“Then why did you leave?”
I gathered my thoughts. “I had to help Elspeth at the pub. I’m not going to be in America for very long, and I need to help her as much as I can before I leave.”
She nodded solemnly. “I understand.”
I hesitated to tell her this next bit because it was an asshole thing to say, but it was the truth. “And I don’t think I can let whatever we have going on distract me.”
Nairie’s eyebrows rose. “Oh.”
I was in dangerous territory now. “I want to put an end to whatever this is before it gets out of hand. These are things you should do with a boyfriend, not someone like me.”
Nairie’s scowled. “Someone like you?”
“I haven’t had a relationship in seven years, and I live across the world from you. What happens if we have sex? You’ll get attached, and it’ll only hurt more when Ileave.”
Her cheeks flushed, and her eyebrows scrunched together as she squinted at me with vitriol. She was fuming. It was that same angry-bunny look I loved.
“I’m not a child, William. You’re making these decisions without even talking to me first.”
I put my hand up. “I know how this is going to end.”
Her brown eyes looked back up at me with conviction. “Coward.”
I got closer and looked her dead in the eye. “I’m the coward? You can barely stand up to your parents.”
It was harsh. She didn’t deserve that. But somebody had to tell her the truth, and being mean was my last resort to getting her to hate me enough to stop wanting me.
She whipped around and left the room, slamming the door behind her.
I rubbed my face in frustration. I’d help Elspeth get the pub on the right track and go back home. Nairie would find a man her parents approved of, and we’d all move on.
It was the way things were supposed to go, so why did it hurt so much when I thought about it?
***
Days went by with Nairie giving me the cold shoulder. That didn’t go unnoticed by Elspeth, who bullied me for answers, but I refused to tell her the truth. I focused on tackling the next project at the pub, which meant finding cheaper alternatives for some of her inventory to help cut down on costs and repricing her cocktails.
The viral video led to the pub being busier than ever. So Elspeth and I came up with a new schedule for happy hour and events to help incentivize the influx ofcustomers.
The inn was doing okay, but I had to get back soon. The early morning calls were wearing on me, and despite Nairie’s dejected attitude, she made sure that coffee was always ready and breakfast was prepared.
One particular night, she showed up with a plate of dinner for me while I was working in my room, and before she could leave, I grabbed her hand and kissed the inside of her palm. I shouldn’t have done it, but she was such a genuinely kind person through and through. I still cared deeply for her, and it was a gut reaction to show her some semblance of appreciation. We stared at each other wordlessly, and the warmth in her eyes returned for a millisecond. I didn’t realize how much I missed seeing her look at me that way, but then she righted her face with a cool indifference and left the room. It was the only interaction we’d had since our lustful night, and it tore me up that I was leaving our friendship this way.
It was a few days later when Elspeth came in with a bag of groceries. I looked up at her from the kitchen table curiously.
“I’m making us dinner since Nairie will be at her parents’ for the weekend.”
I nodded silently.
“She’s going out on a date with some guy they set her up with.”
I shut my eyes and counted to ten.
“Some hotshot lawyer.”
“That’s good.”
Elspeth sat with me at the table and popped open our beers. “Is it? She told me you guys hooked up.”
