Chapter 131

Olivia

The moment the words left Nathan's mouth—“I'm going to see Layla”—I felt a sudden and unfamiliar pang in my chest. Layla.

Her name was enough to send a whirl of insecurities tumbling through me.

My eyes went wide. As if acting out of instinct, I blurted out, “Layla? Are… are you thinking of getting back together with her?”

Nathan froze in his tracks, his mouth falling slack as a look of confusion came across his face. “What?” he asked with a bit of a chuckle.

“After everything she did?” My voice was sharper than I intended. “She hurt you, Nathan. And you’re just going to waltz right back into her life? Why?”

Nathan looked surprised for a moment, then chuckled. “Relax, Liv. I’m just going to ask for some information. Nothing more.”

His amusement didn't sit well with me. “You think this is funny?” I asked, standing and folding my arms across my chest. “It’s not funny. She cheated on you!”

However, despite my words, Nathan’s smirk simply widened. “Come on, Liv. If you’re so jealous, why don’t you just come with me?”

My face flushed bright red with embarrassment. “I'm not jealous!” I blurted out. “I’m just worried about my friend.”

His smirk only widened even more. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but he cut me off before I could utter a word. “Look, get dressed. I’ll take you out for breakfast on the way. My treat.”

I hesitated. Did I really want to go with him? To potentially watch history repeat itself? But if Nathan was diving headfirst into past mistakes, shouldn’t I be there to pull him back? That was the only reason why I wanted to go… right?

“Fine,” I muttered, my voice hoarse from a nearly sleepless night. “Give me ten minutes.”

A few minutes later, I met him outside. I noticed, as I climbed into the passenger side of his car, that his sleepy eyes seemed to momentarily take in my torn jeans, sweater, and flannel.

I had hardly slept at all that night, and it really showed.

My hair was pulled up into a sloppy bun on the top of my head. It took almost all of my willpower just to put some concealer under my eyes to hide my dark circles and a little mascara on my eyelashes to make me look slightly less… dead.

“I know,” I said, pulling my flannel more closely around my shoulders once I buckled myself in. “I look like shit today. I hope I won’t embarrass you in front of Layla.”

Nathan frowned. “That’s not true,” he murmured as he started the car and the engine revved to life. He paused for a moment, gripping the steering wheel, before shooting me a glance. “You look really pretty, actually.”

I felt a heat creep up into my cheeks. “Compared to last night, I think it’s a downgrade.”

“Enough, Liv,” Nathan replied, shaking his head. “You look nice no matter what. You’re one of the few girls who can pull off both dressing up and dressing down. I… I like it.”

My face turned an even brighter shade of red, but nothing else was said between us. Without a word, Nathan drove us to the local coffee shop, a cozy little nook we had frequented as kids.

The entire way there, however, I couldn’t stop thinking about Nathan’s confusing comments. First he told his dad that he loved me, then he told me that it was all just an act, and now… I didn’t know what to think.

The bell above the door tinkled as we stepped inside, greeting us with a rush of nostalgia.

“I’ll order for us,” Nathan said confidently. Moments later, he returned with a foamy cappuccino and a fresh pastry for me. The aroma itself was a comforting hug.

He gestured towards the outdoor seating. “Shall we?”

We took our seats under the early morning sun, which warmed my tired and aching body as its rays crept above the mountains. The world was quiet, save for a few other people who were also enjoying their morning coffees.

An elderly couple sat nearby, silently sipping their drinks. I watched them, noticing how they didn’t say a word to each other, but their eyes danced with mirth whenever they looked at one another.

To be with someone for so long, to become so comfortable that words are no longer necessary, was something that I despised the thought of when I was younger. Whenever my dad took me out to eat and I noticed old couples sitting in silence, I complained about it.

My dad, however, always told me that I shouldn’t judge, because maybe it wasn’t that they had nothing to talk about or that they didn’t like each other, but rather that they were perfectly happy just enjoying each other’s quiet company.

Now, I understood what my father meant by all of that. Now, I craved that kind of deep, personal love.

I almost wondered for a moment if it would be like that with Nathan someday… But I quickly stopped myself, and focused instead on my coffee.

The world around us seemed to blur as I took a sip of the cappuccino. The froth was rich and creamy, and I sighed contentedly.

“Remember when we used to come here all of the time as kids?” I asked, reminiscing on the days of our early teenage years when we thought we were all grown up for drinking coffee.

Nathan nodded with a slight chuckle. “Yeah. So many of the shops that we used to hang out at have changed or closed down. I’m glad that this place remained constant.”

This cafe had been a witness to many of our childhood escapades. During the summers, Alvin, Nathan and I often scraped together whatever cash we had to sneak there and buy iced coffees without our parents’ knowledge.

It was also the location of the origin of my relentless sweet tooth.

“I always ordered the same thing,” I said, smiling as I gestured to the little metal bistro table that sat between us. “A cappuccino and a chocolate croissant. It looks like you remembered.”

“Of course.” Nathan nodded. “How could I forget how happy those things made you?”

At Nathan’s words, the heat in my face turned up a notch. As though wanting to take some of the attention off of me, I smirked and poked his shoulder. “Hey… Remember when you had a crush on that barista who was way older than you? What was her name? Jenna?”

Nathan groaned. “No, Liv… Don’t…”

But I was too determined now, and grinned widely. “You tried to impress her by carrying all of our drinks and pastries by yourself. Ended up dumping an entire array of iced coffees all over yourself.”

I couldn’t help but snicker and take another sip of my cappuccino, relishing in the redness that made its way into Nathan’s cheeks.

But it seemed as though karma was out to get me that morning, because perhaps the foam in my cappuccino was a little too generous, and I didn’t notice the foam clinging to my upper lip.

“Speaking of embarrassing,” Nathan murmured, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Hold still.”

Before I could protest, his thumb reached out, wiping away the foam. His touch sent a ripple of warmth across my skin. I was painfully aware of the proximity, of the way his eyes held a mischievous glint.

His laughter filled the air. “You always were a messy drinker.”

And then, with a smirk, he licked the foam off of his thumb.

I blushed, feeling flustered.

Damn it, Nathan. If you don’t really love me, then stop acting like it!