“Well, honey, we have it all now. What do you want to do with it?”
The world shifts, turning into something that once felt impossible to me. I’d only just realized I wanted Nate, and now I have him. Instead of the dread I felt only a week ago, there’s hope.
So much of it that tears gather in my eyes.
“I don’t know.” I tighten my hold on him. “But let’s figure it out together.”
chapter twenty-eight
Unfortunately,the first thing I do is pretty boring.
I’m exhausted from running all the way home. Nate is too. And the second everything is cleared up, we both long for a comfortable bed.
Both of us are out the second our heads hit the pillows.
Travel and subsequently spilling our feelings must have been exhausting, because even when light filters through the windows the next day, I still feel like I’ve been hit by a train.
The sun is at an angle that tells me it’s late. Way later than usual.
I blindly reach for my phone and check the screen.
It’s noon.
“Fuck,” I say. I’m tempted to go back to sleep, but Quinn’s party is in five hours, and I need to remember how to exist.
“Berry, I love you, but this is not the time to be a morning person.” Nate is blindly reaching around and presses a hand to my face as if he can silence me as an alarm clock. I’m tired and grumpy, but the action makes me laugh.
“It’s not morning. It’s noon.”
He groans. “Dammit. Why are vacations so exhausting?”
“You can’t forget the emotional crash outs my ex started,” I say as I slowly sit up and take stock of my body. “God, I need a shower. And coffee.”
“I can help with both of those. Once I remember how to function.” He rubs a hand over his face, then slowly gets up. “I’ll get the water started for your shower. And then coffee.”
“You’re so hot right now,” I mutter. “Love you.”
The words are so new that he jumps when I say them, but then he grins at me. “Love you too.”
I’m an odd mix of uncomfortable yet grateful to have him when I finally drag myself out of bed. The second I step into the hot steam of my own shower, I feel like I can breathe. My body is sore and needs relaxation.
When I’m done, I feel more human. I throw on comfortable clothes before going to meet Nate in the kitchen. He’s putting together some kind of meal from my meager food stores, and I wind my arms around his middle.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hey,” he says back, leaning into me. “Feel better?”
“Now I do.”
“As much as I hate to pull away, I’m making you food and I can’t do that with you being my backpack.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not a backpack.”
“You’re about the size of one.”
I poke him right in the ribs, feeling ridiculously proud of myself when he yelps and tries to get away from me. I’m tempted to torture him for longer, but I give him space.
“So, you never told me why you were in the rain,” he says as he starts to boil water. “And I should probably know before I’m in the same room as Rob.”
