Nothing Like This

By Karah Brooks

This isn't the typical best friend story.

Nate and Shelby have been best friends since the first day of kindergarten and have been there for one another through family drama, relationship drama, and career drama. But what happens when something in their relationship changes the way they look at one another? Will they take that leap or will they lose everything they ever dreamed of?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karah Brooks
• Release date: Mar 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370379774

Karah Brooks

Karah Brooks is an award-winning journalist who loves cats, music and anything related to television. She has been writing fiction since 1998 and pretends she lives out the life of Penny Lane in “Almost Famous.”

Book preview

Nothing Like This

By Karah Brooks

© 2010 | KH | All Rights Reserved

Cover graphic courtesy of freeimages.com

www.TheFangirlingLife.com

To everybody who has been a part of this since December 1998.

To my crew who believes in me when I can’t find a way to believe in myself.

To my fellow army recruits. #YouKnowWhatIMean

To K, N, H, B and A.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Prologue

When you’re a little boy, it’s natural to be best friends with a little girl. To you, you are one and the same. You both like toys and playing outside. You like watching music videos on MTV and you hate it when your parents fight. You love sneaking around, hiding in corners and waiting for that moment when you can run outside to the tree house that had become your secret hiding place.

But as you grow up, people find it a little weird – a boy and a girl being best friends. They think the girl must be a lesbian, the boy must be gay, or either there are in a romantic relationship and that used to piss me off to no end because that’s how it is for my best friend and myself.

Now that we’re older, it seems okay again and people don’t suspect something with everything you do. A girl and boy can be best friends with no strings attached. You can care for the girl like your sister. Hell, I care for my best friend more than I care for my sisters. I care for my best friend in a way that I’m not sure I care about anybody else.

Shelby Jones has been my best friend since the day I walked into kindergarten. I was a little blonde hair boy who didn’t have the newest clean clothes on because my family was poor and barely making it. I saw her time I walked in – a little red headed girl. Her long hair was all around her face and shoulders in a pink little sundress. She immediately waved and ran up to me, hugging me. Apparently, she did that to everybody that day because she was so excited to be in school, but I like to feel like I was the only one she did that to.

That day on the playground, we swung together, and she asked who my best friend was. I told her I didn’t have one. She said she didn’t have one either because she had just moved to Florida from South Carolina. That’s when she decided we would be best friends and I said okay.

That was 1985.

Twenty-six years later, we are still best friends and are different as night and day. I’m a pop singer and she’s a graphic designer. I travel the world and she typically stays at home 24-7, working on projects unless I steal her away for a vacation or trip.

Her boyfriend loves me, and my girlfriend loves her. She moved to California when I left Florida and started getting more graphic work. It’s where she met her boyfriend, Daniel. We have dinners and barbeques constantly when I’m home. Shelby and my girlfriend, Chrissy, hang out and go shopping together. Daniel and I have gone deep-sea fishing and surfing.

Nothing in the world would ever stop Shelby Jones from being my best friend. Nothing could ever take her out of my life. A good portion of my heart has belonged to Shelby since I met her as a five-year-old and if something ever happened, I wouldn’t know what to do.

What would I do without my best friend in my life? What could possibly take her away from me? I didn’t think anything could ever tear Shelby and I apart.

Chapter 1

[September 21, 2010]

Nate sat down at a round table on the dock of a restaurant on the Pacific Ocean. He looked down at his watch, checking the time and sighed. He hated having quick little lunches but sometimes that’s all he could fit in. He always made time for his best friend, whether it was telling everybody he was sick to fly back to Tampa because her first real boyfriend dumped her or whether it was to cancel some promotional appearances when her father died.

Nothing ever stopped him from making time for Shelby, unless it was business, which had taken him away from a day planned with her the day before.

Can I take your order? a young blond waitress asked as she brought him a menu.

I’ll need two menus and no, I’m waiting on someone, he smiled as she handed him another menu and walked away.

He put his sunglasses on, leaning back in his seat and smiled, seeing Shelby walk up the steps to the dock slowly. She was decked out in business attire — black heels, a black business skirt that came just above her knee and a black jacket with something blue underneath. Her long red hair was blowing all in the wind and she waved frantically, smiling.

Nate chuckled, seeing two other guys check her out as she walked past them. Shelby wasn’t your typical skinny model. She had curves, and she knew how to use them.

Hey! Nate practically exclaimed as Shelby put her purse down and hugged him tightly. He smiled, smelling the Vera Wang perfume that she loved to wear. Sorry I was so busy yesterday.

Well you made time for me today, Shelby smiled, backing away from the hug to look at Nate. It had been two weeks since she’d seen him due to him working overseas and in New York. God, you need to eat a cheeseburger or two.

Gee, I missed you, too, Nate laughed as they both sat down. Shelby took her black jacket off, showing the blue tank top she had on underneath. Damn, you just toss those things out there and that’s how you get freelance jobs. Now I understand, he laughed as she looked down at her tank top, which was slightly tight against her huge breasts. Joking.

No different than you strutting your ass making girls scream, she smiled, causing him to giggle. So, what happened yesterday? I had the day all planned out.

The guys, Nate sighed. He hated that Shelby had planned out a day for them to hang out and then something came up. Going over upcoming projects. It was my only free day off in the next two weeks and Chrissy was gone to a spa. Pissed me off, he said as the waitress walked up to take their drink orders.

And I already know what we’re going to eat, Shelby said as Nate cracked up laughing. Give him the biggest, juiciest cheeseburger you have. We need to get a little more meat on his bones.

And she’ll have the same, Nate said as Shelby grinned. The waitress laughed as she walked away, and Shelby kicked him in the leg with her high heels. So, how’s the boyfriend? Busy as usual?

Yeah, he’s on call tonight at the hospital, Shelby smiled. Daniel’s been acting weird lately, for some reason. I’m not sure why, though.

Maybe he’s getting that seven-year itch, Nate said as Shelby shrugged. You’ve been together over six years now, right? You never know.

I know he got an offer from a practice in North Carolina, Shelby said as she looked down at her hands, trying not to look at Nate. He hasn’t really talked much about it, you know, whether he’s going to take it or not.

That means you would move with him, right? Nate asked as she shrugged, looking up at him.

Maybe that’s why he’s acting weird. I mean, maybe he assumes I would go with him but he’s made no commitment to me and I’ve got clients out here, which I could easily do business over the phone or e-mail and trips out here...

Shel... you can’t move to the East Coast, Nate sighed, causing her to smile. I mean, you keep me sane when I’m not working. I mean, hell, when I moved from Florida, you came out here with me.

Nate, I didn’t say I was moving, she laughed as the waitress brought them their drinks. Don’t get your panties in a bunch. You can just adopt me, and I can just go wherever you go. I can be your second girlfriend next to Chrissy. You are a player, you know.

Right, Nate laughed, taking a sip of his soda. You thought anymore about what I asked you the other night? Shelby batted her eyelashes at him bashfully. You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?

Sure, why not?

Would you quit this freelance stuff you do and do my web site for me, he said as Shelby shrugged. "I know you don’t like mixing personal stuff with business but