He chuckles, adjusting his T-shirt and jeans. “Let’s go enjoy the rest of our night, shall we?”
Giggling, I follow after him and we head downstairs for the party. The rest of the night is fun and I’m having a blast . . . but I can’t completely block my mind from him. I know this party is just a way to rid my mind of what’s really going on between Nolan and I but there’s no denying how hurt I am and no matter how many drinks I take, none of them can ease the pain. They help me forget for a little while but none of them are helping me cope with the fact that he may actually be with another girl in California. No part of me wants to believe he’s actually done this to me when he had promised me so many times he wouldn’t hurt me.
I put so much trust into Nolan that I feel stupid. Nolan is almost too good to be true and to think he may have actually wanted to settle with me for the rest of his life makes me feel even dumber because I knew from day one he wasn’t the kind of guy who remained devoted to relationships. I knew from day one he had plenty of tricks up his sleeves but I wanted to give him a chance. I wanted to be wanted by someone. I wanted real love. I enjoyed the time we’d spent together because it was real—we were real and there’s no denying it.
I love him and I know for sure he loves me, too, but what made him want to do it? What did I do? What got in between us?
****
After about four hours of partying our asses off and sobering down, Harp and I are finally ready to go.
“Natalie?” Tyler calls from the front door. I turn to look over my shoulder as he steps past a few people to get to me.
“I’ll meet you at the car, Harp,” I tell her.
“Great, but you’re driving.” She presses the back of her hand against her forehead and stumbles away. I turn slowly to look at Tyler who is only a few steps away now. “So, did you have fun tonight?” he asks.
“I did,” I say, smiling.
“Great. And I was right.”
I frown curiously. “About what?”
“About how ‘happy’ looks good on you. You’re too cute to be down.”
I pull my lower lip in and nibble on it to suppress a smile. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Yeah—hey, how about we hook up on Tuesday and study since we have that test on Wednesday. I can tell you like English and although I write the notes down, nothing really makes sense to me. I’m not really a “words” person.”
“Are you trying to spend more time with me?” I tease.
Chuckling, he runs a hand through his hair. “Ah, you got me.”
“Well,” I sigh, pulling my hair back. “That sounds great. I’d love to. I’ll give you a call sometime tomorrow.”
Licking his bottom lip, Tyler looks me over a few times before finally stepping in and placing those plush lips against mine. “Don’t drive me crazy,” he murmurs against my lips. Our breathing picks up and my stomach coils. “Don’t make me wait.”
I grin. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
Smiling, he takes a step back and slides his fingertips into his back pockets. “Well, I’ve got a house to clean. I had fun tonight. Can’t wait to see you again.” He gives me a wink then takes gradual steps backward. “Goodnight, Natalie.”
Biting on a smile, I take a step back as well before spinning around. “Goodnight, Tyler.” He chuckles once more as I stroll away. I force myself to keep looking ahead but of course I give in and take a peek over my shoulder. He’s now standing on the porch and watching me, his fingers still tucked away in his back pockets. My cheeks burn but I toss a wave to play it off and hurry for the driver’s seat of Harper’s blue Mercedes.
As I duck in and shut the door behind me, I’m still smiling. Why the hell am I smiling so hard? I turn to look at Harper whose head is pressed against the window, her mouth hanging open. She’s completely out of it and I’m partially relieved she’s sleeping because if she could see the goofy grin on my face, she would consider me a fool. She would know that I’ve enjoyed my night with Tyler a little