Page 117 of Your Fault

My father observed me with indulgence. What I’d said was absurd. It didn’t matter what the invitations said: if we showed up in the same car, people would think we were together…and the same went for Noah and whoever she was with.

“You’re causing problems for me and my girlfriend,” I reproached my father between clenched teeth. He sighed on his way to the door.

“Your relationship with Noah is already causing you problems, Son… If she can’t put up with you taking a friend to a party, it sounds to me like you’ve got some thinking to do.”

I ignored his words and let him go. I couldn’t let Noah come to the gala and see me with Sophia without prior warning. I had to tell her first. The last thing I’d gotten from her was a text with the wordthanks. I’d promised her space, but if I didn’t take care of this issue with Sophia, a lack of space would be the least of my worries. I got up, grabbed my keys, and went straight to her dorm.

Luckily, I got there just as she was pulling in. She parked next to me and looked over with surprise when she saw me get out. I waited to see how she’d react.

She came over cautiously, stopped, and looked me up and down, on edge. “I’m glad to see you’re still here and not in New York.”

She turned around and climbed the steps to the front door to her building. Was she still fucking mad? I cursed and followed behind her, ready to put this subject behind me once and for all.

I looked at her dress, and especially her curves in it, as she struggled to open the door. I’d never seen her wearing it: yellow, with little flowers all over.

Finally she got the door open… I’d have helped her, but I was too busy watching her from behind.

When she went inside, she turned with pouty lips. “Stop looking at my ass, Nicholas.”

I laughed and closed the door behind me, looking around her place to make sure there wasn’t anything there that might hint at Briar’s presence, but I didn’t see anything.

“Sorry. I just like your dress,” I said, looking at her intensely. Actually I hated it: I hated the way it clung to her breasts and danced over her knees, tempting me. Noah gave me a condescending look and dropped her bag on the kitchen counter.

I walked over, waiting for her to say something else. She looked nervous. I didn’t expect that. She walked to the refrigerator and took out two beers.

“You want one?” she asked. Her cheeks were flushed because she was uncomfortable or maybe because I was devouring her with my eyes.

“Definitely,” I said, reaching out and stroking her fingers as she passed me the bottle.

I knew when I touched her that way, it made her shiver, but I pretended not to notice. I was there to calm things down, to explain the New York situation, even if the only thing I could think about was slipping my hands under that dress and making her shake all over.

I put the lip of the bottle on the counter’s edge, struck it. The cap popped off, and I brought it up to my lips. Noah looked down at her own beer, seeming lost for a moment. I grinned, took another sip, and stepped closer to her.

“Here, Freckles,” I said, handing her my bottle and opening the one she was holding the same way.

She hesitated before bringing the bottle to her lips and letting the cold liquid drip down her throat. I watched the contractions in her neck as she swallowed. I took a deep breath, trying not to grab her. Something told me it wasn’t the moment, at least not if I wanted a pleasant response. I could control my body, but I couldn’t control my eyes.

She walked to the sofa, seeming unsure of what to do next, and started sorting through her magazines, just to keep her hands busy, while I leaned on the counter. Finally she turned, dropped what she was doing, and threw her hair back, frustrated.

“Stop looking at me!”

I smiled. “You’re not leaving me any choice, babe. I can’t touch you, I can’t look at you… being your boyfriend is becoming a torture.”

She crossed her arms with an irritated, uncertain expression. “Why are you here, Nicholas?”

I was just a few feet from her, but she felt miles away, and I hated that. I missed her… I knew I had promised her space; I just wanted to tell her about the thing with Sophia in person…and before that, I wanted to make sure we were okay. Or as okay as we could be.

“I know I told you I’d give you some space, but I wanted to see you, even if it was just for half an hour.”

I didn’t think I’d ever seen her at such a loss. She came over, but when I walked forward to meet her, she stepped back again.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she finally said in a bitter voice.

It wasn’t hard to imagine she’d ask that. I knew what had made her angriest about New York was hearing about it from someone else.

“Because I was never planning on going anywhere. At least not without you.”

She bit her lip. I wanted to reach out and caress her, but I didn’t know if it was a good idea…especially at that moment.

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