How to love

twenty-one: She's better

Frankie's point of view:

"Leave, Natasha." Lucy hisses, her shadow catching the corner of my eye. Within a batter of a eyelid, I was surrounded by the loving warmth of Jason's family. Pamela holds her arm around me, Lucy and Georgia acting like a shield in front of us then David and his father Henry tight by Jason's side. I resisted the urge to reach forward and grab Jason's jacket, tucking myself under his arm and staring at Natasha's taller and slimmer figure.

Natasha tutted mockingly, a evident smirk overcoming her lips. "I was invited to this event just as much as any of you where, why should I be the one who goes? After all, I made a very generous donation unlike the little receptionist there. I mean, you've really downgraded there Jason."

I feel Pamela squeeze my shoulder as my chest begins to crumble, a heavy and daunting weight falling atop of my lungs.

"I think you were told to leave." Rachel's stone cold voice breaks through the tense atmosphere. She stands in front of Jason, her frame a lot shorter than Natasha but her size doesn't sphere her authority. Natasha however scowls at the elder, giving a deadly look before returning to Jason's.

"I'm not done." She tells him creating the hairs to breeze down my spine.

"You may not be," Jason begins. "But I am. I'm not only done with this conversation, but I'm done with you."

Her beady little eyes swell in size and her sticky lips part in shock.

"We were a mistake, and I realise that now." He says. "But I'm not blind anymore. I saw you for who you are; a money-grabbing, materialistic, boring person who cares more about the amount of zeros in someone's bank account than someone's happiness. Including your own - money doesn't make you happy, Natasha. Designer labels don't make you happy. They just disguise your own unhappiness in yourself."

My heart soars with pride.

He realises. He finally realises.

"And you think she's better than me?" Natasha spits, venom coating every word. "You think that she can give you what you want? She's nothing, she has nothing! She's your receptionist, Jason - that's not even a real job!"

"At least she has a job and doesn't live of daddy's cheque book!" Lucy fires furiously. David hushes his younger sister but she remains narrowed eyes and shooting daggers towards her cousin's ex-girlfriend.

"Frankie's job is no concern of yours." Jason replied calmly. "Whether she had everything, or if she had nothing, it doesn't differ who she is - and what she is, Natasha; is a wonderful, selfless, funny, thoughtful and incredibly beautiful soul. The complete opposite of you."

The wind was knocked from me and all train of thoughts halted with a screech. I read about these feelings - the breathlessness, the rush, the wobbly legs and millions of butterflies. But this was so much more than what my mind imagined. This was better.

"She's not me, Jason."

"No," He laughs lightly and for a moment, my stomach dips disappointingly after such a high. "She's better."

Mother of all angels.

"You can't get away from me. My dad is still apart of your contract for Hong Kong. I can make this one go bust just like the last."

Suddenly, everybody around me tenses. Jason's suit jacket looked like it could rip open like the incredible hulk, David's knuckles look like they could break if he squeezes any tighter and Lucy - well Lucy looked like she could rip Natasha's throat out by the cords and shake it like a lion shaking its prey.

"Say that again." Jason says, his tone dark and hard enough to make me queasy.

Natasha smirks with a devious glint behind her green eyes. "I think you heard me. Did you think that the contract just fell in on it's own?"