chapter Thirteen
Natalie
I don’t think I’ve been this worried to run into a guy since the first time I’d met Nolan. For some reason, I feel like running into Tyler again will be a bad thing. After the way Harper made him seem two nights ago, I know he’s going to work hard in capturing me, just like Nolan.
Sighing, I stand behind the classroom door, checking my phone for the time. I’m five minutes late. Great. Now he’s making me not want to attend my favorite class of this semester.
After Nolan’s voicemail the other night, I know we can work it out and I don’t want to move on from someone that I care for deeply . . . from someone I’m in love with. The only thing I hate is that he’s getting drunk over there.
Finally grabbing the door handle, I step inside and shut it behind me. Professor Doran looks up at me as I walk down the aisle and I allow my eyes to apologize for me as much as I can but he looks away too quickly to catch the gesture. Glancing to my left, that’s when I spot Tyler in the corner . . . at my regular table . . . watching me.
Damn it! What the hell is this guy’s problem? Instead of going for my usual spot, I take a seat at the empty table in the middle of the room. I drop my notebook, pull out a pen, and then write down the objective of today which is Shakespeare. It’s odd how Professor Doran can go from a grunge poet to a tragically romantic play writer.
As I write each thing down, I feel a pair of heavy eyes boring holes through the left side of my head. I force myself not to look, but the inner girl inside of me never listens and I peek over my shoulder.
Tyler is looking directly at me, his eyes soft and his lips hinting at a smirk. Today he has on a black T-shirt, dark-blue jeans, and I have to admit he looks completely sexy. His blonde eyelashes bat at me and the pool of hazel in his eyes causes me to stare a little longer than expected. As he winks, I finally tear my gaze away.
The class carries on with the heavy feeling of Tyler staring at me and me trying to ignore him. I don’t think I’ve ever been more relieved than now when Professor Doran gives us the cue that class is over. Tucking my notebook beneath my arm, I spin around and head for the door but before I can make it out, Tyler is right behind me.
“If I weren’t crazy I’d think you were avoiding me,” he says over my shoulder.
“No—I’m just . . . I have a busy day today. Sorry,” I mumble, pushing the door open and not daring to hold it for him. Damn it, Natalie. What a terrible excuse.
I continue towards the exit glass doors and in only an instant, Tyler jogs around me to stop me. Taking a dare to look up, I watch as a smile forms on his lips. “I’m seriously intrigued by you,” he says, his bedroom voice purring through me. “I’ve never enjoyed a chase before.”
“What makes you want to chase?”
“You’re different. Pretty. You seem like a sweet girl. What would it take to get to know you a little bit more?”
“I don’t think right now is a good time to get to know me. I told you, I’m on a pause. I have a gut feeling the play button will be hit soon.”
Raising an eyebrow, he licks his lips and folds his arms. “Like I said before, until it happens you’re technically single. There’ll be no harm down.” He then leans in and I take a whiff of his cologne. It’s rich and spicy. Warm and hot. Delicious and lick-worthy. “Join me at my lake house party tomorrow,” he says against my ear. Heat spirals down and I clutch my notebook to keep myself standing. “I promise I’ll make it worthwhile and if you call, I can give you the directions.” He pulls back and flashes a clean, white smile. “I won’t badger you because . . . well . . . that’s just not me, but I like you. I think you’d be cool to hang out with. I don’t know much about you but we could always change that.”
“Once again,” I say, stepping around him to push out of the other door. “I’ll think about it.” He chuckles but I don’t hear it for very long because the door shuts behind me and I’m walking away so fast that it almost becomes a sprint. That had to be one of the most nerve-wracking moments of my life. For a second I wanted him to press those lips all over me. But why? Is he really that hot?
Tyler does have a point at one thing, though. Nolan and I are on a break. We aren’t together and I don’t know when the hell I’m going to see him again. I know he misses me. He said it in his voicemail. I miss him, too, but I still haven’t figured out why I’m so in love with him.
Ugh. This is the most confusing time of my life. I’ve never been so lost.
****
When I arrive at the condo, the coffee table is pushed aside and the sofas are out of place. Harper is bending on her elbows in plank position with her blonde hair up in a sloppy bun. “Hey, Nat,” she grunts, struggling to keep herself steady. I giggle as I look up at the TV screen where a woman is saying “Breathe.”
“Since when do you do yoga?”
“Since I realized that I’m getting out of shape. I’ve been really—” She drops on her elbows with another grunt and lands on top of the purple yoga mat. “I’ve been really comfortable with myself while I was with Dawson which led to getting out of shape,” she says, completing her sentence. “We should definitely start hitting the gym.”
“You’re still upset, huh?”
Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she sits up and pushes herself into a stand before brushing her grey pants off. “What makes you think that?”
“I don’t know. You’re really fidgety lately. You can never keep still.”
“Oh, pshh . . . please.” She gives me a disapproving wave of her hand. “I’m always on the move. I live the fast life, girl. You just don’t know how to keep up.” She makes her way around me to get to the kitchen. “Did you think about going to that party tomorrow?” she asks.
Sighing, I sit on the edge of the sofa and relive the moment with Tyler that happened less than twenty minutes ago. “I’m waiting on Nolan to call me.”
She steps around the corner with a frown. She twists the cap of her water bottle then takes a few gulps before leaning against the wall. “Well while you’re waiting maybe you can have a little fun. You deserve it—I deserve it. I just need to get around that party atmosphere again, you know?”
“I know what you mean. He invited me but it just doesn’t seem like a good idea. It might make things worse for Nolan and I if he finds out.”
“Well here’s the thing,” she says, taking a step forward. “If Nolan doesn’t call tonight, we’re going to that party. No “if”, “ands”, or “buts” about it. This party is supposed to be huge and to have a personal invitation from Tyler alone is f*cking massive. Not everyone gets invited by him. He usually spreads the word to his friends and they do the deed.”
“I don’t understand why you’re trying so hard to get me to go.” I look her over and she frowns again.
“Dawson hasn’t called me in two days. I understand he’s with family but I’m getting too suspicious of his behavior. I called his phone this morning and it went straight to voicemail. I just want to go party, catch a few drinks, and have some fun again. I’ve been holding off on going out for his ass but since he’s ignoring me, I’ll do my own damn thing.” She bites on her lip, staring into my eyes. “Sounds immature, doesn’t it?”
“Very, but I can understand,” I say, picking at my nails.
“Good so you know why I want to go so badly,” she says, stepping for the hallway. “I’m about to hit the shower, Nat, but I’m serious. If he doesn’t call tonight, we’re going shopping tomorrow for something hot to wear to the party.”
“Alright, alright,” I groan as she steps behind the wall and out of sight. I flop backwards and land on the plush sofa. I stare up at the ceiling, digging into my pocket immediately to pull out my cell phone. Of course there’s nothing to check. That’s becoming normality.
I’m starting to get pissed that he isn’t communicating with me. I know I should wait for him to call but I don’t want to anymore. I called twice yesterday and three times this morning and still, no answer. I’m so sick of this shit. I sit up and wait for Harp’s shower to run before dialing his number and rushing for the balcony.
“Hello?” someone with an unfamiliar and deep voice answers.
“Hi . . . um . . . is Nolan around?” I ask, forcing myself to sound casual.
“Oh, nah, he’s at home packing some stuff with Sharon. He left his phone in my car.”
I frown heavily. “Who is Sharon?”
The man on the line hesitates for a brief moment. “From what I’ve heard she was one of Nolan’s mother’s students and his ex . . . I think. Sweet girl. Pretty face. Blonde hair. A pretty nice body. Do you know her?”
I feel a squeeze around my heart but I force myself to keep it cool. “No, I don’t,” I mutter tightly. “May I ask who this is?
“Tike. I’m Nolan’s manager. I’m helping him move some stuff out. I’m headed to storage right now but I can let him know you’ve called.”
“No thanks, Tike. That won’t be necessary, but you can deliver another message for me, though. Let Nolan know Natalie called and we’re done. I hope he’s having a ton of fun with Sharon right now.”
“Oh . . . uh . . . alright.” I end the call furiously. There are so many screams inside of me wanting to let out but instead I remain silent. How can I be silent when hearing he’s with another girl—obviously a hot ex-girlfriend at that? No wonder he hasn’t been talking to me.
I grit my teeth, forcing myself to bite back on the worthless tears. He’s worthless and now I really want nothing to do with him. I should have known it was bound to come. Nolan and I were too perfect. I had too much faith in someone like him.
To ignore the tears and the annoyance I feel brewing in my chest, I turn around and rush inside. I hurry to my room, shuffling and tossing my clothes aside until I find the pair of jeans I wore on the first day I met Tyler.
I pull the crumpled sheet of paper out, staring at his number for a few debatable seconds. I know it’s wrong and immature as hell to go to someone just because I don’t want to feel but I know it’s going to be worth it. I want to do it because I’m so sick of being hurt. I’m tired of falling for guys who will only destroy me. Damn it. When am I going to learn my f*cking lesson? I knew there was a hidden reason behind his attitude when I’d visited. There’s no telling how long that girl has been around.
Biting at my bottom lip with a pounding heart, I finally dial Tyler’s number and place the phone against my ear. Each ring makes me nervous, jittery, but proud that I’m actually doing it. Proud that I’m not crying . . . yet.
“Hello?” His voice is deep through the phone.
“Hi, Tyler. It’s Natalie.”
“Oh, what’s up? About time I got a call. I was starting to catch a case of low self-esteem,” he teases.
“Yeah.” I force a giggle. “Hey, you remember when we talked about that “pause” in my relationship?”
“Sure do. Don’t tell me you’re calling to deny me.”
“No. The pause is no longer here—actually, we’ll never be put into play again. I’ll be at your party tomorrow so make sure you look for me.”
Hard to Hold On
Shanora Williams's books
- Hard to Resist
- Hardpressed
- The Bone Orchard: A Novel
- Collide
- Blue Dahlia
- A Man for Amanda
- All the Possibilities
- Bed of Roses
- Best Laid Plans
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- Blood Brothers
- Carnal Innocence
- Dance Upon the Air
- Face the Fire
- High Noon
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- Sacred Sins
- The Hollow
- The Pagan Stone
- Tribute
- Vampire Games(Vampire Destiny Book 6)
- Moon Island(Vampire Destiny Book 7)
- Illusion(The Vampire Destiny Book 2)
- Fated(The Vampire Destiny Book 1)
- Upon A Midnight Clear
- Burn
- The way Home
- Son Of The Morning
- Sarah's child(Spencer-Nyle Co. series #1)
- Overload
- White lies(Rescues (Kell Sabin) series #4)
- Heartbreaker(Rescues (Kell Sabin) series #3)
- Diamond Bay(Rescues (Kell Sabin) series #2)
- Midnight rainbow(Rescues (Kell Sabin) series #1)
- A game of chance(MacKenzie Family Saga series #5)
- MacKenzie's magic(MacKenzie Family Saga series #4)
- MacKenzie's mission(MacKenzie Family Saga #2)
- Cover Of Night
- Death Angel
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- A Billionaire's Redemption
- A Beautiful Forever
- A Bad Boy is Good to Find
- A Calculated Seduction
- A Changing Land
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- A Clandestine Corporate Affair
- A Convenient Proposal
- A Cowboy in Manhattan
- A Cowgirl's Secret
- A Daddy for Jacoby
- A Daring Liaison
- A Dark Sicilian Secret
- A Dash of Scandal
- A Different Kind of Forever
- A Facade to Shatter
- A Family of Their Own
- A Father's Name
- A Forever Christmas
- A Dishonorable Knight
- A Gentleman Never Tells
- A Greek Escape
- A Headstrong Woman
- A Hunger for the Forbidden
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- A Knight of Passion
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- A Touch of Notoriety
- A Profiler's Case for Seduction
- A Very Exclusive Engagement
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- And Then She Fell
- Anything but Vanilla
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- Awakening Book One of the Trust Series