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I hated the way he said my name. He reached out and took my face in his hands, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs. I should have slapped them away, but I missed him so damn much. My lip trembled.
“I’ve been a dick to you this past week. I’m really sorry. You’ve done so much for me.”
His deep voice rolled over me with all the words I wished he said days ago. “You tossed me out of your apartment.” The memory of that horrible moment throbbed in my chest.
Will looked like he was in pain. “I didn’t mean it. Don’t give up on me, Natalie. Please.”
I shook my head, unable to prevent Will’s arms from wrapping around me, holding me against his bare chest. My body went rigid, as if I could prevent it from feeling anything good.
God, I miss him.
“Thank you for coming with me today. I don’t think I would have been able to do it without you.”
I wish I were more than that.
My heart sank as he disengaged his arms from around me. “Yeah,” I said without looking at him. “No problem.”
Grabbing for the doorknob, I wrenched it open and left before he could say another word.
12
I woke up at five and it tookhours to peel my body from the bed. One week passed since I visited the families with Will. Over the next few days, articles appeared about the Metsky family forgiving Will, with pictures of them embracing. The storm was dying. Everything was slowly getting back to normal.
Will called twice, but I let it go to voicemail along with my parents’ attempts to reach me. Every time I thought of them, dread pounded my heart.
Thanksgiving was this Thursday and Jessica was nowhere to be seen. I was sure she was avoiding me, or maybe she was trying to give me space, but all it did was make me feel abandoned. I completed the mock-up of Will’s website, but I still hadn’t showed him.
Even my new job couldn’t drag me out of this depression, and the workplace was amazing. At every meeting there were banquets of free food, cocktail parties on Friday starting at three, but every day I passed Will’s empty office and the void in my chest ached. I heard that he would come back next week and felt worried about it.
In the kitchen, I started a pot of coffee, not caring about the mountain of dishes piled in the sink, or the dirty floors. My stomach rumbled with hunger, but I couldn’t be bothered to fix myself breakfast. All I could do was sit there alone and listen to the clock. Everyone at work had the week off because of the holiday. I couldn’t bear to hearanother voicemail of my mother's threatening to invite Ben over if I didn’t bring Will.
A surge of anger leapt in my chest and I decided that I would send the mock-up of the website to Will. I wouldn’t send a message, just the image. And that would be the last time I did anything for him.
The doorbell rang, and I walked to the front door, having no clue who it could be. Astonished, I opened itto see Jessica.
Luke stood beside her, looking unusually radiant. Jessica looked miserable. It was strange to see their conflicting emotions.
I walked away from the door, leaving it hanging open. Fuck being polite. I returned to my perch on the kitchen table and watched as Luke made a beeline for me.
“Natalie, we tried calling, but it kept going to voicemail.”
“I turned off my phone."
“Well, I wanted to thank you for what you’ve done for me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Um—what?”
He bounced on his feet and gave me a playful smile. “Oh, come on! Uncle Dominic gave me all my shares back. He said it was all down to you. I don’t know how you swung it, but I am really grateful.” He stooped down on his knees and grabbed my shoulders tohug me.
I forgot about the bargain I made with Will’s dad. I stared at Jessica over his shoulder, both of us sharing looks of complete shock.
“Natalie, what’s happened?”
Unlike Luke, she knew that something was wrong with me. I could see her looking at the dirty dishes. Luke’s arms were still tight around my back and it reminded me of Will somehow and then I burst into tears, clinging to his shoulders.
“Natalie—what?”
Luke cupped my cheek, and I pulled away, sobbing like a baby. “No, don’t!”
