Page 83 of Fireworks

Chapter Twenty Seven

*****

Nate

Driving back to my apartment, I held her hand the entire drive as if she would magically disappear if I let it go. The thought of Brandon putting his hands on her or talking to her the way he did, had my blood boiling. She said she would handle it and talk to her uncle, but that didn’t make the situation any better. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight, and I didn’t care if she liked it or not.

At least she only had a few more days until she was off the campus and didn’t have the chance to run into that drunken asshole again. Turning off the main road into my complex, I realized this would be the first time I brought her here. Suddenly my nerves started knotting in my stomach as I tried to remember the state in which I had left the place. My roommate had left for a family trip two days ago, so it was probably a mess. Shifting the truck into park, I turned to face Katie.

“So, this is going to sound stupid, but can you stay here for like five minutes?”

She looked back at me curiously.

“The place is probably a mess. I’d rather you not think I live like a complete slob.”

Drawing her lips in she attempted to suppress a laugh.

“Nate, you basically lived at my house growing up. I know exactly what that apartment probably looks like right now. Trust me, I don’t care.”

She had a point. She wouldn’t be shocked if there were dishes piling up or clothes all over. It couldn’t be more of a mess than her brother's room ever was. It was a shock when we got to his apartment back in April that the place wasn’t a complete mess.

Opening the door, I flipped the light switch on, ushering her in. There was a level of unexpected nervousness as she looked around. It wasn’t horrible, but it could have been better. Turning around, she grabbed her arm, biting her lip.

“Would you mind if I showered? I feel gross right now. It’s totally okay if you say no. I know sharing a shower with people can be a weird thing.”

She was so cute when she was nervous, and it helped ease my tension a little.

“Second door on the right.”

Smiling, I didn't mind the idea of her taking her clothes off in my place. After the night she had, I didn’t blame her for wanting to wash it off before settling for the night. Hearing the water turn on, I went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, cracking it open while trying to straighten up a little before she finished.

As she emerged from the bathroom, I watched her use the towel to dry her hair. She was wearing one of my old t-shirts; one she had stolen from me on the trip to visit Asher. The sight of her had me growing hard immediately. She was so stunning, even when she wasn’t all dressed up.

The familiar pang of guilt washed over me as she made her way to the couch, plopping down, curling her legs under herself. If Asher ever knew what happened tonight, he would be on his way to the police station to beat the shit out of Brandon. Hell, I wanted to do the same thing, but I knew the disappointment it would cause her if I did that.

Her happiness and acceptance were what I craved, like water and air. If Asher found out that she was sitting on my couch, hewould add me to the list of people whose ass he needed to beat. I still hadn’t been able to figure out how the hell I was going to tell him about us without him hating me.

It had been over a month since we got back from Texas. We rarely saw one another, and I wasn’t even surewhat our status was. We had agreed we would wait and see what happened. If it wasn’t working with our schedules, then we would hold on to the memory of what it was and move on.

Joining her on the couch, I was hesitant to assume that she wanted me to sit too close.

“I don’t bite, you know. Well, I mean I can.”

Her voice was so sexy as she wiggled her brow at me. Shaking my head, I shifted myself closer on the couch and she instantly curled into my side as I wrapped my arm around her. Flipping the television on, I started scrolling to see what we could watch.

“I can sleep out here on the couch tonight. You can take the bed.”

Shifting her eyes down, I could feel her body slump down a little as I spoke.

“Oh, okay.”

She pulled herself back a little from my grasp.

“What? What did I say?”

I could tell that something upset her, but I wasn’t sure what the hell I could have done to cause it. All I did was offer the bed all to herself.

“No, it’s nothing.”