Page 103 of Touch Me Not

“Yes, I do, because Lily would never forgive me if I let you sit and starve to death.”

“I don’t think a day and a half equals starving,” Nik said sarcastically.

Adam shrugged and took out his own burger. The two of them had settled into a begrudging truce since Adam had broken up with Sue. After reading Lily’s book, Nikoli had insights into Adam and Lily’s relationship he hadn’t before. He understood it better now. He also knew if he didn’t attempt to get along with Boy Wonder, it would make his chances with Lily that much harder to achieve.

“Thanks for the food.”

“Welcome.” Adam tipped his head to Nik.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, but something had been bothering Nikoli from the beginning, and unless he cleared it up, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to look at Adam without contempt.

“Can I ask you something without pissing you off?”

Adam popped a fry in his mouth. “Depends on what it is.”

“It’s about Lily.”

“It’ll probably piss me off but go ahead.”

“Why did you and Mike let her phobia go on for so long?”

“We didn’t let it, as you put it. I tried…”

“You tried by hugging her when she was sixteen. Back then, I doubt there was anything you could have done that would have worked. She wasn’t ready to be helped. But the last year or two? Why didn’t you see how much she wanted help? You, specifically. You’re her best friend. You know her better than anyone, including me. Why didn’t you see it?”

Adam’s face screwed up in anger, and he looked like he wanted to beat Nik, but he stayed where he was.

“Look, I get the question is hard, and you hate that she loves me, but I want to understand. You’re important to her, and that means you and I are going to have to get to at least a civil point.”

“She should be mine,” Adam spit out.

Nikoli debated telling him about Lily’s feelings, but once Adam read her book, he’d know anyway.

“She was in love with you.”

That caught his attention, but he shook his head. “No, she wasn’t. She told me she wasn’t.”

“You know she wrote a book?”

He nodded. “She won’t let me read it.”

“Jan gave it to me to read. It’s basically our story, mine and Lily’s. She put her best friend in it too. Reading her words, it’s obvious she was in love with you in the beginning, but she fell in love with me.”

Adam looked shell-shocked. “You’re telling me she loved me?”

Boy Wonder wasn’t quick on the uptake.

“Yes. That’s why I’m asking you why you never saw that she wanted so badly to be helped, to get better. She knew you needed someone you could touch, and that was her goal when she and I made our bargain. The bet was something she told people so they’d believe she’d date me.”

“You’re telling me she was dating you so she could learn to touch and be touched…so she could be what I wanted?” His voice broke, and he cleared his throat, looking away.

“I saw how she felt about you that night at Joe’s. It was there for anyone to see.”

“I…”

Nikoli could have said a million things to Adam, but he chose to say nothing. Adam was beating himself up enough for both of them.

“I could tell you a thousand and one excuses,” Adam said after a long minute. “But the truth is I don’t know why I didn’t see it. I was so busy with wedding plans that I didn’t have time for her last year or over the summer. It wasn’t until she started hanging out with you that I understood the depth of my feelings for her.”

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