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This revelation pisses Brian off.
He takes another step toward me, sickeningly eyeing my body. “Always dressed like a slut, aren’t you, Natalie? Didn’t you learn anything after last year?” He takes another step, and I start crawling back until I’m directly against a tree and have nowhere to go. “You know, I remember so clearly what you looked like on my bed. I think about it all the time. Those perfectly round—”
“I’ll tell him. I-I will. You take one more step, and I’ll t-tell him everything.” I try my hardest to sound brave. Not scared in the least, but it’s useless. My body is trembling as my words come out shaky through hysterical sobs.
“Go ahead. Who do you think he’ll believe? You, the girl he just started fucking? Or me, his best friend? Please, go tell him. It will be so satisfying to watch.” He laughs mockingly.
I look down, defeated.He’s right. Brian is Nathan’s best friend. The whole reason why I tried to stay away from Nathan in the first place was because of this. So scared that Brian would find a way to get what he wanted.Me. This is my fault.
“God, the only thing I regret is that I didn’t fuck you,” he growls. “You had to go and kick me right in the balls, Natalie, didn’t you? Can’t say I saw that coming. Didn’t know you had a fight in you.” He shakes his head adamantly from side to side. “But don’t you see? All that did was piss me off.” His beady green eyes narrow. “But I won’t make the same mistake of letting you get away this time.”
I freeze. Flashbacks come back to me like I’m living déjà vu. “Please … don’t.”
“You put one hand on her, Brian, and I swear to God, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Thirty
NATHAN
EVERYONE AROUND ME IS staring as I stand in the kitchen breathing hard and erratically, trying to wrap my head around what just happened.
Natalie and Brian.
I can’t believe it, and I don’t want to believe it.
Brian, my best friend of so many years.
And Natalie. Well, my feelings for Natalie aren’t something I’ve ever experienced before. Just the thought of her gets my heart racing like an idiot. Never mind how insanely hard my dick gets.
But the thought of the two of them together makes me nauseous.
Did he touch her the same way I do? Did she moan out his name in pleasure the same way she says mine? Did she fall asleep with his arm wrapped around her slender body? Did she kiss him the way she kisses me? Like each kiss could be our last.
Fuck. I lean over the sink, feeling like I’m about to hurl at any second.
“Ok, everyone, the show is over,” Tim yells at the crowd in the kitchen. Once they all disperse to enjoy the party again, he turns to face me. “I’ll be right back. Going to look for a bandage for that pretty face of yours.” He pushes through a group of people and disappears up the stairs.
“Care to explain to me what just happened?” Paul grabs a frozen bag of vegetables from the freezer and throws it at me. I catch it and bring it up to my busted lip. “One minute I’m enjoying an ice cold beer out by the fire with a beautiful girl sitting on my lap. I mean abeautifulgirl, and then the next thing I know, I hear people cheering on a fight. Not in a million years did I think I would be coming into this house to break up a fight between you and Brian.” He raises his eyebrows for dramatic effect, but it’s hard for me to take him seriously in his ridiculous costume.
I look down at the spatters of blood on my costume and shake my head in disgust. “Brian and Natalie.” Saying their names out loud together makes my stomach churn all over again.
“What about Brian and Natalie?” Paul asks, confused.
“Something happened between them. A year ago.” I run my hand through my hair and close my eyes. I feel overwhelmed by everything.
“How do you know?” he asks.
“I just know.” Flashbacks from that night begin to haunt me. Images I had continually tried to forget. But now, I can’t stop them from appearing. I see Natalie lying motionless against a tree. Blood is dripping down her face, falling onto the fresh white snow. I yell for her as my legs move faster than they ever have before. I kneel beside her and shake her shoulders, yelling for her to wake up as terror fills me. She mumbles softly when I wrap my jacket around her and lift her in my arms. Within a minute, an ambulance pulls up. I watch in fear as they drive away with the girl I love. And as they turn the corner, a greater fear grips me.
The fear of never telling the girl you love that you love her.
But for the first time, I re-watch this scene in my head and realize she was wearing Brian's football jersey. Why hadn’t I recognized it at the time? But more importantly, why was Natalie bleeding? I remember her mumbling to the paramedics that she slipped on ice, but something didn’t feel right about her words then, and they don’t feel right now. They felt untrue, but why would she have lied?
“Nate, man.” Paul leans against the counter next to me. “You know Brian sleeps with anything that has a pulse. That’s how he’s always been.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “And if we’re being honest, it’s not like you’re some kind of saint yourself.”
“Don’t remind me.” I scowl. I get it. I’ve hooked up with more girls than I care to admit.
Paul sighs before calmly saying, “The past is the past. You can’t be mad at both of them for something they did before she even started seeing you.”
