It’s the kind of kiss that meansI careandI’m sorryandI can’tall at the same time.
Then he pulls away.
He gets dressed quietly. Efficiently. Like if he slows down, he might change his mind.
By the time I sit up, he’s already at the door.
He doesn’t look back.
The door closes with a soft click.
I lie there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, my chest doing something complicated and stupid.
Well.
At least I got a kiss this time.
That counts as a win.
…Right?
I want to believe this is more than just chemistry. Ineedto believe it.
So, I hatch a plan.
My family has a get-together coming up—a small backyard thing, nothing dramatic: burgers, wine, maybe a lawn game or two. I figure, if I can get Nathan out of the shadows, into my world, maybe I’ll finally see the version of him that isn’t half-guarded and quick to disappear.
The thought makes me nervous. But more than that, it makes mehopeful.
Chapter 27
Ella
I see him later that day in the apartment mailroom. He’s standing by the boxes, flipping through envelopes.
I walk up to him without pretending I’m not thinking about the way he left my apartment only hours ago. Without pretending I don’t still feel him in my bones.
“So,” I say, meeting his eyes this time. No fidgeting. No nerves. Just honest. “My family’s having a get-together this weekend. Nothing fancy. Burgers, wine, and a couple of backyard games. I was hoping you’d come with me.”
I hold his gaze, give him the space to really hear it. It doesn’t come out rushed. It doesn’t come out small. It comes out exactly the way I mean it to.
He doesn’t answer right away.
He just looks at me. Really looks. Like he’s weighing something he doesn’t want to name., I think he’s going to say no.
Then he exhales slowly. “Maybe,” he says. “Yeah. I think… I could do that.”
Something in my chest loosens. Not a yes, exactly—but better than a no. “I’d really like that,” I say.
He nods once, like he’s already bracing himself. Then, almost like it occurs to him only now what he just agreed to, he says, “You’re close with your family?”
I nod. “My mom is one of my best friends.”
He studies that for a moment. “That’s… really nice.”
I watch him, curious. “Are you close with your mom?”
His eyes flicker. Something in his posture shifts. “You could say that. She raised me alone.” His voice cracks just slightly.
