Page 25 of No One Else

“Actually, I don’t. It’s kind of weird, right? You’d think after three years I’d be more heartbroken. But by the end we barely hung out alone together. It was almost always with his friends. He’d want to go to these parties that he knew I didn’t like. Well,” she gives a self-deprecating laugh, “I see now why he liked the parties.”

“Natalie-”

“No, I’m fine, really. It was actually freeing to be done with it all in a way. It was for the best.”

I nod, wanting to tell her she deserves better. To take her in my arms and show her how a real man would treat her, how precious she is.

But the last time I tried to do that, things didn’t turn out too well.

“I, um, I’m going to head to bed,” she says, hitching her thumb behind her toward her room. “Unless you’d like me to walk you to your car. There might be some unsavory people out there.” She waggles her eyebrows for effect.

“I think I can make it on my own.” I stand up and sling my jacket back on.

“Oh, it’s probably freezing out there now. Here, wait a second.” She darts up and runs to her room, returning in a minute with a navy and white plaid scarf. “Do you want to borrow this?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

She moves to place it over my head and I bend down so she can reach, so close I can feel her body heat. She loops the ends of the scarf together in some kind of complicated knot, smoothing it down when she’s finished. “You’ll be nice and warm now,” she smiles up at me, near enough that it would be nothing to lean forward and kiss her.

She was attracted to me once upon a time. Was that still true? Or had she reverted completely back to friendship?

Heather said I needed to make her aware of me physically again.

I move my head to the side and softly press a kiss to her cheek, lingering a beat too long against her smooth skin before stepping back. “I’ll see you in class.”

I turn around and leave before I can analyze her wide eyes, the slightly stunned expression on her face. Before I give in to the impulse to go back there and press my mouth against hers, taking her hair out of its ponytail and running my fingers through the long strands. Trace the freckles across the bridge of her nose and cup her face gently to hold it in place while I explore her mouth, the way I’ve been dying to again.

I just need time, I remind myself. Time to get her used to me again. To show her what I have to offer. How right we’d be together.

It’ll just take time.

7

Natalie

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