AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She thanked him and followed Nathan upstairs.
He closed the door behind her and slumped with a huge sigh. She turned to see what that sigh meant, but he was grinning from ear to ear. “You were perfect. That couldn’t have gone any better. They loved you.” He sagged into his chair. “Thank you, angel. Really.”
He looked exhausted like the entire meal had drained him and she didn’t want to disturb him. Now that she thought about it, she was too. Trying to play the part and carry a conversation that revolved around her for an entire meal was wearing on her. She sat in her chair and opened her book, overly conscious of Nathan watching her and waiting for her to say something. Her head went a little light, probably from the post-meal exhaustion and not because Nathan’s arm brushed hers when he sat up straight.
“Thank me when you pass your classes. Now let’s start where we left off.”
Also, had he used that nickname again? She wasn’t sure. She thought he had, but she’d liked every word that came out of his mouth so it was hard to tell.
thirty-seven
nathan
Tully left half an hour before, but Nathan didn’t put his studying away immediately.
After what she said about passing his classes, it motivated him to make sure everything went well. He was used to disappointing his dad, maybe even his mom, but Tully? He didn’t want to disappoint her when she was doing him such a huge favor. He’d never cared that much, but she made him want to care how this all turned out, more so than his dad’s threats.
There was a soft knock on his door, and he paused to put down his pencil. “Come in.”
His mom peeped in, her eyes immediately going to the scattered notes and books and pencils and colored markers. “Hi sweetie, just wanted to say good night. Your father and I are heading to bed soon. Are you still studying?”
“Yeah, I want to stay ahead.”
Sandy sighed dreamily and entered the room, closing the door behind her. Nathan knew exactly what that meant; she wanted to talk to him about something. She did this every now and then when there was something she wanted to berate him about or catch up on. Since she didn’t look serious, he had an idea it was about Tully.
“Tully is just wonderful, isn’t she?” she asked as she sat on the edge of his bed.
He knew it. “Yes, she is.” And he wasn’t faking it. Tully really was wonderful, that’s why she was so perfect for everything. He didn’t realize it at first, of course, but this entire plan was turning out way better than he ever thought it would.
“I can’t believe how good she’s been for you.” Sandy put her hand on her heart. “I’ve never seen you so motivated before. Your father and I are so proud of you.”
A hiccup of surprise and heart-racing success caught him off guard. Was this a confirmation that everything was going to end up how he wanted? Was she about to tell him that his dad was rescinding his threat and Nathan could now go to any school he could get into?
Or was she just saying it? His dad wasn’t the type to go around telling people how proud he was of his son. But it had to be a good sign, didn’t it?
“Thanks, Mom.”
She leaned forward, and gently placed her palm on his cheek like she had when he was a little kid. “You’ve grown up so much.” Neither of them said anything for a minute, then she patted him and stood up. Nathan watched her walk to the door and open it again. “Don’t stay up too late studying. Love you, honey.”
Nathan smiled. “Love you too, Mom.”
She left and Nathan’s lips dropped. Two weeks ago this conversation would have elated him, but surprisingly he was torn. Successfully tricking his parents into seeing his efforts and getting what he wanted out of it was perfect. But now there was more to this than just him. Tully.
They liked her a lot. His mom even told Tully that she saw her as a daughter, and Nathan had never seen his mom like any girls he brought home that much. He was deceiving them, getting their hopes up, and eventually, he’d have to break them.
Tully wasn’t hisrealgirlfriend. Eventually, and he didn’t know when, but this would all come to a close and they would call everything off and she would become his ex-girlfriend to everyone else.
He stared at the notebook pages in front of him, the ones she’d written and marked up. He didn’t feel like studying anymore.
His chest tightened at the thought. What would happen to them once they called off the deal? Would they talk anymore? This unlikely friendship they built, would it stay intact?
He closed the notebook and turned off the lamp.
There was plenty of time to figure it out. He shouldn’t worry about it, because at the end of the day what happens happens, and he would just have to accept it.
At the end of the day, they would be strangers again and they’d move on and never speak again. He could live with that. Right?
thirty-eight
