The Pact (Sterling U: book 2)

Chapter 19: Nate

We're gazing around the little boutique filled with Christmas ornaments but my mind is focused on the girl beside me. She's pretending to look at some Winnie the Pooh snowflake ornament but I can see her mind ticking a mile a minute. What's she thinking?

Brooks comes up behind me clapping my shoulder, jumping me from my staring. "Yo, dude, wanna take a walk real quick? My drink got cold." He looks at me, giving me the eye and I know that look. I know damn well his drink is fine but he wants to talk about something. I clear my throat, "Sav, were guna go get another drink, do you want one?" She looks up from her day dream staring at me for a moment before she shakes her head smiling, "Nah, I still have some. We'll meet you guys over there. Kay?" We nod before Brooks grabs my shoulders and basically pushes me out of the door.

"What's up with you man?" I chuckle at him as I shrug his arm off me. Zipping up my north face I let out a shiver at the temperature dropping. Shit it's getting cold out. I go to take a sip of my hot chocolate and nearly choke when Brooks abruptly asks, "What's going on with you and Savvy?"

"What?"

"You heard me," he narrows his eyes at me as I wipe my mouth clean with the back of my hand.

"Nothing, man. We're just...friends."

"Just friends...hmm." I roll my eyes as he searches my face for something to give me away. Damn it. We promised each other, made a damn pact, about keeping what happens between us, well between us. I hate lying to my best friend but I also can't betray Savvy.

"Yes. Just friends." I narrow my eyes at him until he lets up and gives me an eye roll in return. "Whatever you say, bud." Ugh. He knows I hate it when people say bud. God damn him. I see the shit eating grin on his face as we continue to walk down the coble path, glancing at the stores draped in Christmas decorations. After we create a good distance between us and the store the girls are in I clear my throat before looking over my shoulder, "So...listen."

"Yeah?" Brooks doesn't look at me but I know he can sense the tension in my voice.

"Have you told her yet?" He stops abruptly, turning quickly to look behind him to make sure they're not in earshot before glancing back at me. There's pain in his eyes, I can see it as much as he wants to hide it but I need to know if I can tell Savvy yet. I hate keeping things from her. It's eating me up and I don't want anything between us.

"Not yet," I open my mouth to protest but he throws up his hand, cutting me off, "I know. I know, Nate. I promise, I'm going to tell her. I know I have to and I will, just not yet. After the holidays, okay? I just...I got her a gift and I need her in my good graces so I can give it to her. I don't want to ruin Christmas for her. She only has us, man." I watch him wearily, seeing the terror in his eyes about what could happen if Letty finds out about the dare. She needs to know if he wants things to be real, if he wants things to be serious, between them but I understand his hesitation but I'd be lying if I wasn't also pushing for my own reasons. I need to get this off my chest to Savvy. I've kept this secret because one, it's not my place and two Brooks is my best friend. I can't betray him like that.

Letting out a deep breath, I say, "Okay." A few minutes later the girls saunter over, Savvy jumps on my back and nearly knocks me over. "Wanna do something cheesy?" she asks in my ear and I can't help but laugh.

"What are we doing?"

"Guna go get a picture with Santa!" She points over to the guy in the big red suit and we all bust out laughing. Only her. Without a reply from any of us, we all start walking toward the line filled with children, Savvy still attached to me like a baby monkey.

After several strange looks from parents and passerbys it's our turn to sit with the bearded dude. He pats his lap for Savvy and Letty to sit down on each leg and Brooks laughs at the low growl I accidently let out when Santa wraps his arm around Savvy's waist. The tiny girl dressed in an elves costume hands us over a polaroid of our picture which Sav snatches up for herself and puts in her puffy coat pocket.