Page 105 of Heartstruck at Dawn
I sat on the floor with my towel tightly tucked around my body. I rested my head back on the wall and closed my eyes for a few seconds.
Okay. I needed to get up. Nathan was going to be here any minute now. I brushed my teeth twice, mouthwash and all, and quickly blow-dried my hair just to make it stop dripping. I changed into jeans and a comfy navy-blue sweater.
Once I walked into my bedroom, I heard William’s piano. He was playing Tiny fucking Dancer for her. What an excellent way to ruin a perfect song.
A knock on my bedroom door.
“Hey, you!”
Oh, I was so glad to see Nathan. I needed to hug him. He was going to make me feel better. He quickly placed his arms around me. “You smell delicious,” he whispered in my ear. “So fresh and clean.”
I closed my eyes and huffed air out of my mouth. I felt so bad. It was a mixture of anger, a tad of sadness, and a lot of guilt. Guilt because Nathan was standing right in front of me, and I’d just thrown up because William had invited Nina in. It was the worst feeling ever.
But I was honestly the happiest to see Nathan. All I wanted was for him to hold me. He always made me feel like everything was going to be okay.
“Murph, what’s wrong?”
“Just stress and an upset stomach. But I’m fine. I’m better now that you’re here.”
“Come here,” he said, pulling me into his arms again. He kissed my hair several times. “It’s okay. Do you want me to stay over tonight?” I pressed my lips together and nodded. “Let’s get you something to eat.”
Nathan grabbed my hand and led me out into the dining room. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”
I grabbed his face and kissed him. He was the sweetest. I wondered why I even bothered getting upset at all because of William.
We sat in the living room, waiting for Juan Pablo to arrive and for Nina to return from William’s apartment.
“Ooh, I love your sweater,” CJ said, placing a small bowl with olives on the coffee table. I loved how he felt at home in my apartment. It was nice to have other people around too. It felt more … homey.
It was a bittersweet feeling, but thankfully, they were leaving in a few days. I had a great time with both of them, but I wasn’t interested in having Nina and William parading themselves in front of me.
Nina waltzed back into the apartment with a big, proud grin.
“This girl over here,” Nina said, pointing at me, “has been keeping a secret. Did you know William Sjöberg livesrightbeside us?”
Again with theus.
“What!” CJ shouted. “Billie! What the hell?”
“I’ll go get us something to drink,” Nathan whispered. I’m sure he wasn’t too keen on listening to Nina fangirling over William.
“Well, he’s never around. I didn’t think you would be interested.”
“Oh, we’re interested,” CJ said, taking a seat on the sofa.
“He’ssooooohot. Andpfft, those arms … are they for real?” Nina whispered. “He’s also anamazingpiano player. Ugh. Too perfect.” She threw an olive into her mouth and sat beside me.
At that point, I felt nothing. All the bad feelings had literally gone down the drain and left a void in my stomach.
Juan Pablo knocked on the door, and Nina rushed to open it. He walked in with a big smile that never ceased to creep me out. His dark eyes focused on me.Okay,here we go.
Nathan gave me a glass of wine, and I immediately took a sip.
“You have a dark aura around you, Billie,” he groaned, brushing the space around my shoulders with his hand.
Hello to you too.
Is he fixing my aura?I’d heard Nina talk about it before. I wasn’t closed off to the idea of asking him if he could do it. Perhaps he could brush William away too while he was at it—if such a thing could be accomplished, of course. I’m sure that’s where all the darkness came from.
