DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING...ESPECIALLY HUSH HUSH CHARACTERS

THIS CHAPTER: AUCTION, GRANDMA, HEART TO HEART, SMUT...

NEXT CHAPTER: FACTS OF FAMILY-NORA'S MOM VS. GRANDMA AND PATCH...ADULT ACTION OF COURSE

CHAPTER 15

AUCTIONED

"God, no." Patch sighed defeated, noticing Angelo motioning for him. "Don't let Gianni or Gabriel speak at my funeral, will you?"

"I promise I'll write you a great eulogy." She pulled him towards her and kissed him briefly. "Let's see how much you're worth."

He got up and she followed him with her eyes, watching all the bachelors line up in front of the stage. All the women gathered in front of the platform and she couldn't help but to stand up and watch Patch from the back of the room, keeping her eyes on him at all times.

"You still look at him like the first day you saw him."

"How's that?"

"Like you have a million questions in your head and he's the answer to each one of them." Clista wrapped her arm protectively around Nora's shoulders. "How are you doing? It's been so long since I've heard from you."

"I'm good." She smiled, nodding. "I'm busy with school and I still work at that bar in town so I've been busy, I wanted to call you but I always get home after midnight."

"You and Patch can call me anytime." Clista rubbed her back soothingly. "I just get worried when I don't hear from the two of you."

"We'll stop by sometime soon." Nora locked her eyes with Clista's ash ones. "I promise."

"Good." Clista's eyes moved to the stage, locking on Damon's form. "God, that man is really something, isn't he?"

"You're as much in love with him as any other woman in this room."

"Not as much as you are." Clista's eyes locked back on hers. "Are there still other girls?"

"Yeah..."

"Give it time." Clista squeezed her hand, holding it in hers. "It was the first time in his life he got hurt, it's going to take a while before he gets over it."

"Sometimes I wonder what I'll do if he never gets over it." She bit her lip, looking down at the hard wooden floor. "What if he keeps on fucking every girl he meets?"

"Then you'll have to make a choice."

"And I'll choose him." She shook her head in disbelief. "He lost everything because he put his trust in me, he's not going to lose me too because I made him like this."

"He chose to become this, Nora." Clista's wise eyes looked up at her. "You did the right thing by telling him what you knew, showing them the evidence you had, and as much as your parents might hate me for saying this, you did the right thing by going with him."

"But my life would have been so much easier if I hadn't." She looked up to see the bachelor before Patch on stage, women screaming their bids. "My family would still accept me, people wouldn't give me dirty looks when I walk across the street, I would be able to concentrate on school instead of worrying about money."

"But would you be happy?"

"Probably not." Nora laughed nervously, locking her eyes with Patch's. "I have more memories with him than with my parents. They're not all good, but he was more there when I grew up than my parents ever were and he still is."

"Do you remember what you told me the first day you saw him?"

"No."

"You said, Granny that's the most beautiful boy I've ever seen, one day I'm going to marry him." Clista laughed warmly at the memory. "That changed twenty minutes later when he started pulling on your ponytails."

"And still we became best friends." Nora chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "Who would have thought?"

"It was a Sunday when I figured it out, you were wearing your white dress to go to church and your mother told you a hundred times not to get dirty." Clista looked deep in thoughts, staring right in front of her. "I only know that when we were ready to leave, we found you and Patch in a pool of mud and you claimed he pulled you in it, but I always believed you jumped in right after him, and that's the day I figured it out."

"What did you figure out?"

"That's the day I figured out that Patch Cipriano was going to be trouble." She laughed and shook her head once Patch got on stage. "And he hasn't disappointed me a day since then."

"I don't remember that."

"Of course you don't." Clista eyed her warily, smiling. "You'd never admit that you jumped in it by yourself."

"It's Patch's turn." She pointed to the stage, changing the subject. "How much do you think he's worth?"

"Do you really want him to go home with one of those desperate women?"

"I've watched him do it every day for the past five years." Her mouth formed a hard-line. "I think I can handle another one."

"Why don't we change that?" Clista waved her hand in the air, yelling. "Five thousand!"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm the richest woman in town, honey." Clista smiled smugly. "Besides, it's for charity."

"I can't believe this."

"Ten thousand!" Clista jumped up in the air, making Patch laugh on stage. "God, how desperate are those women?"

"You should see yourself." Nora's eyes went wide. "You're not much better than them."

"Well, if I buy Patch for the night, I'll have you too." She stood on tiptoes, watching over the crowd. "You two are like a package deal."

"You can get us for free."

"But then how will I spend my money?" Clista shrugged indifferently. "Okay, let's get this over."

"What do you mean let's get this over?"

"Fifty thousand!" Clista couldn't help but to laugh as whole the room went silent and looked at her. "That got them quiet."

"I'm worth fifty thousand dollars."

"You did wonders for his ego, Grandma." Nora rolled her eyes, looking away. "I'll be hearing this for months."

"Oh honey." Clista patted her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll think of a way to shut him up."

"I can think of a few." Patch waggled his eyebrows at her and turned back to Clista. "Are you a fox like your granddaughter in bed?"

"Patch!"

"Don't worry, Nora." Clista shook her head, squeezing her fingers. "I'm not your mother, I know what happened the night of your prom, I saw you two get back in the morning while Mister Cipriano here should have been in New York with his wife-to-be."

"You knew that all this time?" She crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at her grandmother. "Why did you never say something?"

"What's a dirty little secret if someone else knows?"

"I can't believe you." She clasped her hand over her mouth. "Are you sure we're related?"

"Your father and my son, used to be a hell of a lot more fun before he met your mother." Clista's eyes went dull. "He used to remind me so much of Nick, but the day he met your mother that all changed."

"Do you think they'll ever accept us again?" Nora whispered, exchanging a look with Patch. "It's been five years, will they ever let it go?"

"I think something bad has to happen before they'll realize how lucky they are that the two of you are alive and healthy." Clista rubbed Nora's arm, squeezing it. "You know I'm proud of you for being so strong, I'm more proud of you than I ever was of my son."

"I know." She nodded quietly, locking her eyes with Patch's. "We'll be fine with the two of us, won't we?"

"Yeah..." His voice was husky, his eyes boring intensely into hers. "We always have been."

"It's getting too cold for this old lady." Clista pointed her head to the front door of her home. "I should get inside."

"Goodnight, Grandma."

"Goodnight, sweetie." Clista pecked her cheek quickly and rubbed Patch's arm affectionately. "Bring my granddaughter safely home, Stud."

"I'll even tuck her in." He placed a kiss on Clista's cheek and watched her move towards the front door. "Goodnight, Grandma."

"Goodnight my boy."

Nora watched the scene in front of her with a tingling stomach. There had always been something special between her grandmother and Patch; it was as if the older woman knew that he would never let anything happen to her, that she trusted him with her most valuable possession. They were raised the same way as Vee and Rixon, but yet Clista always taught them one lesson more, you always take care of your loved ones and you always follow your heart, it was something she had told her and Patch more than Rixon and Vee, because she seemed to know that one day the only person they would be able to depend on was the other.

"You want to walk through the park?" Patch draped his jacket over her shoulders and took her hand in his. "Or straight home?"

"Let's go through the park." She leaned her head against his shoulder, placing her hand on his arm. "I want to see the fountain."

He pressed his cheek against her forehead and slowly dragged her with him in the direction of the park. Moments like these were rare, the moments where she could imagine him as the perfect boyfriend, when he took her home, held her protectively in his arms and placed soft kisses on top of her head because he knew how she was feeling. It was everything she wanted them to be, just the two of them snuggled up on the couch, waking up next to each other every morning without knowing he had been with another girl the night before.

"I've been thinking." He whispered quietly against her forehead, his lips moving against her skin. "I think you should go on a date with Rixon."

"What?" She looked up at him, a huge grin on her face. "Where did that come from?"

"Earlier when I said Rixon was going to man up and ask the girl he likes on a date, I meant you." His ebony eyes bored into hers, more serious than she had ever seen them. "He likes you Nora and he's a good guy, you'd be good together."

"Why would I want to go on a date with Rixon?" She pulled her hand out of his, crossing them over her chest. "They wanted me to marry him, Patch, and I didn't want that then so why would I want that now? Look at how he was over the dancing contest and all the other times with me when we were younger, he was controlling or indifferent and I almost ruined the relationship between both of you. Not to mention it again or risk sounded like a junior high girl, but I. don't. like. him. that. way. He is like a brother to me and who wants to go on a date with their brother?"

"I'm not telling you to marry him." He threw his arms up, his eyes going wide. "But how long has it been since you've been on a date?"

"I hate dating and you know it." She walked a couple of feet in front of him. "I only go on dates because Shadow and Bella force me to."

"But you want a family." Patch grabbed her arm and made her turn around. "You can't start a family on your own."

"There's always artificial insemination." Nora muttered under her breath pissed off. "You told me not to settle." She pulled her arm free out of his grasp and walked to the fountain. "Rixon would be settling."

"I don't think so, Nora." He shrugged, biting his bottom-lip. "He loves you and he would take care of you and give you children."

"But I don't love him." Her cold hard steel-gray eyes locked on his coal ones. "Doesn't it matter who I love? Maybe I want to be single, maybe I actually like my life, maybe I'm sick of everyone trying to tell me what I should do or what I should want. Why do you get the freedom to do what you want with your life, but I don't after all we have been through together? You want me to date, then I will find my own dates, maybe I'll start living like you, but I will not date someone I see as my brother and friend, just because he wants to marry me and have a family with me just like everyone else wants us to, but that's what they want not me, Patch, not me. My feelings should matter too, at least to you of all people." Nora sighed, her anger finally dissipated.

His night sky colored eyes lost their shimmer and he couldn't keep staring at her anymore. Sometimes she wondered if he didn't know the way she felt about him, that he knew that there would never be someone else. She always thought that was the reason he never brought it up, because once she'd made a confession everything between them would change, he would be sure about her love and she would want to know about his feelings. But when things like this happened, he seemed to know that she had loved him all along, that he had owned her heart and soul since the day she met him. It was what scared her the most; if he knew and he still chose to sleep with other women it meant that her love wasn't enough for him, that after twenty years of loving him he still couldn't bind himself to her.

"I never told you what I wished the last time I was at this fountain." Nora looked down in the blue water of the quiet fountain. "I wished the most horrible thing anyone could ever wish for."

"What was it?"

"I wished you wouldn't marry Dabria."

She still remember the day she stood here with tears in her eyes, her hair blowing in the wind, her cheeks red, her eyes puffy. It was the day she first read the announcement of his engagement he had hand delivered her with excitement all over his face. She still felt the pang in her heart as she thought about him being bound to another woman; it had ripped her apart inside out. So when she stood here in the place she shared so many memories with him, she couldn't help but to toss a coin into the water and wish for the most awful thing you could wish your best friend, she wished him heartbreak.

"I was so scared that I would lose you." She wiped away the tear that had escaped her eye. "Who's Nora Grey without Patch Cipriano? We were always a team and then suddenly you were going to be a team with someone else and I couldn't stand the thought of it."

"It's okay." He shook his head at her, cupping her cheek into his hand. "It wasn't your fault."

"But I wished it." She took his hand in hers, pushing her cheek into his palm. "What kind of friend does that make me?"

"The kind of friend that doesn't want to lose her best friend." Patch held his arms out to her and wrapped her safely into the cocoon. "I would have done the same if it was you."

"You wouldn't." She sobbed into his shirt, clawing him. "You would have wished me the best."

"I'm sorry about the whole Rixon thing." He placed a kiss on top of her head. "I just know that you want children and a husband more than anything."

"You're wrong." She looked up, shaking her head softly. "I want you."

"But..."

"Shh." She put her finger on his lips, kissing them softly. "I don't want anything else but to be with you in fifty years, that's what will make me happy. You and I forever, that's the only thing I need to be happy, my best friend, my partner in crime."

Patch's lips parted slowly, his deep black eyes boring into hers and she noticed him gently coming closer, his lips touching hers softly before pushing a little further until they melted together in a soft kiss. No one would be able to take this from her, not her parents, not Dabria, not Bella or Shadow, moments like these between them was what she lived for, his kisses, his touch, it was what had kept her going through the past five years. It was what would always keep her going. Him.

"Let's steal some coins from the fountain." He breathed against her lips, leaning his forehead against hers. "It's been ages since we've done that."

"Patch." She pulled on his arm as he ran towards the fountain. "No."

"Come on." He dragged her with him. "Live a little, Nora."

She watched him as he pulled his shoes off and rolled his pants up, slowly getting into the fountain. She couldn't help but to shake her head at him and laugh while he started picking up coins from the bottom, his eyes shimmering as he looked up at her. It took him two seconds to grab her arm and pull her into the water with him, making her fall flat on her face into the cold liquid.

"Patch!" She started splashing water on him. "You ruined my dress!"

"It isn't the first time and it won't be the last time, Angel."

"This is just like when I was nine and you pulled me into the mud with you."

"We both know you jumped in after me."

"I know."

No one ever died from loving someone; no one was ever killed by being loved. It's only when a person is separated from love that it has the power to kill. It tears a soul apart, a heart wide open, and at the same time it closes. Because no heart that knew true love will ever accept a love that's less. No person that found true love will ever love again quiet the same way.

But what if the love you crave searches comfort in other women? What if he gave up on love years ago and claims never to love again? What if you wake up next to him almost every morning to see the sun rise in his eyes? What if the thought of leaving him tears you inside out? What if you could never love another man like this; completely, with all of you, unconditionally and without limits or doubts? If that love is never returned again by the only man you can love, will the friendship he gives you keep you alive, or will his broken heart kill you?

"Oh my god!"

Nora's phone slipped out of her hands as she quickly covered her eyes with them, her cheeks blushing a crimson red. The images of her naked friend hovering above an equally naked woman flashing through her mind, the sight of him buried into another body, the woman's legs wrapped around his waist, her fingers digging into his shoulders, his moans muffled in the crook of her neck, his hair messy from her clawing fingers.

"I'm so sorry." She held her hand in front of her eyes, uttering an apology. "I was texting and I... oh my god."

An amused chuckle made her peek through her fingers, finding Patch still draped over the other naked body. He didn't even seem the slightest bit annoyed by the interruption; instead he looked over his shoulder and arched his eyebrow at her, his lips turned up in an amused smile. The blonde beneath him looked up at her with the same grin on her face. It only made her feel sillier about her reaction; she had seen this man naked in front of her more times than she could count. Yet, finding him naked in bed with someone else made her feel like a little girl all over again, not like the experienced woman of her age that was now connected to him in ways she wanted to be with him all day long.

"I wanted to ask you if you need anything from the grocery store." Nora started turning around, walking back towards the door. "Don't worry, I already put condoms on the list, I know they are more important than milk in this household."

"Nora." Patch's voice made her pause in her step. "Come back here."

She took a deep breath and turned around again, sauntering to the opening that gave her access to the bedroom. Her eyes fixed on the wall beside her as she reached the plateau. In the corner of her eye she found Patch sitting at the edge of the bed, the blonde beside him still on her back, waiting for him to take her again.

"Do you need anything?"

"Come here."

"Coffee, cookies, sugar?"

"I'm not planning on a tea party anytime soon." He let out a short laugh, getting up from the bed. "Come here."

Her face only started to heat up more as she stood nailed to the ground and he started walking towards her in all his glory. She knew it was foolish of her to feel more embarrassed with every step he took but that didn't keep her from jumping when he reached her and grabbed her arm. Her smoky eyes flew to his deep obsidian ones, her lips parting in shock as he stood butt naked in front of her, his expression more serious than it had been a minute ago.

"Good morning, Nora."

"Hi."

She stumbled in his arms as he grabbed her waist and pulled her body flush against his, the sweat drops of his chest absorbed by the fabric of her tank top. He grabbed the bag she carried on her shoulder and slowly pulled it from her arm, dropping it next to him on the floor. Her eyes followed his every movement and watched his darkening eyes closing the distance between their lips. She gasped into his mouth as he plastered it against hers and grabbed her waist, holding her captive in his embrace. The kiss felt familiar and yet so strange, his lips moved hungrily over hers, possessively, almost desperately but she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. It made her briefly open her eyes and peek over his shoulder to the woman whose flesh lay on display for everyone's eyes.

A pang of jealousy shot straight through her heart as the blonde smirked at her, giving her a knowing look. That smugness made something boil inside of her, the little green monster running through her veins at the speed of a lightning bolt. She arched her body into Patch's, grabbing his head and pushing his nose against hers. He smirked before sliding his tongue between her lips, tasting the inside of her mouth with every time he met her tongue. Her hands wandered over his bare chest while his fingers tangled into her silk brown hair, his teeth tugging at her bottom lip.

The whole picture was about someone staking her claim, telling the woman on the bed that she would only be there once, that in a few hours she would make room for someone who lay there almost every night, who had the right to hold him in her arms while he slept, who was owned by him because he had made her his years ago.

Patch walked the girl he thought her name was Marcie out to the door and quickly walked into his room where Nora laid staring at the ceiling looking at him with a look in her eye he didn't recognize, but one also that told him she was in need to stake her claim, just as he had done over and over with her.

"This will have to be quick." He pushed his lips against her, chuckling softly. "I don't know how much longer I can keep it up, even with my famous stamina."

"God, I want you inside of me."

Nora's body arched up from the mattress once Patch slipped inside of her, finally filling her, making them one, giving her the other part of her soul. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles so she could get him closer, deeper inside of her, his skin against hers, exactly what she needed in this moment, the comfort of him being hers.

His nose brushed up and down against hers with every thrust, his dark eyes locked on hers, not even moving as she saw his face take on an expression she knew all too well, the years of being with him that told her that he was almost there. Those years with him rushed through her head, like every time they were like this; the first time she ever saw him, the first smile he gave her, the first hug. It was all carved into her mind, everything they went through to be able to stay together, to make each other smile the day after the next, to be able to love the only family they had left. It was all she could think about as her walls started to pulse around him, meeting their perfect fit.

"Fuck, babe."

"Patch."

He fell on top of her, his body covering hers, their sweat drops mingling, their breathings filling the same small space, their chests panting against one another. It wasn't until Patch recovered slightly, that he was able to pull out of her, throwing the condom next to the other one on the ground.

Nora turned on her side, burying her nose into the pillow, Patch's scent still very much lingering there.

Nora's eyelids struggled to stay open, her body drained, her mind lost in the fog that seemed to surround her. The mattress moved beneath her, Patch's masculine smell hugging her, his finger tracing a lazy pattern over her back. A shiver ran down her spine before she turned around on her back, placing her hand on her forehead, turning her face towards Patch. A turmoil of emotions went through her as she looked up at him, finding his hands behind his head, his dark eyes staring at her, the memories and feelings of just five minutes ago swerving around in her mind.

"You know that sometimes I ask you to do really stupid things?" She breathed, locking her smoky eyes with the coal ones. "But you do them because you know I'm crazy, but you find it completely adorable?"

"Yeah..."

"Pinch me."

"What?"

"Hit me."

"Make up your mind."

"Do both."

"You've lost it, Grey." He shook his head in amusement, arching his eyebrow. "That amazing orgasm I gave you must have blown your brains out."

"It feels like there's electricity running through my body." She sighed into the air, enjoying the way her body was still humming. "If you touch me now you might get electrocuted."

"You think my phone will charge if I put it into your vagina?"

"Depends on the voltage, I guess."

"I could put it on vibrate and take your phone." Patch shrugged like they were discussing the most random topic. "We could get seriously kinky, not that we haven't before or won't were absolutely amazing." He tugged a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. "You always are."

"Why now?" Her big eyes bored into his. "It's not the first time I've walked in on you. Why ask me to join you and what's her name now?"

"I don't know." He shrugged indifferently, glancing over her head. "Probably because women were the only thing we hadn't shared yet."

"We don't share everything."

"You wear my underwear."

"You don't wear mine." She smirked, her eyes narrowing. "Besides, you practically never wear any underwear."

"Let's rephrase that," He shook his head at her, tapping her nose. "We share everything I own."

"Can I wear your boxers to class this afternoon?"

"You still have class?" He eyed her suspiciously. "What time?"

"Two." She scooted closer to him, nuzzling her nose into his chest. "And after I'm going shopping with Shadow and Bella for tonight's big event."

"Do we have to go?"

"It's Clista's birthday." She placed a kiss on his chest, looking up at him. "We owe it to her."

"And she'd kill us if we weren't there."

"That too."

"Your grandmother is one scary woman." He placed his chin on top of her crown, chuckling. "Much like her granddaughter."

"The granddaughter can do some serious damage to your sex-life." She punched his chest with her fist. "Little Patch's depression would drag you down with him."

"Save your strength and go to sleep." He grabbed her fist and held it in his hand. "You can barely keep your eyes open as it is."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going back to work." Patch kissed the top of her head, releasing her hand. "I have a meeting at four."

"Stay until I fall asleep." She yawned, closing her eyes. "I hate sleeping alone."

He wrapped his arm around her as she turned on her back, her head leaning against his chest, her side pressing into his front. This was what she needed when she was tired, his arms around her, his skin against hers, it made all the bad things in the world go away because he was the dream. She never asked for anything in her life, never had to because she had everything. But then she met him, the five-year-old girl that she was, completely mesmerized by him. He became everything to her, friend, brother, protector, parent, lover and she loved him for all of those things. Then the night of her prom came and they became one; together with all the love she had for him separately, it mixed all together and resulted in a love that couldn't be conquered, the kind of love you'd kill for, loving someone so much that living without them seemed impossible.

"Thank you."

"Hmm?" He snuggled his nose into the crook of her neck. "For what?"

"For being everything I ever wanted."

"How about this one?"

Shadow pulled the curtain from the dressing room open without a warning, holding the tenth dress she wanted her to fit. She didn't dare to sigh, knowing she'd only provoke a reaction from Shadow that she wouldn't live through. Instead she put on her best beaming smile and grabbed the price tag from the yellow dress.

"It's too expensive." She shrugged, shaking her head. "And I really like the blue one."

"But you'll look way hotter in this one." Shadow did a little jump, her blond curls bouncing. "Please, try it on? Pretty please?"

"I don't want to look really hot." She pushed Shadow out of the dressing room. "I want to look like a sophisticated grown-up."

"Why would you want to look like that?"

"Because my parents will be there." She muttered under her breath, grabbing all the dresses from the bench. "Maybe if they start seeing me as a grown-up then they'll realize that I'm able to make my own choices."

"And you think that they will forgive you by looking sophisticated?" Shadow put her hands on her hips, her blue eyes narrowing. "I think it's going to take a lot more than a dress to get through their thick skulls."

"A girl can dream."

"Hi guys."

Bella walked back into the store, carrying three cups of steaming coffee. She arched her eyebrow at Nora as she noticed the amount of dresses that were draped over her arm. Nora rolled her eyes and cocked her head in Shadow's direction. Bella bit her lip and gave her a knowing look, watching Shadow wander between the different aisles.

"Guys?"

Nora smirked at Bella, cocking her head to the side. "We have boobs, you know."

"You are awfully chipper today." Bella crossed her arms over her chest, her brown eyes studying her body. "Did you get laid this morning?"

"She always gets laid." Shadow yelled from behind the rack. "Her best friend's a sex god."

"Keep your voice down!"

"But look at her, Shadow." Bella pointed her arm at Nora, smiling from ear to ear. "She's glowing."

"OMG!" Shadow exclaimed, letting the clothes drop to the ground. "You're pregnant."

"NO!" Her eyes popped out of her head, her cheeks turning crimson red. "I'm on the pill and we always use a condom, we're safe, I'm not pregnant."

"Patch still doesn't want to fuck you without a condom?" Shadow looked up at her, a certain frown appearing on her small face. "I thought by now he'd have gotten over his demons."

"Apparently he hasn't."

Patch never had sex with anyone without a condom, and no matter how many times she told him that it was okay or how many times she begged him to just have her like that, he never did. He said it was because he didn't want her to catch any diseases because of his lifestyle; she had long ago discovered that the truth was something very different. A condom was the only thing between them while they were connected; the only thing that shielded him from her and that shield was exactly what he still needed. They might have been best friends and shared everything including their bodies with each other but he would never let anyone get as close as Dabria once was to him.

"Dabria messed him up pretty badly." Bella shrugged, pouting her lips together. "I don't think he'll ever recover from that, at least not enough to marry you and give you everything you want."

"Bella." Shadow exclaimed, hushing her. "It's not because you have the perfect boyfriend that you're allowed to judge."

"I'm certainly having more sex with my non-boyfriend than you with your boyfriend." Nora arched her eyebrow at her friend, shaking the thought off her. "You're actually forcing me to a point where I'm talking about Angelo's life."

"Angelo doing business in New York might put my sex life on hold," Bella cocked her head to the side, smirking. "But at least I know he doesn't sleep around with other women."

"It's Patch's way of coping with the world."

"He's an asshole that thinks with his dick." Bella threw her arms up. "When are you going to realize that he's only going to drag you down with him? He's bad for you, Nora."

"Bad for me?" She threw the dresses on the table in front of her. "Who drove us to dance lessons every Friday? Who took us to the movies and the zoo? Who brought you to the hospital when you broke your arm at my place? Who helped us with our school projects? You don't have the right to judge him because he did as much for you and Shadow as he did for me." She clenched her teeth together, her eyes boring into Bella's. "And you do not have the right to talk about him like that because even if he could never stand you, he still picked you up every morning and drove us to school, the least you can do is show some respect."

"But that was..."

"That was what?"

"Before Dabria." Bella's eyes filled with remorse, her bottom lip trembling. "Before he became this insufferable egocentric asshole."

"I'm buying the blue one." She grabbed her bag and dress from the table before smiling apologetically at Shadow. "Don't wait up for me; I'm sleeping at my non-existing-boyfriend's apartment."

"Nora." Bella grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"No." She pulled her arm free, shaking her head. "I had an amazing morning with amazing sex and one of the most mind-blowing orgasms I have ever experienced. And then I napped for a few hours and went to class which didn't seem to be as boring as usual; I was having a great day until you ruined it and I'm not going to let you ruin it any further because I'm pretty sure my parents will already do that tonight."

She spun around on her heels and walked to the desk, the brunette behind it greeting her with a polite smile. Bella and Shadow were bickering behind her, too far away from her to understand what they were saying but their voices were hushed. She turned back to the sales lady and watched her fold the dress neatly until her phone rang in her bag.

"Aren't you supposed to be in a meeting?"

"That's exactly why I'm calling." Patch sighed into the phone. "The meeting got moved to six which means..."

"Which means you won't make it to Clista's dinner."

"I'm sorry, babe." He clacked his tongue. "But I'm sure Clista will understand if you stay at home."

"No, I have to go." She handed her credit card to the brunette. "It's her sixty-ninth birthday; she's been looking forward to this for years."

"Our dirty Clista." He chuckled softly, sighing again. "If it's any comfort I persuaded Rixon to pick you up in the limo."

"Now my life finally has meaning again."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me." His tone was annoyed, knowing. "Who did you get into a fight with, Grumpy or Bashful?"

"Grumpy."

"Did she want to paint your nails orange again?"

"She almost made me buy a pair of yellow shoes." She accepted her bag from the sales lady. "I was about to pay for them when I realized I hated them."

"So you were arguing about me then." He chuckled, making her roll her eyes. "I can't wait to hear it but I have to go now."

"Okay." She pushed the door of the store open. "Bye."

"I'm really sorry about tonight."

"You think you'll make it for desert?" She smiled softly. "I heard it's chocolate cake."

"I don't eat chocolate cake."

"Which means I'd have two pieces."

"I'll try to make it." She could picture him shaking his head. "Just so your sugar levels won't drop drastically."

"I think this is one of the top reasons why you're my best friend."

"That," He emphasized. "And I give you great orgasms."

"Yeah yeah," She rolled her eyes at him. "Bye bye, king of my orgasms."