Page 19 of The Tip-Off
“Is he okay?” she asks, her voice small and wavering.
I walk into my room, her right behind me before I answer. “He’ll be alright.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
I shrug, trying to play it off. Nathan and I aren’t close, but I’m not going to tell his shit. “He’ll sleep it off and be good in the morning.”
She’s staring at me, a list of questions she doesn’t ask marring her features. “You’re bleeding.”
My hand goes to my mouth where he caught me, and my fingers bring back blood. “He just grazed me. I’m gonna get this cleaned up.” I nod to the headphones. “They’re all yours.”
9
Gabby
“Hey, you stay over last night?”Nathan asks as he enters the kitchen. His long hair is damp, and he pulls a grey t-shirt over his head.
“Yeah, it was late, and I didn’t want to call an Uber, so I called Blair and Wes said I could crash in his room.”
I wonder if he remembers last night, if he knows I was just outside his door when Zeke was restraining him, but there’s no indication from his expression that he feels embarrassed and I think he would be if he thought I’d heard.
He settles next to me after getting a Gatorade from the refrigerator. “Whatcha got going on today?”
“I work tonight.” I shrug. “Nothing until then.”
“Cool. You can hang with me this afternoon.”
I follow him out to the pool where he tosses the shirt he’d just pulled on less than two minutes ago. “Coming in?”
“My suit’s upstairs.”
“So, go put it on or just wear your bra and underwear. Honestly, it’s the same thing.”
“Not the same at all. Cotton panties do not look flattering when they’re wet.”
He smirks. “I beg to differ.”
I push at his shoulder and he jumps into the pool and disappears underwater for a few long moments. I take a seat on the edge and dip my feet in. It’s already hot outside and the water feels great. When he resurfaces, it’s with a glint in his blue eyes.
“Oh no. No, you don’t Nathan Payne,” I protest with a squeal as he uses my legs to pull me into the pool fully dressed.
My jean shorts and t-shirt cling to my body. “You punk. Now the only clothes I brought are wet.”
“Should have taken them off.”
I pull myself, ungracefully, to sit next to the pool and wring out my shirt the best I can. Nathan hops out too, grabs his cigarettes, and sits beside me. He lights up and takes a long puff before exhaling. The smoke filters out into a cloud above us.
“How can you be this amazing athlete with a body to kill and still smoke like a chimney?”
Once again, I’m reminded of last night and how panicked he’d looked. I wish he’d confide in me, but sometimes being a good friend is just being there.
He takes a long drag, cheeks hollow before he lets it out with a mocking smile. “Everyone’s got vices. This is mine. What’s yours?”
“Reality TV and shopping.”
His lips curve up. “Kardashians and couture?”
“I’m not even going to question how you know the word couture.” I hold my hand out. “Let me try.”
