“Oh my Gawd, Corinne! You’re life is a frickin’ soap opera!” Julia said.
Corinne laughed and nodded. Corinne had just spent the past 30 minutes unloading all her crap on her friend. She told her everything; including her original conversation with Kevin she had avoided telling her Friday night. She told her some of the details of her sex life with Nick, but of course, a true lady doesn’t kiss and tell everything.
“I need another drink after that.” Julia ordered another Seven and Seven and relaxed as she took in all of the sordid details of Corinne’s colorful past few days. Geez! If only her life were that exciting... but she did have to admit she had a pretty damn good life. She has an amazing job at People Magazine where she has worked for the past five years and lots of exciting things happen there, including meeting many celebrities. And her personal life doesn’t lack for anything either. She has a wonderful boyfriend, Andrew, whom she loves dearly, but unfortunately doesn’t get to see very often because he lives in New York. He works at Corinne’s father’s publishing company, GarnerWhitman there. Peter Whitman introduced them two years ago when Andrew was working at the Los Angeles branch for two weeks for his training. It was “love at first sight” as they say, although Julia had never believed in that crap before. They had a two-week torrid love affair that turned sad when Andrew had to move to New York. He would be moving to Los Angeles in a year and he and Julia would get married and settle down here. She looked down at the rock on her finger. She was counting the days…
“So, do you want to know what I think of all this?” Julia asked, sipping her second drink. Here they were at 5pm on a Monday at Beaches on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood chatting up a storm and getting wasted on alcohol. Julia was fortunate she got off work at 4pm every day and of course, Corinne had the day off.
Corinne sipped her red wine and nodded. She was trying to take it easy with the alcohol; having drank enough the past few days… she was still on her first drink. "I don't know, do I?' Corinne eyed her friend, bracing herself for what was sure to be harsh words of wisdom.
Julia ignored her remark and said, "I think you are in love with Kevin and you are in 'lust' with Nick. I also think you’re scared shitless to commit yourself completely to Kevin because then it might lead to marriage and children and you’re not sure you want to subject yourself and your children to the kind of life you think Kevin has; life in the fast lane.” She saw Corinne nod and then continued, “But, look he’s willing to give up that life, at least for awhile so you and he can be together, really together like you never have been; just the two of you. It could be so good for you guys! But again, you’re scared so you go away for the weekend with Nick, have wild, unprotected sex…” Corinne glared at her friend… “with him, throwing caution to the winds, reliving your wild days when you used to do that. So, now you think you’re confused because you want a life with Kevin, but you also like what you just had with Nick. Nick is fun, he’s wild, he’s crazy, he’s spontaneous. He has the same crazy celebrity life as Kevin and yet he’s not quite as serious. You think he could be the ticket out of your so-called misery with Kevin and doesn’t the grass always look greener?”
Corinne sat back and looked at her friend. How is it that both Kevin and Julia know her so damn well? Better than she knows herself even. Corinne hadn’t realized what she had been doing these past three days until now. Now it was all crystal clear. And now that she knew, maybe she could do something about it.
“Jules, you’re amazing. I have to hand it to you. You know me and you’re right, but I still need to talk to Nick about all this. I’ve talked to Kevin and I know what he wants, but now I want to talk to Nick and see what he wants.”
“But why, Rini?! I don’t understand! What are you expecting Nick to say to you? That he’s fallen in love with you, that he willing to marry you and wants you to have his babies? Baby, grow up! He’s 25 years old! I know something about his past and what he wants out of life and that just ain’t it. I’m sorry, but I have to be honest with you. Nick would be great for you if you were around his age and wanted to just have fun and hang out, but I don’t think that’s what you want or what you need, isn’t it?”
The waiter decided to drop by at that inopportune moment and both women refrained from ordering any more drinks. They decided instead to nurse their waters.
“Will either of you be eating dinner this evening?” He asked.
Julia looked at Corinne and Corinne shook her head. “No, thank you. I won’t be staying.”
Julia looked at her questioningly and then said to the waiter, "Uh, I guess we just need the check."
He nodded and walked away.
"What's going on? You're running off to find Nick, aren't you?" Julia shook her head.
“Jules, look, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but you don’t understand how I’m feeling. You think what’s between Nick and I is just sex, but it isn’t. You don’t realize that there has been something between us for the past six months. We both didn’t acknowledge it, but I know now that it was there. And I also know that Nick wanted to tell me that he loved me this weekend, but he couldn’t. He thought it was too soon, which it was. And I think I love him, too, but I need to talk to him to sort all of our feelings out so I can decide once and for all if I’m going back to Kevin, dating Nick or going it alone. It’s something I have to do and I hope you can understand that.” Corinne grabbed her purse, threw some money on the table and stood up to leave.
“I hope you know what you're doing, Corinne." Julia said.
"Yeah, you and me both." Corinne said. "I'll call you later." And she was gone.
Damn! Where was he? Corinne flipped her phone shut. Why wasn’t he answering his cell? Then suddenly Corinne thought of something horrible. What if Nick came back to the house and saw her and Kevin making love? She remembered the curtains were open and he very easily could have seen them. Oh God! She got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. No, Corinne, you’re just imagining things. He’s probably just busy...
She didn’t know what to think until she started walking down Sunset Blvd. and suddenly she spotted a familiar blonde-haired guy with a gorgeous bleached blonde at his side walking towards her. Corinne just stopped, not knowing what to do. Suddenly the couple approached her and Nick’s eyes met hers. She took great satisfaction at the panic that flashed across his face.
“Corinne!”
“Hi, Nick.” Corinne said coldly. She turned to Nick’s companion and said, “Hi, I’m Corinne, Nick’s lover from the past weekend. And who are you?”
The girl looked shocked and Corinne smiled to herself. She looked all of 16 and like she out way past her bedtime.
“I… I’m Bambi.” She said quietly, looking at Nick in bewilderment.
Bambi! Oh my God, Nick! You fuckin’ just wanted to get laid, didn’t you? Corinne thought. She knew that normally Nick wouldn’t date a girl with the personality of a teenager.
“Nice to meet you. Well, have a good night.” Corinne wasn’t about to have a conversation with the two of them, so she walked past them, making a beeline to her car.
“Uh, Bambi, I need to go talk to her. Here are my keys. Can you please go wait in my car for a few minutes? I promise I’ll be back soon. Thanks!” Nick handed her his keys and she nodded, looking sad. The two of them had been on their way back to his car anyway since he had promised to drive her home. Oh well, she thought and walked towards his car.
“Corinne! Corinne!” Nick had to practically yell at her back to get her to turn around. She was only a few steps away from her car, but she finally gave him the courtesy of turning around.
“What, Nick? What is it that you want to say to me?”
“Corinne. Nothing is going on between me and Bambi. She called me tonight and asked me to pick her up at Hooters down the street. Her car broke down. She called me because she just moved here from Atlanta she doesn’t really know anyone. That was all…”
“Hooters, huh? Big shock that she works there! What is she, 16?”
Nick smiled. “She’s almost 21.” He liked the fact that she was jealous…
“Oh, so much better.” Corinne said, sarcastically. “And about Kevin and I…”
“Look, you don’t have to explain. I did go back to talk to you and I saw that you guys were getting pretty hot and heavy, so I left. And I admit I was a little hurt at first, but then I started thinking about it and I can understand it.”
“You can? Even I can’t understand it.” She felt horrible that he had seen them together.
They both leaned against her car. “I guessed it was make-up sex. Is that what it was?”
Corinne thought about it. It probably was for Kevin, but not for her. She was still so damn confused…
“Nick, I honestly don’t know what it was. I mean, for me, I was just caught up in the moment and all of our memories together; I wasn’t thinking straight. And I certainly didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Nick smiled. “I know that.”
Corinne smiled back. “How the hell can you be so understanding about this? I thought you would be pissed.”
“I mean, I was at first, but I don’t know, I guess I just always thought that if you and Kevin should be together, than you should be together. In fact, I want you to be together if that’s what makes you guys happy. Oh, and after Kevin showed up, I had a pretty good idea you lied to me about you and Kevin being broken up. Am I right?”
Corinne was still shocked Nick was taking this so well. “Well, we were broken up, but I did lie about the part where I said we had talked; we hadn’t. I couldn’t listen to his message after the second time – the hotel voice mail system purged it and I decided that I just needed a break from all the drama. That’s why I called you. I really just wanted to have a fun weekend and I really did. I am sorry though I lied to you; I felt terrible about that all weekend. I was going to tell you, but…”
“But Kevin showed instead, right?”
“Yes. That really threw me for a loop.”
“Yeah, me, too. Look, Corinne, you don’t owe me anything. We had a great time this weekend and that’s all it was.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Wasn’t it for you?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’ve been trying to get a hold of you the past few hours. I wanted to know how you were really feeling. Well, I guess I know now.” Her heart just took a nosedive and she felt let down. It never occurred to her that Nick might be telling her what she needed to hear and not what he was really feeling.
“Oh, and by the way, I thought that was pretty damn funny what you said to Bambi. Good one.” He smiled, but Corinne was feeling less than enthusiastic and could barely produce a smile.
“Well, I better go take her home. I'm sure I’ll be seeing you and Kevin around.” Nick said as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and left.
Corinne managed to make it into her car, pull out and get all the way to La Cienega before the tears started to fall.
Nick walked back towards his bimbo acquaintance with a heavy heart. There, it was done. He did it. He cut it off. That’s the way it should be. She and Kevin were supposed to be together. He knew Kevin was about to propose and if Corinne thought there was something between the two of them, then he suspected she would leave Kevin forever. He had been thinking about this all afternoon ever since he saw Kevin and Corinne about to make love. He couldn’t offer her marriage or children; not now; maybe not ever and Kevin could. Nick could offer her his love, but was love really enough?
