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I try and gauge her expression as we walk toward each other.
“Why didn’t you tell me what happened between you and Shelby? Why didn’t you tell me she cheated on you?”
I lean back on my heels. Last year it would have been because hearing my ex’s name felt like a medicine ball to the gut, now, it’s because the line of questioning catches me entirely off guard. The pain is merely a memory, lighter than the wind. “How did that come up?”
“Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”
I scratch the length of my jaw, recalling the conversation that ended our nearly five-year relationship. “I didn’t want you to hate her. It wasn’t just her fault things ended; she just burned the wreckage before it could sink.”
“Literally,” Katie remarks.
“I thought you guys would work things out. I never expected her to turn her back on you.”
Katie shakes her head. “You should have told me. All this time, I thought you just broke up with her because you were bored, and the girls here chase you around like you’re a celebrity.”
I stare at her. “Is that really what you thought?”
Katie releases a sigh. “It’s what I wanted to think.”
I give an amused laugh.
“Hadley will forgive you, and if you want to move back into the basement once you guys resolve things, it’s yours. Hell, you can move upstairs if you want. I’m planning a bonfire for the contents of the spare room up there.”
“You guys shared a lot.”
She nods. “Don’t do it again, Nolan. Don’t risk her. She deserves more, and so do you.” She stares at me for a long second. “And you might need to pull out a little more than just the usual groveling. You might need a big gesture after this. You were gone over twenty-four hours.”
“I’m a fucking lightweight.”
She snickers. “You were fucking stupid.”
“That, too.”
“If you need my help or want me to put in a good word, just let me know. I’ll do whatever I can to help you win her back.”
I pull in a breath. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’ll see you.”
I nod. “Hopefully sooner than later.”
She gives me a playful punch to the bicep and continues across the lawn. I watch her go, then head for the large brick building my class is held in.
Dark hair and sky-blue eyes catch my attention. Hadley’s holding the door open for a never-ending stream of students.
“You got stuck,” I say, taking the door from her.
Hadley eyes the students flowing from the door and then me. “They’re never going to stop. You’re going to have to let go.”
We have fifteen minutes before class begins. I slowly release the door, forcing the next person exiting to catch it. “Want to grab a coffee?”
Hadley holds up the coffee already in her hand.
“Want to talk?”
She seems to consider her answer for a few seconds before slowly nodding. “Sure.”
We meander, going nowhere in particular aside from away from the high-traffic areas. “How did your speech go?”
