Part 62 (1/2)

”Unlikely.”

We continue in silence until he nudges me in the ribs with his elbow. ”You're awesome.”

I nudge him back. ”And you have ten minutes before I need to leave. There's somewhere I need to be.”

”Fleur.” Nate pauses and sits on the bench we're pa.s.sing. ”Before we go inside, I want to say something”

I s.h.i.+ver. ”If it's quick. Why can't you tell me when we get into the Union?”

”I don't want anybody to hear. The other part, I'd rather tell you in public.”

I pull my coat hood up. ”You are very odd, Nate.”

”One of a kind.” He wrinkles his nose. ”One of a pair.”

”Must be weird being a twin.”

”Yeah. I can give you a list of answers if you like. People ask the same questions, I wrote them down.”

”Did you?”

”Nah.”

Jesus, that smile could charm the pants off anybody.

A couple pa.s.s by, holding hands and not giving us a second glance. Nate pats the bench. ”Sit next to me.”

I place myself on the rough wooden seat and cross my legs away from him. ”Part one of my evening confessions,” he says.

Confessions?

He looks directly into my eyes. ”I don't want to f.u.c.k you.”

I stand. ”Okay! Let's not go down this route again.”

Nate grabs my hand with cool fingers and the shockwaves his touch cause take me by surprise. ”Listen. Sit.”

As I lower myself back onto the bench, Nate pulls his jacket collar to his ears and looks at his boots. ”Like I said, I wasn't myself that night. I like you. A lot.”

”Thank you.”

”No, Fleur. I like you.” He emphasises the word like and fixes me with a startling look. I've never seen serious in his eyes. ”I think about you all the time and when I upset you the other night I was f.u.c.king furious with... myself. Until then, we were growing closer. I think?” I stare back. ”I screwed up, I know. But I want you to understand, whatever happens and whatever is said, I care about you. You might not believe me in about half an hour, but it's true.”

Nate touches my face and I can't move, lost in the sincerity of his speech and the soft expression on his face. Shaun's words were hollow but Nate's come from somewhere deeper.

”I came to the group for help but was never serious. I got bored after studying for more than a week. I stayed because I wanted to be around you as much as anything else.” He picks at the edge of his jacket. ”This is gonna sound really weird, but I waited two years to talk to you. What's weirder is once I did, every time you smiled at me, each piece of your time you gave, made my day better. You're a world away from the girls in my life who've been one long stream of nothing. I want someone like you. I mean, I want you.”

I frown. ”Are you taking the p.i.s.s out of me?”

”What? No!”

”Why would you be interested in me? We have nothing in common!”

”Yes, we do!”

”What?”

”We study the same subject. And...” He pauses and chews on his lip piercing. ”We're human.”

”Allegedly.”

”You're awesome and s.e.xy as h.e.l.l, and so am I.”

”Should we add humble to the list?”

He straightens and clicks his fingers. ”You like to help people! And me, too. I helped you twice.”

I flinch at the reminder of Shaun. ”That's not exactly a deep connection, Nate.”

”Hmm.” He rubs his legs and glances around before whispering, ”I like Taylor Swift, and so do you.”

I snort-giggle. ”Of course you do!”

”Are you mocking my taste in music?”

”No, I'm implying you're telling a lie.”

Nate jumps up onto the bench and begins a loud rendition of ”Shake It Off.” The perfection of his accompanying dance moves suggest he may be telling the truth.

A group of girls hurrying across campus halt and stare. One of them spots who this is and whispers loudly to another. The audience-loving Nate hams up his performance. I'm impressed when he doesn't fall off the bench, but again the public display...

”Nate!” I hiss and stand ready to distance myself from him.

He ignores me and continues, watching as I fight laughing at him.

Eventually, he jumps down and lands centimetres away, in front of me. ”And I make people smile, so do you.”

”I do?”

He points at his grinning face. ”Yes, look.”

Nate fixes me with the strange look from before again. His mouth hovers close, a step too far into my personal s.p.a.ce, his breath touching my lips. I swallow down the attraction to him I've denied. Nate is not a guy I want. I definitely don't want to kiss him. No way.

Liar.

Distract myself.