Heiress ∣ Nate Archibald

Eighteen

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Having donned her exhausted, aching body in a brown pleated leather skirt, Gucci belt, black tank and a black blazer Ophelia found herself - yet again - going to Central Park to meet up with a certain van der Bilt heir. The events of the last twenty-four hours still hung over the ravenette's head but as she made her way through the park, she did her best to push them aside. 

"Lia." Nate's voice pulled the heiress' gaze from her phone to the boy dressed in sweatpants and a grey shirt in front of her. Smiling wide she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him for a moment too long, needing the familiar comfort of her best friend even if it made her heart skip a beat. "How'd your run with your father go?". Ophelia questioned, motioning towards his outfit before laughing at his messy hair. "I don't know, the run itself was fine but he's still hiding something from me - I just don't know what." 

Seeing the disheartened look across his face the ravenette placed her hand on his arm to comfort him. "I know this is where I should say maybe it's because he's fresh out of rehab, but you and I both know your father has always had a taste for the less legal approach to life." Somehow Ophelia's comment made the young boy smile, adoring how she had a way with words that would always cheer him up. "Promise me you won't get too caught up with it though, okay? The last thing I need is to be visiting you in a jail cell." 

"Orange isn't my colour Lia." Sending a wink her way made the heiress giggle softly before the pair of them broke out into laughter. "I don't think I could do the whole 'prison wife' thing, the guards may fancy me too much and I don't exactly do well with authority." Not even realizing the words coming from her mouth Ophelia glanced out towards the nearby fountain, missing the way Nate stared at her like she was the only girl in the world. The golden boy tossed through his mind as he wondered whether or not to mention the comment but as the heiress looked so carefree he decided to let it go. 

"About this whole 'you and Georgina' thing?". Nate tried to dissect, wondering the best way to address the news he had learnt the day prior. "What is it you're asking here Nat?". Ophelia's voice was calm, despite being outed by the blonde she wasn't embarrassed about her identity - she just never thought it important to bring up. "Why didn't you ever tell me?". The question was filled with pain - a reaction the heiress didn't expect. "Why didn't you tell me you dated girls, I mean Georgina of all people too?".

The additional comment put a small smile on her face, tilting her head towards the bench she quietly sat down and angled her body towards her best friend. As he sat, the ravenette took a deep breath and prepared herself for the future explanation. "I've always been interested in girls, but it wasn't until I met G that I realized I was able to act on it. We started off with just having fun and experimenting but very quickly it turned into something more. I loved her... well as much as I could at 15." 

"I didn't think Georgina was capable of love." Nate commented before quickly wishing he could retract his words as he watched the heiress' face drop slightly. "Well, shockingly, she is - or was. I know our lives at the time were filled with parties, drugs and alcohol but we had each other. I felt alone and she took that away." Ophelia admitted for the first time, truly beginning to understand the time she had spent with the girl. "I'm sorry I didn't know Lia... I could've supported you." Nate tried to console, unsure on what the right words were to comfort the ravenette but his comment seemed to backfire.