*Trisha*

It's late and everyone is tired. I'm well aware of it. But we need to have this discussion.

"Nate, you need to make a decision." I shut my laptop and stare at my best friend. Paul no longer pays attention to either of us. He's exhausted from the event and just wants to go to bed. 

"I can't believe we're having this conversation." Nate rubs his forehead, and I take his hand.

"This is your career. Your life." I look around the studio. "It's time to live your life. Move forward. Go on tour. I'm ready to meet with Richard and start the booking process. The band is ready. Everyone is ready. Sweetie, the album is out. It's doing well. You need to promote it now and get the ball rolling."

"You don't think I know this?" He loosens his tie and unbuttons the top few buttons of his dress shirt. He looked damn hot tonight. He was back to being Nate Hollan. Pleasing the press, flirting with the ladies, talking golf with the guys.  Nate was back. And his annual charity event for the Heart Foundation raised over $75,000.00. The most  it has ever raised. It helped I called the coordinators  and the catering company ahead of time to request this be a dry event. No alcohol served or on the premises.

"You did great tonight, by the way."

"Thanks, love. It felt good. Not wearing the suit and tie, but the night itself."

"I'm sure it did feel good! See, Nate. Don't lose yourself. You know who you are and what makes you happy." I squeeze his hand.

"I can't leave her behind." I He lets go of my hand and stands up, ready to go home now. "Bad enough, she's sad I'm sleeping at home tonight. We ended up fighting about it, a huge blowout, and I left. I feel awful leaving her there like that." He frowns. They fought about him sleeping in his own bed tonight? After a huge event and a long night?? Why shouldn't he be able to sleep in his own bed. He's not the one admitted  at the hospital. He served his time. That's ridiculous.

I stand up and grab Nate by the tie. Pulling him closer.

"Nate. You can't stall your own life for her recovery. Things are gonna happen. She may get through detox. She may not and need the Ativan again. No one knows. You need to move forward with your own life." I kiss his cheek. "It's time. You can still be there for her, but she's in good hands in the suite with plenty of care."

It IS time. Time for Nate to move on with life and actually live it.

"C'mon Playboy. Let's go home. These heels are killing me." I playfully drag him out of the studio by his tie, and Paul follows behind us.

*****

"We obviously didn't think this through very well, did we?" I look at the empty king-sized bed that I have been sleeping in while Nate's been in the hospital with Julia. We both awkwardly stand in the doorway and stare at it.

"I can sleep on the couch." Nate announces. No way. I shake my head at him. "It's fine."

"With busted ribs. Don't be silly, Nate. If you're uncomfortable, I will go to the couch. But we've slept in the same bed plenty of times."

"Fine. But I get my side of the bed back." He calls his side of the bed first.

"Whatever, loser."  I scoff to tease him and start getting undressed. Only problem...this damn gown has a zipper in the back that I can't reach.

"Shit."

"What is it..." Nate watches me struggle. I wiggle my body, trying to reach the zipper with no luck.

"Naaattteee. Help...."

"Fine. Fine. Good grief, woman, you're needy." He laughs at me and unzips my dress for me. It slides down my body, and I can feel Nate staring at me.

Without warning, in a joking way,  He grabs my hips and pulls me back against him, making me gasp when I feel his hard on against my ass. He's always fucking flirting.

"Knock it off, Playboy." I breathe out.

"You can't wear this shit and not expect me to get a hard on." He growls against my neck and slaps my ass.. "Get dressed before I have my way with you."

"You wish."  I pick up my dress and hear Nate groan.

"I mean it, Trisha. Put some clothes on."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm going. I'm going." I turn around to hang up the gown and Nate looks down at my bare chest like he's never seen a pair of boobs. "Relax. Nothing you haven't seen before..."

He catches me off guard when he pulls me up against him.

"Nate. You're gonna get yourself in trouble."  My breath hitches when he swipes his thumb across my nipple, instantly turning me on. He groans into my neck and twitches against my stomach. Is this really happening right now? Him ... And me...? And I'm ok with it? I mean.. obviously I'm ok with it. But he's gonna pay the price if Julia finds out. That's on him though, not me

"You're killing me right now."  He starts kissing up and down my neck now and I realize neither of us are willing to stop. I tilt my head to give him more access and my heart begins to beat faster

"Nate. What are you doing?" I gasp when he tugs my nipple.

"Please.." He pulls my leg up to link his arm behind my thigh and looks at us in his mirror. I'm still wearing my underwear, nylons and heels yet Nate if fully dressed in his dress pants, shirt and tie. "It's been so long since I've had sex in my own bedroom."

"Jesus Christ, we look like some Hallmark movie waiting to film right now. " 

"I think we look fucking hot."  Nate leans against me and I can't tear my eyes away from our reflection. His lips travel up and down my neck and his hand travels up and down the thigh highs on my leg.

"We really do..." I take his hand and we stand in front of the mirror, checking each other out. Nate looks at us through the mirror while I begin to undress him, starting with his tie. I slowly unbutton his shirt and begin to kiss down his abs until I'm on my knees.

"Are you sure this is fine?" I look up at Nate.

"No. But don't you dare stop now."

I pull his pants down and he takes his shirt off. He's still watching us in the mirror when I pull down his boxer briefs and take him into my mouth.

"Fuck."

Things escalate pretty quickly after this  and we have sex. Good Sex. Great .... amazing sex actually.

But the second we are done and laying in bed together I can tell Nate regrets it.

"What the fuck did I just do?" He covers his face with one arm while the other is still wrapped around me. My face flushes up.

"You regret this, huh." I slide away to my own side of the bed and pull the covers over my chest.

"Of course I fucking regret it, Trisha. I'm with Julia!" He says into his arm.

"Not tonight you're not. And it felt good, didn't it?" I turn to my side to face Nate.

"You know it did. That's not what I'm saying..."

"Nate, are you even really with her though? Half her heart is with James." I remind him and he drops his arm away from his face, putting it behind his head and bringing me back in to lay on his chest.

"Half her heart will ALWAYS be with him."

"So... I mean.... I think  a little bit of your heart is with me..." I suddenly feel strange saying that out loud. By now Nate knows how I feel about him. Yet we stay just friends.

"Of course. You know that..." He kisses the top of my head and strokes my arm. "I just never want to hurt her."

"It's me. I really don't think she's gonna care, Nate. Not like she's gonna know anyways."

That was the mistake right there. I know  Nate. He's always been brutally faithful. He's probably gonna tell Julia the moment he sees her and  she's gonna freak out and go destroy the hospital bathroom or some shit. 

I close my eyes and try not to think about it but when I wake up in the morning. Nate is already gone. I knew the first think he'd do would be to rush to the hospital. He's probably telling her right now.

I pick up my phone and open Twitter.

"What the fuck!" I sit up and read it. Then open Instagram. Then Google. "I'm gonna kill him.. I'm gonna FUCKING kill him!" I scream at my phone and Paul comes rushing into the room, holding his phone. 

I look up at the bodyguard who only shakes his head.

"I'm gonna fucking kill the bastard." I say to Paul. I see the photos and videos of Nate storming into the hospital pissed off about something. "Why the hell didn't he use the back door? He walked RIGHT into the spotlight, storming in like that! Is he TRYING To stress me out?!"

"I don't know..but um.. Trish..." Paul signals to my blanket. It had slid down off my chest in the middle of my rant, exposing my naked body from the stomach up.

"Oh whatever!" I pull the blanket over me, throw my phone and flop back on to the pillow. "I'm gonna have to clean up his mess again, aren't I?" I look up at the ceiling. Even though I played it like I didn't care, I'm mortified I just showed Paul my rack. He stands in the doorway scrolling through his phone at the articles already being posted about Nate. His dramatic entrance into the hospital. With no fucking bodyguard. Cameras and reporters and fans all around to witness it.  "I'm gonna kill him."

"He's at the hospital, I take it that's where we are going?" Paul looks up from his phone.

"I have no clothes on so as soon as you leave this room, yes." I hear Paul quickly scramble and the door slam, making me laugh a little.

*****

"Nate! What the hell is going on?" I whip the door  open and barrel into the suite, with Paul right behind me. "Why the hell are you already all over the internet?? It's a fucking zoo out front. What did you do?" I scold him like he's a fucking puppy who just pissed on the carpet.

"Julia. Finish your sentence."  Nate ignores me. He friggen ignores me? The one who has to clean up after him? I look over at Julia. She's sobbing. Like.. really sobbing.

"Nate. Why the hell is she crying..... what did you do....."  The motherfucker already told her, didn't he?

Jonah now comes in for his shift and walks right into the war zone. It's like the whole circus freak show is back in town again.

"Julia!"  Nate is looking for some kind of answer and I becomes just as confused as Jonah now. Until I see Julia focus on the Jeremy.

Oh my.

"You sonofabitch!"  Nate lunges across the bed and grabs the kid by the collar of his shirt but in a blink of an eye, Paul  pulls  Jeremy back to protect him. One thing Paul is good at- being a bodyguard. Like he could already sense the tension in the room before anything happened. He knew Nate would explode. He knew to get to Donovan before Nate rips the kid apart.

"Nate! The bodyguard shakes his head.

"I don't fucking pay you to protect him." Nate yells at Paul and then grabs the side of his body. He fucking hurt his healing ribs by being an idiot.

"You don't have the right to be mad at him." Julia says between her whimpers.

"He's your fucking doctor." Nate hisses, keeping his eyes on Jeremy who keeps his on Julia. The rest of us just stand here watching whatever the hell this is, play out.

"And she's your fucking personal assistant. Wanna play that game?!" Julia throws her hands up and covers her face to cry.

All eyes are on me now. I glare at Nate. I'm so gonna kill the man. I'm gonna make it on FOX News. I can see it now. Personal Assistant loses her mind and kills her boss. A thousand years in Jail. 

"It's different and you know it. He's your doctor..."

Julia drops her hands, ready to continue the fight.

"No, Nate. It really isn't different. She's your secretary.. I'm pretty sure that's frowned upon."

Secretary? Hold up. She did NOT just call me a damn secretary.

"I think everyone needs to step back and take a breather." Paul stands on edge watching everyone now.

"I think everyone needs to keep their hands to themselves and their clothes on." Jonah slams down the chart in his hand on the counter. "For God's sake guys. Stop complicating shit!"

Julia ignores everyone in the room, gets out of the bed and hobbles over to James while holding on to things to balance. She sits down next to him and takes his hand in hers. Then drops her forehead down on it and silently sobs. We all watch her and now hearing her cry like that...to James who isn't even conscious, makes me feel bad.

"I miss you so much, James." Julia cries and kisses his hand and now I have this lump stuck in my throat watching her. "I could really use my best friend right now." 

Shit.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Nate turns to Jeremy.

"I could ask you the same damn thing."

"You're so lucky I don't report you. If you weren't such a good doctor for her I wouldn't think twice about ruining your career."

"You're so lucky I don't go downstairs TO the reporters. If you weren't what's best for her I wouldn't think twice about ruining YOUR career." Jeremy fights back, putting Nate in his place. I mean...good one pal. He's standing up to Nate. He's got guts, this kid. He knows how to play the game.

"How about everyone leave the room. Julia and James are the only ones admitted. Separate. God, I feel like a preschool teacher." Jonah is fed up, and everyone listens to him and leaves the room.

"Jule." Nate tries to talk to me, but Jonah pushes him out with everyone else. "No, Nate. Save it for later."

We all walk out together and I head straight to the breakroom and into the bathroom.

 I lean on the counter and look at myself in the mirror.  I literally hurt another woman by sleeping  with her boyfriend. And the boyfriend is caring enough that he tells her right away. I'm humiliated that everyone knows and feel like  scumbag for doing that to Julia. Granted it's Nate. Nate's mine. He's always been mine He always comes back to me even if we're not together.

 He's my best friend and I'm his. 

Just like Julia and James.