Page 14 of Falling Too Soon
“Lexi sent that pic to me too. I guess it’s getting around.” I took another long pull from my wine glass as Nathan rounded the island to top off my drink.
I set my glass down, put my forehead on the island, and groaned. I hadn’t told my parents Marcus, and I had broken up yet. They were gonna freak if they saw this. I was hoping for a fun little solo vacay to relax before dealing with that conversation. My parents loved Marcus, or at least they loved the version of him he presented to them. I hadn’t confided in them how bad things had gotten. The truth was, I was embarrassed that I had let it go on for as long as I did.
I exhaled a long breath and looked up at a concerned Nathan, who was next to me now with his hand resting on my back. I blinked away the moisture gathering in my eyes.Fuck, why was I so emotional?It all felt like too much. I just wanted more time before talking to my parents and seeing the disappointment in their eyes. I knew I was right to leave him, but explaining why I left and how long I stayed with him despite those reasons felt overwhelming.
“It’s going to be okay,” Nathan said as he slowly rubbed my back, calming me slightly.
“I know, but I haven’t even told my parents about Marcus and me…I thought it could wait until I got home.”Home. Shit, I still didn’t have a home when I got back. “Ya know what? It’s going to be fine, and I’m not dealing with this now,” I laughed. Humor was my go-to coping mechanism, and while this wasn’t exactly funny, it was a laugh-or-cry situation, and I’ll be damned if I was going to turn into a puddle in front of this man.
Warily, Nathan started back toward the stove. “Okay, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. But just know we’re in this together now, so if you do want to talk or need anything, I’m here for you.”Swoon.Nathan was so understanding and easy-going. I felt as though I could talk to him and tell him why I was upset, but I was still being cautious.
“I appreciate that. I do. I want to live in avoidance for a bit longer, if that’s all right?” I chuckled. “But I’m starving, and I cannot wait to dig into this. It smells so freaking good.”
“Want to eat by the fire? We can throw on another scary movie if you want to,” he said as he plated our dinner.
“That sounds great, actually. Scary moviesandItalian food? Be still, my heart,” I joked while clutching my chest as I turned to the living room. “I’ll find something to put on.”
13
NATHAN
Iwatched her walk away, and my eyes roamed down over her body. I couldn’t help myself. She was beautiful, but it wasn’t just that. We’d had the best day together—conversation had flowed freely. She was fun and funny as hell. Her fantastic ass was the icing on the cake, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it felt while I was gripping it last night as I drove into her again and again. I shook my head. I had to try to keep my thoughts platonic. She didn’t, no more accurately, we didn’t need the complications, especially not right now.
I finished plating our dinner, complete with crispy garlic bread from the oven. The scent immediately brought me back to my childhood. This was always my mom’s favorite thing to make, and I used to love to cook with her when I was younger. Pulling me out of my memories, Daphne returned to the kitchen to retrieve the wine and our glasses.
“I’ve got the booze,” she said as she made her way back to the living room.
“On my way,” I called after her as I gathered our plates and utensils. When I entered the living room, the fire was crackling, the lights were dimmed, and cushions were splayed out on the floor around the coffee table. The area had been cozy and welcoming when we arrived, but now it had been transformed into an intimate dinner setting. I smiled. “This looks great, Daphne. What are we watching?”
“Halloween?” she said in a question, seeking my approval.
“Sounds great.” Truth be told, I didn’t care what we watched. I was looking forward to hanging out with her some more. We settled into our seats, and Daphne started the movie while I passed her a plate.
“Nathan, this looks amazing! Thank you so much for cooking. I really appreciate this.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my pleasure. I enjoy cooking. I used to cook with my mom all the time when I was younger,” I reminisced.
Daphne raised her glass toward me. “Well, I’m very thankful for that right now. Cheers!”
“Cheers.” I raised my glass to her. I watched with anticipation as Daphne dug into her meal.
“Mmmmm,” she practically moaned. “This is delicious.” It was hard not to imagine the sounds she had made last night, which sounded much the same as the sounds she was making with each bite. I adjusted myself discreetlyunder the table. Fuck, this was going to be harder than I thought, pun intended.
“Daphne, if you keep making noises like that, our ‘platonic’ status will be in serious jeopardy,” I joked.
Daphne choked on her garlic bread, and that did nothing to dissuade the growing situation in my pants. I chuckled. She coughed and her cheeks pinkened as she attempted to regain her composure. She was so fucking adorable. “You okay?”
“Yep.” She popped the P. “Just went down the wrong pipe,” she said, then coughed. It was cute that she thought I’d buy that. We continued eating and making small talk while watching the movie. Turns out Daphne was a huge horror movie fan. Last night, things were too sexually charged to find that out. Even though I could tell she knew this movie by heart, she still jumped and screamed at the jump scares on the screen.
Cute.
When we had finished eating, Daphne got up and grabbed the plates, despite my objections, and took them into the kitchen. I followed her and opened another bottle of wine since we had already finished the first one. Daphne loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. I had already taken care of the pots and pans I had used to cook because my mom had taught me to clean as I went. I was very grateful for that advice because I was eager to get back to the movie and, more importantly, the company I was watching it with.
Back in the living room, Daphne and I both sat on the couch, not close enough to touch, but not on opposite endseither. We shared a cozy blanket and settled in to finish the movie. Much like the night before, I was hard-pressed to keep my eyes on the screen. I was mesmerized by Daphne, watching her reactions and memorizing her features. It surprised me how little I had thought about Courtney since meeting Daphne. Her betrayal hurt, but Daphne lessened that sting a little more with every moment we spent together.
I glanced back at Daphne again as she pulled the blanket up over her mouth and nose. I guess something scary was about to happen on screen. I grinned as she turned to glance at me.Busted. She smiled. “What?”
“It’s nothing. I just love how into this you are,” I said honestly. “I mean, how many times have you seen this movie? Be honest.”
