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I don’t move from that table for the next three hours. I watch Nera flit about the room, talking with friends, introducing herself to strangers, being the magnetic force that first drew me to her and has kept me hooked since. More than ever, I wish I could show the world that she’s mine.
Our eyes meet more than once, an electrical spark roaring to life between us every time they do. Hope flares in my chest when I don’t see the usual hurt and betrayed look in her gaze. She’s softened over time and I almost recognize the way she used to look at me.
My phone rings. When I see the number, I step away and go to a quiet part of the venue.
“This is Tristan,” I say, answering.
“Hello, Mr. Noble. This is Samantha calling from Meridian Bank. I wanted to call and let you know the good news myself – you’ve officially been approved! So, in terms of the details, here’s what we’re looking at…”
Chapter 51
Tristan
June.
Ipark at The Pen and get out of the car with a loud groan. My body is feeling the effects of not having slept on a mattress in months and sharp pain shoots up my side.
Grabbing the bag of food from the back seat, I head towards Nera’s apartment building, wincing as I make my way up the steps. Now that I’m back in the other girls’ good graces, I’ve been tapping them for information on what meals Nera has preferred. On their recommendation, today’s bag features some of her favorites; a shakshuka for breakfast, thyme and honey chicken for lunch, and a poké bowl for tonight’s dinner.
I had an early meeting with the bank this morning to finalize the paperwork so I slipped out of the wedding after my phone call last night. I wanted to say goodbye to Nera before I left, but when I looked over at her she was laughing with her friends and I hadn’t wanted to intrude.
Now, I wish I had. With the Olympics next week, I’m not sure when I’ll see her again.
It starts raining just as I ring the doorbell, big, fat drops that hit my cheek and body and have me almost drenched in seconds.
Fantastic.
Between the back pain and the wet clothes, I’m in for a great night.
Legs round the corner at the top of the stairs, my view of the rest of the body cut off by the sloping ceiling of the hallway. Feet appear as they start descending and I pause.
I think every atom in my body does too, hypnotized as I am by those legs coming down the stairs.
Because I recognize that body.
I’d know it anywhere.
And yet, still I wait, unmoving, just in case I somehow got it wrong.
But then black hair appears, and a pretty face, and it really is her. Makeup free and in that same H&M loungewear set she loves.
Heart-stoppingly, world-endingly, beautiful.
Mine.
Nera.
She’s at the door before I’ve recovered from the shock of seeing her. It’s the first time she’s come down in four months.
I inhale a shuddering breath as the door opens and then there she is. Close enough for me to touch, not because she’s angry at me, not because I cornered her, because shechoseto be.
“Tristan,” she says, worry ringing in her voice. “You’re completely drenched.”
“Oh, fuck,” I reply, startled. I’d forgotten about the rain, hadn’t felt it soak my shirt through, distracted as I’d been by seeing her.
She steps outside, joining me in the rain. I can’t stand watching her in this downpour when she’s in sweater and shorts. What if she gets sick?
“We should probably get out of this rain,” I say. “Do you want to sit in my car for a bit?”
