Finally, my eyes travel north to look at the person who I will be sharing the ride with. It’s almost as if I’m seeing her for the first time all over again. I’m not talking about when I saw her earlier in the grocery store, but when she kneeled down next to me after I tripped, when she became my angel years ago.
“Brennan,” she says my name breathlessly and I pretend it does nothing to me. I’m a liar, that’s for sure. The instant attraction, the lust at first sight, it’s all there. “What are you doing?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I . . . uh . . .” she stammers and it’s the cutest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. The doors start to close and I step in between them, praying the sensors are working. If not, well my parents stand to inherit a shit ton of money.
Thankfully, my life is spared, and the doors remain open. If they’re anything like the elevators in my building back in California, they’re going to start beeping. “I was coming to see you,” I tell her.
Her head pops up and she looks at me with shock and awe. “You were?”
I nod and reach for her hand. She clasps mine and allows me to tug her gently out of the elevator. We have two options, go back to Jordan’s party or go to the end of the hall. I chose the latter because I want to speak to her in private, before we have to mingle with others. At the end of the hall, there’s an alcove, with a view of the city and a semi-circle bench to sit on. It’s almost perfect. Natalie sits down and I take the spot right next to her. I fully expect her to move away, to put some space between us, but she doesn’t. Our thighs are touching, shoulders too, and it doesn’t feel like enough for me.
“I went to Jordan’s party and tried to mingle, to be present, but something felt off. All I was doing in there was thinking about you and wondering what you were doing at your friends’.”
“Emerson . . . she invited one of her husband’s co-workers over. Callum, he’s a police officer and they wanted me to meet Zeke.”
“Am I keeping you from Zeke?”
She shakes her head. “I told Emerson about you. Our relationship isn’t something I’ve ever really talked about, especially when I got to college and you hit it big time. All the girls were so in love with you, they would say things and I’d find myself starting to respond but realized no one would believe me. Sure, I had pictures, but no one was going to believe we were a couple.”
“Why not?” I ask her.
Natalie shrugs. “People assume we’re different. They don’t know you like to read comic books or your idea of a watching a movie at home means making a blanket and pillow fort on the floor with a bowl of popcorn.”
“You remember that about me?”
She nods. “There isn’t much I’ve forgotten, Brennan. You were two years of one of the most impressionable times of my life. Every first I had was with you. You can’t just forget those moments.”
“And you never told anyone about us?”
Natalie puts her hand down between us, separating our thighs. Instantly, my hand goes next to hers, our pinky’s touching. She turns her head slightly to look at me, but I’m focused on her lower lip and how it’s nestled between her teeth. “There were times when I wanted to brag, but then I thought people would be up in my business, asking about you, thinking they could get to you through me. I didn’t want to explain we decided to make a clean break and go our own ways. I also didn’t want to be reminded of what I missed out on or whatever. I also liked keeping my memories to myself, they were ours and I wanted them to be private.”
“I’ve talked about you, in interviews,” I tell her. “I’m always doing those quizzes or whatever for the teen magazines and they ask if I’ve ever been in love and tell them yes. Most people assume it’s Rayna or whoever my publicist has set me up with. I let them believe it because it’s easier than explaining the truth sometimes. I also like keeping my private life, private, and didn’t want anyone coming to look for my long-lost high school girlfriend.”
“That was very kind of you,” she says, and I start to laugh. “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, I’m just picturing the paparazzi following you around. They’d probably make a reality show out of you. Brennan McLean’s Loving Nurse or something like that.”
Natalie laughs. Her nose crinkles and her brows pinch together, while she snorts. She’s mortified and I love it. I want to kiss her, and it’s been a long damn time since I’ve wanted to kiss anyone.