My stomach drops faster than this plane could. I lean on the very wall Nathan has his back against.
Should I feel guilty? Somehow being falsely accused hurts even more than if I’d done something wrong. Wyatt saw the photo only because I have nothing to hide. But maybe I need to block him to protect us both from more misunderstandings and added pain.
At that very moment, Nathan strolls into my galley. He reaches for the doorknob to the lavatory, turning to nod at me before entering. He pauses. His eyes narrow. “What’s wrong?”
I clutch my stomach. How much do I share?
He closes the door and steps closer to lean against the galley counter across from me. “Are you okay?”
I look up to the vent overhead. My heartbeat pulses in my ears. Nathan obviously isn’t going to leave until I say something, but what?
“Claire?”
I lower my gaze to meet his. He’s got this concerned wrinkle between his eyebrows. And he studies me in a way that makes me think he’ll see the truth whether I admit it or not.
“Wyatt saw the picture I posted of us and claims it’s proof that there’s been something going on between you and me.”
He blinks his dark eyes as if I’d really used a soda in a sock on him. He opens his mouth, then covers it with a hand, holding back words. Now I feel even more guilty for dragging him into my drama.
“I’m sorry.” He drops his hand, revealing his grimace. “You don’t deserve false accusations like this.”
A tear escapes. Nathan seems more concerned for me than himself, and his unexpected compassion highlights what had been missing in my relationship with Wyatt. How do I properly mourn the loss of something that had never been mine?
Nathan takes a deep breath. “Can I tell you something?”
Now my pulse revs for a whole other reason. Is he going to tell me the accusation is not completely false?
It would be so easy to fall into Nathan’s arms to make myself feel better. He’s handsome, the way his grandma used to say. And we have fun together. But as I’m still crying over someone else, dating him could be as selfish as my fear of losing Wyatt.
I try to read his dark eyes for hints as to what he wants to say. But they’re guarded more than they’ve ever been.
Unsure about what to even hope for, I prepare to listen. “Please.”
“I ran into my ex on Thanksgiving.”
This is not what I’d expected, but if he’s getting back together with Joey, I should be happy for him. “Joey?”
Nathan nods. “Remember how I told you she’d cheated on me?”
My eyes widen. Because it sounds as if he relates more to Wyatt. “Yes.”
“She didn’t.”
I shake my head in confusion. Did he lie? Why is he telling me this?
His jaw shifts side to side. “I’d accused her of cheating because that’swhat I’d experienced when my mom left my dad. It’s almost like I’d expected it. Turns out Joey had simply found fulfillment in her new job, which required spending a lot of time with a coworker. I broke our engagement more out of fear than anything.”
My chest rises and falls as I breathe in all these implications. He’d harmed his ex out of his fear of losing her. He’d also harmed himself. If not for Nathan’s misbelief, he could be happily married right now.
My stomach settles with the same peace that came over me when setting boundaries with Wyatt. At least Nathan is getting a second chance.
He glances down, then back up with resolve. “Wyatt must be facing the same struggle.”
I squint in confusion, then realize Nathan doesn’t know Wyatt and I broke up. But his analogy makes sense. “Wyatt’s last girlfriend really did cheat on him.”
Nathan’s eyes glint with what I assume is their shared pain. He reaches a hand as if to comfort me, then stops and crosses his arms. “You can delete the picture of us from social media if it helps. I don’t want to get in your way.”
Too late for that, though it’s kind of him to offer. I pinch my lips together, not trusting myself to respond.
