Chapter 53

Olivia

I sat there on the sand for a long time after Nathan left, staring out at the ocean as the light faded over the horizon.

Confusion gnawed at my thoughts as I mulled over the words that had come out of my mouth and hurt my friend’s feelings.

Maybe I had been too harsh with Nathan. Perhaps I should have been more understanding and empathetic. The weight of guilt settled upon my conscience, urging me to make amends and bridge the growing divide between us.

Determined to apologize, I made my way back up to the house, anticipation mingled with nervousness.

The house was dark when I entered, with only the lamp on in the living room. Nathan wasn’t anywhere to be found downstairs, so I headed up to his room to see if he was in there.

However, as I reached his door, my hand poised to knock, I noticed that there was no light pouring out from underneath the door. A sinking feeling enveloped me as I realized he was either already asleep, or he was pretending to be asleep to avoid talking to me.

Resigned, I quietly retreated and headed down the hall to my bedroom, disappointment weighing heavily on my heart.

The next morning, I was awakened by the sound of the birds singing outside mixed with the sound of someone knocking heavily on my bedroom door.

Still groggy from sleep, I stumbled out of bed and over to the door. When I swung it open, my eyes widened as I saw Nathan standing in front of me.

Realization slowly crept over me as I remembered that I normally slept in only a tank top and panties, and so my entire lower half was pretty much on display for him.

However, Nathan hardly seemed to notice.

“G-Good morning,” I stammered. “Is everything alright?”

“We need to go to a public event as a couple," he stated flatly without so much as a greeting, as though he was reciting lines he didn't believe. “Get dressed.”

“Already?” I asked, glancing over at the clock. “It’s only eight o’clock.”

“The event starts at nine,” he replied tersely, turning to head back down the hall. “It’s a twenty minute drive.”

As he turned, I could have sworn that I saw a tinge of redness in his cheeks from seeing me in my underwear.

I watched for a moment as he retreated down the hall. As I did, our conversation from the night before slowly floated back into my mind.

That must have been why he was being so icy this morning.

Attempting to break through his cold exterior, I mustered the courage to apologize.

“Nathan, about yesterday—I'm sorry,” I began, my voice laced with sincerity. “I shouldn't have said what I did. It was unfair, and I regret it.”

Suddenly, he stopped at the top of the steps and froze for a few moments, his hand gripping the railing so tightly that I could see how white his knuckles were even from where I stood.

Then, without so much as turning to face me, his voice cut through the air like a dagger.

“I agree,” he stated tersely. “I shouldn't care. After all, it's not my baby. Now, get dressed. It’s a nice event, so wear the dress that I bought you at the mall.”

His words struck me like a blow, the reality of our situation crashing down upon me. When we first agreed to this whole fake relationship arrangement, it was uncomfortable but it wasn’t horrible.

Now, it just felt like we were going through the motions, all with the goal of Nathan getting on the Alpha Council. Because of our countless arguments and misunderstandings, the friendship between us felt like it had all but entirely been taken over by the fake relationship.

I didn’t have time to say anything else before he disappeared down the steps. And so, with a heavy sigh, I complied, slipping into an elegant dress and preparing myself for the public event.

A little while later, I came down the stairs to find Nathan waiting impatiently for me by the door.

“Finally,” he said, pushing himself off of the wall. His eyes seemed to wander up and down my appearance for a moment, but his face was stony. “Ready?”

I nodded. “Yes, but— Breakfast?”

“There will be food at the event.”

The twenty minute drive to the event was silent, save for the staticky music playing on the radio. Numerous times I tried to come up with something to say to reconcile my harsh words from the night before, but nothing would come.

Finally, I resigned myself to this uncomfortable silence. By then, we were already pulling up to the event.

“What sort of event is this?” I asked, peering out the window at the park where the event was being held. There seemed to be a lot of people milling about — I recognized many of the Alphas and Elders from the council.

“Networking,” Nathan replied as he pulled into a parking spot. “It’s for all three of the packs in our radius.”

“Really?” I cocked my head. “I don’t remember there ever being events like this—”

“Things have changed,” Nathan interrupted. When he parked the car, he pulled down the little visor over his head and looked into the tiny mirror. I watched as he straightened his tie and ran a hand through his hair. He really did look handsome like this.

“Yeah,” I replied, glancing out at the sea of people in the park. “They sure have.”

Nathan shot me a tense smile, then got out of the car. He came around and opened my door, then looped his arm through mine as we started to head to the event.

“There was some unrest between the packs a couple years back,” he said, his icy voice shifting into one of animated warmth, as though he was putting on an act now that we were in public. “So, to help boost relations, the Alphas decided to host an annual event for the three packs to get together and mingle.”

“Oh.” I felt incredibly uncomfortable all of a sudden, and Nathan’s words didn’t really sink in. Our bodies were close and our faces were smiling, but our hearts were cold.

I noticed the presence of numerous cameras, capturing the facade of a perfect couple as we approached.

Nathan's arm draped around me, his smile plastered on his face, as if performing a well-rehearsed act. I couldn't help but feel a surge of awkwardness, a disconnection between the so-called “couple” that we were presenting to the world and our recent friendship in private.

I shifted uncomfortably, acutely aware of the scrutiny of the cameras, capturing our every move. A mix of emotions swirled within me — confusion, doubt, and a nagging feeling that I no longer knew the true Nathan.

I exchanged pleasantries with a few people here and there as Nathan walked around with me, struggling to maintain composure, while the weight of unspoken words threatened to consume me.

As the event unfolded around us, I observed Nathan's performance, the ease with which he projected an image of happiness.

It was a masquerade, a carefully constructed facade that left me feeling like an outsider to his true emotions. The realization hit me with a force that almost made it difficult to breathe.

In the midst of this surreal charade, a pang of longing welled up within me. I yearned for the Nathan who was genuine, vulnerable, and present. I knew that it was partially my fault for his icy demeanor in private; my repetitive coldness when it came to my baby.

But even before that, the air between us had been tense ever since the afternoon that we fell asleep on the couch together.

Perhaps we got too close, and were now facing the repercussions.

Suddenly, my reverie was shattered as reality intruded. Nathan's attention seemed to be diverted by a familiar face, and I turned to see Jenifer standing before us, her eyes gleaming with curiosity and a hint of what appeared to be mischief.