Chapter 68
“April,” a soft voice breaks through the haze of sleep. “We’re here.”
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I blink groggily, and then my eyes widen as I lift my head off Nathan’s shoulder. I can’t believe I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder,
“You good?” he asks.
I nod, pulling back, trying to discreetly check if I drooled. “Yeah, sorry.”
He shrugs in reply.
Outside, the rain has subsided to a slight drizzle, and we don’t need an umbrella.
When I climb out, I crane my neck back, smiling as I take in the familiar building. Lou sidles next to me and throws her arm around my shoulder. “Missed you, babe.”
I glance at Malik pointedly and scoff. “Sure, you did.”
She laughs as the four of us enter the building and climb the two flights of stairs to our floor.
I dance on the balls of my feet as Lou unlocks the door. I glance at Nathan, feeling the urge to apologize for bringing him here. But I stifle it.
This is who I am, and I guess living in a huge mansion for weeks made me forget for a while, but I refused to be ashamed of it. I work hard to afford the apartment.
When the door opens, I frown when I hear laughter.
“Oh yeah.” Lou turns and gives me a sheepish grin. “I had a study group over when you called, and I couldn’t make them leave in the
rain.”
I raise a brow, and she shrugs and mouths, ‘Sorry.‘
I sigh, glancing at Nathan. Bringing him to my tiny, run–down apartment is one thing, but forcing him to be there with a bunch of Louise’s friends is another.
When we enter the room, the laughter subsides a little, and the six people in the apartment turn to us.
I eye the bottles of alcohol and empty packets of chips between them and turn to Lou. “Study group, huh?” There’s not a single textbook in sight.
“I can’t drink with my friends when June is around,” she says. “Sue me.”
I roll my eyes before turning back to the group.
“Hi,” I wave awkwardly, recognizing some of them. They all chorus various forms of greeting.
“No fucking way,” one of the girls, a blonde named Taylor, says. Her eyes are fixed on Nathan beside me, and I have the sudden urge to
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Chapter 68
move and block him from view.
“Nathan Ashford?” she asks.
Nathan scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “Hello.”
“Omg, yeah!” another one, Meredith gasps. “What are you two doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the mansion for the competition?
“Okay!” Louise draws the attention to her, clapping her hands. “You guys go back to your game,” she says to the gawking crowd.
“And you two.” She herds me and Nathan past the living room. “Change into something warm.”
I shoot her a grateful smile and lead Nathan into my room.
When the door closes behind him, the nerves that only surface when I’m around Nathan–specifically, alone with him–surface.
Nathan Ashford is in my room!
Sure, it’s not the high school bedroom I’d envisioned him in a thousand times when I was sixteen, but the experience is still as surreal.
“Um…” I start awkwardly. “Sorry about all this,” I say. “I should have convinced Lou to take us back to the Estate.”
He shakes his head. “I’m the one who got us stranded; I should be thanking you.” he takes a breath. “Thank you.”
I smile softly. “You’re welcome.”
I turn away and head to my closet. I dig in the back for my baggy shirts and sweatpants that would fit Nathan. I finally find some and
turn.
“Okay, these should-”
My eyes widen when I see what Nathan is doing. He’s bent slightly over my dresser, looking at my pictures. There’s one of me and June at a fair, both our faces painted, and another of us on Halloween, dressed as Elsa and Anna from Frozen.
When I move closer, however, I see the picture Nathan is staring at. It’s of me and my parents on the day June was born. I was twelve and sporting unfortunate pigtails and huge dork glasses I didn’t even need.
What makes my heart flip, however, is the picture behind that one–my graduation picture, which clearly shows Adler High, class of 2022. Nathan doesn’t seem to have noticed it, though, as he’s still staring at the picture of my family.
I clear my throat awkwardly. “Nathan?”
He turns away from the pictures to me, and I hold up the clothes. “You can change in the bathroom across the hall.”
“Right,” he says, straightening and reaching for the clothes. “Thanks.”
His lip twitches when he sees the orange shirt. “Camp Half–Blood.”
I shrug. “Percy Jackson may or may not have been my first crush.”
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Chapter 68
He chuckles. “Cute.”
I bite my lip so I don’t squeal at the fact that Nathan Ashford called me cute.
1 gesture outside. “The bathroom is the pink door on the left,” I tell him.
He nods. “Thanks.”
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As soon as the door closes behind him, I rush to my dresser, grab the picture, and shove it in one of the drawers. I let out a breath. That was too fucking close.
Quickly, I strip out of my wet clothes and change into a fluffy sweater and leggings.
Just as I finish pulling the material up my hips, a knock sounds on the door. “Come in,” I call out.
Nathan comes in, and my lips twitch when I see him in my clothes. The shirt that swallows me when I wear it is fitted over his muscles. The sweatpants are a little too snug, but I’m not complaining.
“Thanks,” he says again. “I keep having to wear your clothes.” I remember my UChicago sweatshirt, which I haven’t gotten back.
“Well…” I gesture to his jacket hung on my chair. “Maybe we’ll both start a collection.”
The short burst of laughter that escapes him thrills me.
“Um…” he scratches the back of his neck again, and it’s such an endearing movement. “Could I trouble you for something to eat?”
I nod. “Yeah, of course.”
I point to the door. “Do you mind going back out to face all those people?”
He shrugs. “I’m sure they don’t bite.”
I snort. “Sure, okay.”
