When she took off running through the parking lot, he chased her. “Noel!”
Noel didn’t slow down. “Leave me alone.”
“Hold on a second.” Nick tried to take her arm in his hand but she jerked away. “I know I messed up going with Amber to help her, but nothing happened. She told me she still had feelings and I shot her down.”
Noel spun around, fury brightening her one good eye. “You think I’m pissed because she made a play for you?”
“Um…”
“I am furious with you for leaving me on our first official date. For her! I know you’re a good guy and I love that about you, but where she’s concerned, can’t you just be an asshole and tell her to fuck off?”
Nick opened his mouth to explain, but she kept going.
“I mean, if any of my ex-boyfriends walked up while you were in the toilet and asked me to go outside in the dimly lit parking lot to give them a jump, I’d have told them to go to hell!”
Nick’s brow furrowed. “Wait a second, you went out with Trip last weekend.”
“That was before we agreed to this.” She waved her hand between them, her voice choked up, “To give this a real shot and you blew it.”
“I blew it? I asked you and you said it was okay!”
“You never should have put in me in that position! I am not going to make decisions for you, but for someone who is supposed to know me better than anyone, you should have realized there was no way in hell I’d be okay with you leaving me for her.” Noel’s voice broke as she kept going, “As much as I try to get over my past with Amber, that girl loves to hurt me. She told me that you would never forget her because she was your first time. For weeks she has made digs about you and me, playing on all of my insecurities and you still walked off with her because she needed you! You going outside with her proved everything she’d been saying to me is right.”
“Noel, I went out to help her, not hurt you.”
“But you did, Nick! You hurt me.”
Nick’s stomach twisted up and he reached out for her again, but she evaded him. “I am sorry. I wasn’t trying to be thoughtless.”
“I know. That’s what makes it so much worse.”
Nick threw up his hands. “Is this really about Amber? Or you were looking for a way out.”
“Excuse me?”
Nick shook his head, desperation mixed with frustration steering the reckless course his mouth took. “Admit it. You’ve been ready to run since the first time we kissed. Anything close to relationship status and you bolt. You tell me that I didn’t think about you tonight, but that isn’t true. I knew how you felt about Amber, which is the whole reason I asked. I put the ball in your court and you said it was fine. Now you’re punishing me for it. You tested me and I bombed it. I may know you better than anyone, Noel, but I’m not a mind reader.”
“You are not na?ve enough to think all she wanted from you was help with a fucking tire!”
“I didn’t even think about what ulterior motives she could have. I came out here to help, that’s it. I don’t want her! You are the only person I want. Ever.”
“Then why would you put yourself in this position?” she cried, pushing at his chest when he tried to hug her. “No, I just want to get out of here. Alone.”
Nick glared at her, his heart breaking even as he whispered, “Fine. Take off. But just so we’re clear, I chased you. I did everything in my power to show you how I felt. I’m not running after you anymore. If you want to save what we have, make your move. Otherwise, I’m done trying.”
Without looking back, he walked away, his feet dragging the ground like cement blocks, his heart screaming to go back. To beg her not to give up.
But pride won the fight. If she wanted to set him up to fail, they were already doomed.
Chapter 26
NOEL
Noel dashed at her right cheek, while her tears from her left eye soaked the bandage and eye patch. Frustrated, she yanked it off and stomped it, cursing angrily. At least her eyes had pretty much healed, because salt in an open corneal scratch had been unpleasant Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
God, she should have told Nick no when he’d asked about helping Amber, but Noel was trying to take the high road. To show Amber that she wasn’t as big a bitch as she thought.
But the longer she waited, the more her imagination ran wild. Amber convincing Nick she’d changed. That Noel wasn’t right for him. Nick realizing his first love wasn’t as easy to forget.