Chapter 29 Grievances
JAXON’S POV
I wasn't expecting it to be Nancy.
When I heard the knock on my door, I assumed it was one of my students, but my thoughts never went to her.
For the last few days, she had been avoiding me. She didn't say it, but it was more than obvious from the way she reacted around me.
Actually, scratch that.
She was barely around me, and it was very intentional.
Even though I could have talked to her about it, I chose not to, feeling like it was better this way.
Maybe if we both kept our distance from each other, then I would stop feeling guilty about what I did.
That, however, proved more difficult than I thought it would be.
My eyes still trailed her, and within a roomful of students, I found myself searching for her every time.
Without meaning to, I had even begun to stay up late, knowing that she frequently came out in the middle of the night to get water and a quick snack, but somehow, we never did meet.
I couldn't tell if it was the universe knowingly keeping us apart or if it was just good timing on her part.
Either way, when the door opened, and I saw that it was her, I froze, and so did Nathan, whose eyes widened at the sight of his sister.
“Nancy?” Her name fell out of his lips at the same time she called out for him.
It was easy to see that Nancy was shaken, or more accurately, struck with disbelief.
Her jaw had dropped, and her eyes had enlarged to twice their size, mirroring Nathan's.
She looked dumbstruck, and for more than a minute, she didn't blink, as if doing so would cause Nathan to disappear.
"Nathan?" She repeated, voice full of disbelief.
I sat up in my seat, already internally thinking of a million ways to explain this situation, but Nancy wasn't looking at me.
Her eyes were fixed on Nathan.
Before either of us could speak, she crossed the room quickly and paused right in front of Nathan, staring.
"Is that really you?"
Nathan's lips parted, but no words came out. Just like me, I knew he was thinking of a way to explain this situation.
Nancy, however, didn't ask for an explanation right off the bat; instead, she blinked over and over again and suddenly threw her hands around him.
Her hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. Her body shook, and the next thing I heard was a quiet sob.
"Nathan, oh my God..."
Nathan's hands hung loosely by his side for a couple of seconds, then, slowly, he raised them to hug her back.
He glanced briefly in my direction, and when he did, I saw that his eyes were laced with tears.
"What the hell, Nathan?" Nancy breathed out, finally pulling her hands off of him to step out of his embrace. "Where have you been?"
"You left so suddenly, you didn't even tell me anything. Do you have any idea..." Her voice broke before she could finish that sentence.
The tears that had pooled in her eyes fell slowly as her hands reached for his.
He held his hands tight while scamming his face, as though she was afraid he would disappear in the moment that she was waiting for a response.
Nathan stared back at her for a minute, then he pulled his hands out of hers. Confusion flickered across Nancy's face, but when Nathan reached out to pull her into his arms, her face relaxed.
"I know, Nana, I'm so sorry I left without a word."
Nana.
I suppose that was his nickname for her.
Nathan's words must have struck the wrong chord because immediately after he spoke, Nancy suddenly jerked out of his embrace.
Her gaze hardened, suddenly filled with anger. "No, don't even start."
"Why in the world would you just disappear like that, Nathan?"
She sucked in a deep breath as though she needed that to stop herself from exploding, then went on to say.
"You just packed up and left, without any consideration for me, and now, you suddenly spawned out of thin air as if nothing happened."
Her voice lifted with every word she spoke, turning harsher. She let out her emotions in a way I had never seen her do, not even with me, and not even the day our desires had spiralled out of control.
Nathan's look turned helpless. He swallowed thickly then tried reaching for her, but this time, Nancy smacked his hands away.
"Don't you dare touch me."
I couldn't have laughed even if I wanted to, but it was simply out of my expectations. Just a minute ago, she was crying and snivelling in his arms, and now, she didn't even want him to touch her.
She was like a box of crayons in which one couldn't guess at the colors they would find in there, and I hated to say it, but I found this character of hers intriguing.
"Don't be like that, Nana," Nathan said in a pacifying voice, attempting to reach for her again.
This time, she evaded his touch and shoved his chest hard, pushing him back slightly.
"I shouldn't be like that.... Then why the hell did you leave without saying a word?"
Nathan's gaze flickered to me once again, and I shot him a look he understood immediately.
He pressed his lips together then sighed, "I'm sorry, Nana, I had to."
"That's not what I asked," Nancy frowned.
"It is all I can say for now," Nathan responded.
Nancy scoffed, stepping back a few steps away from him.
"You ran away."
It wasn't a question.
Her eyes blazed, and for a brief moment, I saw past her anger to how she really felt deep inside.
She wasn't actually angry; she was just hurt and probably felt abandoned.
Diana had told me a lot about what had happened with her parents, and right now, I could sympathize with her feelings.