Always and Forever

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I sat on the end of the couch staring bitterly at a picture of Nathan and me after our high school graduation. It was the one that Kristen had taken of us. She sent me a copy few weeks later. I didn’t even know he had this picture as well. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though. She is his cousin.

It was strange at how much we had changed since then. He was so fun and care-free. As was I. But now everything has changed. Nothing is like what it was and looking back on it seems like so long ago.

We were close. He was my best friend and now I don’t even know. I mean legally he is my husband but emotionally it didn’t feel that way. Husbands don’t go around with bleach blondes hanging on their arm while their wives are in the room. Well good ones don’t anyway.

I mean of all the things in the world that I might have seen today, that was not one of them.  No matter what I do that image of them just won’t get out of my mind. The hour long swim in the pool didn’t help. And neither did the hot shower. After that I decided to try divulging into a good book, but found it very hard to do when my thoughts kept drifting off to what Nathan was doing right now.

Surely he hadn’t invited her back there after I left, right? It’s possible that he could be at the office now just going over some paper work…alone.

Ugh! I really need to get him out of my mind. This is eating away at me and I can’t let it. What he does at his job is none of my business. If he wants the company of fake bimbos then so be it, but I refuse to let it affect me.

This whole marriage arrangement was his idea. The least he could do was be honest with me. If he has changed his mind I’d like to know. I’d be more than happy to move back home. I still had my apartment and my friends. Oh and my sweet Abbot.

I missed him. I think I’ll have Carl take me to get him tomorrow. I doubt Nathan would let me go alone. I don’t know what he thinks will happen to me. I used to go places alone all the time. Until moved here of course.

Maybe I’ll go see what the cooks are preparing for dinner. Food is always a good way to distract my thoughts. And get fat, but we won’t go there. Weight doesn’t even matter when I’m upset.

Upon entering the kitchen I spotted the familiar middle aged, brown haired cook Amelia, stirring a pot of something that smelled wonderfully delicious. I immediately took it upon myself to find out what it was. If there was something this amazing being made under my nose I had to see about it.

When she saw me entering the kitchen she had a look of surprise on her face that stayed placed until I reached her. 

“Mrs. Holbrooke, I didn’t know you were coming in. Is everything ok?”

I raised my eyebrow to her in confusion. “Why wouldn’t everything be ok?”

Since when was it a crime to enter the kitchen? Unless it's like the whole beauty and the beast thing, but instead of me not being allow in the west wing, it's the kitchen. 

She seemed embarrassed by my question and went back to stir the substance in the pot.

“It’s just that we normally don’t receive visitors in the kitchen, just the staff.” She admitted.

“You mean Nathan doesn’t come around?”

That is just silly. 

“Not that I can ever recall.” She giggled. “He lets me run the kitchen and he stays out.”

So she was the overseer of this part of the house. I had always wondered who the great cook was behind these walls. This was my first time being in this part of the house. I should visit more often. I like it here and Amelia seemed nice enough. it was definitely the more normal part of the things around here.