Page 33 of The Fate Of Us

From the way his head quickly dipped when we wished him a 'Happy Birthday' justnow, and how I can practically see the scarlet colours of his cheeks reflecting off the marble surface of the table, I’m going to take a stab in the dark and assume that his hatred for them tops his hatred for me.

And I didn’t blame him when he confessed to me, three days before his thirteenthbirthday, that he found them terrifying. The Happy Birthday songisjust plain creepy, if you think about it.

I just wanted to make some of that hurt float away when he told me, and that waswhen we came up with our birthday plan. One we used for both of our birthdays each time they rolled around. Granted, we only used this plan a few times before we never saw each other again, but I can still remember them as clear as day.

Twelve Years Ago

“Nate, I like you and all, and I know your birthdays are all about you now, but I amnotdoing a Stars Wars watch-a-thon,”I say to him, but the way he’s looking up at me with all five DVD’s spread out like a deck of cards and that innocent twinkle in his eye, I almost want to say yes.

Almost. Space movies aren’t exactly my thing.

If he would’ve suggested reading from sunrise to midnight? I would’ve probablykissed him.

That thought swishes in my head for a split second, before I force it to fade away. Idon’t think he sees me that way.

He doesn’t say anything; all he does is keep his sparkly green gaze on me, like heknows I’ll eventually crack. I won’t, but if he keeps this up any longer, I can’t be sure.

I try to make my eyes the thinnest I can, proving to him that I won’t crack—

“Please, Addy,”he says, his voice cracking in the way he thinks I will if he keeps upthe doh-eyed Bambi look.

But then I remember what he did to even be debating this with me right now. Thescene of him finally telling his mom and dad how he hated these days on his thirteenth birthday last year played across my mind, as I crouched behind the bushes just under the windowsill, watching my best friend be the bravest I’d seen him…

A sigh slips out of me.“Fine, I’ll watchone.”

“Four,”he fires back, that smirk he saves for me creeping on the corners of hismouth.

“Two,”

He huffs.“What is the point of watching two? You might as well just watch three toget the original trilogy. Watching the first two is like reading the first four books in that Lost Kingdom series you wrote and never bothering with the last one! It’s also like—”

“Fine! Okay. We’ll watch the original triangle.”I rush out, his smirk not making mefeel warm like it did a second ago. Irritated, more like.

“You mean the original trilogy?”He bats back, his eyes narrowing.

I narrow mine, taking the first three DVDs from his grasp.“Do you want me to watchthem or not?”His stare softens, as he places the other two movies back on the shelf behind him.“I thought so. Now, are we watching them here or at my place?”I ask, inspecting the blurbs on the DVDs, hoping it’ll spark the tiniest bit of interest.

“We’ll stay here. I’ve got something we need to do before we watch the moviesanyway,”he says, his steps taking him down the hallway and into his kitchen.

“Oh yeah, and that would be?”I ask as I follow behind him, my intrigue only growingwhen I see the baking set-up that’s spread out across the grey granite counter.

“Cinnamon buns.”

“Addyyyy?” Flo drawls, her voice all cloudy in my ears. “Jacob, what the hell did youput in this pie? She’s not blinking.”

Flo’s worried tone eventually breaks through, my eyes coming together and snappingme out of the flashback. I meet Nate’s eyes first, regrettably, and he’s looking at me like he can see every little memory that has just taken over my conscience.

I flick my dry eyes over to Flo, then to Jacob, both nearly finished with their mealsand staring at me like I’ve sprouted three heads.

“You okay, Add’s?” Jacob asks. “Where’d you just go?”

My spine feels funny as I shake it, stretching it and shimmying my butt on the chaircushion beneath it. I’m hoping I’ll shake the memory of what happened with Nate earlier, too.

It’s scary how I can still feel him, pressed against my back, the ghost of his fingerskimming the skin of my neck, tucking my hair behind my ear like he had any right to.

Why did you let him do it then?

“Oh, God, sorry. I completely spaced out.” I laugh it off. “Just… a lot on my mind, Iguess.” I rush, my eyes jumping to Nate and then back to my plate, reminding me to eat.

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