AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Who knew it would be so . . . suffocating.
He’d been jealous of teammates who did better than him, or students who could pass exams without looking at a notepad, but he’d never drowned in the sickening green wave that covered his body and numbed him like when he saw Tully sitting on her porch with another guy.
That washisgirlfriend.
Who did this guy think he was spending time with her when everyone in this town knew that she was his?
He wasn’t thinking straight enough to remind himself that they were never truly dating, and that she called it off ten days ago. Ten days was plenty time to go crazy in his own head thinking about her.
Now he looked an upright fool: standing staring wide eyed at Tully and this guy who looked kind of familiar but not familiar enough to name, while a red and green gift-wrapped box was tucked under his arm. He’d become a jealous fool—for her.
“Nathan?” Hearing her voice made his head bob above the wave and he took a deep intake of fresh air for the first time in a long time. It made his aching heart pound more than it did when his dad had talked about her and tipped the scales into getting over his pride and just going to her. He willed his lead legs forward up her walkway and to the porch.
She and the guy were standing now, and Nathan could see two blankets and two separate mugs.
How cozy.
“Hi.”
Hi? Was that really the best he could do?
“Hi.” Her voice was uncertain, reluctant even and Nathan’s chest trembled with nerves. He’d made a mistake. If she wanted to see him, she would have reached out. He should back out now. The guy next to her stepped forward. He did look familiar. Blue eyes, blonde hair, strong jaw. Nathan clenched his own, trying not to let his envy surface. “What are you doing here?” Tully asked.
He looked back at Tully, with her arms wrapped around herself. She wore an oversized turtleneck and her dark curls were adorably frizzed. His heart softened, and the guy became a blur in the background. “I came to see you.”
“I, uh, I’ll wait for you inside,” the guy said, probably sensing that Nathan wanted him gone. At least he had enough sense for that. Tully nodded and they waited patiently for him to gather his blanket and mug and walk into the house like he owned the place. Nathan’s jaw clenched. He himself had been inside only once or twice.
Once he was gone, they were left alone and Nathan shifted on his feet. The fresh patches of snow crunched under his boots.
“Who was that?” He winced at his accusing tone, knowing he sounded as jealous as he felt. Tully ran a hand through her hair, and Nathan’s stomach fluttered at the simple motion. He was crazy.
“My brother. Eugene.”
Nathan’s nervous fidgeting halted and his jealous pit twisted into mortification. Eugene. The brother she talked so highly of, the one who inspired her to go to NYU, the one she missed.
The tips of his ears suddenly felt colder.
Blonde hair, blue eyes—now that he knew that it made so much more sense. He looked like the older, male version of Joliet.
Dammit.
Here he was, getting all jealous over a girl who was just spending time with her brother on Christmas.
He sucked his lips into his mouth and let the seconds tick by as he tried to comprehend what he could possibly say right now. “I got you this,” was the best he could muster. He held the box out to her, using it as the last-ditch effort to fix whatever was between them. He’d scared her away, and at the very least, this small present could apologize for that, and thank her for everything else. “Merry Christmas.”
She didn’t take the gift right away. She surveyed it cautiously like she wasn’t sure she could trust him. His courage and heart twisted. Eventually, she tentatively reached out and accepted the gift. “Thanks.”
This had to be a good sign, Nathan smiled and exhaled, sending a puff of steam in front of him. “When are you going to come over again? My mom was wondering why she hasn’t seen you lately.”
Her eyes stuck to him, rendering him immobile as he tried to decipher her enigmatic mask. He was drawn to her; whatever she was hiding behind there he wanted to know…no. Heneededto know. He was delirious for her to just say it. To tell him why they couldn’t at least stay friends after everything. He wanted those words to come from her mouth and put him out of his misery.
She said nothing, so he took a step up the porch stairs, then another. She stood still, as unmoving as her face. And he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Angel, I’m going completely out of my mind.”
“Nathan—”
“No, don’t stop me. I have to say it or I’ll explode.”
