I look up at Tyler who’s smiling softly. He then steps forward with his hand held out but I shake my head, stepping away from him and avoiding the hand he’s offering. “Are you sure that’s all you two are doing?” I ask.
“Yes,” she whispers. “Do you think we can meet up later to talk?”
“How late?” Tyler asks, looking at Natalie.
I frown at him. “Why does it matter?”
“Because I was planning on taking her out later. That’s why.” He slides his fingers into his back pockets casually, still smirking. Jealousy blinds me and then something snaps. I take a step forward but Natalie grips my arm to stop me.
“You aren’t taking her anywhere,” I hiss through my teeth.
“Why not?” He chuckles, bringing a hand up to run it through his hair. “I would say after last weekend we have a lot more in common than I thought. She went upstairs with me to a bedroom and it was—”
In an instant, I yank away from Natalie to rush for him and punch him in the nose. He stumbles back, landing on the sofa as blood spills. I rush to try and snatch him up by his shirt but Natalie yells my name and yanks on my arm before I can hit him again.
“Get off of me, Natalie!” I pull away from her and instead of going for Tyler, I go for the door. Yanking on the door knob, I rush out and hurry for the elevator. The time when I want it to open up immediately, it doesn’t.
“Nolan,” Natalie calls. She places a hand on my shoulder but I turn around, facing her with nothing but rage.
“You were so worried about me sleeping with someone else but you’ve been with another guy this whole time? Who the hell is he, Natalie?”
She flinches but her eyes remain wide, glistening. “He’s a friend, Nolan. I met him at school.”
“You went into bedroom with him?”
She swallows and her grip loosens but I pull away completely, shaking my head. “Nolan, I—”
“Don’t even explain to me, Natalie. I should have known you would turn out like the rest. I should have fucking known you were too good to be true.”
“Nolan, how could you say that? We weren’t together when I hung out with him. You made me feel so alone! I love you—”
“Obviously not if you’ve moved on this fast with the fucker in there!” I step around her and rush for the stairs, knowing it’s pointless to wait for the elevator. I can’t face her any longer. I have to get the fuck out of here.
“Nolan, I’m sorry! It’s not like that!”
I ignore her. I can’t look back. I came back to Miami in hopes that we could work it out. All of this time I’ve been trying not to fuck up with her but she’s the one who fucked me over? There’s no telling how long she’s been talking to that dick. The thought of her sleeping with him comes to surface and kills me. The thought of him touching her, kissing her, taking her in his arms makes me cringe.
I hit the last level of stairs and burst out the door. The sun is high and blazing, adding more fuel to my temper. I’m literally on fire on the inside. How could she do this to me? To us?
What’s wrong with me? Every girl I date makes me feel like I’m worthless—like I can’t make them happy. Was she not happy with me? So many thoughts and questions are running through my mind right now and it hurts to think about. It hurts to know maybe Mills was right all along. Maybe she knows she deserves someone better than me. Maybe she’s trying to let me off easily so she can move on for good.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Natalie
The look on Nolan’s face nearly kills me. As he storms away from me with nothing but rage it frightens me but hurts me at the same time. It hurts because I know I’ve hurt him. I know he’s upset and I’m still left with unanswered questions from earlier. I wanted to talk about Sharon but his lips distracted me. That body distracted me. I wanted him against me so badly. I’ve missed him but to know I may have actually lost him is stabbing at my gut.
“Why would you say that to him?” I yell at Tyler, slamming the door behind me.