Yeah, I shouldn't have brought this up. How stupid could I possibly be? Very, if you're wondering.

Mike lost it. All because I failed to mention that these weren't my thoughts, but my best friend and her boyfriend's thoughts. All because of that. But still, I said nothing. And that's how Mike and I got into our first fight; the topic being one that came up more than once after that.

The next morning, I was at Nipsy's trying to focus on fashion but all I could think of was how mad Mike was last night. It was honestly ruining my day and all I wanted to do was get home and lay in my bed. But, I was an adult now. I had to get the fuck up, put on some goddamn lipstick and get on with my day; no matter how I felt inside.

"Can I sit?" A familiar voice came from above me, shaking me from my own day dream. The light brunette who's blue eyes used to make me swoon stood in front of me in a perfectly tailored navy blue Tom Ford suit. I nodded, gesturing my hand out to the empty seat in front of me. "Why are you by yourself?" He questioned, taking a sip of his hot beverage.

"Because I'm always by myself." I said mater-of-factly, as if he should know.

"Lately you haven't." He mentioned before taking another sip and then licking his lips before speaking again. "You know Bonnie, I need to thank you for introducing me to this coffee shop years ago. It's my favorite, you know."

"Well Steven, you're welcome." I smirked before taking a sip of my own drink; iced coffee with vanilla, of course. Would it be anything else?

"Where's your new boy at?" He looked behind his shoulder, as if the guy who replaced him might be in the same room as he was.

"He's in Seattle or something, I don't remember." I answered quickly, but honestly. Steven nodded, looking outside the window beside him. "Steven, can I ask you something?"

"Anything for you." He smirked, trying to be charming but coming off more annoying and he knew it, too.

"Be honest. The lifestyle that we grew up in, you know, our parents having money and stuff, is that an issue for like-" I paused, trying to thing of a way to word my sentence without coming off as snobby.

"-people who didn't grow up with it?" He finished my sentence and I nodded softly. "For some people, I suppose. I feel like it depends on the person. I think about it sometimes. Your dad and my dad didn't have money growing up. Dirt poor. And they worked their asses off to be able to get to this point and provide for their families, right? What's so wrong with that? That's that my dad was a little more lenient with me than your dad was. Bonnie, everything you have that is yours, you paid for, you worked for it. If someone, doesn't matter who, can't appreciate that, or even see that, then I feel like they can't be right for you. Your father is a wonderful man. One of the hardest working human beings I've ever met. And he raised a daughter who is just as hard working and wonderful as he is; cuter, though. But the point is, you aren't like everyone else in our circle, because your dad made sure that his bank account balance wasn't a factor in raising you."

His words caught me off guard. This was probably the nicest thing he's ever said to me since we broke up. For once, he wasn't being a dickhead and I felt like venting, so he was gonna have to listen. "It's not that he doesn't like where I come from, he says he doesn't care, but Nicole and Cam think otherwise. And it bothers me that they think that. That they think he's only after me because of money. It's not like I even have anything. I've borrowed money from my dad only a couple of times and I paid him back as soon as I could. Anyway, I mentioned the topic last night and he just lost it. He got so mad. I didn't tell him that it was Cam and Nicole that think that. So, he probably freaked out assuming it was what I was thinking, you know? I don't care about that kinda stuff."

"Oh Bonnie," he chuckled, showing his pearly whites. "You love Nicole and Cam so much you're never gonna sell them out, are you?"

"Nicole and I haven't spoken in two weeks, actually."

"Doesn't mean she's not your best friend." He said simply before looking down at the brown leather banded watch that sat on his left wrist. "I hate to run out during this conversation, but I gotta get to work. You know your dad and tardiness." He smiled before giving me a nod and then walking out the front doors. I saw him as he walked with his right hand in his pocket and got into his car before he took off.

I sat there looking at the chair that he sat across. I would never admit it out loud, but Steven was right about everything. About the argument with Mike, about Nicole. All I could think about was Mike, and swallowing my pride for once. If he were to ask me what I had asked him, I wouldn't been offended beyond belief. My only choice was to apologize. I'm not gonna lose Mike over a misunderstanding.

---

After I went to my buyers, giving them the holidays shipments I had ordered a few weeks ago, I was on my way to my dad's work to drop off his lunch. He wanted a soup and sandwich from Panera, so that's where I had went. I called Mike from Skype on my phone and it took him three rings to answer.

"Hey Bon." He said quietly before leaving the loud room he was in and putting in his headphones and entering another room.

"Mikey, I'm sorry." I flat out said. I figured I'd skip the greetings and just get right to it.

He looked into the camera and smiled slightly, "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to blow up on you. How come you didn't tell me?"

I looked confused, "Tell you what?"

"Tell me that it was Nicole who said that."

"How'd you know about that?"

"Cam told me. He told me what he said, too. Bonnie, baby, I don't give a fuck what Nicole or Cam or anyone says or thinks about me. I get it. You and I are different. But, I like that we're different. I like that you've lived the fancy life and you have all these experiences. I love that about you. I love that you were raised to work for what you have. You're something else, Bonnie. And, I love that you're something else."

I smiled, looking at the pixelated version of him on my cell phone. Something was telling me that this wouldn't be the last of this topic of conversation, given the people that surround us. But, I didn't care. All that mattered was that our backgrounds, as different as they were, weren't going to affect our relationship and views of each other.

---

"Smokehouse turkey with swiss on sourdough with tomato soup?" I said, waltzing into my father's office without knocking. I shouldn't have to knock, I'm his daughter for fucks sake. Steven was in there also, just lounging on one of the brown leather chairs.

"Ah yes, sweetheart. You know me well." I handed him the bag of food and kissed him on the cheek before plopping onto one of the other chairs across from him.

"Dad, you need to redecorate in here. It's so-- musky." I said, making both my father and Steven laugh. "What? You need some color in here."

"He's a lawyer, he's got to look tough." Steven recanted, looking around the room.

"It's just so brown in here. That's literally the only color in here. Brown. Ugly brown."

"I appreciate the concern sweetheart, but you aren't touching my office." My dad smiled as he took a bite of his sandwich.

I rolled my eyes and looked over at Steven and studied his outfit today a little more than I did when I saw him earlier today. He had these brown shoes to match with the leather band on his watch and it wore so well. "Steven, this is a weird question, but can I take a picture of your outfit today?"

He looked at me oddly, "Um...why?"

A grin grew on my lips as I began to explain the project that Nicole and I had been doing for our blog; it was together at first but now we just post separately, but it was still going on and it was a hit. Once I explained, he agreed. "Okay, let's go into good light. I'm actually really impressed by your outfit today." I complimented as we walked outside to the front of the red brick building.

"Well Bonnie, I learned from the best." He winked at me then started laughing. "How should I pose?"

"Just look natural, stupid." I laughed, waiting for him to be serious. And he posed, looking spiffy and cool. "Ooh, this one came out so good Steven, look."

He came up beside me and looked at my phone, "Damn. I look good!"

I laughed and looked into those deep baby blues, "What do you have to say about your outfit?"

"Hmm," he thought for a moment, his hands in his pockets. "honestly, I feel confident. In the last couple of years, I feel like I've taken the way I look and how comfortable I feel in my clothes, more seriously. I used to have this girlfriend who was highly inclined in fashion, and she told me once that style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn. I know I'm a guy who has big dreams and definitely does not give a damn."

I smiled at him, "I can't believe you remembered that. You know Orson Welles said that, right? It's one of my favorite fashion quotes, ever, ever, ever."

"Of course I know that. You think I'd forget that? You'd never shut up about it." He smirked looking deep into my eyes. There was a silence that fell among us, and he chewed on the bottom of his lip. "I better get back. Let me know how the blog comes out, okay?" He grinned and I returned it back to him with a nod, watching him as he went back inside.

I walked to my car and sat in it for a while, trying to pick a song to drive to and wondering why Steven had been nice to me today. It was weird. He was acting normal and not like a fuckass, and I think I got so used to Fuckass Steven that this Steven was foreign to me at the point. I missed normal Steven. Only thing is I didn't wanna get Fuckass Steven back, I hated that guy. And oddly enough, my ex boyfriend that I despised was becoming my only friend nowadays.

Notes

Well would you look at that, I updated twice in one night. I'm on a roll over here.
Leave your feedback and/or questions, comments, and concerns :)

XO,
Ambs