16Laura was trying her hardest to block out Ryan and Jake's voices as she stared grimly out of the car window and did her best to pretend the irritating pair weren't there. It was damned impossible though, especially since they were discussing Nathan. Again.
Who could have dreamt up this ludicrous situation? No-one in their wildest fantasies could ever imagine someone having to listen to her own boyfriend and brother endlessly discuss her lover. Except Nathan wasn't her lover was he? He was a one night stand who didn't seem to like her very much. And she wasn't even sure about that. He blew so hot and cold she couldn't work him out. He was mainly cold - all blue eyed calmness and smooth composure. But occasionally there would be a glimpse of something hotter, like the heated stare at Ryan's barbecue, like in the car the other night when he had turned and looked at her, like that night... If she had never had those glimpses Laura might have been able to put the whole situation to rest, but when he looked at her like that ... it almost stopped her heart.
"Laura?" Ryan's voice broke into her thoughts. "Earth to Laura. I asked you a question."
"What?" she said irritably, turning to find his head swiveled round and glaring at her.
"Do you think we should put Nathan on an online dating site?"
Oh my God. They were taking this whole thing way too seriously.
"Does he want to try online dating?" she asked, suspecting what the answer to that would be.
"Who cares? We're making all the decisions now. He can't be trusted to make his own."
"Does he need to do online dating though?" Jake, who was driving, asked. "It's not like he's short of interest or opportunity. That's not the issue remember?"
"No, but he's attracting all the wrong girls," Ryan said. "We need to find one who's are capable of keeping his interest."
"I thought you said Jenny would be able to do that?"
"Well obviously I was wrong."
"You haven't just come up with this ridiculous plan?" Laura asked incredulously.
"We've been mulling it over for a while," Jake admitted. "Ryan invited Jenny to the barbecue because he thought Nathan might like her. It turned out to be the other way round and we are now partly responsible for yet another broken heart."
"Have you thought about not interfering?" Laura asked. "The man's life is his own. It's really none of your business."
"He's our buddy. And he's obviously unhappy," Ryan said, who always tended to see things in black and white.
"How do you know he's unhappy?" she asked. "Has he told you?"
Ryan and Jake both laughed. "Of course he hasn't. Nathan never talks about shit like that. But we know him and we know he's never really been happy, despite the endless parade of gorgeous women exiting his bed."
"Maybe that's how he likes his life?"
"Nah," Jake said, "I know for sure he wants more. I know that because of the way he looks at us."
"Us? What do you mean?"
"Us. Me and you. He's always watching us with a strange look on his face."
"That sounds really creepy."
"It's not creepy," Jake laughed. "He just looks sad. You know? Kind of wistful. Like he wants what we have."
Laura realized he was right. Nathan had always said he was happy for her and Jake. Right from the start he had given his approval, even when Ryan was still acting the protective brother. But now, when she looked back at his behavior and those wistful looks that Jake, as usual, was right about, she began to wonder ... Maybe Nathan wasn't as happy as he had said. Maybe he avoided them for a reason. Maybe what he said and did was not always how he felt.
Jake was pulling into a tight parking space and Laura, still deep in thought, looked through the car window and watched a man approaching them. A man dressed in nothing but baggy board shorts, expanses of taught tan skin glowing in the sun, a wide smile spread across his lovely face. A man who had no idea what his friends had just been saying about him.
"Hey guys," he said as he reached them.
Laura opened the car door and her eyes were on a level with his tight abs. Coming to the beach today had been a really bad idea. It seemed that today Ryan and Jake were just full of bad ideas.
"Nate. You got here before us for once in your workaholic life. And no suit!"
"Fuck off Ryan," he grinned. "I do know how to relax, you know."
"Oh we know. Now let's find the others. Hey, isn't that them other there? I can see Sarah."
Laura could see Sarah too. She was standing talking to another girl, her blonde hair shining in the sun, a classy designer bikini showing off her gym honed body. Sarah used to go out with Jake's friend Matt, but they finished a month or so ago for reasons no one seemed to know. She was the kind of woman who Laura could not warm to. She wasn't sure why but Sarah was just too perfect, too well groomed, too poised, everything Laura was not. And here she was at the beach. How nice, thought Laura bitterly and watched Ryan excitedly greet her, Nathan in tow, seemingly oblivious to his well planned fate.