�Wait,� Nickolas said stopping her. �Where are you going?�
�I have a movie to shoot, Nick,� Dakota reminded him. �I can�t just sit here and watch you twiddle her thumbs. If you have something to say to me then you better say it now, because in five seconds I�m out that door and I will not be coming back.� They looked at each other and he got up off the bed. He walked over to her and pulled her back over to the table. �Three seconds.�
�Ok.� He took a deep breath and just looked at her.
�Time�s up.� She went to walk away and Nickolas grabbed her arm and she looked at him. �Nick, I can�t keep doing this. You had three months to talk and you haven�t. Now that you want to talk you don�t want to talk. What am I supposed to think? Do you have a legit and honest reason why you did what you did? Or not? I can�t keep waiting around like this and letting you continue to hurt me. My heart has bled enough and I�m tired of it. We were so good for each other, but you chose to ruin it by sleeping with Tiffany.�
�I know and I�m sorry. If I could go back in time and change it I would; God knows I would just to keep the smile on your face.�
�But you can�t, Nickolas, and I haven�t smiled the same since. You did this so it�s up to you to fix it. I need an explanation and I need one now or you can just forget about us getting back together ever.�
They looked at each other and he waited a moment before saying, �I got scared.�
�You got scared? You got scared! After three years you get fucking scared? That is the most chicken piece of shit I have ever heard, Carter. After three years you do not get scared of your relationship. There�s something more and I want to know what it is.�
�There isn�t anything more. I�m being honest with you, Dakota, and if you can�t see that then�� He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. �I got scared because the realization of actually being in love with someone sunk in and it scared me. A part of me didn�t want to feel that way and it won over.�
�So what was all that shit in the beginning if it took you three years to realize you were in love with me? Did telling me you loved me mean nothing to you then? Was I just a conquest you wanted to conquer? Did anything we share mean anything to you?� She started hitting him with her bag, as the tears went down her face and he grabbed it out of her hands. �God, I hate you, Carter.�
�I�m sorry.�
�I don�t want to hear you say you�re sorry anymore! That�s all you�ve been doing since I saw you kissing my best friend!� He looked at her. �Everything to you is sorry, sorry, sorry! Well I�m tired of hearing it! I want reasons, Nick. I want to know why. Why after all this time did you have to hurt me?� He just looked at her. He had no idea what to say. He had no idea what to do. He wanted to hold her in his arms, but she would just push him away. He hurt her enough and didn�t want to hurt her anymore. �Did I mean anything to you at all the past three years?�
�Of course you did. You mean more to me than anyone will ever know.�
�Then why?�
�I told you why. I got scared and it�s the truth.�
�How long was it going on until I found out?� He reached over and wiped her tears away.
�I don�t think that�s important.�
�I have to know, Nick. It�s my right after all. I have to know how long the man I thought loved me was cheating on me.�
�For about five or six months,� Nickolas whispered softly.
�You bastard.� She slapped him across the face.
�I deserved that.� He rubbed the part she hit and she walked away from him. �I never meant to hurt you, DJ.�
�But you did. I was finally convincing myself that the dream was wrong and I was just scared that you would cheat, ya know, but you made me realize that my dreams are telling me something. They�re telling me something important and that I shouldn�t ignore them, because they�ll just hurt more.�
�I wish there was something I could do to make you realize that I do love you and make up for my mistakes.� She shook her head.
�You did too much damage and not even a lifetime could make up for the pain you caused me.�
�I love you.�
�That�s not going to work. No song is going to work either so just get that thought out of your mind along with the one of proposing.� He looked at her surprised at how she always knew what was going through his mind. �I loved you so much and I gave you so much of me and all I get in the end is a bleeding heart. You couldn�t be honest with me in the beginning and now it�s too late. You ruined it for the both of us.�
�How can you say that? I�m being honest now, because I love you. I don�t think it matters when you�re honest with someone just as long as you�re honest.�
�Our whole relationship was based on trust and honesty and love. I never got any of that from you.�
�Of course you did.� She shook her head in disgust and grabbed her bag from Nickolas. She walked to the door and Nickolas said, �So you don�t care anymore?�
�What does it matter? You never cared. It�s my turn not to care.�
�You�re always trying to take the easy way out.�
�Me? I�m not the one that was shacking it up with some tramp in our parlor! That�s the coward�s way out! If you wanted to end it you should�ve just been honest and said instead of ripping my heart from my chest!�
�I�m being honest now!�
�After three damn years! How do you expect me to trust you, Nick, when all you ever did was lied to me?�
�I�m not lying now.�
�That�s bullshit! I don�t buy that damn �I got scared� story for a second! There�s another reason, but you just don�t want to say. Are you afraid that�ll hurt me even more?�
�I swear to God I�m telling you the truth, DJ. Why can�t you believe me?� She just looked at him. �At least just this once anyway.�
�Because you�re still hiding something from me. If you can�t tell me what it is then I can�t trust you�ever.�
�I ain�t hiding anything else.�
�Nick, if you want me to stay just tell me what else you�re hiding. If not then I�m out this door and I will not look back.� God, he didn�t want to tell her he slept with MyKenna. If he told her that then she definitely wouldn�t be back. He did love her all this time and deep down she had to know that. He wouldn�t have stayed with her if he didn�t. She was the best thing that came into his life, but then he had to go screw it up more than once. He wanted her to stay so he couldn�t tell her the whole truth.
�There isn�t anything else.�
�Another lie, Carter. You must really think I�m stupid, don�t you?�
�Of course not.�
�Then why lie?�
�I�m not lying.�
�Yes you are and I�m not going to stay here and listen to anymore of it!�
�DJ, please��
�Go to hell, Nick.� She opened the door and Nickolas gave a disgusted grunt.
She started out the door and he yelled, �I slept with MyKenna!� Dakota stopped in her tracks and slowly looked at him.
�What did you just say?�
�I slept with MyKenna.�
�You�re lying.� He shook his head and she could feel the chunks rise to her throat, as she looked away from him. �Oh God��
�I didn�t want to tell you, because I knew how much it would hurt you to know that your boyfriend and best friend slept together.�
She looked at him again. �When?�
�That night you came home and saw us kissing.�
�That was four months ago. You kept it from me this entire time?� He nodded. �You cheating bastard. Does Aaron know?�
�MyKenna was going to tell him tonight.�
�So Tiffany wasn�t the only one. You were screwing my best friend behind my back.�
�It was only once.�
�Once, twice what the hell�s the difference! I should�ve known you were going to be a waste of my time.�
�DJ, I thought I�d find you here,� Aaron said barging into the room and they looked.
CHAPTER 33