The Bridesmaid

56|The First Love & Jealousy

"I didn't mean it like-"

"You love me?"

Both Natalia and Anthony spoke at the same time. Natalia smiled widely at hearing the words come from Anthony's mouth, but frowned when she heard the words following it. With furrowed brows and a small frown, she nodded her head slightly.

"So you don't love me," Natalia stated as she uncrossed her legs and scooted her chair back and stood up, quickly getting everyone's attention. "If you'll excuse me, I forgot that I left my straightener plugged in, in the room," she said before she hurried out of the restaurant and into the blazing Arizona heat.

Anthony was quick to get up, but was stopped when Adriana gave him a pointed look and grabbed his arm.

"You're not going to break her heart, Anthony. You hear me," Adriana asked as she pointed a finger at him. "That girl has been through so much already and I'll be damned if I let her go through that again."

"I would never hurt her," Anthony quickly said. "I would never intentionally do anything to upset Natalia."

"Then what are you waiting for," Jessie, who was now off the phone, asked as she gestured to the door. "Go get your girl."

Anthony didn't need to be told twice as he took in their comforting smiles and ran after what he realized was the love of his life.
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Natalia had had enough. She never seemed to be enough for anyone, and it hurt more than she let on.

Though her relationship with her father had since been repaired, she would never forget the feeling of abandonment she felt when he left. She blamed herself for it and wallowed in her own self pity for a long time.

Natalia wasn't even enough for her own mother, who turned her back on her in exchange for a life of luxury. She long wondered what she could have done to have fixed the situation and it still haunted her sometimes.

And now with Anthony. The man had come into her life unexpectedly. She hadn't seen him since the World Series, and the next thing she knew, they were meeting for brunches and lunches to plan Kris and Jessie's wedding. Everything was seemingly perfect up until that point.

Natalia had let someone in, and she had still managed to somehow screw it up.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knock at her door. She quickly wiped the tears that had slowly made their way down her face, and released a shaky breath.

Opening the door, she exclaimed, "Adriana, I'm really not- oh."

"I meant it, Natalia," Anthony rushed out. "I swear to all that is good in the world, that I really did mean it when I said I love you. It just took me so long to realize that I did, but goddammit, Natalia, I love you with my whole damn heart to the point that it hurts."

"Anthony, I-"

"I'm not done, Natalia," Anthony said with a small laugh, causing Natalia to laugh as well.

"I love your laugh because it means your happy. I love your smile because it makes everyone around you want to smile. I love how much you care about your friends. I love the small crinkle you get on your nose when you don't like something, and the way you poke your tongue out to emphasize it. I love the look in your eyes you get when I take you to a baseball game. Just- I love you Natalia Grey, and I'm sorry it took so long for me to say it."

Natalia was once again on the verge of tears, but this time happy ones, as she struggled to find the words to respond.

"I get it, Nat, it's a lot. You don't have to-"