Page 88 of Don't You Dare Marry Me

“I’ve never seen Abagail be in a relationship before, not in all the years that I’ve known her.” Elia lowered her voice and stepped closer. She was so much taller than Nicola, nearly towering over her, but it wasn’t imposing. Instead, it was comforting. “But I’ve also never seen her break her own rules like she has with you.”

“Rules?” Nicola whispered the word, like saying it out loud was going to shatter something between them.

“Didn’t she tell you them when you came here?”

Nicola shook her head.

“Interesting.” Elia’s lips pulled into a near smile before they dropped. “I don’t suppose you want to join us tonight?”

“Elia, are you almost finished?” Abagail stepped into the kitchen and then froze.

Nicola locked their eyes together before she dropped hers back to her warmed-up dinner.

This wasn’t what she was hoping to run into tonight. She’d wanted to come home, slide up to her room, and not see Abagail. Because after the conversation with Simone and Alanna, she was pretty damn sure that she needed to have an in-depth conversation with Abagail and that at the end of it, she’d be out on her ass.

And she just needed a few more weeks to get a backup plan in place to make this actually happen.

“Yes,” Elia said, her shoulders straightening. She flicked her gaze from Nicola to Abagail and back again. Then she finally stepped away, giving Nicola the space that she was suddenly craving. “I was just introducing myself to Nicola.”

“I didn’t realize you’d be home,” Abagail said, ignoring Elia completely.

Nicola risked a look at Abagail and then shook her head. “I’m not working tonight.”

“Oh.” Abagail stood stiffly by the edge of the counter.

Elia smiled at both of them and then snagged the plate of snacks before walking out of the room and leaving the two of them together. It was almost like Nicola had come face to face with a power couple, two women who were extremely confident in who they were and who understood the ins and outs of how the world works.

That wasn’t Nicola at all.

She could barely keep her head afloat without thinking about the rest of the world.

Abagail jerked with a start, coming closer so that she could stand next to Nicola. “I’m sorry we won’t get a chance to talk tonight.”

“It seems like you’ve been doing that already.” Nicola heard her tone and instantly hated that that was what came out of her mouth. She sounded like a jealous girlfriend, which she definitely wasn’t. Was she slightly jealous that Abagail wastalking to Elia instead of her and clearly talking to Elia about her? Maybe. But that wasn’t what she was really feeling.

Displaced was probably a closer word for that.

Nicola felt out of sorts because the spot she’d held in Abagail’s heart wasn’t actually hers. It may belong to Elia or it may not, but it was clear that Nicola didn’t actually have it like she’d thought briefly. She really needed to stop fooling herself and think about the reality of the situation.

“Elia is my best friend,” Abagail answered slowly, like she was explaining something to a kid who just wasn’t getting it. “I tell her everything.”

“Everything about me?” Nicola’s heart clenched. How much had Abagail shared about her past? About the fact that Nicola couldn’t even manage to keep her head above water on her own?

“No, not everything.” Abagail stepped in closer, cupping Nicola’s cheek gently as she lowered her voice. “I won’t ever tell her what’s yours to share. Just the parts that affect me.”

Nicola nodded and closed her eyes. Moments like this made it feel like they were actually in a relationship. But she knew that Abagail would pull away in an instant and it’d be back to like they were acquaintances that didn’t really talk about anything personal. But they did. They had. And that meant something, right?

“If you want to tell her, feel free to. Elia’s a very good listener.”

For some reason, Nicola knew that. She’d never met Elia before, but something in her countenance made it clear that she was there to listen and evaluate. Nicola nodded and pulled away from Abagail’s touch before she looked too deeply into it.

“I work late tomorrow,” Nicola said, picking up her bowl of food and putting it between them as a way to ward off the feelings she was having that she didn’t want.

“Maybe we can talk before you go to work.”

“Yeah. Let’s do that.” Nicola frowned. It was the last thing that she actually wanted to do, but she couldn’t avoid it any longer, could she? She winced as she took a step back and put even more space between them. “I’m going to head upstairs.”

“Okay.” Abagail seemed almost saddened by that statement.

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