Page 64 of The Wrong Side Of Us

I squeezed Carter’s hand as a silent thank you. Nana wasn’t here, yet with him around I didn’t feel so lost. He could give me advice without being judgmental, would listen to me without interrupting. At least I still had him.

***

Things were calm for a few days. I thought the arguments regarding Derek were over, but whenever the name would come up, Nathan’s whole expression would change. He didn’t like him at all, and I wasn’t sure that would ever change.

One night I prepared dinner for both of us, wanting to have everything ready for him since he kept himself busy at the gallery. It was nothing extravagant; I wasn’t the best cook, but I wanted to impress him.

When he arrived, Nathan wrapped his arms around my body, placing a kiss on my cheek while I served the food. I smiled, unable to help myself with his tender caress. It always made everything better.

“How was your day?”

“Good. I missed you.”

I leaned back against his touch, the feel of him always comforting.

We sat and began eating, and he’d smile at me every now and then, happy despite the hectic day he had. He took my hand in his, running his thumb over my knuckles as he took a drink of water. My phone buzzed from the island, and Nathan smiled, excusing himself to get it.

His expression changed when he saw the screen, however. His forehead creased, and his lips formed a tight line.

“Who is it?”

He forced a smile, setting the phone on the dinner table. I swallowed when I read the message, simple and to the point.

“How does he have your phone number?” he asked, sitting back in his chair with arms crossed over his chest. He couldn’t fool me, though. He was angry.

“I-I don’t know. I haven’t given him my number.”

Derek’s message was simple. Just a hello and an “I hope you’re doing well,” but it was enough to set Nathan off.

“I’m not sure,” I replied.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes before standing back up, fury evident in his eyes. “So he just got it out of nowhere? Just tell me you gave it to him.”

“I didn’t!” I exclaimed, my eyes wide. “I didn’t give it to him, and if I had, I wouldn’t hide it from you.”

His jaw clenched and unclenched, until he turned on his heel without a single word.

“Nathan, what—”

“Just, not now, Evie. I need a fucking break. The guy is everywhere, and I’ve warned you about him, and you don’t seem to fucking understand.”

“Are you serious right now?” I asked, shaking my head. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

I tried to control my frustration, but to me, he was being irrational. I’d given him no reasons to doubt me, and yet he was. “You’re friends with Jesse, and she has been very obvious with how she feels about you, and I’ve put up with it.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, clearly not expecting me to bring her up, but I didn’t regret it. It wasn’t fair that I respected his friendships, but he couldn’t respect mine.

“I’m going to bed, Evelyn. Good night.”

Trying to make him understand at that point in time would have been pointless, so instead I just waited in the kitchen, putting up everything I’d used to cook the now-wasted meal. When I went to our bedroom, Nathan was lying in bed, still awake, but didn’t speak to me. I went to the restroom and brushed my teeth, too focused on how to solve our situation to hear my phone ringing. However, when I did, and I didn’t recognize the number, I quickly rinsed my mouth and picked up.

“Hello?”

There was no answer…just silence. An uncomfortable silence. I spoke again, but then the line went dead, leaving me with more questions than the ones I had before.

Chapter 25

Evelyn

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