“What happened?” I wince as I take a step forward, hating the sun.
“Well you came here like the idiot you are and threw up everywhere from your bad case of alcohol poisoning. Natalie stayed up all night with you while you spilled your guts in her toilet and all over her bathroom floor.”
I blink slowly, staring back at him. “Shit, is she still here?”
“Nah. I heard her tell Harp she was going to meet that Brittany chick. Man, we seriously need to talk. You don’t drink like that unless something’s bothering you.”
Groaning, I step past him to get to the kitchen. “Where is Harper?” I ask, aiming to avoid the conversation.
“School.”
I pull down a glass from the cabinet and drown it with water. I gulp it down, not bothering to stop. I turn slowly just as Dawson finishes his sandwich but his eyes don’t drift from me. “Tell me, damn it,” he says with a mouthful of food.
“We broke up,” I mutter. “Does that help?”
“Why? What did you do?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Why do you assume it’s my fault?”
“Hmm . . . maybe because you’re the one that always seems to fuck up with the ladies. She wouldn’t leave you. She doesn’t have it in her.”
“Whatever.” I fill my cup to the rim again.
“So, what exactly happened? Harper told me Natalie paid a visit to you in Cali after Ms. Iris died . . . I’m sorry about that . . . by the way.”
“It’s the past,” I sigh, staring down at my glass of water.
“I know how much she meant to you and Mills,” he says, raking a hand through his long, sandy hair. “I know it’s been hell for you.”
“It is like hell and my dumbass yelled at Natalie for my pain. I told her I wanted some space but I didn’t expect her to want to continue giving it to me.”
Dawson chuckles, leaning against the fridge. “Natalie’s kind of different. Harper says you cheated on her?”
I frown at him after finishing my second cup of water. “Dawson, I swear to you this time I didn’t cheat on Natalie. Sharon kept popping up and my manager Tike accidentally told her she was with me. He even told her Sharon was my ex which was stupid on his part.”
Dawson laughs, his dark eyes lifting a bit as he jumps up to sit on the counter. “That’s hilarious.”
“It’s not. I think she’s really done with me.”
“Nah.” He hops from the counter and pulls his hair back into a ponytail. “By the way she was worried last night and how late she stayed up just to make sure you were well taken care of, I would say she’s far from done. I would say she’s actually just starting to know it’s not the same without you. I guess your stunt last night hit her soft spot.”
I laugh, placing the glass in the sink. “I didn’t do it for attention. I don’t even remember half of it. I just remember walking here. After that, it’s blank.”
“You’ve got to be in love to walk from your apartment just for her. She must really be your match.”
I shrug. “I love her.”
Keys jingle from a distance and we both spin around as the door creaks open. It takes Natalie only two seconds to step into the kitchen and for her eyes to immediately meet mine. I don’t think she even notices Dawson standing near the fridge. “Nolan,” she breathes, placing her keys on the counter. “I thought you’d be gone by now.”
“Just woke up, Bunny.”
“I can see that,” she says, biting on a smile as she observes me in my blue boxers. I stifle a laugh, adjusting myself to seem a bit more confident.
“Well, let me head out. Harp and I are going for lunch after her class,” Dawson says, pulling his keys out of his cargo pants.
“Sounds cool,” Natalie says, watching him step past her.
“Don’t make up too much!”
Her cheeks burn red at Dawson’s remark but I laugh as I fold my arms. As soon as the door shuts behind him, that’s when the atmosphere grows heavy. Natalie adjusts the strap of her bag while standing on the heel of her shoes.
“So, should I go?” I ask, dropping my arms.
She shrugs. “It’s up to you, not me.”
She forces a smile then licks her lips. I miss those lips. I miss everything about her. “Natalie, why are we making this worse than what it is?”