How &#x27;Bout Now?

The Reunion

Nadine was slightly surprised that he came after her. Especially after the stunt she pulled off, she expected him to shrug it off and go back to friends, and maybe he’d call her later that night and try to explain himself. But he was there, his suit still a little wet from the drink she threw on him. She didn’t look at him as he approached her, and when he spoke, she wanted to scream at him, but she didn’t. The brunette waited a few seconds before finally looking at him, and didn’t bother masking her feelings. She looked at him with all the hurt she was feelings, her hazel eyes glassy with unshed tears. She allowed him to see the vulnerability she felt at that moment for the first time. It was no point in acting like she wasn’t hurt. No point in denying the fact that she was still in love with him.

“No, it’s not fair, Grey,” she spoke, willing herself to keep her voice steady. “It’s not fair that you’ve had weeks to tell me, you could’ve told me when you put yourself in my schedule for lunch or during the rides home, but you didn’t. You chose to keep a huge part of your life hidden from me. But you want it to be an us, right?” She wiped her eye, “you weren’t going to tell me until you absolutely had to. And here I am, looking like a fucking idiot,” Nadine looked away, shaking her head. He was right, this wasn’t the place to have this conversation, but she knew if they were alone he would talk circles around her and she would forgive him. Like she always did, but she wasn’t ready to forgive him just yet.

Pulling herself together, Nadine put her walls back up. She wasn’t here to rekindle her flame with Grey, she was here because he was funding her. Despite how much she still loved him, they couldn’t be anything, that’s just how it had to be. “You know what, it’s fine, Grey. No need in mixing business and personal anyway. We’re colleagues, and this,” she motioned between them with her finger, “has to be professional. Me coming to this reunion with you was a mistake.” She looked him in the eyes, “I won’t make another mistake.” Nadine shook her head, “go enjoy the rest of the reunion, I’ll take a cab home. I left my phone in your car, you can drop it off at my assistant’s desk Monday morning.”

“I know, I know...” Grey interjected meekly, furrowing his brows as he listened to the devastation in Nadine’s voice. It hurt him to see her this upset, and still he was curious-- Was she upset that she didn’t know he had kids, or that they weren’t her children with him? It was a cocky thought Grey had, really, an overconfident assumption, yet not too far fetched given their history. Hell, if he found out that she went and started a life with someone then of course he would accept her children, but would be more angry that that wasn’t their life. “There will always be an us, are you kidding me?” Grey exclaimed, shaking his head at the thought having his life without Nadine in it. “And that is the only reason I would tell you! I can’t spend my life with someone who doesn’t know my kids! Believe or not, I’ve put my selfishness aside and put all my effort into them. But if you think I’m going to put anyone before them, including my relationship with you, you are out of your mind.” Despite this conversation being loud, for anyone to hear, he was choosing this moment to explain himself.

“I’m sorry, but this is exactly why I hadn’t told you yet! You can’t handle major news without flipping out and running away! You choose to run away from every little thing that has something to do with me. So I walk on ice with you. I walk through fire and I’ll climb fucking mountains. And if I have to play it like we’re in college, just two single people, just to see you, then I’ll do that. If I have to play two separate lives for the sake of your happiness, I’ll do that. But I leave my kids out of it. Unlike me, they would not bounce back from you as easily.” They were sensitive. They had Grey’s sensitivity and Stacey’s ability to work things out. They had this unraveled ability to stay strong. “I want you to just-- grow the fuck up! Everything is always about do or die with you, and I’m sick of it. I am genuinely tired of running after you when things get tough. Your feelings get hurt, and suddenly it is the end of the world.” She was a crab in all aspects. That gooey, easily damaged inside was the perfect example of that. “Can you-- just-- please stop fucking running?” His love would be as tough as her stubbornness, always.

After all this time, she would still push him away. Pretend he didn’t exist. And for what? “What the hell are you trying to prove, Nadine? I mean, really...” Grey took impatient steps toward her, holding his arms out far to expose his chest. “What is it? Does this scare you? Do you want to see if I’m bullet proof? If your words cause me any fucking harm? How many times are you going to test the literal love I have for you? Because I’ve got nothing but time, sweetheart. I am in. fucking. love. with. you. You are all I want in my life. Whether it’s professional, personal, or private. I’m right fucking here.” He wasn’t afraid of her, or the destruction she left behind. However long it would take to get that through her head did not matter. Time did not matter. “Because as far as you wanna fucking run, I will always be right the fuck behind you. So you can act like this is really the worst thing I’ve done, but I know it hasn’t. I’ve done some fucked up shit, alright. I’ve cheated, I’ve lied, but I’m thirty-fucking-five years old. Sue me for planning my future and not hiding behind work and research and professionalism.” Unlike some people.

kokabiel-moved-deactivated20161

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The Reunion

Nothing could’ve prepared Nadine for it. Even if Grey had decided to be honest about it, that he had moved on to someone else and started a family, she still would not have been ready. Her heart broke an inch more when he looked at her and said that he three kids. He grinned at her, as if it wasn’t a big deal. Three kids. That weren’t with her. He had a family that she wasn’t apart of. Loved someone else to have three kids with them. Nadine froze, she couldn’t hear what he was saying to Ben, and everything in the background became white noise. Then her recently well-contained temper exploded. The brunette didn’t even think twice before throwing her drink right into Grey’s face. “Fuckyou,” she seethed, before turning on her heel and storming away. People cleared for her, the ones around them witnessing the scene she just made. She slammed the empty glass she was carrying on a table as she exited the room.

The logical side of her— the side that couldn’t be mad at Grey for moving on— wasn’t present. She was the one who left him, she was the one that ended things. How could she be mad at him for not being stuck? Stuck like she was. Nadine was pushing 40, and hadn’t lived at all, while Grey lived a full life. Nadine lost the effort to fall in love again, and Grey got over her, loved and prospered. It hurt. But she blamed herself for thinking that things hadn’t changed, they were two different people now.

Nadine hadn’t realized she was crying until she had to blink to clear her vision. “Fuck,” she cursed to herself, using her hand to quickly wipe away the few fallen tears. She didn’t stop walking until she was outside of the hotel at the valet. People were still arriving, but Nadine was rummaging through her clutch looking for her phone to call an uber and go home, all while trying to will herself not to cry. She checked all the sockets of her bag, but couldn’t find it. The brunette gave up her search with a frustrated sigh, realizing the only other place it could have been was inside Grey’s car.

There weren’t many ways to resolve this issue. Grey said what he said, and Ben did what he did. How Nadine would react would be completely her own. She would have every right to ignore him, to belittle him, to even pretend he no longer existed. However, how she handled this terrible news was... inappropriate. Did he want her to find out this way? Of course not. But it was out. It was out and there was no going back. Yet he was baffled, there was no denying how hurt she was, but the extent that she took it too was unnecessary. Grey swallowed thickly as he glanced between both Nadine and Ben, listening to Ben for just a moment before Nadine’s dramatic outburst. He wanted how differently things would have been if he sat her down and shared this truth; how much differently would she have reacted? He figured, not much.

The entire student body turned to them. Hearing the glass crash and Grey’s face was covered in chardonnay. Some of it even landed on Ben, which caused the guy to cry out impulsively. Luckily, that was all, except the panic on everyone’s face as they stared at the broken glass on the floor. Surely they had a clean up crew waiting in the wings, but the angered exit left everyone all too shocked. “You should all be used to this,” Grey laughed to keep things light, smiling at the crowd. Surely they all had to be used to this--- some girl disappointed in Grey, annoyed so much by him that they would cause a scene to expose the guy for exactly who he is and always will be. His own friends laughed, as if they’d called this end from the start. Others, like Ben, rolled their eyes. Unimpressed by his need to keep things lighthearted.

When he was finally outside, that nineties tv show shrug quickly went away. His ‘Did I do that?’ college mentality completely faded as he hurried to find Nadine. Because he loved her, and because she loved him. This couldn’t be their happy ending. They were just getting started. A love story with years in the making, it couldn’t be done because of this. Grey had children, an ex-wife, but he also had Nadine. So when he finally found her, he approached with caution. This was not a matter to be taken lightly, and at the same time, he was mad too. “I know this isn’t fair,” He spoke up lowly, pursing his lips for just a moment before continuing. “I know that this wasn’t fair but this isn’t the place to have this discussion. That way isn’t how I wanted to tell you, but just trust me when I say that I was going to tell you!”

The Reunion

Nadine and Ben chatted about their lives for sometime. He was a vice principal at a middle school, and engaged to the head of the board of directors in his school district, a guy named Alonzo who had enough common sense to deny Ben when he asked him to go with him to the reunion. Quite the love story. She told him about her new apartment that she hadn’t unpacked yet, and did her best to not talk about her work. It had been a while since the two had seen each other, but they spoke like no time had passed them, and it was a great feeling for Nadine.

“Remember that time you sang the national anthem in German from your balcony senior year?” Ben asked with a laugh, the two reminiscing. Nadine flinched and shook her head, recalling the embarrassing moment, “of course I do, after that night was the first time I got a hangover,” she replied before taking a sip of her drink. Alcohol was no longer apart of Nadine’s life, she’d have the occasional glass of wine after a hard day of work, but her consumption wasn’t nearly as much as it was during her college years. She even made one of the waiters bring her a nonalcoholic version of one of the fruit drinks they were serving. “I honestly don’t even want to—” her sentence died when Grey approached them, greeting Ben cheerfully. She watched the apprehensive expression on Ben’s face before he shook Grey’s outstretched hand. Nadine got suspicious immediately.

Grey never had anything nice to say about Ben during their relationship. Whenever Ben came up in a conversation back then, it lead to an argument because of something offensive Grey said and Nadine’s refusal to take any of his shit. That was years ago, maybe the older Grey would put all of that aside. Ben returned his weird greeting, “uh, hey Grey..I’m doing alright, how about you? How are the kids?” Nadine almost choked on her drink when Ben mentioned kids. “Kids?” her attention going from Ben to the guy standing next to her. Ben looked at Grey with wide eyes, “I’m sorry…I thought she would’ve known,” he apologized. “You have kids?” she asked him, her eyes narrowed and her temper on a hot plate.

Grey saw this coming. Without a doubt. This had nothing to do with Nadine, but rather, the respectability between the two men. Stacey and Ben have been friends for years. Not just years, but their oldest daughter- Destiny- just turned twelve and recently started middle school at Ben’s school. Parent teacher conferences, open house, greeting him sometimes in the mornings before school, they’ve ran into each other all too often. Grey should have known better than to pull one over on-- not only Nadine, but-- Ben. He’s been approached about that before. Not just by Ben, but by teachers and facility members. Stacey was the “good parent”. She picked up Destiny on time, brought her to school on time, and Destiny’s homework was done as well. Grey, on the other hand, could not get a decent handle of things. It was easier when his three children attended the same school. Ben caught on to that a long time ago. So, really, Ben has had a decent read on Grey these days as opposed to the Grey he sort of knew in college.

Standing between Ben and Nadine, he almost lost himself. A part of him wanting to excuse himself, to go back to his friends and pretend he wasn’t just asked about the one thing he hadn’t been ready to share with Nadine-- that there was something else. Someone else. He hadn’t struck up the courage to tell Nadine that he moved on. That he had married, and occupied most of his twenties with children. And worse, that these weren’t recent children. They were, by any means, toddlers. Destiny was twelve, for fuck’s sake. His youngest just entered third grade. These kids were present even when Nadine and Grey last reunited. On the other hand, though, Grey was happy to know that Ben didn’t break his professionalism for gossip. The Ben Grey recalled, was eager to share tea. Years ago, Ben could have easily told Nadine about- well- everything he knew! Because Ben knew a lot. He could have shared that and maybe they wouldn’t be where they were right now. Nadine would know everything, and Grey wouldn’t feel so afraid; so terrified to be so honest.

“She... didn’t.” Grey said before clearing his throat. Embarrassment could kill him. He’s never felt this humiliated about having kids. They weren’t hers. All he did was stare at Ben, because he couldn’t look at Nadine. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he planned a future with someone else. He didn’t have the guts to share that everything he wanted with her had been fulfilled by someone else. Grey could share a lifetime twice over with Nadine, but he feared the possibility of his desires with his children there as well. Finally working up the nerve to look at her, Grey put on a simple grin. Nothing too cocky, and nothing too oblivious. Just... quaint. “Three,” He managed to spit out. God, he didn’t want to show. He feared fear. “I have three kids.” Would it be best to share that he was married too? To yet another cheerleader that he promised meant nothing to him, once upon a time? That cheerleader that Nadine side eyed and was sure he was texting behind her back? Glancing back to Ben, he continued. “And they’re fine, thank you. They’re with Stacey tonight. She couldn’t make it, but I am throwing an after party. You’re more than welcome to come. She’ll be there if you want to see her.”

The Reunion

#PARA AND A HALF #lmao #para: 002

There was a time in their relationship where Nadine had to force the words ‘I’m sorry’ out of Grey. His commitment to her was making her head spin, the old Grey would’ve never said anything like that to her, let alone mean it. Although they were older, it still shocked her to hear those words genuinely from him. The brunette looked over at him, no longer seeing the 21-year-old she fell for, but seeing a man who was slowly but surely breaking down that protective wall she built around herself for the second time in her life. Nadine nodded, “okay,” she muttered, trying to hide her coy smile.

They arrived at the hotel the reunion was being held at at a timely fashion. Nadine waited for her door to be opened before stepping out of the car and cuffing her hand onto Grey’s bicep. Both of them individually gave off a vibe that exerted power. But together, they made rooms stop when they entered. The perfect power “couple”. The event room was grand and flourished, and quite crowded. There was a live band playing music, and waiters throughout the room with silver platters of foods and drinks she probably couldn’t pronounce. Her eyes scanned the room, trying to pick out the familiar face of her former classmates. She recognized a few, but saw no one worth actually speaking to. Nadine stuck with Grey and his friends for some time, smiling and greeting them when she needed to, playing the role of a date. For someone who was worried about what people would think about her and Grey arriving together, she remained relatively close to him. Mostly out of worry that she would be trampled by his tall ass friends, even in her heels she was still small.

It wasn’t until her eyes finally landed on one of her friends that she broke away from Grey. She tapped him, “I’ll be back,” she said before making her way over to Ben across the room. He swooped her up into a hug, and Nadine squeezed him back. “You look great in that dress,” he complimented. Nadine laughed and smoothed a hand over her hip, “thank you, and you don’t look too bad yourself.” Ben smiled, “I try. But did I just see you with Grey Chapman? I thought you called it quits when you went back to Germany, you guys dating again?” Nadine looked back at Grey, “Well, no. His company is funding my project, our relationship is professional.” Ben scoffed and rolled his eyes, “yeah, right. Like you two could ever be just professional.” Nadine playfully rolled her eyes, and told him off. Ben was a firsthand witness to the insanity of Grey and Nadine’s relationship, being one of her closest friends and all. She couldn’t deny that maybe he was right, their relationship could never be just professional.

Nadine was not making things easy for him. This wasn’t the same girl that left him behind all those years ago, and this certainly wasn’t the free spirited college student he fell in love with. No, things were different. It took him awhile to realize it, but just by her reaction to everything he said? He knew this was a whole different ballpark. For now, he would let things stay where they were. Let the chips fall where they may. They were quiet in the car, and quiet all the way until Grey found his friends. Then the real Grey, the guy’s Grey, came out. Wide smiles, curse words, friendly punches and bro-hugs ensued. Hell, he was in some way surprised Nadine hung around for as long as she did. The other guys brought along their wives. One was an NFL player and had his girlfriend tagging along. Really, Grey was the only single one among the group. It was pathetic, and didn’t feel as prominent until Nadine stepped away. He watched her leave, and his mind followed behind.

“Aye man,” Timothy spoke up, nudging Grey. He was a car salesman now. “What’s up with that? Nadine?” A few others that remember their constant hooking up. “Seriously... Thought that woulda been over and done with.” Anthony added. He was a store manager for an organic supermarket in California. And his wife wasn’t entirely pleased by that comment. Grey swallowed thickly, then shrugged. “I love her.” He didn’t say it with any hesitation, with any doubt... causing the entire seven of them to laugh and “ahhhh!” in dismay. Oh yeah, these boys were loud. Rowdy, obnoxious, and the center of attention. Some things never change. He only shrugged again. They never understood his love for Nadine, no one did. Glancing over to the love of his life, he smiled to himself. “You children will understand when you get older.” Then another boast of laugh ensued before Grey turned away. He wanted to get back to Nadine.

As he was on his way, he stopped right in his tracks. Shit. That familiar face left Grey absolute in panic. Of course he remembered Ben Saunders. How could he not? The things that came out of his mouth were hard to forget. The worst insults Grey has ever said about someone were usually about Ben. Not only was he close to Nadine at one point, but he’s had to deal with Ben because the other was in Stacey’s life. And if Ben spilled anything out of spite, that would be the end of any reconciliation with Nadine. Tucking his lips into his mouth, he sighed through his nose and proceeded. “Ben!” He greeted cheerfully, placing one of his hands into his pockets contently. “Benny Ben Ben... How are you, man?” Then he cautiously extended the other. Maybe if he played nice, Ben would take the hint to do the same. “It’s been awhile, honestly.” Even though he just saw the other with Stacey last weekend.

spicy-vaginal-tacos

#about grey #lmao

The Reunion

Nadine breathed a sigh once she was inside his car, “I only contacted the ones I actually care about. Natalie, Ben and a couple other girls from the cheerleading team,” she crossed her leg and pulled down the overhead mirror to fix her lipstick. Although she would not say it out loud and did her best to hide it, Nadie was getting a little excited about the reunion. She knew for a fact that she looked a little different from when she was 21; her eyes were lighter, her hair was longer, but her skin kept that natural tan. She was interested to see how everyone else aged. “I know you’ve called up the entire football,” she said, looking over at him. Nadine had little interest in American sports, but she definitely remembered most of the football team being meatheads.

“Oh God, is Jared going to be there? I hated that guy. Everytime he would see me he would do the nazi salute,” she rolled her eyes and closed the overhead mirror. “I don’t think I ever told you about that time I threw my drink in his face. I’ll do it again tonight if I have to,” Nadine mumbled the last part, but completely meant it.

The names Nadine listed didn’t really ring a bell, but then again their social circles didn’t meet anywhere. Even if she was the cheerleader and he was the football player, Nadine had friendships outside of her team. Grey did not. He listened to her, but watched as she touched herself up even after she just finished getting ready. There was something sexy about that moment. More than anything, Grey wanted to lean over and kiss her neck; caress her thigh until he could have his way with her in this backseat while the driver took them to the even. But... patience. Self control. Grey sighed, only nodded as he grouped to respond.

“Texted,” He corrected her confidently, tilting his head. “We all have a group chat. I made one when I found out about the reunion.” Grey informed Nadine shamelessly, because it wouldn’t be too out of character for him to be that organized these days. However, when she mentioned Jared-- the wide receiver and one of Grey’s closest friends-- he drew back his smile. Furrowing his brow before nodding slowly. “Yeah... Of course he’s going.” Fuck. He should have knew better than to believe Jared over Nadine. Back then, Jared swore Nadine came on to him. Grey was the one that started the whole nazi salute thing, but stopped immediately when Nadine asked him to.

“If he even remotely bothers you-- and, I mean, anything-- we’ll leave.” Not without a proper beating, though. Grey would stomp out anyone... Maturity aside, he would end anyone’s life if it meant keeping Nadine happy. “I didn’t know he made you that uncomfortable...” He muttered under his breath as he glanced out of the car’s window. “I’m sorry.”

The Reunion

#''para and a half'' i said... not realizing that this is GREYDINE lmao #para: 002 #nay nay

“Well, I haven’t really had time to unpack,” she replied, sitting on her bed with her leg crossed to put on her shoes. “The guy I work for is kind of an asshole, always wants me to be at work, I think he’s obsessed with me,” Nadine joked, a small smile on her lips. She got up from her bed and went to stand in front of her full length mirror to look over herself one last time. It wasn’t like she expected Grey to stay in the living room, but it would have been nice considering the messy state of her room. She turned her body to look at the back of her dress and smoothed out a wrinkle over her ass. “You don’t like the dress? I can always put on some jeans,” she teased, finally turning towards Grey.

Grey was, without a single doubt, a great looking guy, but Grey in a tux was just down right illegal. Nadine sucked in a small breath. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen him in a suit before, but it was something about him being here..in her room..with her bed only a couple feet away that made her body temperature rise. Grabbing her clutch she briskly walked past him to get out of her room, “let’s get this over with.”

His eyebrows rose and rose, the more Nadine talked sarcastically about this boss of hers. How dare she consider him a terrible member of leadership. Trying to push back a smile, Grey only ended up scoffing at Nadine’s explanation. After all, she was kidding... right? “Who can blame the guy?” He asked rhetorically as he shrugged a shoulder. “With a work ethic like yours, any boss should be honored to have you around. I’m sure you keep all the other workers in line.” Which, she did. In just a few short days, Nadine has managed to get an entire team together, co-working on her research adamantly. There was project due Monday, and he would be shocked to see his team complete it... because they typically work at their own speed.

When she turned to him, Grey definitely lost his breath. For a moment, anyway. God, he needed to do better-- to not look at her like he was in love. If this were a cartoon, he would have heart eyes that symbolized exactly how he felt. “No jeans, dear God... This is not high school.” He rolled his eyes quickly, allowing the dominant woman to walk past him. Of course, the guy ended up catching her scent, remembering the way she left the smell of her perfume lingering in his old apartment the very last night they were together. “Don’t sound too excited,” Grey stated bitterly as he followed behind Nadine, heading to the door and closing it behind him. He allowed only a moment for her to lock it, then began his walk to the car. “Did you contact anyway beforehand, or are you just showing up on a whim, hoping your friends are there?”

The Reunion