends going out for a casual meal,” he replied.

I nodded, knowing exactly how he felt. Friendzone sure is a b***h.

“She didn’t even faze a single bit when I led her to a candlelit dinner at the beach surrounded by her favorite flowers, lilies. I even baked her Muffins, because she always called me Muffin. The whole time she joked around saying how I’m such an awesome older brother,” he said with an eye roll.

“Even when I told her I love her, she laughed and casually said she loves me too, but I know she doesn’t love me the same way I love her,” his tone turned bitter as he held Alice closer.

Neilson glared out the tinted window. “What did you do that finally told her that you didn’t want to be her older brother?”

“I kissed her and took her virginity that night on the beach,” he answered casually with a shrug.

My eyes widen, but quickly I gather my composure. “You know what you did is illegal, right?”

He smirks, “It’s not illegal if you don’t get caught.”

“Alice could’ve charged you for rape.”

“She was the one who physically spread her legs for me that night. How can I deny that? Watching the woman, I love to ask me to fill her up. I mean, you know the feeling, right?” he winked.

“Seems like it all work out,” I mumbled.

“Not really, she avoided me for three months until I snapped and yelled at her to stop avoiding me. I never felt so horrible in my life when she started crying because of me. You don’t want that. The woman you love crying because of you.”

I would do anything for her to cry because of me. Only me.

“So, what happened next?” I question, realizing Nina was drooling on my shirt.

“After that, she finally stopped avoiding me. I told her I love her as a man, not as a brother, and she accepted me. Ever since then, I vow never to make her drop another tear again.”

The limo came to a stop. “Didn’t know you were a romantic.”

Neilson glanced at the passed out woman in his arms, gently placing a kiss on her temple. “Only towards my Angel, amore mio.”

“I want chicken wings,” Alice mumbled.

Neilson chuckled, before looking at me. The smile evaporates in the air. “You better catch her before another man does.”

I locked my fingers with Nina. “I’m not letting any man touch my woman.”

When Alice and Neilson left, Nina continued to roll around the hotel room, but she seems to be a bit better than before. After work, I stood in the elevator listening to my secretary talk about the upcoming programs. I lean against the wall, with my eyes closed, needing a bit rest. “Mr.Greyson,” she called for me, before placing the tablet onto her side.

I didn’t open my eyes. “Hm?”

“The main branch is asking when you will return to New York.”

I exhale before opening my eyes, seeing how we are a few floors from my room. “Tell them just a bit longer.”

“Mr.Greyson, I don’t mean to overstep my boundaries. However, I believe you are no-” she stops speaking when I look at her. She lowers her head and steps back. “It is not my place to intervene.”

The elevator bell ding, and I step out without speaking another word.

Entering the hotel room, I knew Nina’s location precisely. For the past few weeks, I noticed her routine: lying on the couch, sitting on the toilet, and burrito on the bed.

I glance at the couch, then past the bathroom, and finally, the bedroom. I sat down beside her, gently patting her head. “How are you doing, Short Stack?”

She replied in a muffled tone, and I continued patting her head as she forced another smile. Standing up, I walk towards my suitcase to change. I grab a pair of clothes and walk back towards her, seeing her location shifting slightly. “Short Stack, you have to change,” I said, handing her my shirt and a pair of boxers. I turned my body, hearing her clothes being thrown to the carpets. I chanted bible phrases in my head. I’ve never been a church kind of guy, but times like this, the verse comes in handy.

She fell asleep in my arms that night.

I held her close to my chest, loathing myself for feeling this unbearable happiness.

Stepping inside the elevator, my mood was better than ever. The bell rang once more, and I stepped into the lobby where the workers greeted me. I smile in return, resulting in a stunning reaction from them.

“Mr.Greyson, you seem to be a good mood today,” my secretary boldly stated.

“Today, the weather is good.”

She released a light breath, believing that I may forget the incident yesterday. One thing of the many things I dislike is when my employees think they can overstep their boundaries. Whatever I do or whomever, I choose to be together with, holds no relations to them. They should understand that I hired them for their skills, not their advice.

I walk out of the hotel, feeling the sun basking on my skin as my face tugged into a smile as the beating inside of my chest refuses to defuse. “Just a bit more.”

The hotel valet pulled up my finely polished car; I tipped him. “Thank you, Mr.Greyson,” he said, bowing his head.

I always had spare cars in many cities, but I know that if Nina ever found out, she would never give me another ride again, which meant less time spent with my Short Stack.

The valet opened the car, and I was about to step inside, to only stop when I met a familiar man. His eyes were swollen, the sharp prickly shade of hair zipping past his features, wrinkled clothes hanging onto his body. I clenched my fist, as a surge of anger mixed with anxiety rushed towards me. “What are you doing here?”

Kevin took a step forward, eyes filled with determination. “I’m here to take Nina back.”