Page 17 of Matched (LSU #5)

T his was okay. More than okay. It was fine.

I was here at the student union to celebrate, surrounded by my friends.

My friends…and a group of girls that included Sophie.

Sophie…whose hand was wrapped around my waist while I had my arm slung across her shoulders.

We’d only casually texted a few times in between our date and now, but it felt like something had changed between us, based on the way she’d slipped her arm around me as soon as she’d shown up.

Right now, she was in the middle of a conversation with Daisy and Millie, but she was leaning into me, her side pressed tightly against mine.

To my left, Finn was talking animatedly about Leo to one of the girls, whose eyes were beginning to glaze over.

To my right, Noah and Liam were wrapped up in each other, oblivious to the rest of us.

Everyone seemed as if they were having a great time, but for some reason, I wasn’t really feeling it.

Maybe it was because I’d taken a last-minute one-hour shift right before this to cover a staff member who was late.

Maybe I was tired from a week of uni work and paid work.

Whatever the reason was, I needed to snap out of it, fast. We were supposed to be celebrating, after all.

“I’m gonna get a drink,” I told Sophie, easing my arm from her shoulders and moving so her hand slipped from my waist. “Want one?”

She held up her own mostly full drink and shook her head, turning back to Millie and Daisy. I exhaled, quickly moving off the dance floor and into the quieter area at the side of the room. I stopped, my back against the wall, and rubbed my hand over my face.

“Get a fucking grip, Charlie,” I muttered aloud, earning me a suspicious look from a guy who was wandering past. I let my eyes fall closed, remaining in my dark corner against the wall until I’d composed myself.

With a sigh, I pushed off the wall, making my way back to my friends. Sophie was still engrossed in conversation with her own friends, so I caught Finn’s attention. “What do you think of LSU’s chances?”

“For getting into the cup playoffs?” When I nodded, he shrugged.

“It’s hard to tell, really. The southern division is strong.

If we can win the next few games, we’ll be in a good position, but I dunno.

Plymouth Uni’s team is the one to beat. I hope so, though.

It’d be good for the guys leaving at the end of the year, like Nate. You two are friends, right?”

“Uh, yeah. Kind of.” I scuffed the toe of my trainer against the floor. I didn’t really want to get into the whole matched situation again. “I hope you win it. Training with the team, even though I only did it a few times, made me realise how hard you all work for it. You deserve it.”

Finn smiled. “Thanks.”

“I’ll try to make it to your next match if I don’t have a shift?—”

“I have to go,” Finn blurted out, his eyes widening as he stared down at his phone.

“Everything okay?”

He disappeared without replying to my question, and I stared after him, making a mental note to text him to check up on him later.

Turning back to Sophie, I found her already looking at me, a smile playing across her lips.

She beckoned me closer, and when I reached her, she placed her hand on my shoulder, rising up onto her toes to place her mouth to my ear.

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“My brother’s here tonight with a blind date.”

My breath caught in my throat. “What?”

“Asha saw him on her way back from the loo. She’s on the same course as his date, so she spoke to her.

He already told me he was going on a date tonight, but I didn’t realise they didn’t know each other.

Apparently, they matched on an app.” She laughed before taking a sip of her drink.

“Let me know if you see him anywhere, and maybe I can get him back for being too involved in my love life.”

Was it possible for your entire fucking body to freeze in shock?

“He’s here? With a date?” I managed to croak out, and Sophie’s brows flew up.

“That’s what I said. Are you okay? You look…um, a bit…ill?” Her voice trailed off hesitantly, and it was enough to make my brain come back online. I breathed in, then out, and then forced a smile.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just a bit hot. Probably dehydrated or something, I dunno.

I haven’t had enough to drink today. I should’ve had some water when I went to the bar.

” Fucking shut up, Charlie . I was well aware I was rambling, and there was no reason for it.

So what if Nate was here with someone? I was here with Sophie and my friends.

“Do you want to get some now?” Sophie’s hand moved from my shoulder back to my waist.

My gaze caught on someone else’s. Someone standing at the edge of the dance floor. Alone. Deep brown eyes beneath furrowed brows were fixed on me, glittering with something that looked a whole lot like anger, based on the set of his jaw and the way his fists were clenched at his sides.

I gasped. My head started spinning, and I couldn’t catch my breath. What was happening to me?

“I—I’ll be back,” I said, or maybe I just thought it. It was like I was in a daze as I tore myself away from Sophie and my friends, pushing through the crowds to get to Nate.

When I reached him, his hand shot out, his fingers clamping around my wrist in a tight, punishing grip.

He said nothing to me, and I lost the power of speech yet again as I let him drag me away towards the corridor that led to the toilets.

Shoving the door open with his shoulder, he paid no attention to the other people at the urinals and sinks as he pulled me towards the row of stalls.

We reached the furthest one, and he let go of my wrist, only to place his hands on my chest and push me inside.

The door slammed shut somewhere behind us as he pressed me up against the wall, a metallic clink dimly registering in my brain.

The lock. We were locked in this stall. Together.

And Nate’s whole body was pressed up against mine, torso to torso, his harsh, fast breaths skittering across my throat as he lowered his head.

“Nate—”

“Shut up ,” he snarled, and the venom in his voice had me recoiling because Nate Glover did not sound like that.

Ever. Not in my experience, at least. He pressed against me even harder, the flimsy stall wall creaking behind my back as it took the weight of both of our bodies. “Shut. Up. Fucking. Fuck—you—fuck!”

I swallowed hard.I couldn’t even think. I could barely breathe through the intensity.

Nate .

He was lighting up all my nerve endings, setting me on fire, making my entire body respond to him like no one else ever had before.

“Fuck,” I whispered, my head falling back against the wall. Nate followed me, his mouth going to my throat.

His mouth. My throat.

I stilled.

His body tensed, and then he exhaled against my skin, so slowly, like a soft breeze. “Charlie,” he murmured, and then his lips were brushing over my pulse point.

“Nate! What the fuck?”

His head shot up, and he tore himself away from me, his pupils so wide and so dark. His chest was rising and falling as he panted, his fists clenching at his sides.

“Fuck. Do you even fucking know?” he ground out, his gaze never leaving mine.

“Kn-know what?”

“How it feels. To be jealous of your own fucking sister. Do you know how fucked up that is, Charlie?”

I reeled back, jerking my body away from his. He’d never raised his voice to me before. Never been angry with me.

Words flew from my mouth, words I hadn’t even known were inside me until I spoke them aloud. “Yeah? You feel jealous? What about me? When she kissed me, I felt guilty for days! Because of you !”

My final words were shouted into the space between us. A space that suddenly felt impenetrable.

Nate’s eyes widened even further, his jaw dropping open.

I swore under my breath, spinning away from him and resting my forehead against the door.

I was vaguely aware of the cool, laminated wood, but my harsh breaths and pounding heart filled my senses.

It took me a few seconds to even realise that I’d been pulled back around, and a hand was tightly gripping my jaw.

“ Charlie. ”

“ Nate .”

I arched towards him at the same time as his mouth came down on mine.