Chapter 38 Someone to rely on.
NANCY’S POV
“You’re hiding something." I didn’t mean to say that aloud, but it was the truth. Nathan was hiding something, I just didn’t know what yet.
All I knew was that it had to have begun after he left home. Something had happened, and it bothered me that he couldn’t tell me
“Yeah.”
I wasn’t expecting him to admit that, and my brows raised in surprise. There were so many more questions I could have asked him then, and much more that I could have said, but I decided to just drop the topic and let him be.
Maybe not now, but I hoped a day would come when Nathan would be willing to tell me all of these things without being prompted to do so.
"You said Mr Landon helped you. What was that about?" I hadn't really been listening then and had missed quite a bit of what he said.
Moreover, it felt like the only topic I could engage him in now that didn't seem heavy.
I also wanted to know the extent of what Mr Landon had done for Nathan, so I could add it to the many favors I wanted to repay him for.
Yes, you heard that right.
When the time came for us to finally go our separate ways, I was going to repay every little bit of help he'd done for me; only then would it feel like a clean break.
With Diana, I didn't feel a need to do that, but with Mr Landon, I had to, and within the remainder of the days I would spend here, I told myself I wasn't going to owe him anything else.
Our relationship would be purely transactional without involving money or feelings...Just sex.
Careful not to bare my thoughts to Nathan, I schooled my expression and stared at him, waiting.
He hesitated for a second, then spoke, quieter this time. "When I left home, things were really bad."
My lips parted, but he voiced quicker than I could let the words out, "It's worse than you think."
I stilled and just stared at him, trying to think of possibilities worse than what I had in mind.
Nathan didn't explain more, and all he said was- "When I ran away, I didn't figure things out right off the bat. I messed up a lot, and that was when Mr Landon found me."
He paused, then glanced at me.
"He made sure I didn't ruin my life, and he gave me a way out, even going as far as helping me clean things up."
"That does sound like something he would do," I smiled wryly, recollecting how he had guided me to escape my room that night.
If only I hadn't fallen for him, if only I hadn't found him attractive, then maybe Mr Landon and I would have had a really good relationship.
"Hey," Nathan called my attention back to himself, then nudged his head towards the house. "I don't know what's going on, but you seem to be on bad terms with Mr Landon."
"He's a nice man, and we owe him a lot."
He didn't have to explain further; I got the meaning behind his sentence immediately.
I swallowed hard then nodded, "I know."
Nathan smiled softly at me, then, before I could blink, he crossed the space between us and pulled me into his embrace.
"I hate that this is all I can say, but I'm so sorry, Nana. I shouldn't have left you like that. I should have done better and protected you."
I wanted to speak, but my words failed me, so I hugged him back instead, breathing him in.
“I’ll come see you again,” Nathan added with an even softer tone.
“You will?” I blinked, asking not because I didn't trust that he would, but because I needed him to verbally commit to it as well.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “We might even meet in school before that."
Right, school.
How could I have forgotten that?
Satisfied, I stepped out of his embrace and smiled at him, feeling something in my chest loosen.
"Take care of yourself, Nana, and if anything goes wrong, tell me immediately." Those were the words Nathan left me with, after scribbling his number on my palm.
Now, after he was gone, I stared at it with a sheepish grin on my face. Even if I didn't know why Nathan had undergone such a huge change or what had happened in the days that we had been apart, one thing I could always trust was that I was safe with him here.
When I stepped back inside the house, the smile on my face waned.
I mean...Reality hit again.
Diana was sprawled out on the sofa, eyes glued to her phone, while Mr Landon was still seated the exact same way I left him, except he now had his phone in his hands too.
When I walked back in, he didn't look up or acknowledge my presence.
"Did he leave already?" Diana asked, rising slowly to a sitting position.
She patted the space next to her, gesturing for me to take a seat.
"Yes," I said in response to her question, but took the seat next to her instead, the one I was seated on before.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't say anything and instead shifted her attention back to her phone.
Grateful that I wasn't being forced to speak, I moved to grab my phone as well, but realised that I had left it back in my room.
For a long while, I tried to remain seated, enduring the silence until it became unbearable.
“I think I’m going to head upstairs,” I said finally, pushing myself up.
“So early?” Diana frowned, lifting her head from her phone.
“I’m tired,” I replied automatically, then bit down on my bottom lip when Diana rolled her eyes, not even surprised anymore.
My lips tugged back but didn't fully form into a smile.
Diana's gaze dropped back to her phone, and I sighed and made to walk out.
Unexpectedly, my gaze met his then.
I didn't know he was looking at me, and the turn of my body had made our eyes meet. My breath hitched slightly before I looked away immediately.
Quickly, I made my way out of the room.
I was halfway up the stairs when I heard it.
“Nancy.”
My entire body stilled, and slowly, I turned around to face him.
He was standing at the bottom of the stairs now, which meant that he had gotten up right after I did, too.
“What?” I asked, keeping my voice low. My gaze, however, was meaningful, asking that he save whatever he had to say for later. Diana was still in the living room.
His gaze held mine regardless, then he said, just as quietly, "Spare me five minutes."
"Now?" I gaped.
He shook his head, "I'll meet you in your room."