Page 110 of Let’s Be Real

Me: Hey, love. I’m sorry to cancel, but I’m going to stay at my place tonight. I’m in a foul mood and need the space to sulk for a while. Love you.

He texted back instantly.

Nate: Are you okay?

Nate: Is there anything I can do?

Nate: You’re never in a foul mood. Did something happen?

I laughed to myself, clutching my phone to my chest. There he was. This was my Nate—the guy who looked concerned if I sneezed twice in a row—the man who’d taken on making me smile like a full-time job.

Things were strange, and not quite right, but I felt his love like an embrace. That was why I had this visceral need to repair what was strained.

Tomorrow, we’d talk. We’d figure it out. And I hoped we’d end up laughing at how silly I’d been for thinking I’d ever lose him.

My phone started ringing before I could reply, Nate’s name on the screen.

“Hey,” I answered.

“Are you okay?” he rushed out. “You weren’t answering, and I kept thinking—”

“Nate, I’m fine. Promise.”

He released a ragged breath. “Okay. That’s—okay. So you’re going to stay at your place tonight, but I’ll see you tomorrow? Maybe I can come by in the morning. No, that doesn’t make sense. I have to be at work, and you’ll be sleeping, so I won’t see you until tomorrow night.”

I sat up, distant alarm bells sounding. This didn’t sound like Nate. He wasn’t one to ramble. That was more my thing.

“Nate, love, you’ll see me tomorrow,” I said as gently as I could. “If you want to come over in the morning before work, I’d welcome a snuggle. Just let yourself in, okay?”

“Morning. All right. I can make it to morning.”

A confused laugh bubbled out of me. Make it to morning? It wasn’t like we were spending a month apart.

Maybe he missed me that much.

More than likely, he needed a good night’s sleep.

“You’d better get some sleep tonight.”

“Oh.” He paused, like he hadn’t considered that. “I will. Sure I will.”

I wasn’t convinced. “You better.”

Another pause. This one longer. “What got you in a foul mood?”

“I ran into Kelly at the grocery store. She’s back with Josh.”

“That isn’t good.” Just like that, his voice emptied.

The urgency that had colored every word a minute ago had vanished, leaving me with someone distracted, like he had something far more important he’d rather be doing.

“No, it isn’t.” Not good at all. “I can’t believe she actually took him back.”

“Hmmm.”

I waited, hoping he’d say something, anything else. All I got was silence.

“Nate?”