BONNIE POV / TWO MONTHS LATER: MARCH


"You think this is going to outlast Spring fashion?" I asked Nicole curiously, holding up a dress that honestly could've gone through all four seasons, but still I had to ask. Nic and I did this every year, usually. We went through all of our previous year's clothes around Springtime and whatever we didn't want anymore, we'd donate half and then sell the other half. It was tradition.

She chewed on her lip and studied the dress up close, her brain rummaging through all the different types of outfits that could come out of this lone dress. Once she made her decision she nodded, "Definitely. This is a piece you can wear year-round. Keeper, for sure."

I grinned, clutching onto the dress for a moment before hanging it on my To Keep clothes rack. We had been doing this for a couple of hours, since it was my turn now. Last weekend we went through her closet and rummaged through everything to clean it up. Honestly, I think this was more of a getting rid of clothes to make room for new ones this Spring and so on. I know, how exciting is that?

"Hey, will you come with me to San Diego tomorrow to check out this boutique I've been hearing rave reviews about? Apparently, they've got some really good stuff. A lot of new, some vintage." Nicole asked as she flipping through clothes on the Giving Away rack.

I nodded, "Sure. Is it the one that is kind of beach front? But, it's not a beach clothes store?"

Her eyes lit up, "Yes! They have an Instagram and I have to check it out."

"Of course, I'll go. I've been wanting to go too."

"Sounds like a date." She smiled widely, and continued to scan every piece of clothing I had.



LATER THAT NIGHT


I was sitting downstairs, watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s by myself with a glass of white wine. It was getting closer to midnight and I took it upon myself to stop worrying about the new little clothing shop that Nicole and I were officially being granted in a cute little spot here in LA, and just, relax. It’d been pretty busy for the both of us, between her and Cameron trying to decide whether to have a large wedding or just get married at the courthouse, and me dealing with the personal headache that came with dating a lawyer at a top firm; not like I wasn’t used to it, but every since Steven officially became partner, his nights have stretched into the wee hours of the morning with new cases just flying in ever since his father retired and a lot of the Bohn Firm clients came to my Black and Perez.

Startling me, was the keys rumbling from outside and it soon opening up to Steven being careful not to make too much noise. He shut the door softly and I heard him let out a big sigh as he set his bag of files and paperwork on the counter. He walked slowly towards me and smiled once he saw me awake.

“Hi baby.” He said in a low whisper, walking to me and leaning down, gently placing a loving kiss on my lips, adding a smile afterward.

“Hi stranger.” I replied, patting the space beside me on the couch with a smirk. He took off his navy blue blazer and tossed it onto the lounge chair that was nearby before he kicked off his shoes and laid beside me; his head resting on my lap. “Rough day?” I questioned, putting my glass down and running my burgundy painted fingernails through his dirty blonde hair.

He nodded, rubbing his eyes with his hands and then proceeding to rub his temples. “I’ve had a migraine all day and this case load is insane. Black sure had a lot of clients just for him. And then with my dad leaving his firm and some of those clients not being comfortable with my brother so they come to your dad and I.” He sighed, “I’m just happy to see you.”

He was quiet for some time, just letting me massage his head hoping to relieve some of the stress and head pain he was having. I could tell he had a lot more to say because he opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself, as if he was running over his thoughts to gather them before he spoke to me. The silence was awkward, and let’s face it— it had been for quite some time between the two of us.

“Bonnie, I want to take you out on Wednesday night. What do you say?” His voice was dripping with question as he sat up and asked me.

About a month ago, my dad had dropped the bomb and told Steven he wanted him to help start up the New York division of the firm. He would be in charge, the top guy. He’d be doing the hiring of local lawyers and be there to make sure it all went smoothly. This job wasn’t going to be a few months of the year, it’d be nearing two years. Ever since he told me the news, he asked me to go out there with him. To good old New York City and to leave everything behind. Sounds easy, right? What do I have here in Los Angeles that can’t be left? Nothing. Wrong. Three weeks after Black’s retirement party, Nicole and I had got the lease on the spot we wanted and were dedicated to this shop that would be our baby.

I think the thing that upset me the most was how Steven expected me to just drop my life and give it all to him. I wasn’t that kind of girl.

My eyes met his and I nodded softly, placing my hand on his cheek. “Sure. Wednesday sounds good. By the way, I’m going to San Diego with Nicole tomorrow, we’re gonna check out this boutique that we’ve been hearing a lot about. So, I won’t be back until Tuesday afternoon.”

He nodded with a smile, his blue orbs filled with hope. It broke my heart almost. I wanted this to work more than anything, but this was not the situation to go in that favor. I was holding on, though. Because it was Steven and I loved him. We had too must history to throw away.

He got up and got himself a glass of water, bringing it back to the living room and placing it on top of a coaster on the coffee table. “I started talking to a realtor today about putting my place up for lease.”

“You’re not gonna keep it?” I asked in a shocked tone.

He shook his head, “No. It makes no sense to pay for rent out in New York and then here, also, when I’m not going to be here.”

“What about when you come home and visit your family and stuff?”

“I figured a hotel would do me nice. Bonnie, I’m not going to be coming home to visit all the time. Holidays, mainly.” His eyebrow was raised as he took a sip of his water.

“Not even to see me?”

“I won’t need to come home to see you because you’ll be with me over there…” He trailed off, his eyes locking with mine. I was tired of having this conversation over and over again.

“Steven, how many times are we going to go over this? I’ve got way too much going on here to go out to New York. I can’t. With the shop finally happening and Nicole and I still running the blog and buying. We’re insanely booked here, in LA.”

“C’mon Bonnie, you can do both. I need you to go with me to New York.” He paused for a moment, unbuttoning his shirt to reveal his bare chest. “It’s just a store and a blog, Bonnie. How important can that even be?”

There it was.
There was the bomb that set me off.
There was asshole Steven hidden underneath perfect Steven the entire time.

“Just a store and a blog…” I scoffed, letting out a low laugh. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! How dare you even say that to me? You know how important all of this is for me. You’ve known for years, Steven!” He tried to get a word in but it was like he was stuck. I shook my head and thought of all the things I could have said that could ruin him. My eyes watered as I looked at him, ashamed. “You never changed, did you? I should’ve known that you were never going to be proud of me. Well, newsflash Steven, I’m not your brother’s wife. I’m not your mom, or my mom, or your friend’s wives. I’m my own fucking person with my own fucking career and I have never needed you to fucking make me feel special.” I shook my head and went up to my room, locking the door behind me.

I guess some things never change. I guess some people will just stay the fucking same.

---

The next day, Nicole had came and got me from my place and we were driving the two hour trip down to San Diego. I was telling her about the argument that Steven and I had last night once we had arrived at the boutique and had decided to check out this coffeeshop nearby since the shop wasn’t open yet for another hour.

Her eyes widened, “Wow. I can’t believe he said that. I could’ve sworn he was seeing things differently now, you know?” She said, taking a forkful of her banana nut bread and shoving it into her mouth.

“It’s like he thinks if it’s not a job like he has, then it’s not a job. You should’ve seen the look on his face, Nic. I can’t even believe he could be that unsupportive— after all this time and all the begging he put into convincing me that he’d change.”

She eyed me and sighed, knowing that this was happening all over again. “What happened afterward? After you went upstairs?”

I sipped on my iced coffee before answering. “He came up later knocking on the door and apologizing but I ignored him and he then I guess he went downstairs. He wasn’t there when I left this morning.” I rolled my eyes just thinking about him. “He had to go in early this morning for some case him and my dad are working on. And, he’s been blowing up my phone since last night. I just muted him.” I smiled evilly making Nicole smile softly.

“Why are prestigious men like that? I don’t understand it. What you and I do brings up a creative aspect within us. We’re not these robotic, brainiacs. We’re creative and like fashion and music and a different outlet. What’s so wrong with having both?” She asked an honest question that I wish I had the answer too. Can a mechanically sound left brain man or woman be in a relationship with someone who is the more creative and colorful right brain? Can it work?

Nicole got up and went to the restroom and I was left thinking about the differences between two people. My brain was hurting just thinking about it, so I decided to humor myself with Twitter and Instagram for a while. Steven really pissed me off and I hated that he hadn’t changed his views on me. That was the most disappointing thing of all.

“Bonnie?” A voice came from nearby. I look dup from my phone and met eyes with those brown pools once more.

“Mike? Holy hell, what’s up?” I smiled softly, shocked to see him. The last time I’d seen him was when he so stupidly proposed to me the night that Steven’s partnership was announced.

“Nothing much, just grabbing some coffee. What are you doing in SD?” He asked curiously, tapping the cup of his large iced coffee to a beat he’d come up with on his own.

“I’m here with Nic. Her and I are going to check out that boutique around the corner. We’re the staying the night here, tonight.”

He smiled sweetly, “That sounds awesome.” He paused for a moment, his eyes not leaving me. “How are you doing?”

I nodded a little, “I’m doing good. You know, just really busy.”

“Cam told me that you and Nic are opening up a shop in LA. Congratulations, that’s fucking cool. You’ll have to let me know when the grand opening is so I could go out and support you two.” He licked his bottom lip before he let out a genuine smile.

You see, this is how Steven should be. He should be telling me congrats. Now that I think about it, he never even congratulated me on getting the shop. He just said, “Wow Bonnie! How cool.” That’s all I got.

“I definitely will. Thanks, Mike.” A silence fell among us but he kept looking at me.

“Hey, if you’re feeling up to it, that restaurant I was telling you about forever ago, you know the one with the—“

“—best margs in San Diego?” I finished with a smirk coming out on me.

He chuckled softly, “Yeah, that one. Well, I still owe you on taking you there. You wanna go tonight? You know, as friends?”

Maybe it was my vulnerability, or the fact that I was now fully caffeinated, or maybe it was how brown his eyes were and how easy they were to fall into. Maybe it was all three.

I nodded gently, “Sure. I’m up for it.”

A moment later, Nicole came up and patted Mike on the back. “Mike Fuentes, what’s up nerd?” She greeted him with a slap on the back and a laugh coming from her.

His big smile fell briefly as he greeted her, “And um, Nic can come too, if she wants?”

“Come to what?” She asked as she sat down.

“Um, dinner at that one restaurant. Word on the street is they’ve got the best margaritas in San Diego. I’ve been meaning to take Bonnie there for a long, long time. Like four months of a long time.”

Nicole eyed me carefully, I already know she was wondering what the fuck I was doing. “Sure, I’ll tag along. If you two don’t mind…”

I raised an eyebrow at her and Mike laughed. “No, no of course not. We’re all friends, here. We can all go out to dinner. Where are you two staying?”

Nicole and Mike discussed the time and where he could pick us up from our hotel. I stayed quiet and my eyes were carefully studying his tattooed arms and his every move he was making. He’s right, we’re all friends here.

Notes

I FINALLY UPDATED AND I THINK YOU'RE ALL GONNA LIKE THIS I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING AWFUL

XO,
Ambs