AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Like what?” I snap, angry that he thinks he can even begin to tell me what to do. I shove him back, not hard but just enough for him to release me.
His eyes become wide with shock. Then he spits a ridiculous, “He wants you.”
“What?” I laugh incredulously.
“Kerim.”
“Oh… Nathan. Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” He frowns, looking at me as though I’m the crazy one.
“Don’t become this guy.” I step around him and move towards the kitchen. My body is weary. I should be happy to see him but instead I’m just tired.
“What guy?”
“This paranoid, untrusting being that I can’t live with.”
His silence seems to cool the air. I turn to face him, leaning on the bar that’s now between us.
“I’m exhausted,” I admit.
“What?”
“I said I’m exhausted. I’ve been at work all day.”
“Not all day,” he mumbles petulantly and leans his back against the wall.
“Why did you come back? You have an early start today, don’t you?” I glance at the clock and wince when I see that it’s nearly one in the morning. Why must we serve food so late?
“Aren’t you happy to see me?” He seems less angry and more concerned now.
I shrug. “I would have been, had you not pushed me up against the door the second I walked through it and started telling me off like a fucking child.”
“Then answer your phone!”
“Why? Because you’ll think I’m fucking my boss if I don’t?”
His eyes become narrow slits, shooting dangerous vibes directly at me. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. You said it earlier when I was in the car with him.”
“I’m not allowed to get jealous?”
“You are, but not at the expense of my bloody job. Or your own bloody sanity.”
His teeth sink into his lip and then release it as we stare at each other. “Will you come here?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. I’m not in the mood.”
“You…” He stammers as though trying to find the right words. “You aren’t in the mood?” Taking a step forward, he places his hands on the bar between us. I lean back, needing distance. “I’m worried.”
“I hate that you’re worried,” I state honestly, “but I’m not just hugging and hoping this will go away.”
“What happened between you both?”
Oh my god. “NOTHING!” I bellow, ripping the grips from my hair and dropping them on the bar.
“Gwen, that’s disgusting.”
“Clean it up then,” I hiss and stomp around him.
He grips the back of my top, stopping me from leaving, and gently wraps his arms around me, just under my breasts. I feel his chin on my shoulder and his warm, slow breath fans across my cheek.
“I’m worried.”
I sag a little. His words, though repeated, cut through me worse this time than the last. “Don’t you trust me?”
“I do but it’s the images…” His lashes tickle my neck when he buries his eyes between my ear and shoulder and gently rocks us. “I just can’t get them from my mind. The picture of you and him doing things, in his car or…”
“Stop.” I pull free and turn to face him. His words bring back memories of when he thought Caleb and I had had sex in the car. His eyes seem so worn and sorrowful, it breaks my heart. “You humiliated me today. He heard everything.”
“I know.” He doesn’t seem fazed by this at all, which is extremely irritating.
“How?”
“Because he didn’t answer his phone either.”
Now I’m really angry. “You called him?”
“I’m sorry, I…”
“No. I am mortified. Absolutely mortified.”
“Me too, but I got scared. I didn’t know you’d be with him.”
“Because you didn’t call!” I whisper shout. “I’ve texted you and you didn’t respond.”
“Why not tell me in the text?” He folds his arms over his chest and raises a brow. Unfortunately my silence prolongs his look. “If it was all so innocent…”
“Don’t flip this around onto me! I didn’t text you because I wanted to talk to you. You know I’m not a fan of texting.”
“Convenient.”
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to punch him in the nose more than I do right now. I’ve never been a huge fan of texting and he knows it. “You are infuriating.”
“Did anything happen between you both?”
“Nathan!” I cry, annoyed and upset by his question. I feel winded.
He glares at me through narrowed eyes, as thin as slits. “You’re not answering. A simple yes or no would suffice.”
I stare at him, my eyes filling with tears. “I would never do that to you.”
His gaze is observing, as if waiting for a lie to reveal itself. When he’s satisfied that I’m truthful, he nods his head and holds out his hand. When I don’t go to him, his lips thin to a white line.
“I’m going to bed,” I announce quietly.
“Okay, I’ll just tidy up down here and then I’ll be up.”
“Don’t bother.” I drop my things onto the arm of the couch, promising myself that I’ll deal with them tomorrow. “Go back to ignoring me in Essex.”
