Page 30 of Little Did You Know

Nick's touch was different—less choreographed, more instinctive. Heat bloomed where his fingers traced patterns on my bare back, each caress drawing us closer until the space between us crackled with possibility. "You look beautiful tonight," he whispered, his breath warming my ear. For once, my usual anxiety didn't surface; instead, my body melted into his lead as his hand drifted lower, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. The rest of the room faded to a distant blur of light and sound.

Leaning into me, I felt his mouth briskly brush my jawline and settle on my neck.

"What are you doing?" Hannah's voice sounded behind me. And that was when everything went wrong. I panicked and tripped over Nick's foot. To catch me, Nick tripped the couple next to us, and we all went tumbling down. The only ones left standing were Hannah and Liam.

"I. Was. Copping. A. feel," Liam replied slowly to Hannah's question as they watched the domino effect of Hurricane Olivia.

The crash of bodies felt like my world collapsing in slow motion. Champagne glasses toppled. Someone gasped. A flash went off—someone's camera phone capturing my humiliation for posterity.

And then came the ripping sound.

The cool air against my back told me everything I needed to know. I froze, unable to move, unable to breathe, as conversations around us stuttered into silence.

All night, I'd been balancing on a knife's edge between belonging and chaos. Now here it was—the inevitable fall I'd been bracing for since arriving.

Nick was beside me in an instant, his expression unreadable. But what twisted in my chest wasn't just embarrassment—it was the memory of how he'd looked at me moments before.

Now I'd proven what I'd feared all along: I didn't belong in his world.

"Here," he murmured, slipping his jacket around my shoulders. His fingers brushed against my skin as he adjusted the collar, careful to cover the tear. The gesture was so gentle it made my throat tighten.

He kept one hand at the small of my back as he guided me toward the exit, his other hand already pressing his phone to his ear. "James? We need the car. Now.”

I kept my eyes on the marble floor, counting each step toward escape.

"The driver is waiting outside." Nick’s voice was steady despite the whispers trailing behind us

Hannah materialized from the crowd, concern etched across her face. "Are you okay?"

I pressed my palms against my burning cheeks. "I'm fine."

Nick's phone glowed in the darkness as his thumb flew over the keys. "Hannah, Olivia's leaving." His other hand hovered at my elbow, not quite touching. "Do you need a ride?"

Hannah gathered her wrap and clutch, already moving toward the exit. "Yeah, I'll go with her and get my car at your place." Her heels clicked against marble as we moved quickly toward the exit.

Chapter Fourteen

The city lights blurred past the car window, each one a reminder of the glittering world I'd just crashed out of. Hannah's attempts at consoling me faded into the background hum of the engine as my mind replayed every mortifying detail. The warmth of Nick's jacket still clung to my shoulders, carrying his scent—a reminder of how close we'd been before everything fell apart.

By the time we reached the house, the night had crystallized into a clear realization: I couldn't keep pretending to fit into his world, not without changing something fundamental about who I was. Or maybe who I thought I was.

I mumbled a goodnight to Hannah in the foyer, her concerned gaze following me as I climbed the stairs. Each step felt heavier than the last. The path to my bedroom was automatic. I sank onto the edge of my bed, the mattress creaking softly beneath me. Each breath in the quiet room seemed too loud, too ragged. The tears came slowly at first, then faster, until they blurred the familiar shadows of my sanctuary into watery shapes. Years of holding back, of watching life from the sidelines, pressed down on my chest until I could barely breathe.

Hannah's earlier words tangled with fresher memories—Nick's hands steady at my waist, his cologne mixing with the scent of rain from the garden, the way the world had narrowed to just us in that moment before everything fell apart. The ghost of his touch lingered on my skin, making it impossible to think clearly.

A soft knock broke through my spiral. Three gentle taps, hesitant. When I looked up, Nick filled the doorway, one hand still raised against the frame. The hall light haloed his silhouette, hiding his expression.

Nick hovered in the doorway, his fingers drumming softly against the frame. "You okay?"

I nodded, but another tear betrayed me, tracking down my cheek.

He crossed the room in two strides and sank down beside me. His thumb caught the tear, the gentle touch making my breath hitch. "Then why the wet eyes?"

"I'm a mess."

Nick's hand stilled on my cheek, and his eyes darkened with an old shadow. "Is this because of what..." the words seemed to stick in his throat "...happened... nine years ago?"

"Partly, I guess." My shoulders lifted in a half-hearted shrug as I stared at my hands. "About a year after you left, the nightmares got so bad I couldn't function in the daytime. Couldn't sleep at night." I avoided his gaze. "Emmett pulled me out of school, switched me to home school. He got... overprotective. Wouldn't let me leave the house." A bitter laugh escaped. "Hard to make friends when your whole world shrinks to four walls. Anthony was the only one who..."

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