Page 103 of Nathan
“I know.” It didn’t make sense to me either except that Hawaiian was Serena’s favorite pizza, and ordering one made me feel a little closer to her.
“I think something broke inside his brain when he watched that video,” Lumi whispered to Liv.
“I heard that,” I called out, but I didn’t tell Lumi that she was right when she hinted that something was broken inside me. I was surrounded by my family who would give me all the hugs I wanted, but in my mind, I had gone back to a small cabin in Sweden. The physical pain in my chest from the longing to be with Serena had only increased from watching that video.
My father hadn’t been around to save my mother from the madman who killed her. The thought that someone might get to Serena without my being around to protect her made it impossible to sit still.
Excusing myself, I walked into my bedroom, where I called up Serena. She seemed tense when she picked up.
“You okay?” I asked.
Her face was as pretty as ever, but she looked miserable. “I’ve tried calling you several times. Why didn’t you answer? Did you see theNew York Timesarticle?”
“Yes.” I was feeling emotional and kept my answer short.
Serena sat down and made a sigh of resignation. “This is it, isn’t it?”
I wanted Serena to know about the tape with my mother, but if I spoke now, I was afraid my voice would break. I drew in a deep breath trying to find the right words.
“You’re breaking up with me.”
My eyebrows knitted close together. “Pardon?”
Serena’s head hung low as she cried. “When you ignored my calls, I knew something was wrong. You always answer me. It’s okay. I don’t blame you for giving up on me, I just...” Her shoulders shook and she began sobbing.
“Serena.” I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. “Serena, listen to me.”
With a loud sniffle, she dried the tears that streamed down her cheeks.
“I wasn’t ignoring you. I’ve just been distracted. My phone battery ran out on my flight back from London, and we all turned off our phones when we watched the tape.”
“What tape?” Serena’s green eyes looked glassy with the wet tears still falling.
“The one with my mum’s name on it that I told you about.”
“You watched it?” Her voice lowered with concern.
“Yes, I watched it with my family and it was the hardest thing I ever had to do.” It was my turn to cover my face with my hands for a moment.
“Oh, Nathan, I’m so sorry.”
“Watching my mum getting killed to protect me made me realize that my life is way too short to be apart from the woman I love.”
Serena sucked in a quick gasp of air and lifted her brow.
“Serena, I want to see you!” My voice was shaking a little.
When Serena opened her mouth to answer me, I added, “I’m not taking no for an answer. Ineedto see you.”
Her answer was soft and breathy: “Okay.”
“I don’t mean in a week or a month. I’m talking about one of us getting on the first plane to see each other, and when we get there, I’m going to fucking hold on to you and never let go.”
A soft smile spread on Serena’s lips. “So, you’re not breaking up with me?”
“No! I’m not going to lie. I’ve had my doubts about whether we can make this work, but right now, all I can think about is that we’ll regret it if we don’t go all in. My entire family was with me when I watched that awful tape, and yet I still missed you.”
“I feel bad that I wasn’t there for you.”
