Shattered

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

(Nina's Pov)

There had to be something wrong with me. Maybe it was being surrounded by all the rich smelling liquor constantly, my senses had been clogged up and I was unable to think straight. That had to be it. Definitely. There was no other explanation that would make remotely any sense with what I had willingly agreed to.

I was going to be attending Lucas' home, where his fiancé and him would be serving his friends and I dinner. Randy was going to be there, with his wife, Hannah, who I had heard numerous things about and was rather excited to meet. Over the course of the past two weeks, I had been seeing Randy's face a lot more often and surprisingly, Lucas' too. The two had spent their Saturday nights sat across from me, the three of us catching up as we mindlessly conversed about things. Although, Randy would randomly drop in constantly throughout the week and we'd speak more often.

I had a feeling he missed our friendship and wanted it back.

I couldn't deny that I felt the same exact way.

Wiping down the counter I had accidentally spilled a glass of orange juice on, I glared at my cat, Coco, for startling me. She had jumped out of nowhere, meowing in my face, leading my hands to tremble and out of shock, let the glass spill.

She was now sitting comfortably on the red couch, that I had managed to purchase from IKEA, a content look on her furry face as she licked herself clean.

Why did I decide to keep her again?

Oh, that's right. Out of loneliness. Two years ago I walked past the pet shop on my way home from a tiresome shift at work and was feeling so oddly down that I ended up doing a double take when I saw her on the display window. I don't know what it was, but I felt this strange connection and relation when I saw her beady, green eyes staring back at me with longing.

It was like she felt the same exact way I did. We were both lonely. And we both needed someone.

I couldn't stop myself from marching determinedly into that store and purchasing her, despite the significant fact I wasn't a big fan of animals and had no idea what I was going to do with her. My apartment was barely fit for myself, forget a pet that was rather dependent on its owner. 

But years later Coca had grown on me and was like a little housemate. I couldn't deny the fact she was incredibly frustrating and annoying quite a lot of the times. I could barely cope with her sometimes, to the point I was tempted to throw her out.

I know, harsh.

Sighing, I threw away the soaked kitchen towels into the bin and quickly washed my hands. My eyes briefly darted to the clock hanging on the wall and realized I had only two hours to get ready, before Lucas (who insisted) would send a cab to come pick me up and safely drive me to his home. His words, not mine.

Deciding to start on my much needed change in appearance and attire, I grabbed my towel and a pair of matching undergarments before heading into the shower. The warm water instantly began raining down and I took in a sharp breath as I let it beat down against me, my eyes closing shut in relaxation.

In all honesty, I had no idea why I agreed to attending this dinner. Apparently it was something Lucas held every other month and it seemed like a rather big deal. That wasn't the only thing that made feel intimidated and nervous, it was also the fact I would be meeting an important person in Lucas' life, when just a few weeks ago, I wasn't apart of his.

It felt like this was a huge step that I hadn't thought about until I had a good amount of time on my hands, leading me to mindlessly overthink everything. And now that I had done exactly that, I was beginning to realize maybe this was one large mistake.