Chapter 73 I chose you
“What? No! Where is this even coming from?” I grip my head, frustrated. “I chose you! And I would choose you every single time! But I broke my best friend’s heart in doing so. The very least I can do is try and make things a little easier for them.”
“You didn’t choose me.” His tone is low and cold. “Terry made the decision for herself when she slept with Dennis, and Will made the decision when Terry told him the truth. You never said to him, ‘I’m ending this with you because I want to be with Natte.’ I was just your fuckin’ consolation prize.”
I feel like he’s just slapped me.
“Screw you, Natte.”
I storm into his bedroom, get my room key off the nightstand, and head straight for the main door.
Natte’s still standing where I left him.
“Where are you going? Running off back to your other guy, what’s his name again? Pine?” he says bitterly from behind me.
I stop at the door.
“No, I’m just getting as far away as possible from you and your goddamn self-destruct button!”
I slam the door loudly behind me, then run to my room, tears streaming down my cheeks.
Look at us. Two minutes into our relationship and we’re already fighting.
I just wish he could see things from my point of view. I’m not trying to hurt him, but I don’t want to cause anyone any more pain than I already have.
Is this going to be Natte and I? When it’s good, it’s great, and when it’s bad, it’s really awful.
We never used to fight like this when I was younger.
But I guess back then, sex and passion weren’t part of our relationship, and those two things can go a long way to flaring up arguments. I don’t know, maybe we’ve just moved too fast together.
I’m in my bed, where I’ve been for the last hour and a half, staring blankly at the TV, stewing and crying over my fight with Natte.
I wonder if he’s gone out with Terry and Dennis?
Part of me wants to go and see him and sort this out. But I’m still majorly pissed off with him, and my pride just won’t let me.
I’ve done nothing wrong, so I’m definitely sitting this one out.
My phone starts ringing. I haven’t checked my phone in days.
As I pick it up, I see there’s a load of missed calls, voicemail messages, and texts.
Pine, I’m guessing.
I’ll deal with them later, because right now, Natte is calling me.
“You’re calling me?” I say in still-angry Shia mode.
I’m not ready to forgive him just yet, even if him calling me is just so ridiculously sweet, considering he’s only down the hall. Well, I hope he is.
“Well, you were massively pissed off at me for good reason,” he adds quietly. “And I thought I’d try calling first, see how the land lies… see if you’ve calmed down yet… so have you?”
“What?”
“Calmed down.”
“Maybe.”
“Can I come and see you?”
“No.” I grin.
“Why?”
“Because you’re an old dick, Natte Johnson.”
“I know. But I’m an old dick who’s crazy in love with you… if I said I was sorry, would that make us okay?”
I sigh, keeping up the pretence of my anger, which disappeared the second he said crazy in love.
“It’d be a start.”
“What about some chocolate?”
“They wouldn’t hurt.”
“How about me, on my knees outside your door holding a box of chocolate?”
“You’re outside my door, aren’t you?” My skin shivers in delight.
“Maybe,” he murmurs. I can hear his smile down the line, and it touches me.
With butterflies swishing through my stomach, I climb out of bed and pad my way across the room, through the living room, and swing the door open to find Natte on his knees outside my door with a box of chocolate in his hand.
He looks up at me with his gorgeous blue puppy dog eyes.
“You look beautiful,” he says.
“And you look like an old idiot, get up,” I say, suppressing the huge smile I feel.
He gets to his feet and holds the chocolate out for me to take.
Taking it, I open the box and smile. They look amazing.
“So you bought me chocolate by way of an apology.” I lift an eyebrow.
“I did,” he smiles, a careful smile.
“Did you order them in?” I’m not ready to let him off the hook just yet.
His brow furrows. “No.”
“Send Steve out for them?”
“No,” he says, clearly affronted. “I went out to the shop down the street and bought them myself.”
“I didn’t hear any screaming from your fans when they spotted you in the street.”
He grins. “I put a disguise on.”
I squint at him, cocking my head to the side.
“Sunglasses and a hat.”
“And no one recognised you?”
“Nope,” he shakes his head.
“Thank you,” I say softly. “They’re beautiful.”
He reaches for my hand. “I’m sorry I was being a jerk.”
“You weren’t being a jerk, you were being irrational.”
“I was. It’s just because I love you so much.” He moves his hand from mine and strokes his fingers down my cheek.
“I love you too,” I whisper.
He stares into my eyes, a serious look on his face. “I thought about it after you left, what you were saying, and I talked to Steve… and I get where you’re coming from,” he sighs. “I understand what you’re saying, and… I’m sorry for the way I acted and the things I said. I know you chose me, and that you want to be with me. I don’t even know why I said any of it.” He runs his hand through his hair.
He looks nervous, confused, and totally out of his comfort zone. And I guess he is. Natte’s never had to consider anyone but himself before now.
“It’s because you’re irrational.” I give him a small, teasing smile.
He nods gravely. “I am, and I deserve whatever punishment you see fit to give me.”
Curling my fingers into his T-shirt, I pull him into the room, shutting the door behind him, and put the chocolate down on the table by the door.
“I’m sure I can come up with a suitable punishment,” I murmur, cocking my head to the side.
He grins his sly grin at me, and my stomach free falls.
Walking backwards, my fingers still firmly hooked into his T-shirt, I lead Natte toward the bedroom.