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I heard the door handle rattle. “Why is this door locked?” my mother called out, knocking on the door. “What are you doing in there?” I groaned under my breath. My mother was always in my business.
“Mom, I’m getting ready!”
“Open the door.” The door handled rattled. “I need you to wipe down the table and patio furniture outside. I told you to do this over an hour ago.”
“Okay. I will. Give me a minute.”
“Young lady, if you don’t open this door right now…”
“Oh, my god. Liz, I’ll call you back.” I clicked off the cell and shoved the stick back into the box. My mom was still banging on the door. I grabbed a shirt that was lying on the edge of my bed and draped it over the pregnancy test kit.
“I’m coming!” I ran to the door and opened it.
“Come on. Stop dallying around. We only have a few minutes before our guests start to arrive.” She pulled me out of the room with her, and I rolled my eyes. I would have to find time to do this later. Until then, I needed to remain calm.
Soon, most of the guests were here, and the party had commenced. Kiran was sitting between our mothers at the picnic table, listening to them with feigned interest.
He wore a dress shirt and tie with slacks, looking very handsome and debonair, like an international playboy. He already dressed the part of a successful doctor. Hence the reason my mother was so proud.Marry someone who is driven and successful, Kanchu.And if he was Nepali and from the Newari region, where both our families originated, even better. He had everything going for him, in my mother’s eyes.
Kiran glanced at me and smiled sadly. He could hide things from his mother, but I knew this was not something he wanted to do. We were both walking into this with heavy hearts and reservations. But we’d play our parts to the hilt. For now.
The suspense was killing me, and every time I thought I could slip off to my room, someone engaged me in a conversation. I was talking to one of my mom’s clients about school, and I glanced up and saw Axel walking around the corner of the house through the backyard toward me.
Natalie
My chest seized. “Um excuse me, Mrs. Wetzel.” I turned away from the sweet, elderly lady and stalked over to Axel, leading him over to the side of the house, away from the party.
“Are you crazy? What are you doing here?” I hissed.
“I told you. I need to talk to you.”
“Do you not see that we’re in the middle of a party?” I pointed in the direction of friends and family gathered around the patio. “And you weren’t invited.”
He scanned down my body slowly. “You look beautiful, Hardcore.”
I shook my head. “Don’t do this.”
“Do what?” he asked innocently. “I’ve tried talking to you several times, and you won’t give me the time of day. What am I supposed to do?”
“That’s right,” I snapped. “I don’t want to talk to you. Most people would take the hint, not crash a party they weren’t invited to. By the way, how did you know where my family lived?” I’d never given him my address, yet he was here.
“I know someone in the academics department who has access to student information.”
My mouth fell slack. “That’s… I don’t even know what to say.” Someone gave out my personal information because he’d asked for it? It was somewhat disturbing, but in a weird way, it was kind of hot, too. However, he’d also crashed into my car on purpose to coerce me into going out with him because he didn’t like being turned down. So it wasn’t really surprising. I sighed in exasperation. “It doesn’t matter. But you need to leave.”
He stepped closer; his gaze was unwavering. “Please forgive me, Natalie. I’ve missed you. So fucking much.”
I took a step back, folding my arms around my chest. “You can’t show up here and say things like that.”
“It’s true.” He reached out and tried to cup my cheek, but I turned away, avoiding his touch. “Please, give me another chance,” he said roughly.
I felt the makeshift shield I put around my heart begin to crack, and I almost forgot we weren’t alone. And I also almost forgot how he’d lived it up in Vegas. “Don’t lie to me. You’re a player, and I saw the pictures of you with not just one woman, but several women in Vegas. Do you think I’m stupid?”
“Nothing happened that night. I swear to you. Fuck.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I was miserable. I missed you so goddamn much that I was losing my mind. And it pissed me off that I couldn’t get you out of my mind. And yes, I had an opportunity, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t do it. I had no desire to do it because all I ever think about is you.” His beautiful brown eyes, which usually glinted with potential mischief, were traced with red lines. He also had faint circles under his eyes. Distraught. “I need you.”
Gazing into his eyes, I could almost fall under his spell again. Then I remembered all the things he said that night in his car. I realized where we were, and I knew people would start to talk soon enough.
“You can’t waltz back into my life after what you did to me that night. After what you said…”
