Page 67 of Catch Me If You Can

My heart pounds. I look around the restaurant, trying to ground myself. I think I’ve known it deep down too, but I haven’t really allowed myself to admit it.

“I’m sorry,” I mutter, looking down. “I guess it wasn’t really fair to you, either.”

She shrugs. “No. I was a little hurt, I won’t lie. But for the record, I didn’t totally hate the attention. Two hot guys chasing after me? It was kind of the dream,” she says with a smirk, taking another drink. “Plus, I was sort of a dick stringing you two along for so long. This is one hell of a payback.” She smiles softly, bringing her drink up to her lips.

I nod simply, replaying the words she said.

“You’re in love.”

She’s right. I loveeverythingabout Nathaniel. His kindness, his intelligence, how he makes every moment feel exciting andnew. Being with him feels like discovering the world all over again.

“Yeah... I’m in love with him,” I finally say, exhaling deeply. It feels like a huge weight lifts off my chest. “Is that weird for you?”

Sarah smiles and reaches across the table, taking my hand. “No. I love you both so much. But I’ve got a lot to figure out on my own. I wasn’t doing either of you any favors. Still, I want to be in both of your lives—if you’ll have me.”

I squeeze her hand. “Always. You really are amazing, you know.”

She shrugs. “I know,” she says with a wink.

I laugh.

“Just do me one favor,” she says quietly.

“Anything.”

“Fight for him. He deserves it.”

I blink at her, and she’s right. Nathan spent so long doing the chasing—maybe it’s finally time he gets caught.

“I think I may have an idea,” I smile.

28

nathan

“Come on, Nathan. I miss you, and it’s going to be so fun, I promise,” Sarah pleads through the phone.

It’s been a week since I got back from Toronto, and honestly, the last thing I want to do is go to a rooftop party. Forgive me for not exactly being in the party mood.

But then again, this is Sarah we’re talking about—and when have I ever been able to say no to her? Well, except last weekend, when I told her I wasn’t looking to get into a relationship with her.

“Sarah, I don’t know… I’ve just been feeling kind of off these past few days,” I mumble, mindlessly clicking around on my screen.

She sighs. “I get it. I really do. Caleb is... unforgettable. But so are you, Nathan. You’ve always been special. You deserve to have fun. Screw Caleb for just one night.”

Screw Caleb, she says. That’s the problem. Iwantto screw Caleb. And he hasn’t texted or called me since Toronto.

My heart aches just thinking about it. How easily he could just leave.Again.

“I’ll let you know,” I say with a smile. “You’ve always had a way with words, you know.”

“I know!” Sarah laughs.

Just then, Theo leans over my desk divider. “You ready to go?” He grins.

I nod and signal for one more minute. “Hey, Sarah, I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later?”

“You better be coming this weekend, Nathan. I mean it.”

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