Chapter 39

Nathan

I couldn’t shake off the burning annoyance and hurt that gnawed at my insides as Olivia came home from her first maternity appointment without even bothering to invite me.

Already that morning, not long after I woke up and discovered that Olivia was gone, I had begun receiving messages from friends and family who got wind of the fact that she went without me.

They were wondering why I didn’t go with her to her very first maternity appointment, and I had no feasible explanation. Thankfully, I was able to convince them that I simply was busy, but still; eyebrows were already raised when it came to our ‘relationship’, and this didn’t help any.

Truthfully, I didn’t even know that she had an appointment because she didn’t have the decency to let me know!

I was slowly growing more and more furious with her as she seemed to be incapable of understanding my frustrations. When she kept reminding me that it wasn’t my baby, I only felt myself begin to fill with a pang of sadness.

Of course it wasn’t my baby. But she was my best friend. Was I not allowed to care?

But when Olivia told me what Angela said to her at the appointment, my anger shifted toward the nurse.

Olivia may not have been my real girlfriend or the mother of my child, but she was still my best friend. And to hear that the nurse was saying such awful things to her, accusing her of having sexually transmitted diseases and giving her baby fetal alcohol syndrome, made my blood boil.

When Olivia finally told me everything, I instinctively stepped closer to her. I didn’t even consciously do it, but the next thing I knew I was towering over her, and she was looking up at me with her big eyes.

She looked so petite as she stood in front of me. Her cheeks were flushed red as her chest rose and fell at an accelerated rate, which only made me want her even more.

The desire to lean in and kiss her overwhelmed me. It was a dangerous thought, and I knew it was wrong, but the heat of the moment and the way that her long eyelashes fluttered clouded my judgment.

Yet, just as I was about to act on my fantasies and felt myself instinctively leaning down to kiss her, she pushed me away and ran off, leaving me bewildered and wanting more.

…

The next morning, I decided to march over to the doctor’s office straight away to confront Angela.

“I’d like to speak with the nurse, Angela,” I said to the receptionist, who seemed shocked to see me there.

“U-Um… What for?” the receptionist asked.

I shook my head, trying to contain my anger. “Just tell her that I’m here for her.”

The receptionist, who seemed sheepish, nodded hastily and got up. I watched with my arms folded across my chest as she scurried off, and a few minutes later she emerged from the back room with Angela by her side.

Angela’s eyes went wide when she saw me.

“N-Nathan,” she stammered, looking shyly down at the floor. “Can I help you with anything?”

“I’ve come to ask why you made such accusations toward the mother of my child.”

As I spoke, Angela’s face turned a deep shade of red. “I-I’m not sure what you’re—”

“You know fully well, Angela,” I interrupted, not caring if we were overheard. “STD’s? Fetal alcohol syndrome? A paternity test? Really?”

Angela stared unblinkingly at me like a deer in headlights. It seemed as though she didn’t expect me to come and defend Olivia, but here I was.

My frown deepened as she continued to stand there, saying nothing. “If I find out that you insulted my mate again,” I said, lowering my voice, “I’ll see to it that you lose your job. Got it?”

Angela nodded hastily, averting her wide-eyed gaze to the floor again. I could see tears welling up in her eyes, but I didn’t care. Hopefully, I thought to myself, she learned her lesson.

Satisfied with my scolding, I turned on my heel and stormed out, intent on going home to Olivia and telling her that nothing like that would ever happen again.

…

When I returned home a little while later, I was immediately greeted by an unusual and rather strong aroma that assaulted my nostrils as soon as I walked in through the door.

The house was permeated with the strong scent of medicinal spices. It reminded me that my mother was supposed to come by and give Olivia some soup, but the smell was so strong, even to me, that I thought for sure that it must have made Olivia sick.

"Olivia?" I called out, expecting her to respond. But silence greeted me instead. “Mom?”

There was still no response. I knit my eyebrows together as I looked around, but the downstairs of the house was quiet and neither Olivia nor my mom were anywhere to be found.

Concerned, I made my way upstairs, my footsteps echoing through the quiet house. I slowly and quietly made my way over to Olivia’s room at the end of the hall to check on her.

And there she was, lying on the bed, her delicate figure resting peacefully in the dim light of her bedroom.

A strange mix of emotions suddenly overwhelmed me as I gazed at her through the crack in the doorway. She looked so serene, so beautiful as she slept. And in that moment, I found myself inexplicably attracted to her. Guilt and desire waged a war within me, as I observed her vulnerable state.

It wasn’t just that, either.

Her breasts… One of them was popping out of her tank top slightly as she slept. From where I stood, I could see the dark outline of her nipple.

Instantly, I felt a rush of blood down to my groin, and felt an erection strain against my pants.

I knew that I should have turned around and walked away then and there, and I should have left her to her privacy, but I couldn’t force my legs to walk away for some reason. I was too transfixed by her beauty.

For a few minutes, I just stood there, chewing my lower lip as I felt the blood rush to my groin. I throbbed a bit just as the thought of her, as though every fiber of my being was begging me to finally take her as my own.

But I couldn’t. This wasn’t right. She was my childhood friend, not my mate. We had a deal.

And yet, why couldn’t I get the fantasies of what her nude body looked like out of my head?

As I watched her, lost in my own tangled thoughts, Olivia started to stir.

I didn’t notice it in time, and suddenly, I felt my stomach drop as I saw her eyes fluttering open.

Panic gripped me, and I instinctively moved to hide behind the bedroom door, hoping she hadn't seen me staring at her.

But she had seen me. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and we stared at each other for a few long moments. A thick silence hung in the air, electrified by my own lustful desires for her and her own sleepy confusion.

Finally, she opened her mouth and spoke.

"What are you doing, Nathan?" Olivia's voice, tinged with surprise and suspicion, pierced the air.