Page 17 of The Fate Of Us

“NO!” I blurt out, Amber’s brows flickering with confusion. “He’s busy with Nigel;you read them,”

She commits to a nod before her eyes fall back onto her script. “Oh, okay.”

I caught the frown that plagued her lips before her head fully fell, intrigue stabbing atme. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Amber frown the times I’ve been around her. She’s like a walking ball of sunshine. Frowning wasn’t one of her traits.

“What’s up?” I asked, trying to dip my eyes to meet hers. But they were scanning herscript like it was a crossword puzzle, hunting for hidden answers. I tried again. “Amber, are you okay?”

Slowly, her head rises, and like some invisible notch inside her head had beenswitched to one hundred, she springs off the chair and bolts over to the door, her hands frantically locking the thing before she crashes back down beside me.

Her shaky hands find mine. “Can you keep a secret?”

I pull my brows in this time. “What?”

She ducks her head, guiding me to do the same. “I saidddd, can you keep a secret?”

“Yeah, why are you whispering?” I ask, looking off to the side and then back to her.

Amber’s chocolate eyes roll, like I’m the crazy one, before she bobs her head to theside and her pinky finger appears between us.

“Are you kidding me?” My voice was so flat it hurt.

“Absolutely not. Pinky swear you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.”

I let a small laugh sneak past my lips. “Amb, seriously, just tell—”

“Adaline, if we don’t have trust, this sister relationship is never going to bebelievable.” I tilt my head and squint my eyes at her. “I’m serious, Adaline, pinky swear or nothing.”

I waited a few seconds before realising that shewasserious, and this wasn’t somenew acting exercise I had yet to interact with. And for the first time since knowing her, our age difference, however insignificant, became clearer.

I roll my eyes this time, as I lift my pinky finger to meet hers, linking it and rollingmy eyes again when I watch her wriggle with excitement.

“Right… Okay.” she shimmied herself and blew out a low breath, doing nothing forthe anticipation and worry potion that was now lingering inside me. Either she was about to confess to murder or the stupidest little thing ever.

Another low breath staggers out of her. “Okay, okay… okayokayokay—”

“Jesus, Amber, just tell me—”

“I really like Nate.”

My eyes do nothing but glaze over, as I question what kind of person it makes me thatthat I kind of wished she confessed to murder instead.

Chapter seven

Nate

It’sstrange.Eversincestarting the shoot for‘Forever and Always’, that surge ofpanic that woke me up most mornings had a reason now. Instead of it being a meaningless thing I couldn’t see… it was there.

A trigger. A reason.

The day I signed the contract. It seemed to be the memory that was attached towhatever had been making my heart beat as if I’d just finished a marathon the second I opened my eyes. I felt the pen in my hand, the rushed way I etched my name across the dotted line.

Why had I agreed to this? Why was I so sure that I could get through this withoutthinking about what happened?

I think during the last few weeks, I’d played down how much having Addy aroundaffected me… underestimated the control she had over me. I’d think back to theDefenders Of Timeshoots, how I never felt like my internal walls were caving in whenever I caught her eyes or felt a waterfall of sweat cascading down my back and forehead whenever I heard someone utter her name.

So why was all of this happening now?

All it took was a phone call with Jacob and a rewatch of the movies to remind me thatour characters barely interacted and had approximately half a page of dialogue together. Having Jacob there helped, too. Having him as the buffer between that thick cloud of silence was probably why I hadn’t felt as helpless as I do now.

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