“I know Nora,” I say low. “You don’t. And whatever this is? It’s not about protecting me. It’s about control. About keeping your grip on this band. On me.”
Jake scoffs. “You think I care who you date? This isn’t personal.”
“The hell it isn’t,” I snap. “You don’t like that I’m not playing your game anymore. You’re pissed that I don’t need your strings. So now you’re pulling this stunt?”
His expression hardens, something ugly flashing through his eyes.
“This girl is going to ruin you,” he says. “Mark my words.”
“Then I’ll be ruined,” I say. “But I’ll be ruined with her. Now leave us the fuck alone.”
I turn to go—but he grabs my arm.
Wrong move.
I shove him back. Hard.
Jake stumbles into the booth behind us, fists up now, like he’s forgotten he’s not twenty anymore.
“Hit me,” he spits. “Go on.”
I don’t.
But my fists are clenched, breath coming fast.
His jaw works. He drops his hands.
“This isn’t over.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “It is.”
***
Jake leaves with that smug smirk still tugging at the corner of his mouth, like he’s already won.
The door swings shut behind him with a quietsnickthat feels louder than it should.
I stare after him, the last few minutes replaying like a reel of static in my brain.
My fingers curl into fists on the table, slow and tight and I sit back down, exhausted.
The condensation on my glass slides down, unnoticed. I don’t feel the chill. I don’t feel anything except the slow, creeping crawl ofsomethingunder my skin.
That handle—Nora_D—the stupid, half-baked posts from years ago. The timing. The language.
It doesn’t add up.None of itfeelslike her.
I see Nora’s face in my mind: flushed with laughter, lit by ambition. The way she cradled Melody when we brought her in from the alley. The way she defended that library like it was her kingdom.
She’s not a liar.She’s not a schemer.
She’s the kind of woman who treats a rare edition like holy scripture and blushes when people call her beautiful.
“She’s not like that,” I say to myself aloud. “She’s not some gold-digging groupie trying to trap me.”
This isNora.And I trust her.I have to.
31
