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“Have you made any friends, Nicole?”
Again, Kenzie came to my rescue. I nodded, then thought about Travis. “Actually, I have. His name’s Travis and he’s originally from Santa Monica. We have Senior Lit and Marketing together, but we often work together on assignments we have for other classes.”
“He sounds lovely,” Kenzie told me, then looked over at Jonas. The two exchanged looks before she promptly stood up “We’re going to head back to our hotel.”
“Hotel? You’re both more than welcome to stay here. After all, it’s your place.”
Jonas joined his wife, and I rose to my feet as well. “We didn’t want to crimp your college girl lifestyle. I’m going to take my wife out for a night on the town, then we’re headed back to New York City.”
“If you’re sure,” I said.
Kenzie gave me a hug, then Jonas did the same. He lingered with his, though. “Keep your grades up, stay away from the Titans, and finish this semester strong and we’ll see about that internship.”
I didn’t even care about his warning regarding Callum. I was excited to know I was a few months away from securing a possible internship which was what drove me to Chicago to begin with. “I will. Love you guys.”
The two left, and my earlier worries returned. Since my initial plans of wine and a bubble bath were back on the table, I went into the small wine cooler for a bottle of something red and fruity, then found a similarly sweet scent of bubble bath.
CALLUM
Things between me and Nicole were more strained than before, but she did eventually call me to her place. After we talked about things, and she explained having run into him when in North Hollywood, I had already decided to put this behind us. Any time we had together was already so precious, so I hated to waste it fighting with one another. I’d taken her to bed after our talk, and made much better use of our time.
A few hours later, I’d been lying there with her in my arms. My thoughts were on my upcoming function, and how badly I wished I could bring her. The day I was able to show up with her on my arm would set every blog, paper, and news channel in the city abuzz. It had with Gabriel and Harper, and I knew Nicole and I would be no exception. She actually had a lot in common with my friend’s girl. Both were daughters of Titans, so already considered social royalty in one city or another. There’d be no smear campaigns, or digging into her past, because she was already well known in high society.
Lucy Davis had sent me an invite for the upcoming ‘social event of the season’ as she’d dubbed it. Every one of them seemed to be listed that way, but I knew she worked tirelessly with various charities around the city, so I often attended the parties, and didn’t get upset about it. A lot of foundations, and ultimately people, were helped by money raised. It was just tiresome having to show up with different women on my arm. This time, I would have to go solo. I might arrive that way, but it didn’t have to end that way. Could we really be together, while being apart?
I’d invited Nicole to attend the city’s charity masquerade ball a few weeks earlier, so confident that the venue would afford us the privacy we needed. Admittedly, I’d been right to have reservations about it after all. She was seen, despite our best efforts. This shroud of secrecy truly sucked in more ways than one. Sometimes, even being a Titan did, too. It was a responsibility, and obligation, my entire life. My father dealt with it, and his father before him, and so on and so on. And it wasn’t just cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago that had them. At almost every event in any large city, you’d find a Titan.
Things had been that way for as long as I could remember. Even as a young boy, my mother would drag me from one store to another in search of a tuxedo I’d only wear once. I’d once asked my father what the purpose was, and he’d just chuckled.
“You can’t expect to be looked upon as king of the castle if you’re never out of the fortress, son,” he’d tell me. It was several years later that I’d understood what he’d meant.
With our titles, there came certain responsibilities. I’d begrudgingly learned to accept why we were paraded around at every fancy event. Our titles came with power, and with it, there was also curiosity. People revered us, some might even hate us, but they always saw us. We stood tall, united, and we were looked up to. Women like Nicole were treated differently, though. Sure, the society pages would draw attention to their fashion, makeup, and hairstyles, but they too were overshadowed by the male Titans. It was a very chauvinistic society that we belonged to.
“I bet it was tough for you growing up?” I’d once said to Nicole when we’d been talking about the lives of Titans.
“How so?” she’d asked.
“You were certainly looked over when with your father, uncle, and even brother. How did that make you feel?”
“Free,” she’d told me, and it made me view my entitlement in a different way.
I’d never had a choice when it came to the limelight. I was thrust into it at such a young age and taught that it was an obligation of my privilege. When looking at some of my closest friends, Romeo had been lucky to that extent. He’d become a Titan once he’d made Chicago home. He had all the attributes of one, but affluence was the only thing missing from his childhood. He’d been able to have a normal one, unlike so many others. Between his rookie contract, and the most recent extension, that couldn’t be said any longer. Daxon, Gabriel, Noah, and I’d always accepted our lot in life, and we did the bachelor auctions and other things asked of us in the name of duty. I’d never realized how draining it all was until she uttered that single word. Free!
Since reuniting with her in Chicago, there were a lot of things I’d once thought that no longer seemed the same. My values... likes... dislikes... they all changed and mostly because of her. Or, maybe it’d been partially due to the ayahuasca ceremony, too. It was a spiritual cleanse I never knew I needed. And Nicole, she was the girl I never thought I needed, either.
But, free. I wanted to experience that so badly for myself. When in places like Costa Rica, no one knew me outside of the staff my parents employed, and those I’d met when there. In Chicago, I couldn’t sneeze without some paper or news channel questioning whether I was sick or not. I couldn’t jog down the street like others in the spring and early fall because I would be photographed. It wasn’t always a bad thing, but sometimes I just wanted to blend in with everyone else. I wanted to be free. Even in her own circle back in Los Angeles, she got to experience something I’d never known I’d wanted until now.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful, though. I’m sure you were the talk of the town. You could probably get anything, or anyone, you wanted,” I’d told her, but she’d shaken her head.
“Because of the Titans, I was actually more unapproachable. When the society pages wanted to interview me, the questions always revolved around my father, grandfather, uncle, and even my brother. Oh my God, with Nicolai it was even worse. So many girls tried to befriend me in hopes that it would get them closer to Nico. I grew up most of my life questioning everyone and their motives. The few true friends I might’ve had, I’d chased away with my own insecurities. That's why I’m so glad to have found Travis.”
The mere mention of her classmate still left a sour taste in my mouth. Nicole usually held nothing back from me when I’d ask her questions about anything, so I had to know.
“Are you sure there’s not something between you two?”
“What?” she’d asked, her face a combination of confusion, and righteous indignation that I would even ask her something like that.
“You did just mention him,” I’d pointed out.
