𝚃𝚘𝚛𝚗- ᑕ0ᗰᑭᒪᗴ丅ᗴ

ch 32: tristan

Sunny's celebration dinner had just ended and as Nikki and I waited for my truck to be pulled around by the guys working at the valet station, I caught a glimpse of Sunny as she walked out with Gia.

"Wanna grab the car? I didn't get a chance to congratulate the girl of honor."

Nikki looked back at Suny and nodded before heading over to the valet booth. I walked over to Sunny and Gia on my crutches, happy that my cast would be off in a week, and as I got closer to the girls I noticed Gia nudging Sunny.

She looked up at me and her chocolate brown eyes nearly knocked me over with just one glance.

"Sunny, can I talk to you for a second?"

She looked at Gia, who nodded before she walked away, only to be followed by Sunny's two teenaged boy cousins.

Sunny had a smirk on her face as she watched her cousins following Gia, but her facial expression changed when she looked at me.

Her eyebrows were knit together in confusion and her arms were crossed over her chest defensively.

"So, what did you want?"

"Look, Bun--Sunny. I just... I wanted to congratulate you. I always knew you were gonna do amazing things."

She gave me a small smile, thanking me while she nodded her head, and with the two of us alone, this might be my only chance to explain things.

"Listen, about Nikki--"

Just then, we both heard a familiar honk and turned to see Nikki sitting in my truck, waving from the driver's seat.

I turned back to face Sunny, rolling my eyes in annoyance while I shook my head and mumbled.

"Speak of the fucking devil..."

"She seems nice..."

I looked back at Sunny with a look of disbelief washing over my face as I watched her waving at Nikki before she looked up at me.

"Well... goodnight, Tristan."

She walked away from me before I had the chance to reach out for her, but I knew something was wrong. I had never heard her voice sound so hollow.

I needed to talk to her... for real.

✨

As Nikki drove me back to my parent's place, I was doing my best to try and drown her voice out, but it was useless.

Her rambling wouldn't fucking stop.

"Like, I guess I never actually realized you came from such a star-studded background."

I was zoning in and out, still thinking about that look that Sunny had on her face when she said goodbye.

"I mean, besides your dad. I always knew about him. But you never told me Jordan Prescott was basically, like, your godfather."

"Uhh..."

I was about to say something when she cut me off, a distracted look in her eyes.

"And his wife? Thee Dahlia Prescott! I have... a bunch of her photos in my condo. She has such a cute aesthetic."

"Mmm-hmmm."

I rolled my eyes, knowing Sunny's mom's photography was more than just a 'cute aesthetic'. Each landscape and scene were deliberately picked; they all held significant memories for Sunny's mom.

"So, I was thinking..."

Nikki began slowly as she pulled into my parent's gated community.

"Yeah...?"

"Well, once your cast is off and everything, we should check out some of the tournaments they've got coming up. I heard Australia's nice this time of year."

"Uhmm, actually, Nick, it's gonna be a while before I can compete. I'm gonna have to go through hours and hours of rehab for my ankle before I think I'll be ready."

Her smile remained unfading even through my uncertainty, and it seemed like she wasn't even listening to what I had to say.

"Nah, baby. You're gonna bounce back in no time. I know it."

🖤