Page 11 of If You Say So

Nate wouldn’t like you flirting.

Oh yeah? Well Nate can get bent.

Ugh.

“We’d better get started then. You have your books?”

I slap my hand to my forehead. “Crap. Knew I was forgetting something. Be right back.”

I push my chair back from the table and dart from my seat, racing up the stairs as fast as I possibly can. The last thing I want to do is leave Mateo down there alone with Nate for too long.

I don’t trust him to not scare the poor guy off.

I trample my way back down the stairs in a hurry, barely skidding to a halt before I’m in Nate’s line of sight. I peer around the corner to find his arms crossed over his chest, a whimsical look on his face as he stares off at nothing of significance.

“I remember the first time I realized Blake was something special like it was yesterday,” Nate says quietly.

My body begins to shake with anticipation, waiting to hear the next words he’ll utter.

“Have you known each other long?”

“Since middle school.”

Mateo’s lips twist up as he considers Nate. “Friends through high school?”

“Yep.”

“Really? Wow. I had no idea you two even knew each other. How’d you two scrape through those awkward teen years together?”

My eyes flick back to Nate just in time to see his eyes crinkle at the edges, his lips pulling into a subtle smile.

“We managed.”

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