The only time he didn’t was when he went to the bachelor party.
“What if I want you to get involved?” I ask.
“Why would you want that?”
“Obviously your gut instincts are good with this. Mine are iffy at best.”
“Your instincts are fine.”
“I’m the one who had no idea how he felt, or that his friends were secretly assholes. I don’t trust myself at all right now, to be honest.”
Nate shakes his head. “None of that is your fault.”
“I know. I’ve listened when you told me, and I’ll continue to listen now. Is there something that I don’t know?”
He lets out a long breath. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but in the beginning, he came on a little strong. Almost like he was love bombing you. I wasn’t sure if I was being overprotective or if that’s actually what it was.”
I think back to when Rob and I first got together. Nate isn’t wrong. Rob did come on strong. He showered me with gifts and attention. And I thought I was living a fairy tale.
“I can see that.”
“He also comes on very strong when he knows he’s in the wrong. If he’s trying to apologize, I don’t expect him to give up.”
“Shouldn’t that be what I want? For him not to give up?”
I see Nate’s jaw go tight for all of one second before he forces it to relax. “If you want to get back together with him, then yes. Is that what you want?”
Any other time, the answer would be yes. I’m the kind of person who understands that people make mistakes. But he said itwasn’ta mistake. It was genuinely how he felt. He didn’t want Nate and me to see each other.
“I don’t.”
His eyes go wide. “You seem so sure about that.”
“I am sure about it. I can forgive a lot, but not this time.”
“You know he’ll try to take it back. He’s gonna say that he didn’t mean that he ever hated you.”
Nate doesn’t know that Rob gave me an ultimatum. I’m not sure Iwanthim to know.
The elevator tells us we’re on our floor, but neither of us make a move to leave.
“Nate, can I ask you something?”
“Always.”
“Have you ever hated me?”
“No.” He says it the second I’ve finished my sentence. “And I never will.”
Then I should be marrying you.
The thought pops up unbidden and I nearly smack myself; Idon’t meanNate. I mean someone that feels the way Nate does. And touches me. I wouldn’t mind that either.
“And that’s the kind of man I should be with. A guy who would never hate me. Seems easy in theory, but hard to find in practice.”
“Yeah, hard to find.” His voice is quieter than usual.
Before I can ask what he means, he turns to walk toward our room. “I’m still taking the couch.”
