Page 18 of Never Less

“Oh, I’m so glad you made it,” Charlotte says. “Is Nate here?”

“Yeah, he came in before us.” I glance around. “I don’t see him, though.”

“He hasn’t said hi yet?” Marcus asks, his tone tinged with an almost imperceptible trace of annoyance.

“Not yet, but he’ll get around to it.” Charlotte’s hand slides into John’s almost absentmindedly, and he lights up at the simple gesture.

My heart squeezes. I used to have something similar like that with Nate. But now…

Marcus clears his throat. “My apologies. I raised him better than this. Well, tried to.”

“Don’t worry about it.” John claps Marcus on the back. “He’s probably hanging out with the boys. Lord knows it’s been a while since they’ve all seen each other. We’ll catch him at some point in the evening.”

It’s obvious—to me, at least—that Marcus is still pissed, but I watch him carefully tuck his emotions away and plaster on an unbothered smile. Maybe it shouldn’t, but I feel a little vindicated. Knowing I’m not the only one disappointed in Nate makes me feel a little better.

“Please, eat! We have plenty of food.” John gestures toward the kitchen. “I’m sure you’re both hungry.”

“Oh, I definitely am.” Marcus tilts his head toward me, and his smile has all my thoughts jumbling up. “You?”

I hesitate. Food sounds lovely, but entering the party with Marcus instead of Nate has me feeling off-balance. I’m Nate’s girlfriend, yet his father is the one who’s been looking out for me all day.

That’s not what this trip is supposed to be about. Besides, what are people going to think if I ignore my boyfriend all night in favor of his dad?

“Liliana?” Marcus frowns, no doubt wondering if he should’ve given me a minute outside after all.

“I should probably find Nate.”

Disappointment flashes in his eyes, but he masks it quickly. “My guess is he’s either in the basement or on the back porch. Do you need someone to show you around?”

“I’ve got it, but thanks.”

The house may be unfamiliar to me, but I need to put some distance in between me and Marcus. All I want to do is glue myself to his side. Maybe even rest my head on his shoulder or—

“See you,” I blurt before turning abruptly and heading in the direction that I hope leads to the back porch. That right there is exactly why we need distance. I’m not like Nate. I’d never cheat on him the way he did to me. Especially not with his dad.

Thankfully, the house is easy to navigate. The porch is empty, so I find Nate in the basement with a couple other guys. Levi and Matthias, probably.

It’s nice down here—fully finished with a huge TV and some really comfy-looking couches and chairs, and then also a game area off to one side. There’s a pool table, a place to play chess, and even a foosball table.

When I make my way down the stairs, Nate looks up. “Oh, hey Lily.”

One of the guys furrows his brows. “Lily?” He says it like he was expecting someone else—specifically, for Nate to be with someone else.

But the other guy shoves him in the ribcage. “Hey, Lily. I’m Matt. This is my brother Levi. We’ve heard lots about you. Nice to finally put a face to the name.”

My smile is weak. I really don’t need the reminder that Nate never posts pictures of me on social media.

“Did you get some food?” Nate asks me.

“Not hungry. Figured I’d wait a while.”

He shrugs. When I sit on the couch next to him, he scoots farther away even though there was already plenty of room between us.

“So anyway,” Nate says, “you’re telling me Andrea got married? And she’s already got two kids?”

“Who?” I ask.

“His ex from high school,” Levi says.

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