to me so after that night I left him alone for good. It was hard tearing myself away from him because I liked him a lot. He was the first guy I’d met when I first moved here. I never wanted to figure it out because I was afraid of the truth—shit, I still am. I didn’t want Tyler to be some kind of bad guy.”
“Oh my God,” I whisper, staring at her in complete disbelief. She presses her lips but my gaze finally drops down to my latte. “Why didn’t you ever get a real answer from him, Brittany?”
She shrugs. “I kind of gave up on it. I tried to stop caring about it but every time I see him, I always relive what we went through and it hurts to think about. I don’t like hurting.”
“Well I can’t let him come to my house after hearing this from you.”
“I’m just saying,” she whispers. “Tyler—I just don’t want you to get hurt by someone like him. He’s a sweet guy but he’s not completely trust worthy. I’m not sure if something happened between you and Nolan but I hope it works out because you deserve better than Tyler. I’m sorry I couldn’t have warned you sooner and I hate that I will never know what happened to me while he was around. I guess it’s something I have to let go of. You’re the first person I’ve told this to.”
Her head lowers shamefully but I shake my head, gripping her hand that’s on the table. “It’s okay, Brittany. Don’t blame yourself for the way he is.”
She nods and checks her watch quickly, grabs her purse, and then stands. “Well I have to get going. Jordan and I are going out for brunch with my parents . . . but I’m serious, Natalie. Be careful. Call me tonight and let me know how it goes.”
“I will,” I sigh as she pushes her chair beneath the table.
With a quick nod, she spins around and rushes out of the coffee shop. I sigh heavily, leaning against my seat and staring out of the window. The pedestrians pass by and with each step they take, the speed of my heart picks up. I’m so nervous. I really want to just move back to South Carolina with my parents if it means I will be safe. This isn’t worth it. I should have known Tyler wasn’t the complete sweetheart I thought he was. I should have ignored him like I had the first few times I had run into him.
“Are you Natalie?” an airy voice asks from beside me, interrupting my thoughts.
My head whips and I look up, taking in the blonde with the perky breasts, clear green eyes, and the plump lips. Her purple dress is tight and revealing a little too much skin and on her feet are the highest black heels I’ve ever seen in my life. Grabbing the chair, she sits down across from me but I scowl at her as she primps herself, fluffs her hair, and then folds her fingers in her lap all while looking at me. “By your silence, I assume I’m correct,” she says with too much confidence.
My eyebrows knit. “Um . . . I’m sorry. Who the hell are you?”
Smiling, she tilts her head, her eyes narrowing at me. “I’m Sharon, Nolan’s ex. I thought it’d be nice to introduce myself to the girl he obviously can’t get enough of.” She looks me over and I grimace as she studies my faded jeans and blue V-neck T-shirt. “I honestly don’t see what he’s so wound up about.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nolan
I wake up to the feeling of a million needles pricking at my brain. It’s painful and the sunlight from the curtains doesn’t make it any better. I stare at the white curtains for a brief moment, noticing they aren’t mine. This room isn’t mine. I sit up quickly and look around, taking in the familiar room and then the personal scent of Natalie with a mix of rich, warm vanilla.
How the hell did I get here? I push on my hands to get out of the bed, staggering a bit. My mouth is dry, my head feels like it weighs a million pounds, and my legs are weak. Nothing seems to be functioning correctly. What the fuck happened?
“It’s about time you woke your drunk ass up,” Dawson says. I look up quickly at him and he’s staring at me, his head cocked as he leans against