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“This is it.”
“Wow, okay.” I sighed shakily. “The worst mistake I ever made in my life was hitting your car.” If only I’d been paying attention, none of this would’ve happened. If only I’d stuck to my books and my boring, predictable life.
He smiled cruelly. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. The second time actually wasn’t your fault.”
I paused, and a chill ran down my spine. “What do you mean,it wasn’t my fault?”
“I mean,” he said slowly, “I hit your car.”
“You.” Words escaped me, and I had to collect my thoughts. “Youhit my car? You made me believe it was my fault? You did this for what? What reason?”
He shrugged without remorse. “I told you I’d get you to say yes to me, eventually.”
All of this because I refused to go on a date with him?“So, this was all a game? A challenge?”
He remained silent, but his look said it all. Of course, it was a game to him because whatever Axel wanted, he got.
“You manipulated me.”
“You had a choice, Natalie. I didn’t force you at gunpoint to go out with me. Besides, you got something out of it, too, and we had fun, didn’t we? At least while it lasted.”
My hand trembled, and anger seeped through my veins at his callous words. “That’s all it was? Fun?” He’d degraded me earlier and asked me if I was his girl, as if I meant more than a short fling. But it really was just a stupid, fun project to him.
“Yeah. That’s all it was. I thought we agreed that’s all it would be.”
“I guess we did,” I said numbly. “But I thought it was turning into…”
“Something different? You thought you would be the one to change me?” His words were casual, as if girls admitting this to him happened on a daily basis. Unfortunately, it probably had. “Sorry, Hardcore. You weren’t the first to try, but if it’s any consolation, I’ll always think of you fondly.”
Seething rage bubbled to the surface, breaking my last string of sanity. Before I knew what I was doing, I felt the pain in my palm as a loud thwack echoed between us. “You are anasshole!” I quickly turned and yanked on the door handle, stepping out of the car.
“Go on, Natalie. Go back to your family where you belong. Go marry your boy Kiran like the dutiful girl you are.”
I gripped the doorframe and squared my shoulders as I faced him, forcing a contrived smile, though I knew my face was a tearstained mess. “At least Kiran is ten times—scratch that, one hundred times the man you’ll ever be.” I slammed the door like I was slamming the chapter closed on this blip of bad judgment in my life and didn’t look back. Despite how my legs trembled beneath me. Despite how I was one second away from completely falling apart.
Reaching the entrance of my dorm, I realized I didn’t have my badge to get into the building or my room. I’d left my purse at Axel’s place, and my phone was the only thing I had with me.That’s just great.I dropped down on the top step and texted Lizzie, who was luckily upstairs, to come get me. Without any choice, I texted Axel that I left my purse at his house, to which he responded he’d have it delivered in the morning.
Delivered. As if he couldn’t be bothered with seeing me again. I drew my legs up to my knees, dropped my head, and silently cried.
Natalie
“And for the fourth pick in the 2023 NFL draft, New Orleans selects Axel Thomas, running back, Hillside University.”
The crowd in Las Vegas attending the draft erupted into cheers.
Coverage zoomed in on Axel, who was sitting in a suite with his father and all his roommates, their girlfriends, and their families. He stood up and hugged his father and then Nick, Roman, and Dmitri, as well as others who were packed into the suite with him. Amidst all the congratulatory hugs, someone handed him a ball cap that he donned with New Orleans’s logo, smiling wide for the camera and posing cockily.
The camera cut to the crowd as rabid fans in New Orleans jerseys and paraphernalia bounced around, pointing their index finger at the camera in anumber onegesture.
It was a bittersweet moment because although it physically hurt to see him, even on a live stream from thousands of miles away, he deserved this moment. In that sense, I guess I could be happy for him. Only for that reason alone.
Now would’ve been the time he would’ve called me, wanting to share this moment together. At least, I thought that would’ve happened. However, I had to remind myself he was obviously over me, and I was delusional to think it was anything otherwise.
His life would go on, and so would mine.
After crying for several hours the night Axel ended our project, I called my mother back and told her I would consider giving Kiran a chance. I still wasn’t quite ready to accept we would be engaged or eventually married. It was something I couldn’t quite wrap my head around. Nor anything either of us wanted.
My cell chimed. Speak of the devil. My mother was calling me again.
