Just Good Friends?

Chapter 49 - Uncle Joey

Joe.

The following morning, I'm awake early. I've been in the pool doing laps, and have taken a shower, and cleaned up. Harry and Cal are on the loungers, fighting off their hangovers.

I can't get what Harry said to me about becoming Uncle Joey out of my head. I need to talk to Nate.

"Right, I'm going to get him" I stand up and storm in to the house. I can hear the guys shouting after me that I might not want to barge in.

I storm in to Nates room without knocking, but he's not in bed. I can hear the water running so go to the bathroom.

"Nate! You in here? We need to talk! Downstairs!" I barge in to the bathroom and the first thing I see is Nates ass, pounding away, with legs wrapped around his waist. I did not need to see that!

"f**k Joe! Get the f**k out!" I slam the door and leave them to it.

Downstairs, the guys are laughing at me as I walk out to the loungers.

"Caught them then? f*****g told you not to barge in there dude! Ever heard of f*****g knocking first?" Harry is laughing his ass off. They heard Nate shout at me, I'm sure the neighbours down the street heard too.

"I've never f*****g knocked on Nates door, he's my boy!" I strop.

"Well I think it's about time you did dude. Or you want to catch your sister in that state again?" Cals turn to laugh at me now.

"Yeah yeah, OK, I get it. f*****g knock in future. Dude, I didn't see my sister thankfully, but I saw his hairy ass pumping! That is a vision that's going to stay with me for life!" I put my head in my hands.

.......

Nate.

"f**k! Christ Bex, I'm sorry, but i couldn't stop" I exploded inside Bex at the same time she let herself go. I had to hold her up.

"I didn't want you to stop, it's his problem for storming in. What's got up his ass anyway?" We climb out of the shower and get ourselves decent and head downstairs.

......

"Joe, I don't give a f**k what position you see me in, but I'm pretty sure Bex does. And I'm pretty sure you don't want to see my hairy ass pounding your sister either dude" I tell him when we get downstairs.

"Grab your board, we're going for a skate" Joe says in reply as we get in to the kitchen.

"OK, guess I'll see you later guys" i kiss Bex and leave with Joe.

"You're being careful with my sister aren't you Nate? I'm not f*****g ready to be f*****g Uncle Joey yet" Joe says as soon as we're out on the street.

I burst out laughing and look at him

"Seriously Joe? We're really doing this yeah?" He nods. "Listen, me and Bex' s*x life isn't anyone's business but ours, not even yours Joe, but I get that you're concerned, and that's cool. I'll be straight with you, we don't use condoms ok, never have. It wasn't a conscious thing, it just kind of happened, and then kept happening. Bex was on the pill, and neither of us have been with anyone else without protection in the past ok" Joe butts in then.

"You said Bex WAS on the pill, you mean she's not now?!" He stops and looks at me.

"No, she's not. She has the injection now as it worked out better for her. It was her decision, and I'm happy to go along with what she wants. At the end of the day, if Bex did end up falling pregnant, she's the one that would be carrying a child. Yes, I'd take responsibility, of course I would, and I'd be there and support her every step of the way, but it would primarily be Bex life change, so I stand by her decisions, it's her body" I reassure him, and he seems satisfied. "Uncle f*****g Joey?" I look at hjm questioningly.

"f*****g Harry planting s**t in my head dude" Joe grumbles, and i laugh. We have a good skate and head back home.

.....

"So what's going on?" I ask the others after Joe and Nate leave.

"I kind of said that he might end up being Uncle Joey soon if you 2 carried on. I was playing with him that's all. You 2 were so f*****g hot last night, I was winding him up, saying how Nate carried you off to bed, and that he'd be Uncle Joey soon" Harry laughed.

"f**k sake Harry! Then he walked in on us in the shower too. Poor Nate!" I laugh.

......

"All good?" Cal asks when Joe and Nate walk in.

"All cool dude. Uncle Joey here just spitting his dummy out that's all" Nate says casually. Harry bursts out laughing and Joe glares at him

"f**k you Harry. There will be no f*****g Uncle Joey here for a while" he storms over to the fridge.

"Looks like we need to find someone else to buy us that cot Bex, don't think Uncle Joey wants to fork out for one" Nate is so f*****g calm and serious, I'm cracking up.

Joe launches a banana at Nate but he ducks. "Steady on there Joe, anyone would think you're not happy at becoming an Uncle" Nate smirks.

We all crack up, and even Joe cracks a smile.

"f**k you too Nate"

"No thanks dude, I'm happy with your sister" and Nate gets up and walks out to the pool, strips his t-shirt off and dives in. Cool till the very end.

"Seriously though Bex, if you did get pregnant, that guy out there, he's standing right by you. That's my boy that is" Joe looks fondly out at Nate, and I believe all is calm again. f*****g Harry. I laugh, shake my head and walk outside to Nate.

......

Nate.

"Nate! Dude! A letter has come for you!" Harry shouts out to me.

"Who the f**k sends letters now?" Joe says to nobody in particular.

"People that don't want to be ignored" Cal says matter of factly.

I get up and walk inside to get it off Harry.

I open and start reading as I'm heading back outside, then I stop as I realise who it's from.

Dear Nate,

I'm sorry to write a letter, but i didn't know what else to do. I thought you'd probably just delete any texts or emails, so I'm trying the old fashioned way.

I'm so sorry for what I put you through. You are such a good guy Nate, I think that's why I did what I did. I knew that if you believed me, then I wouldn't be alone, that you would stand by me and support my baby. I should have realised, you're far too smart to believe lies like that, and too sensible yo get in to a situation like that in the first place.

I'm so happy for you and Bex, that you found each other. You belong together. I've seen photos on social, you look so settled and content, I could never of made you happy that way.

Please don't hate me Nate. I couldn't bare it. I've lost all my friends too, which is so hard, but I get it, I totally do. I made a huge mistake, one that I will never be able to take back.

I'm sorry.

Anna x

......

I look up and make eye contact with Bex. She nods her head once and frowns, as if to say, you ok? And I nod back. I'm good. I thought hearing off Anna, after everything, I'd feel something more sour towards her, but I don't. I feel sadness. Anna was a good friend to us all, she made a mistake in an hour of madness, she was terrified, and thought I could help. I walk over to where everyone is sitting, and looking at me. Even Harry had come outside without me realising. Ems, Jess and Lina were on towels sunbathing, but even they were staring at me.

Lina had become one of us now, and she was in the loop about our pasts and everything that had happened to us all.

"Anna" I simply say, and hold out the letter to Joe, but I'm still locked eyes with Bex. She smiles at me, and I sit down behind her, and she leans in to me as I put my arms around her.

Joe reads the letter out loud so everyone can hear.

"Well f**k me! What does she want, a f*****g welcome back party?!" Harry says dramatically.

"I think it's brave of her to reach out and say sorry" Bex says and looks up at me. I kiss her on the head lovingly, to let her know I agree.

"Really?! You do? What are you thinking Nate?" Harry asks.

"I think Bex is right. Anna was scared and thought I could help her out of a s**t situation. She went about it all wrong, but she was desperate. She realises that now and is ready to apologise for it" I say it calmly, and I feel calm. I've always just taken things in my stride, and this is nothing different.

"You're a better man than me dude" Harry says.

"Of course he is dickhead" Joe says to him "so what are you going to do Nate?" He turns to me.

"I'll decide later. I'm not cooking tonight guys, anyone offering, or shall we head down to Bob's?" End of subject.

"Bobs" there's a chorus of voices, and we all start to stand and put on tops and grab wallets.