We Were Strangers| Completed

part 34

I came home the evening after our conversation, covering my face as I walked in on Dan and Wendy having dinner. I ignored them and went straight to my room, where I locked myself in.

"Distance," he had said. I sighed and screamed into my pillow as anger settled in me, and all I wanted to do was scream and yell, releasing all of my pent-up frustration. When he saw me walking through the halls the next day, he averted his eyes, unable to look me dead in the eyes. He began to skip lunch and failed to show up for Home Ec. I got through most of the days knowing he wasn't there. I tried to forget about him and concentrate on what was in front of me. I was overwhelmed with work from both school and the cafe, which helped distract me from my emotions. For the most part, it worked. That is, until it didn't.

At Cafe Rose, I poured a hot cup of cocoa into a cup in the backroom where our kettle was. I added a few mini marshmallows to the cup and closed the lid before walking to the front and setting the cup down. "Hot coco!" I yelled, raising my head slowly, only to feel a hand grab the drink.

As I registered who was in front of me, time stood still. Nico

"Here," I said as I handed him the drink and pressed my lips into a thin line. I pretended he was just another customer and turned away without giving him a second glance. I returned to the kitchen without saying anything. 

I hid in the back; afraid he'd stick around. When I returned to the back kitchen, I "helped" with the remaining orders, but because I was shaken up, I continued to mess up orders and spill drinks—my mind was somewhere else. It was written all over me, and as I walked out of the shop, shoving my apron into my locker and meeting up with Enzo outside, he craned his neck from the driver's seat, looking me up and down. 

''What's wrong?" I shook my head. 'Nothing.' I couldn't tell the truth, so I made up a lie. After all, that's all I seemed to do best.

Another week went by in which I avoided Nico at all costs, which he made easier by sticking to his word and distancing himself. The only battle now was getting through class and surviving the long, extensive classes that seemed to be tensing up as the workload increased, and I sort of stopped doing them, resulting in a pile of missing assignments.

I was in the library catching up on my English homework and reading the assigned book when Enzo walked in. He stood above me, smiling as he closed the book.

"Let's hang out later tonight." He spoke up. I reached for my book, which he tossed up into the air, dangling it as he shook his finger in the air.

"Agree, and I'll give you this back." I shrugged, rolling my eyes.

"I was going to say yes either way. I stood up from my chair, snatching the book from his grasp.

"Great," he said, pressing his hands together. I smiled as Enzo walked out of the library and collided with a bookcase, watching him fade away in the distance. With 20 minutes until the end of lunch, I returned my attention to the words on the pages in front of me.

***

After agreeing to meet at Enzo's after work, the smell of buttered popcorn filled the house.

I hadn't considered the possibility of seeing Nico until I was at home, sitting on my bed and looking through my closet. An idea crossed my mind, prompting me to choose a pair of black shorts that exposed my legs and a cropped white lace cami.

I had passed the first stage of heartbreak. The sadness had faded and been replaced by revenge. 

When I arrived, my attempts to show him what he was missing failed. He spent it upstairs in his room, never stopping by the living room where Enzo and I sat on the couches, watching some random movie on the big screen.

I crossed my arms over my chest to warm myself up, feeling shivers all over my body and exposed skin.

"We have blankets upstairs." "If you want, go get one," Enzo asked, looking over at me.

As I got up from the couch, I nodded. "Yeah, I'm cold," I said as he laughed.

"It's in my room; it's a big brown blanket." As I began to walk up the stairs, he called out. I heard a door on my left open as I walked up the last step, and that's when I noticed him.

Nico walked out of the bathroom wearing only his gray bottoms, revealing his toned, chiseled abs, and a towel around his neck, which he used to dry his wavy hair.

I kept walking up, unsure what to do. I hadn't thought much about my plan other than showing him what he was missing, which worked with the fact that his eyes stopped moving to look at me, taking in every inch of me. I ignored it and went about my business, which was to get a freaking blanket.

As I approached Enzo's room, I pushed the doorknob in and scanned the room. I looked around for the brown blanket until I settled on looking in his closet. At the bottom was a thick fleece blanket, which I pulled out and carried over to the bed. "What are you doing here?" Nico's voice could be heard calling out from the doorway. He took a step forward into the room before gently closing the door behind him and approaching me.

"I'm grabbing a blanket," I said in a duh-tone as I pointed to the blanket. 

"Seriously, what are you doing?" "Dressed... like that." He said the final words quietly, his eyes returning to my outfit.

As I realized my plan had worked, a small smile appeared on my face. I tease him by grabbing his hand and placing it on my waist on the exposed skin, then pushing him closer to me.

"Because I fucking want to," I spoke softly into his ear. I could feel the moment he became hard when I was pressed up against him, and I knew I had gotten what I wanted. As I pushed him back, I smirked, watching him gulp down the lump in his throat and notice the veins that appear when he clenches his jaw. As I approached the door, my smile faltered and faded the moment I heard his voice crack.

"I'm sorry," he says, and I sigh as I grip the blanket tighter, hoping it won't slip away like my anger.

"I—" he said as I turned around, looking at his tear-stained cheeks.

He mumbled. "I need you." And when he said those words aloud, my heart skipped a beat as I saw the pain in his eyes. When I saw him cry, I took a step forward and wiped his tears away with my open hand.

"It's going to take more than an apology," I told him as I moved my hands away from him. How could I forgive him so easily for words that meant nothing? I had a hard time believing he could change.

"Show me." It was the last thing I said as I turned away from him, opened the door, and headed back downstairs, sighing as I sat next to Enzo. I said my goodbyes to Enzo and headed home shortly after the movie ended.