Page 129 of Lovestruck at Sundown
W.S.
William must’ve asked about my scholarship status when he met with my academic director.
The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” I said, brushing away the happy tears from my cheeks, but more kept pouring down.
When I opened the door, my body tensed. “Nathan. Hi.” He wasn’t alone. A beautiful girl was standing next to him. She had long, light brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders in loose waves. Her bright, amber eyes felt oddly familiar. They were holding hands, and her posture was perfect and graceful. They looked … good together. Great, actually. So much so that it made me feel a tinge of jealousy, but I discarded it because Nathan was and would forever remain a thing of the past, even if he would always somehow be connected to my present.
Looking at Nathan was hard because it reminded me of how much I had hurt him. But I was also glad to see he was moving on with someone else, and I hoped she was making him happy. He deserved it.
“Murph.” His eyes narrowed on me with concern. “Is everything okay? Have you been crying?” He dropped the girl’s hand and took a step closer.
“Oh, no, it’s um … happy tears.” I brushed the leftover humidity off my face and waved the scholarship notification letter in front of me. “It’s good news from Parsons. I was granted ascholarship.” I shook my head and held out my hand to the stunning brunette. “I’m Billie.”
“Sorry,” Nathan said, placing his hand on the girl’s lower back to bring her closer. “Forgot my manners for a second there. Billie, this is Vivienne. She’s um—” Nathan hesitated.
“His girlfriend.” Vivienne completed the sentence and shook my hand with a smile but looked sideways at Nathan.
That was awkward.
“Please come in.” I slid the door open for them. “I assume you’re here to see Joel?”
They stepped inside, and Nathan grabbed Vivienne’s hand again. I hated how aware I was of their every interaction.
Joel came out of his room fully dressed, the smell of his cologne impregnating the room. His hair was still blond, and it didn’t stop shocking me how much he looked like William with it. Lily was still in the living room, taking a call and jotting down stuff on a notepad.
I excused myself and let Joel take over. Lily grimaced when she saw me approaching her with wide eyes.
“Sorry!” she mouthed, lifting a finger to give her a minute. “Okay, thanks, Ruby. I’ll see you tomorrow at ten. Yes. Thanks again.”
Lily dropped her phone on the sofa next to her. “I completely forgot we were going out for lunch with Nathan and his new girlfriend!” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m going insane with the wedding. I wouldn’t have asked you to meet here otherwise.”
“No, you’re fine.” I waved a carefree hand in front of me. “She looks familiar, but I can’t figure out why. Is she … famous?” Through meeting the Sjöberg family and dating William, I had become more up-to-date with pop culture and celebrities, so I wasn’t as clueless as I used to be. But it wouldn’t have surprised me if she were famous and I didn’t know.
“No, she’s not.” Lily frowned with curiosity. “Maybe she looks like someone you know?”
“I don’t know. I feel like I’ve seen her before.” I peeked over my shoulder and saw the three of them talking. I wassureI’d seen her before. “So, when did they start dating?”
“A few weeks ago, I think?” Lily said, standing up. “I didn’t tell you because I’d only met her once. Briefly, so I don’t have much information to give you. And you know, I wasn’t sure if you wanted to know.”
“No, no, it’s fine.” I nibbled my bottom lip nervously. “I think I should get going.” I grinned, and it made Lily laugh.
“Ruby wants to meet tomorrow to go through the final seating arrangement map,” she said. “Can you come?”
“Of course! Whatever you need.”
“We’re meeting at 10:00 a.m. at her office.”
“Perfect.” I smiled and grabbed my flower bouquet.
Lily went to say hi to Nathan and Vivienne, and I couldn’t help but remember the times when we used to go out or hang out, the four of us. It gave me a nostalgic feeling. We used to have a lot of fun together.
“It was nice meeting you, Vivienne,” I said as I walked toward the front door and offered a goodbye hand wave from afar. I didn’t want to approach them when I was struggling to carry the flowers.
“Oh, wow! Those flowers are beautiful!” Vivienne exclaimed. She regarded me with curiosity, and I wasn’t sure if she felt the same way I did about her. Maybe I seemed familiar to her, too. “It was nice meeting you too, Billie.”
“I guess I’ll see you guys at the wedding.”
Nathan stared at me and nodded once.
