A gasp slips from me as Nate nibbles on my bottom lip, seizing the moment to slide his tongue in my mouth. Slow. Deliberate. Purposeful. It’s as if he knows what he wants and is determined to take it. And I’m willing to give it to him.
With one final press on my lips, Nate pulls away from me. I lean back in, desperate to make the moment last, only for his head to turn to the side, his forehead creasing as his eyes fill with guilt.
My hands tighten around his biceps, mirroring the tension etched on his face. “What’s wrong?” I ask, worry seeping into my tone. “Did I do—”
“We can’t do this, Vivienne.”
My heart drops at the confession, and I roll off him without another thought.
How could I be so stupid?
This is what I get for listening to a three-year-old and misinterpreting signs of attraction.
“That’s not what—”
“Good night, Nate.” I cut him off before he could finish.
His loud sigh reaches my ears, and while I catch his hands running down his face in frustration, I choose to ignore it.
We’re bound by a deal. We’ll never be anything more, or anything else, so it’s best we keep this platonic.Uncomplicated.
“Good night, Vivienne,” Nate says before rolling onto his side, his back facing me once again.
The softness in his voice is heartbreaking, but I keep my mouth shut, not trusting myself to say anything as more tears roll down my cheek—now, for more reasons than one.
———
I wince as the light pierces my eyelids, and a high-pitched birdsong disturbs the once peaceful atmosphere.
Aside from geese and their scrawny little faces, there’s only one thing I hate more—disrespect. And that bird outside, belting its ear-splitting, sleep-shattering melody, deserves an award for the greatest asshole to ever exist. Especially when I haven’t slept this well since the start of my PhD—or really, the beginning of school in general.
Honestly, it’s all gone downhill since I graduated from kindergarten.
The bird chirps once more, and I groan, twisting to get as far away from the window as possible, but it comes without any luck. I’m trapped, locked in place with nowhere to go, thanks to the large arm draped across my stomach and holding me close to his chest.
Warm vanilla with a hint of spice and woods—Nate smells delicious—but with what happened last night, I’m not too sure how much more of this I can take.
I take a deep breath in, enjoying the last bit of his heat before weaseling my way out of his hold. It’s only when the balls of my feet hit the cold hardwood that I feel like I can breathe again.
The day has barely started, and somehow, I couldn’t wait to make it back to the confines of my apartment. All I want to do is huddle under a blanket, watch a romantic comedy, and escape the sad reality that’s become my life.
When Monday rolls around, it’ll be back to chemistry and the same shit that hasn’t worked for the past eight months. That should be my focus—not the mixed feelings I have for the man I once hated.
“Don’t think you can sneak away from me, Vivienne.”
I freeze at the sound of his voice, my eyes shutting tight. Clearly, I wasn’t going to be able to escape Nate so easily.
“Don’t do that,” he says firmly.
“Don’t do what?” I respond, not daring to look at him as I get off the bed.
I need to get out of here as fast as possible.
I pull open a drawer, deciding I need something new to wear. Throwing on yesterday’s clothes seems like the ultimate way to radiate walk-of-shame energy, which doesn’t help when I actually kissed the guy.
“Don’t pull away from me when I just got you to open up.”
My heart clenches at the words, but I don’t answer him out of fear of revealing too much.
