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Nathaniel’s smile turns shy, and I inexplicably blush, fidgeting in the chair.
“Should we... go up?” he asks.
I nod.
He lets go of my hand to grab our empty bottles, heading into the convenience store to recycle them. When he comes back outside, he takes my backpack, throwing it across his shoulder.
As we walk up the hill to my house, I sneak glances at him out of the corner of my eye.
I feel silly now that I know he left because of a meeting, and not because he thinks I still have feelings for him. He wouldn’t think that because I’d told him I didn’t at the karaoke room. I don’t know if it’s a product of having grown up with four older sisters, but he’s always been an excellent listener.
Same as the evening before—or, I guess, earlier this morning—Nathaniel follows me up the lit pathway to my front door. The porchlight flickers on at our approach. “We should probably set some ground rules first,” I say, stopping beneath the light.
He nods. “Okay.”
“Let’s try our best to be discreet. If we’re ever in the same place, we should make sure not to leave together.”
“Makes sense.”
“My mother can’t know you’re staying with me. To limit the chances of it getting back to her, we should try to keep it from as many people as possible. Nadine knows already.”
“What about Jaewoo and Jenny?”
I bite my lip. I don’t like the idea of keeping something fromJenny, or that I have to ask Nathaniel to keep a secret from Jaewoo, his best friend.
“You know what?” Nathaniel shakes his head. “Never mind. If we tell them, we’ll have to tell Gi Taek, Sun, and the others. It’s better if we keep it to ourselves.”
I nod, grateful that he’s taking this as seriously as I am. “If at any time either of us changes our mind, then we’ll end this arrangement, no questions asked. And you’ll need to wear a shirt at all times.”
“What?” He frowns. “Why is that a rule?”
“What if we need to wake up in the middle of the night?” I ask, reasonably. “Like, what if there’s a fire?”
“I’ll put a shirt on.”
“But that’ll take time.”
“I don’t know.” Nathaniel sounds skeptical. “This rule seems excessive.”
“You’re not allowed to come into my room either.”
Nathaniel arches a brow. “Why not?”
I gasp, scandalized. “What do you mean ‘why not’?”
He shrugs. “I’m just curious why I can’t come into your room. You can come into mine.”
“Your room is a guest bedroom, so it doesn’t have any personal effects. While mine is filled with my stuff.”
“I’m not going to steal one of your stuffed animals,” Nathaniel drawls, “if that’s what you’re afraid of. Not like you stole Bearemy Baggins.”
“I didn’tstealBearemy and that’s not what I’m afraid of.”
Nathaniel goes very still, and I realize my mistake. “Then what are you afraid of?” My heart races. “Sori, what are these rules for?”
“They’re just... rules...”
My eyes dart to his and my breath catches at the look in his eyes. “You should be wary about setting rules with me,” he says, his voice like silk. “You know I live to break them.”
