time. You just need to fucking fight. Stop letting her go.”
She floors the gas pedal and the car picks up in speed but I shake my head, looking down at Natalie. I push a few strands of hair out of her face but I can’t help but feel guilty because Harper’s right. I should have been fighting harder but I didn’t want to push her away from me any more than I already had. I didn’t want to stop her from being herself or end up ruining her night. If I would have argued with Tyler, it would have made me look immature but now I wish that I had. Now I wish I would have stopped her because looking at her like this is killing me.
I lift her shirt and there is a scrape on her side that’s bleeding but it’s nothing too major. Nothing a few Band-Aids and peroxide can’t solve. A breath of relief slips out of me as I pull it back down. “It’s just a scrape,” I tell them.
Harper nods, releasing a breath of relief as well. “Good. I’ll just go to the condo and we can get her in bed.”
The car silences again and I stare out of the window. I should have stuck around with her. I shouldn’t have allowed her to walk away from me to go to him. I didn’t want her to . . . but I had no right to stop her from doing what she wanted.
I had no right at all to tell her what to do but that’s going to change. I’m making her mine again. My only hope is she accepts it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Natalie
A buzzing noise is the first thing I hear before my eyes open. Groaning, I flip on my side knowing it’s my phone but I’m not fully prepared to see Nolan’s face or body in the way. His eyes are shut but his mouth is gaping open and he’s snoring. I pause, taking a quick look around. My phone is on the night stand beside him, meaning I’ll risk waking him up. The sun is barely peeking through my curtains so I know it’s extremely early.
Reaching my arm across, I lean over Nolan without touching him but then I wince, feeling something burn beneath my shirt. “Ouch. Shit,” I hiss, my hand recoiling as I flop on top of him.
He grunts heavily and his eyelids fly open. He looks down at me with stitched eyebrows but once he realizes it’s just me, his face softens. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice gravelly.
“Nothing, I was just trying to get my phone . . .” I hesitate, staring down at my hand that’s pressed against his chest before pulling back a little. “Why are you here?” I ask.
“I can’t be with you anymore?”
“I’m just wondering.” Thoughts of the party come to mind and then our sex. Thinking about it causes my stomach to spiral in the best way possible. I can feel his hard-on through the sheets and I’m sure it would be nice to feel inside of me right now but the pain on my stomach interrupts my thoughts. Pulling away from Nolan and pulling my shirt up, I stare down at the Band-Aid right above my rib and frown. “What the hell is this?”
“It’s what happens when you hang with people that you barely know,” he sighs, sitting up to hike himself against the head board.
I frown, eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
He ignores me as he climbs out of bed. He grabs for his shorts and then makes his way to the door. “I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now, I have a surprise for you.”
My spirit lifts a bit. “What is it?”
He holds up a finger before stepping out of the room. I hear rustling and then whispering. Harper groans, snapping irritably but then it’s quiet again. I frown as I try to listen in but it’s faint. I can’t make out a damn thing.
Nolan’s finally pops his head in and smiles, his bright eyes meeting mine. “Ready?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty curious to know what it is now.”
He smirks, pulling his head back and whispering something to someone behind him.
“Alright, damn it. I got it,” Harper snaps.
The door swings open and in comes Nolan, Harper, and Dawson. Dawson has balloons, Harper has a cake in her hands, and Nolan has his guitar strapped around him. “Um . . . I’m sorry,” I say, laughing. “What is this?”