Ultimatum

Thirty One

Kathryn

Sitting alone on the tailgate of his brand new truck he says. "What do you think about my truck? I couldn't decide on the color?" I'm clueless when it comes to cars. "It's beautiful! Congratulations on your new job. That's amazing." He gives me a cheesy southern boy grin. Hanging his head as his dimples are showing. He looks so young and perfect.

"Nathan I need to tell you something. And I need you to hear me when I say this because I'm only going to say this once." He looks at me with the sweetest expression "Of course Kathryn! You can tell me anything." Swallowing my pride because now I have to tell him the truth. So I begin " Nathan, at first this was a game to see if I could get you, the real you. I know Sarah thinks it was more to see if you would betray your best friend. It wasn't, I would never intentionally hurt Alex. Even though I do know this will hurt him. But over the past year and a half, it has become painfully obvious that the more time I spend with you... The more I realize that I am completely in love with you. There is no other way to put it. I have tried to convince myself that it is nothing. That it was just being caught up in the moment and not thinking clearly. But it's not that at all, I know exactly what I want and it is you. No more secrets and that starts with me telling you the truth." His gaze underneath his full lashed makes it hard to keep looking at him so I look down at my hands feeling way too exposed and very defeated by his silence.

His hands meet my chin pulling my attention back to his eyes. "Kathryn I know!" Without another word, his lips are crashing into mine. My brain still spinning not knowing what he meant by what he said. I want to pull away... To ask him to explain but I can't his kisses pulling me back under. "You make me crazy Kat! I can't explain it." He whispers laying on me pressing his hard body against mine. Laying me back against the bed of the truck. "If you can't tell me.. Show me, Nathan." His eyes meeting mine they are on fire and wild with lust. "I can do that. Let's get into the truck." I do as he asks sliding into the passenger seat he turns the key and the radio cuts on. I am leaning back against the seat, eyes locked on his. I lean over the console kissing him on the cheek and slides myself into the backseat. "Come back here with me, there's more room." He follows my lead and as soon as he is situated in the backseat next to me. My lips find his and we are locked back into our passion from earlier in the night. My hand snakes up his shirt running along his torso. Pulling myself on top of Nathan, his hands go directly to my ass slightly exposed at the bottom of my shorts. Our kisses pause, he releases me to pull off his shirt over his head and grab mine shortly after and removing my bra. As my lips find his again I undo his pants. Then I lift up to remove my shorts. I am completely naked before him. "Touch me, Nathan. I've been waiting all day." He does as he's told running his hand down my body to my center. Circling me as he grabs himself readying to please me. He lays me back onto the seat entering me and giving me what I need. We heat up quickly, sweating. Our lips never leaving each other. I'm so close to my release when the back door comes flying open. Cutting on the lights inside the truck and the cold night air hits us. Both of us froze I look and all I see is Alex's face. He's crushes and emotionless. He says nothing and slams the door.

Nathan

We had been so caught up in each other we hadn't stopped to think. Now here we are. My eyes meeting hers, she looks mortified. I'm still inside of her. Holding her arm across her naked breasts. "Let me talk to him, Kat. Maybe I can get him to see the reason. I'll be back." she nods but only says "Okay" we get dressed and climb out of the truck. I look back at her one more time determined to win this so I can have her all to myself "I promise I'll be right back! Go inside and wait for me!" I give her a quick kiss and jump into the driver's seat.

I'm speeding out of her driveway trying to get to Alex to explain what he just saw. My mind is racing all I can think about is how much this just hurt him and how much I love her. He has to understand she has moved on, he should be happy it's with me and not some random guy. I get to the highway pull straight across where in the hell is he? There is no way he made it far walking. I pick up speed coming around the curb. Finally, I see his white v neck as he approaching an upcoming road. I slow down and roll the window down. "Alex get in the truck. Let's talk about this." He stopped dead in his tracks and I slam on breaks "How long Hail? How long?" I freeze because now it's all going to come out and he's is going to be pissed. I've been lying to him. "Man, it's been a little over a year. But you have to understand. Just hear me out." He shakes his head and takes off walking back in the direction of his house. I throw the truck in park and get out. Running around to cut him off. He can't overpower me, I'm twice his size. The look on Alex's face goes from enraged to surprise as I block his way from walking any further. "Can you just listen to me for once? Stop thinking that you always know what's best for everyone." He studies me for a minute and says "Hail, I'll hear you out if you get the hell out of my way." He goes to step around me and I block him again. "You get the in the damn truck now Alex and you can hear what I have to say." He shockingly does as I ask I let my guard down slightly as I do he turns around and swings on me. Landing his fist directly into my abdomen. I hunch over he's knocked the breath out of me. "Now I'll get in the truck." I stand up and try to compose myself that was fair, I did just get caught mid-thrust or balls deep however you want to word it in his ex.
Once I get into the driver's seat I say "That was the only free pass you get. Just a heads up." He doesn't even acknowledge me. We drive about ten minutes in silence when we finally pull up to his house and I shut the truck off. "Listen, Alex, it started as jealously. I was so jealous that you had the relationship I wanted. With the girl that all of us at Millpond would have fought you for. She's... well she's amazing. And I know that you know that and you wanted to try to work things out. But when this started between us it was me being me.. Arrogant and wanting to conquer her like all the others. Then I went over there the first time, I kissed her, and I was hooked. She has consumed my thoughts and every part of me. I've changed and I know you see that. Hell everyone else does. Kat brought me back to reality. She has taught me so much about myself. So much about the man, I want to be. I've been trying to find the perfect time to talk to you about it but it never seemed like it was..." He's yet to look over at me or even say a word but his shoulders are tense, I can tell he is fuming. He throws the truck door open and hops out of the cab. I follow him quickly, he's got to hear the truth tonight. So I continue while he is still walking away from me. "I love her man! Like I really love her. And she has no idea because I have been holding back and I didn't tell her tonight when she told me. But I do, you know I wouldn't be even admitting it if it wasn't true." His whole body whips around and he's yelling "She told you that she loved you? Tonight? You have got to be shitting me. Why you? What have you done to deserve her love?" He gets out of the car and I follow him! This statement triggers me automatically "I've shown her the compassion you never could. I stood up for her even when everyone else was watching, even when I should have stayed away. I don't treat her like property or let people try to break her down. You did and she loved you for so long regardless. You have moved on with Jo. Why can't you want happiness for both of us?" He loses some of the tension in his shoulders looking down at the ground for a minute then back up at me. "Hail you have been my best friends since we were kids you were the last person I ever expected to go behind my back. She was end game for me. Jo and I stopped seeing each other. We aren't on the same page. That was what we were discussing tonight. But she did point out that she noticed something between you and Kathryn. So did Sarah. I went out there tonight to Kat's to see if I could win her back then I noticed how close y'all were all night. And it all made sense all the times you never showed up and that damn brooding. Just explain to me... Why? Why did it have to be her?" I'm already ready for this question "I already told you! I love her and she's who I want to spend my life with if she will still have me." We stand there in silence for what seems like the longest time. He says "If you choose her then you will lose me as a friend forever. I can't stand around and have to watch her be in love with my best friend. So, it's either our friendship or her." Why in the hell would he want me to choose? What kind of friendship is this? "Come on Alex you know that isn't right. Did you not just hear what I said. How many times can you count that I have ever said I was in love with anyone? I already know the answer. It's none. You might still love her but what y'all had has been over for a long time. Hell, she has been trying to tell you that for several years. I would never hurt her. We have spent so much time together over the past year and a half. She is the other half of me and as lame as that sounds it's the truth." Alex is expressionless as he says "Well if that was the case you wouldn't have already left her to chase after me. But you did so you must think what the two of you were doing was wrong. So like I said our friendship or your temporary attraction to her. We made a pact when we were kids Hail... Our friendship over anything. You could have had any of the bitches that come out there to party. It was because she was mine. So Choose." Do I choose to hurt myself and her or just to hurt Alex? Which one can I live without? Lifting my hands to my face to rub my eyes. I say "Fine. You win but you just realize the fact that we are about to hurt the person we both care about. She will hate me for this and that's going to sit just fine with you. She will never understand. We were damn kids then we are adults now. And this is the future we are playing with." He spins around on his heels and goes inside the house slamming the door. I drop to my knees outside knowing, in reality, I lost them both. Our friendship will never be the same and Kathryn there is no life after her. Not one that I want. I can't go back there and tell her this. I can't even face her with this. So instead I tuck my tail like a lost dog and climb in my truck, heading home.

Once I get home and settled, I stare at my phone screen finally opening it scrolling through my messages first one it's unread. It's the picture of us tonight on my tailgate. Her eyes glistening with the embers from the bonfire. Damn, I'm going to miss her. Moving my fingers across my keyboard I type out "I want you to know that I can't give you what you need. But you should know that I do love you more than anything." Looking at the message, thinking how bad I want her. Instead, I clear out the message and save the photo. Backing out of the message and swipe my finger across it and deleting it then I proceed to turn off my phone. A clean break that's all I can give her.

I sleep like shit! My mind keeps replaying our memories over and over until morning. It's ten am I've gotten no sleep I turn my phone back on and three unread messages come through. Two are from Kat the other from Sarah. I open Kats first they read "Nathan, is everything okay?" "I'll talk to you tomorrow." And then from Sarah, it says "I told you I would break her."