Chapter 26 Quiet After the Storm II
NANCY’S POV
Diana’s question was unexpected, and it made me still. My fingers tightened around, and my stomach gave a violent flip.
The first thing that came to my mind was to question why she was asking.
“Just answer the question, Nancy,” was the response I got.
I bit down on my lower lip, wondering what I could say that wouldn’t sound suspicious or garner her attention to begin asking questions I wouldn’t have answers to.
However, I also couldn’t keep her waiting while I pondered what to say, so I chose the safest option.
“Nothing happened, it was just detention, nothing dramatic.”
In contrast, the most dramatic thing had happened, and everything had taken place.
Nancy hummed for a while, sounding unconvinced.
She made that known a couple of seconds later, “I don’t trust you. I know how hardheaded Dad can be.”
He wasn’t hardheaded, but he sure was hard.
That thought was unwarranted, but despite how I felt and how disheartened I was, I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt for Mr. Landon, and the distressing truth was that I wouldn't get over it in a single day.
“Be honest with me,” Diana continued. “Did Dad give you a hard time?”
I hesitated, and my mind flashed with the images I was trying to keep out again. The way his hands had trailed my body, his baritone voice in my ear, and how soft his lips were against mine.
A bitter smile crossed my lips. “No, not really.”
Diana paused for a while, and then she asked, “Are you sure? You can tell me if he did, and I’ll make sure to give him an earful later.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” I swallowed through the tightness of my throat. “I only sound off because I’m tired.”
That part at least wasn’t a lie. I indeed was tired and burnt out physically and emotionally.
Also, I realised that the reason Diana had been insistent with me over the phone was that she thought it would make me uncomfortable if she asked me to my face.
Becoming aware of that made me grateful for her thoughtfulness, and I smiled when she sighed.
“Alright,” she said, “I’ll be back soon, don’t fall asleep before I get back, okay? I need help getting these groceries in.”
“I’ll try my best not to,” I responded as another small smile graced my lips.
“I want more than an attempt, make sure you don’t,” she said before hanging up.
The call ended after that, and the silence that had been filled for a couple of minutes resumed.
The feeling of heaviness that I also thought I had escaped returned. For a while longer, I remained seated on the sofa, staring at nothing in particular until I grabbed my bag and headed upstairs to my room.
There, I sank onto the floor next to my bed, resting my back against the headboard with a long, loud exhale.
My thoughts dragged me back to what happened soon enough.
Mr. Landon was right about one thing.
I had been the first to cross the line.
“You kissed him.” My voice echoed in the room, and saying the words aloud made it feel more real.
My chest tightened again, and the tears I had kept at bay threatened to leak once more.
Seated there, I questioned myself and my feelings.
What in the world was I thinking? What was I hoping would change following my actions?
“Nothing will ever change the fact that he’s Diana’s Dad.”
The reminder made something twist painfully inside me, and guilt swarmed me. It became interwoven with the shame I already felt, and while those feelings erupted inside of me, a part of me wanted to blame him.
If only he hadn’t kissed me back.
If only he had pushed me away, then maybe I wouldn’t have anticipated more. Maybe I wouldn’t feel so distressed now.
I closed my eyes tightly and dragged another breath of air through my nostrils again.
“This is so messed up…”
A knock on my door made me jolt, and I jumped to my feet, shaken.
“Nancy?”
My heart sank back into my chest when I realised it was Diana, and without hesitation, I called out, “Come in.”
Although she had told me she would be back soon, I didn’t think it would be so…soon. She had arrived earlier than she told me she would.
She walked in a few steps, bending low to drop her bag before turning to face me. “I need your help with the…”
Her voice trailed off mid-sentence, and her eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with you? You look off.”
I forced a smile, “Nothing, I’m just tired.”
“Are you sure? You look as if you cried…”
“Diana.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, and she stared oddly at me, holding my gaze for a minute.
My body tensed as her eyes narrowed even more. I thought she would question me, but instead she turned and walked out, speaking over her shoulder, “Come help me with these bags.”
I paused for a couple of seconds, then hurried after her.
She didn’t ask me or point out anything else, and we brought the bags into the house in silence.
When we were done, I returned to my room only for me to realise that she was following after me.
She walked past me then flopped onto my bed, staring up at me. “So, how bad was detention, really?”
“Diana…”
I thought she’d dropped the topic, but apparently that was just my thinking.
I sighed, then walked forward, flopping onto the bed next to her. “It wasn’t that bad, I just did some work.”
“Yeah, that sounds a lot like spending time with my Dad.”
Glancing at her, I chose not to say anything and pressed my lips together. That was much better than revealing too much.
A couple of minutes later, Diana turned on her side to face me.
“Are you still mad at him?”
The question caught me off guard, and I snapped my gaze to her.
“Mad?”
“Yeah, you know about the party thing and detention…” She shrugged, leaving me to fill in the gaps.
I paused.
What could I say? I indeed was mad at Mr. Landon, but it was for a different reason entirely.
“Anyway, if he gives you trouble again, just tell me,” She said. “I’ll handle him.”
That should have made me smile and given me a sense of comfort, but it didn’t; instead, a strange feeling settled in my chest.
Would she still back me up if she knew what truly happened?