Page 158 of Before We Were

Nick's expression softens. "Do you honestly believe that? That you could be him?"

My silence speaks volumes.

"Nate, you were a kid forced to be an adult, trying to protect your mom. That level of responsibility would break most people, let alone a child. Sure, it left scars. But you're not him. The fact that you're terrified of becoming him proves it."

His words crack something open inside me, letting light leak through.

"You can't keep pushing people away because you think you're broken. And you don't get to decide how other people feel toward you. That's up to them. Life's messy, Nate, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve someone who sees through the shit. Someone who accepts you as is—not as a project, but as a person."

The raw honesty makes me want to run, but I force myself to stay.

"You're running from ghosts," Nick continues, sliding the tickets back across the counter with a set of keys. "Stop hiding from what hasn't happened. Make choices the man you want to be would make. If you need a place to crash, my apartment in Brookville is yours."

I finger the keys, trying to lighten the moment. "Sure you're not a secret billionaire dressed as a hillbilly?"

He chuckles. "Nah. Just someone who believes in good people." His gaze pins me. "I see the good in you. Maybe it's time you did too."

Nora'sin the kitchen when I get back, lost in a book while stirring her coffee. The domestic scene makes my heart stutter.

I clear my throat. "Free tomorrow night?"

She looks up, curiosity flickering across her face. "Why?"

I produce the tickets, aiming for casual. "Interested in Jimmy Eat World?"

Her eyes widen. "Those shows have been sold out forever! How??—?"

"Nick's connections. Thought you might want to go."

She tilts her head, guard rising. "As friends?"

"Yeah." I force lightness into my tone. "We're still friends, right?"

Ollie crashes our moment, fresh from the shower. His eyes dart between us. "Where are we going?"

I smirk. "I'm taking your sister to Jimmy Eat World tomorrow."

"What!? What about me? Your best friend, remember?" His dramatic pout almost makes me laugh.

"I'm sure you can make plans with Mia. Or Jake."

"Jake's gone," Ollie mutters. "Some swim meet or some shit. Left this morning."

Something about that doesn't sit right. A swim meet during summer break? Jake never mentioned it, and he tells Ollie and Nora everything. But I file that worry away for later.

Instead, I watch Nora examine the tickets, catching her subtle tells—the way she worries her bottom lip, how her fingers fidget with her book's pages. She's weighing this, probably remembering yesterday's disaster. The doubt in her eyes makes me question everything, but Nick's words echo:stop running from what hasn't happened yet.

"Wait—these are VIP?" Her eyebrows shoot up as she studies the tickets.

I shrug. "Nick has got pull. So? Or should I take him?" I gesture to Ollie, who's massacring a cookie.

A smile tugs at her lips. "Fine. I'm in." She hands back the tickets and heads for the hall.

Once she's gone, Ollie turns his exaggerated disappointment on me. "For real? You're not taking me? You know I love them."

I toss him the Mustang keys. "I'll make sure your birthday gets special treatment. Don't scratch it."

His pout transforms into a grin. He points at me, suddenly serious. "Take care of my sister, yeah?"

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