Page 81 of His To Unravel
The rest of the bar blurs into nothing. It’s just Nathaniel—his steady gaze, his hands on me, the heat from his palms seeping through my dress and warming my skin. I lose track of time as we lose ourselves in the music and each other. I haven’t known this kind of peace before.
Until a tap on my shoulder pulls me back to reality. I turn to find Landon standing there, his expression tentative.
“Olivia,” he says, his voice quiet enough that I have to lean in to hear him over the music. “Can we talk?”
Before I can answer, Nathaniel is already stepping forward. His body goes rigid beside me, and his voice is low and sharp. “I told you to stay away from her.”
I press a hand to his chest instinctively to reassure him. “It’s okay,” I say, gentle but firm. “I’ve got it.”
He doesn’t budge.
“Just for a minute,” I add. “Please?”
Nathaniel’s eyes stay locked on Landon, a muscle ticking in his jaw. Finally, he nods—once.
“Do you need me to come with you?” he asks, his tone smooth but imbued with something sharper.
“No,” I say quickly, rising on my toes to press my lips to his jaw in a bid to appease him. “It’s fine. I’ll be right back.”
Nathaniel doesn’t look convinced, but he nods again and steps back slowly, giving Landon a look that feels more like a warning than permission.
I follow Landon to a quieter corner of the bar, the noise fading to a distant hum. He looks uncomfortable, shoving his hands into his pockets as he glances at me.
“Thanks for hearing me out,” he starts, his voice hesitant. “I know things have been…weird between us.”
“That’s one way to put it,” I say, folding my arms.
He winces but pushes on. “Look, I just wanted to say…I get it. Why you haven’t reached out. I’m not proud of how I handled things before, and I know I put you in a tough spot. I just…” He pauses, his shoulders slumping slightly. “I hate how things have gotten between us. You were one of my closest friends, Liv. I miss that.”
His words tug at something deep in me, a pang of sadness for what we’ve lost. Landon was my anchor once. My safe place. But that was before his feelings complicated things, before the boundaries blurred and everything fell apart.
“I miss it too,” I admit softly, and his eyes lift to mine, hope flickering there. “But, Landon… We can’t just go back to the way things were. That version of us doesn’t exist anymore.”
His face falls, the disappointment raw and unfiltered. “So that’s it? We just let it all go?”
Sighing, I say, “It’s not about letting it go. It’s about being honest. You still want something I can’t give—and pretending otherwise wouldn’t be fair to you.”
The silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken things.Landon opens his mouth, as if to argue, but before he can, a shadow looms behind him.
“Time’s up.”
Landon stiffens as Nathaniel steps into view, composed as ever, but the shift in the air is immediate.
Landon stiffens. “Jesus, man. Can you give us two minutes?”
“I did,” Nathaniel says smoothly. “I gave you exactly the amount of time Olivia was willing to spare. I believe she has made herself clear.” His gaze is locked on Landon like a predator sizing up its prey. “You’d be wise to respect her decision.”
Landon bristles, his jaw clenching, but he doesn’t respond. He glances at me once, something bitter and resigned in his expression, before nodding curtly and walking away.
Nathaniel’s hand finds mine, his grip firm as he leads me back to the table, tension radiating off of him.
When we reach the others, he turns to me, his expression softening. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Good,” he says, brushing a strand of hair from my face. His voice is calm, but there’s a flicker of something darker in his eyes. “Because I meant what I said—no one gets to waste your time.”
There’s no mistaking the possessiveness in his tone, and while part of me should feel unsettled, I can’t deny the way it makes my heart race.
