I Don't Do Relationships

Goodbye

I turned in the direction Scott was looking, which was at the person Chris was talking to now and I was met by the face that haunted my past. I couldn't help but stare and as soon as he looked at me and it registered to him who I was, it seemed like that was all he could do as well.  Gasping, I said one word. "Nicky." It came out breathy and it made me breathe heavier after saying it.

Chris turned a step to take in the whole scene. Keeping one hand on the small of my back now, he was looking between his brother, Nicky and myself, obviously figuring out he had missed something.

I felt dizzy and the ability to breathe became harder. Swallowing, I blinked a few times, trying to regain some sort of composure. My eyes refused to turn their attention anywhere else though and it seemed he was in the same predicament. My ears felt like there was a loud ringing around me, the sound of the music no longer echoing through them. I was stuck, in shock, grounded to this one moment in time that I never saw coming. Nicky was able to find his voice before I did. "Wow. Y/N, you look, ...amazing."

He stepped forward and looked like he was going to try to hug me. All at once, everyone seemed to move together in rhythm. I took a step back before Nicky could reach me, as Chris tightened his arm around me. Not possessively, but in a protective kind of way. Scott was doing the same as Chris, but from the other side. He had actually taken a step to stand between Nicky and myself. Flinching away from Nicky, almost looking as if I thought he would burn me, I only managed to mumble out one word in a whisper as I shook my head. "Don't ..."

His eyes darted between Chris and Scott and then back to mine. He lowered his voice. "Look, Y/N, can we......can we go somewhere and talk...........?"

Swallowing hard again, furrowing my brows, I minutely shook my head no, never looking away, pretty sure I was still in shock. I thought I heard Scott say something but since he was standing completely in front of me now, with his back to me, I couldn't tell. I was peeking over Scott's shoulder, still staring in disbelief, as I felt Chris on my other side. He was asking what was going on and if I was alright.

Nicky began asking Scott something about letting him talk to me. Scott was saying something back, but the music was so loud and people were cheering something on at the bar. I was on a sensory overload but couldn't stop looking around Scott at Nicky's face. It felt like Chris was trying to hear what his brother was saying from beside me but I was standing between the two of them and Scott was standing his ground on whatever he had said to Nicky. It all was just happening so fast and the background was so loud.

Nicky leaned over to the side, so he could see around Scott, trying to speak again and looked like he was going to try to grab my hand. There was no way I was allowing that. With a glare, the way I spoke almost had a growl attached. "Do. Not. Touch me, Nicky."

Gasping for breath, my chest heaving, I took a few steps back, moving my hand from his reach before he had gotten close enough to grab it. Scott moved in perfect sync with me, never missing a beat, his arm stretched out to his side, in front of my waist, his hand pressed against the front of my opposite hip from him. It was like a barrier he was making to tell Nicky not to come any closer to me. Chris was still beside me, his arm still around the back of my waist, but now he was a little in front of me too. He was guarded, I guess from how defensive Scott and I seemed. I felt my hands trembling from the shock I was still in.

Chris finally turned toward me, letting go as he held his hands up for a minute before speaking. "You called him Nicky. Wait, before..., earlier tonight ...you said you wanted to talk to me about your ex-boyfriend, Nicky. Are you saying...?"

From the corner of my eye, in my peripheral vision, I could see Chris look from my face to Nicky's, the two of us still watching each other as he asked again. "Is this him? Is Klaus Phillips the Nicky who Scott told me you wanted to talk about?"