In My Dreams It's Me And You

Val's POV

“Where's Nat? I thought she was coming with us?” Brian asked, sitting in the back of Matt's car.

Chloe shrugged. “I don't know. I thought she was.”

“Maybe she was preparing something special again,” Zacky added, grinning.

“You are such a whore Zack.”

“Cheers Chloe.”

“Any time.”

“Does anyone know where Nat is?” Brian repeated, this time directing it at the others.

“She said she had to go on ahead to talk to Luke,” Jimmy replied, surprising him. “She'll meet us there.”

“Plus I think she had to go somewhere before as well,” I added, glancing at Jimmy with a worried look. “She'll meet us there.”

Brian's eyes narrowed as he noticed the look, frowning as he asked, “What's up with you two?”

Almost instantly we both replied, “Nothing.”

Neither Jimmy nor I said anything else as we pulled up into the club, just looking at each other every minute or so, knowing what was going to happen next. It would destroy him- but I guess Nat had her reasons for it. Well, at least one.

“So Syn, when you going to ask her?” Zacky asked just as I was getting out the back behind Brian.

I crossed my arms and frowned, looking between the two of them. “Ask her what?”

Zacky grinned. “With you and Matt officially married now, there has to be someone else to take over the place you left.”

“And what place might that be?”

“Engagement.”

Oh no. Not now. Not tonight.

Brian must have seen my face fall as I bit my lip, looking for Jimmy who shared my expression. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” I quickly replied, replacing the frown with a smile. “Have you got the ring?”

Please say he doesn't.

“Yes.” Shit. “Zack came with me to the shop.”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box and passed it to me. Before I opened it I tried to fool myself that it was a trick and it will just be one of those sweet rings just for the fun of it, but unfortunately, it wasn't. In its place was a beautiful white gold ring with a diamond centred in the middle. Alongside the jewel he had tiny bat wings crafted on either side, encrusted with tiny black stones. It was certainly unique, and even worse, I knew Nathalie would've loved it.

I gently closed the lid and handed it back to him, asking, “Did you design it yourself?”

He nodded. “With a bit of help. Do you think she'll like it?”

“She'll love it.” He must not have heard my voice drop as his grin grew, while Matt did but for an entirely different reason.

“Come on babe, we've had our time,” he said, draping an arm around my shoulder. “It's about time Gates settled down anyway.”

“I guess you're right,” I replied. “Maybe they will one day find out how happy marriage makes a person.”

“We can only hope.”

As we began to walk to the club I hung back so that I could grab Jimmy, walking at a slow enough pace that the rest of the guys were far enough ahead that they couldn't hear our low voices.

“We have to find her before Brian does,” I whispered hastily, keeping a weary eye at everyone in front of us in case they overhear. “I can't believe he is going to ask her to marry him!”

“Well what can we do?” Jimmy said. “We don't even know what she is planning on doing!”

“Well...” I trailed off, biting my lip. “What about her cell? We can ring and maybe-”

Jimmy cut me off, shaking his head. “Already tried when I first heard. No one picked up.”

“What are we going to do?!”

“Do about what?” Everyone must have already gone outside since it was only Brian who was there, looking back at us with a confused expression. “Is it about Nat?”

“No,” I lied, quickly leaving Jimmy's side and snatching Brian's hand, pulling him inside the club. “Come on, I want to see a proposal.”

I just hope we can find Nat before he can.

–

Nathalie's POV

“Are you sure Luke?”

“Of course I am.”

I looked up at him, biting my lip. “But you’ll probably get fired, you do know that right?”

“Of course I do,” he replied with a smile, pulling me into a hug. “You were the person who was always there for me when I needed it, so if I have to lose one job to help repay a bit of my debt then it doesn’t matter. You were the one who got me this job here anyway, only right that you should be the one to get me fired from it.”

“I’m not sure I’m meant to be happy about that,” I replied, pulling back but keeping his arms around me. Right now, I needed the reassurance. “What are you going to do?”

He grinned. “Come on Nat, I am a master of all trades. When life closes a window then a door always opens.”

“Don’t you mean when life closes a door, a window opens?”

“Whatever,” he replied, breaking away from me but taking hold of my hand instead. “Are you still sure you want to go through with this?”

My gaze fell to the floor, knowing that my heart was screaming against what I said. “Yes.”

“Come on then. Let’s go lose you a boyfriend and me a job.”

–

“Nat, are you alright?” Leana asked me, a worried look crossing her features. “You don’t seem like yourself.”

I looked up at her, forcing a smile. “I’m fine. Nothing is wrong.”

“If you say so,” she replied, still frowning but deciding not to press the subject. Her eyes wandered from mine, a smile replacing the frown as she centred her gaze over at the front door. “You didn’t tell me that the guys were coming tonight! Oh, I would have done my hair nicer if I had known...”

“Geez Leana, you look fine,” Luke said with a shake of his head, his hand squeezing mine underneath the bar. “I’m sure Jimmy will love you no matter what you look like.”

“Did he say that?!”

Luke was taken aback from her sudden outburst, looking at her with wide eyes. “Wh-what?”

“Did he say that to you? What did he say to you Luke?” She reached over the bar and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulling him close to her. “What did he say?”

“He hasn’t said anything to me!” Luke managed to choke out, gasping as she let go of his shirt with a glum look. “Why don’t you just go over there ask yourself?”

She instantly walked away from us to serve a customer at that point, despite the fact she had happily been leaving them to the other girl for the last ten minutes of our conversation. Talking to Jimmy was still something she didn’t do unless she was forced, and since he acted the same way it did get kind of tiresome to try and set the two of them up.

I glanced behind me, to where the booths were dotted around the outside of the dance floor, soon finding the one in which the others were sat in, including Brian. Luke must have followed my gaze as he slipped off the stool beside me, gently pulling on my hand for me to do the same.

“Are you ready?”

No.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”