Page 63 of Unwritten Rules

Pacing back and forth in front of the elevator, having given Nate access to my apartment and thrown that wretched letter in the trash, I’m a ball of anxiety.

I need to get my overwrought emotions under control and fast.

You’d swear you’ve not seen him in an age. You saw him only an hour past!

The elevator dings, signalling his arrival, and the doors open almost in slow motion to display the most mouth-wateringly beautiful man I’ve ever seen.

Immediately, I brandish my weapon – my razor-sharp tongue – and prepare to do battle.

“Christ, Hawthorne. Stalker much?”

His eyebrows draw together, the look of genuine concern on his handsome face filling my body with a visceral longing.

“You didn’t need to catch a ride with Jo and Nola. I-I wanted to see you home. I needed to be sure you were okay, littlest DeMarco.”

His thoughtfulness makes my heart squeeze, and I can feel a little of my fury ebb away, making me even angrier.

“Okay, well, I’m fine – as you can see. Now, I’m busy, so you can toddle on with yourself—”

“Fancy a movie night, wench?”

I tilt my head to the side, scrunching up my face in confusion. “Are you hard of hearing, grump? It’s a no from me. Now, if you’ll excuse—”

“Please, Mila. I’m sorry, okay? I miss us – the us we used to be before Devon. Please – please let me try to find our way back to that version, because this—”

He gestures back and forth between us, his eyes pleading with me, even more than his words.

“This version of us – it’s not who we are. It’s always been easy between us, this bond we’ve formed from the first time we met. It’s real, our friendship. It’s the real deal. It’s not surprising that an attraction grew on both of our parts. I love you—”

He pulls up short as I gasp loudly, cutting him off as he steps forward into my personal space, his soul invading mine just as much as his physical being touches my body.

And I revel in it.

“…as a friend, littlest DeMarco. I’m not cut out to be in a relationship – and that’s something you deserve.”

And I shrivel up inside.

“You’ve yet to understand that the ties of physical love are fleeting. They can come on fast and disappear just as quickly. The bond that we share – Hellcat! It’s so much more, and I’d rather have that bond in my life than risk losing you completely by giving into something that would most likely burn out as quickly as it ignited.”

Fuck’s sake. How do you argue with that logic?

Because at the end of the day, I miss my friend, even though I’m still mad at him and his actions over the last few weeks.

Still…

“One movie, and it’s my choice.”

He quirks a brow. “One movie, and it’s my choice – but I can guarantee you’ll like it!”

Pursing my lips, I give him the stink eye. “You’re not staying over after your crap excuse for shoving me away like a piece of shit in Devon. That hurt most of all, Nate.”

His brow furrows. “I’m so sorry, littlest DeMarco. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“Well, all you did was make me feel like an idiot. You made me doubt myself – doubt my intuition – when I knew you were attracted to me. When I knew you wanted me.”

“Wanting one another is something neither of us should act upon. It’s just a physical attraction, nothing more. And with what we could lose…it’s a recipe for disaster. Seriously, Mila? Tell me you disagree.”

He tilts his head, eyes searing into mine so powerfully that I need to look away and step back.