Page 7 of My Return to the Walter Boys
Since I caught him dry humping Kim, I thought the answer to his question was obvious: anywhere thatwasn’this bedroom. But when I looked up at Alex for the first time since leaving, all I could do was open and close my mouth like an idiot.
Summer had been good to Alex Walter. He was sporting golden, sun-kissed skin, and his blond curls were lighter than normal, like he had spent every moment of the past few months outside. He’d hit a growth spurt too, because he now stood a full head taller than me. His lips curved into a smile as I took in each change. It wasn’t cocky, like a certain older brother’s, but it was decidedly knowing.
“Um, hi.” I offered him a hesitant smile and pretended there wasn’t a blush creeping up my neck. “This isn’t awkward at all.”
Alex slipped his hands into the pockets of his gym shorts and leaned a shoulder against the wall. “Well, I’m not the one who barged in without knocking.”
“Right,” I said with a grimace. “I can’t say this enough, but I’msosorry. I heard the music and thought it was Nathan.”
“I’m sorry too,” he replied. “This wasn’t how I planned for you to find out about us, but all is forgiven as long as you promise not to be mad at Kim? She’s worried you won’t want to be friends anymore.” Judging by the expression on Alex’s face, Kim wasn’t the only one who was worried.
His concern was sweet but unnecessary. Spending the summer in New York only confirmed that our decision to split was the right one, because I’d hardly thought about him at all.
“She has nothing to worry about. We broke up, remember?”
“Yeah, I was there.” His tone was light and teasing, but I could hear relief as well. “So we’re good?”
“Better than. Honestly, I’m happy for you both,” I told him, “but…um…I really did want to see Nathan. Any idea where he’s at?”
“Oh, I see how it is.” Alex was still shirtless, so when he folded his arms and smirked down at me from his recently acquired height, I had to make a conscious effort not to look. Just because we weren’t together anymore didn’t mean I was blind. “You dump me, and Nathan steals my spot as your favorite Walter? I’m hurt, Jackie.”
I almost shot back that he was never my favorite but bit my tongue at the last second. “Don’t you have a girlfriend to get back to?”
“Touché.” He pushed off the wall and headed back in the direction of his room. “Nathan’s been spending a lot of time in the loft, so I’d check there,” he told me. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Alex, wait! Do you know if—I mean, will your brother be home tonight?” If so, I needed to brace myself for the encounter.
He paused but didn’t turn around. “Which brother? I have a few of those.”
“You know who I’m talking about,” I said gently.
“And you know we don’t talk, so you’re asking the wrong person.”
“Okay,” I said, letting the subject drop. I should’ve known better than to bring up Cole with him. “I guess I’ll see you later.”
After retrieving my suitcase and depositing it in my room, I set out in search of Nathan, mind whirling as I chewed over the afternoon’sbombshell of a revelation. My ex, who Ilivedwith, was dating my friend, neither of whom bothered to tell me about their newfound relationship. Not that they owed me an explanation, but some kind of warning would have been nice.
I didn’t lie when I said I was happy for the both of them. Alex and Kim were friends long before I came into the picture. Plus, they shared all the same nerdy hobbies. It had always been a point of contention in our relationship—my disinterest inGoGand his inability to understand the importance I placed on doing well in school. That said, this development would take time to get used to. Alex and Kim might fit well together, but it was still a startling change.
I was so lost in my thoughts, I made the five-minute walk to the barn on autopilot. When I cleared the top of the ladder and the loft came into view, I blinked in surprise. Here was another change. A dozen plastic dairy crates were stacked against the back wall to form a makeshift storage unit, and Nathan’s collection of vinyl was housed inside. Additionally, the ancient TV was missing from the media cabinet; in its place sat a record player.
Nathan was stretched out across one of the lumpy couches, pencil in one hand and a book in the other. He must have heard my entrance and assumed I was someone else, because he let out a long-suffering sigh without looking up from what he was reading. “Jordan, I know I promised to help curate the soundtrack for your documentary, but you have to give me more than a couple hours. I haven’t started yet.”
“Not Jordan.”
The pencil clattered on the floor as Nathan’s head snapped up.
“Jackie?” he exclaimed, a grin stretching across his face. He tossed his book aside and scrambled to his feet. “You’re back! I’ve been so— Wait, why do you look angry?”
I propped my hands on my hips. “Because you have some major explaining to do.” Since I wasn’t actually mad at him, I only waited a moment before dropping my angry act and pulling Nathan into a hug. Like Alex, he’d grown more than a few inches over the summer, and I grumbled to myself as he rested his chin on top of my head.
There was a hesitant look on his face when we broke apart. “About what exactly?”
“Hmm, let’s think. Does Alex and Kim ring a bell?”
Nathan blinked at me. “But…you only just got here. How do you evenknowabout that?”
“I heard music coming from your room when I went to put my suitcase away.” The partial explanation was all it took for Nathan to cringe, and I had a feeling he knew exactly where my story was going. “It’s no excuse, but we haven’t seen each other in nearly three months, and Imissedyou.”
