16. Nina
Chapter sixteen
Nina
“How the fuck do you know where I live?” My tone carried the exact amount of bark I wanted it to. He was the last person I expected to see at my door.
“Nice to see you, too.” He smiled in that boyish manner that used to drive me crazy. Now I knew that there was nothing boyish or adorable about Michael Taylor. He was cunning and devious. I thought I’d healed from what he did to me, but now I could feel that the urge to snap his neck still existed.
“Answer my question,” I snapped.
Michael shrugged. “A mutual friend heard it from Lindsay. She’s in Boston now, isn’t she?”
My eyes narrowed with suspicion. “How do you know that? And what mutual friend? None of my friends would be friends with the likes of you.”
Michael laughed. The asshole laughed , as if what I’d said was funny. “Aren’t you going to let me in?”
“No.”
“Come on, Nina. I know you’re pissed off at me, and rightly so, but I didn’t come here to make trouble. I just want to talk.”
I glared at him for a few seconds, wondering what he might want to talk about. He couldn’t have come all the way here just to look at my face, would he? Plus, I had some things I never got the chance to say that I wanted to tell him myself.
“Ten minutes, that’s it.”
Without looking back, I stalked back into the living room, taking the sofa furthest away from the door. Michael closed the door behind us before following me. When I saw he was approaching where I was sitting, I sent him an icy glare, which he immediately decoded because he sat his ass down on the sofa opposite me.
I took the time to study him. The last time I saw him was about two years ago before his graduation, but there was little difference from back then. Sandy blonde hair that was now cropped low at the sides and longer in the middle, and he’d beefed up a little more. Straight nose and baby blue eyes that had played a huge role in getting me to do his bidding. Thin lips that had kissed me into submission.
He was handsome, and he knew it, with an air of boyish innocence that he no doubt weaved into a weapon against unsuspecting women. Fucking asshole.
“Speak,” I ordered, crossing one leg over the other and my arms across my chest.
Michael cleared his throat. “Right. First off, I wanted to say thank you.” When I narrowed my eyes at him, he continued, looking a lot less sure of himself than he’d been seconds ago. “…For helping me back then.”
I scoffed. “You mean, running to your aid whenever you needed money and conveniently forgot to pay me back? Or for getting me to pay off your debt, then breaking up with me over a text?”
I watched him squirm under the force of my gaze. Good. It was obvious that guilt brought him here. So, he had a conscience after all.
“That’s why I’m here, Nina. I wanted to… apologize for doing all of that. I was young and stupid and…” He visibly swallowed. “…and broke. I thought I hit the jackpot when you told me you liked me. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you like that. I’m sorry.”
“You can go fuck yourself, Michael. You and your fucking apology.”
“Nina—”
“You’re two years too late.”
“I know—” He made to stand up, but I held him back with a hand. “I know, and that’s on me. But would it be crazy if I told you I haven’t stopped thinking about you? That there’s not a day that goes by where you don’t cross my mind? That I’ve felt like shit for using you?”
My heart was hammering like a fucking drum inside my chest. I didn’t want to believe him, but he actually looked apologetic. But like I said, he was too late. If he’d told me all this back then, I would have forgiven him in a heartbeat.
That Nina was long gone.
“I would be a fool to believe anything you say to me ever again. Even if I believed you, you’re too late.” I sighed then, suddenly tired. “What do you want from me, Michael? Why did you come here? Everything you’ve just said could have been said over a text. Isn’t that how you told me you didn’t want me anymore?”
“But that’s the thing, Nina. Back then, I knew I had to break up with you. My conscience wouldn’t let me keep seeing you every day knowing what I’d done, but the truth remains that—” he jumped to his feet and sat next to me before I could react, taking my hand in his “—I still want you. I always have.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “There’s no need to go there – it doesn’t matter anymore.”
“I’m serious. That’s why I came back after graduation to see you. I wanted you to know that it was real for me too.”
I stared at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. “…What?”
His thick brows furrowed. “Didn’t Lindsay tell you? I came to your room one night, but you weren’t in. Lindsay answered the door and told me you’d moved on, and that I should never contact you again because you didn’t want to see me anymore.”
Spot on, but what the hell? Lindsay never told me about that. I reeled over that piece of information, finally coming to terms with the fact that my best friend had done what she’d thought was best for me. Because God knew that if I’d seen Michael back then, I would have stupidly run back to him.
Bless your soft heart, Lindsay Coleman.
I opened my mouth to tell Michael that I hadn’t known about his visit when a door slammed so violently, I flinched. Snapping my head around, my gaze locked with Knox’s, and I swear to God, I thought he was going to explode from how enraged he was.
“Knox,” I whispered, following his angry eyes to where Michael was gripping my hand in his. I quickly snatched my hand back, ignoring Michael’s confused eyes as they darted between me and Knox.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Knox asked, his voice calm but stormy as he moved further into the living room. His gaze landed on Michael. “Who’s this?”
I bit my lower lip, strangely feeling like I’d done something wrong, which was absurd because I hadn’t. But I didn’t like Knox's expression.
Michael must have noticed the tension in the room because he suddenly stood to his feet, squared his shoulders, and looked Knox straight in the eyes. “I’m Michael.”
Knox scoffed humorlessly. “Michael, huh? What a pleasant surprise.”
“I hope you don’t mind me asking—” Michael started, but Knox cut in.
“I do mind. Very much.”
Okay. So, he was going to be a bitch about this. What was he angry about, anyway? It wasn’t like I owed him anything.
“Are you Nina’s… boyfriend or something?” Michael asked.
This time, it was me who cut Knox off before he could answer.
“Michael, this is Knox. He’s, uh… Lindsay’s older brother. He’s staying here for now.” Our gazes locked and the look on his face was nothing short of irate. “Knox, this is my ex-boyfriend, Michael.”
Yup. He’s pissed.
I think Michael read the writing on the wall, because he said nothing for a full minute as he regarded Knox and I with a half-confused, half-knowing expression. If he was expecting some kind of explanation, I had terrible news for him.
Knox, on the other hand, was fuming. If he were a cartoon bull, smoke would be floating out of his ears. I sent him a glare, silently telling him to calm the fuck down and not make a scene.
Michael smacked his lips, breaking the silence. “Right. Think about what I said, Nina. And if you want to talk more…” He dipped a hand into his back pocket and fished out a card, giving it to me. “You can reach me at this number.”
I took it from him, inhaling deeply. “Sure.”
Michael obviously didn’t care about Knox’s furious aura, because he took a step closer to me and grabbed my hand. “I really do hope you call me. There’s so much I have to tell you.”
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Knox’s nostrils flare. I nodded, wanting to get him out of here as soon as possible. “I’ll think about it. Goodnight, Michael.”
“Goodnight, Nina.”
No one spoke as Michael left the apartment. When the silence became too much to bear, I started for my room, but Knox ran after me, gripping my arm firmly and turning me around to look at him.
“Are you going to call him?” His voice was low, but there was no mistaking the anger dancing under the surface. What was wrong with him?
I raised my chin, meeting his gaze squarely. “What’s it to you?”
“Answer the damn question, Nina. Are you going to call him?”
I hadn’t decided yet, but it wasn’t likely. Still, it wasn’t any of Knox’s business. “None of your concern.”
“Don’t fuck with me. What did he say to you?”
I tried to collect my arm back, but his grip was too strong. “Let me go, Knox. You’re hurting me.”
He heaved out his breath, loosening his grip. I stepped back, massaging my arm with a hand.
“Why the fuck was he here?” Knox demanded. “Didn’t you say you’d moved on? Why the fuck was he touching you?”
I felt a stir inside me, something very close to rage. “Why do you care? I thought I was just another one of the women you fuck on some days.”
Knox ran a hand through his hair aggressively, and for a second, I thought he was going to pull some strands out. “Are you doing this to make me jealous? Because I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how absolutely immature and stupid that is.”
I saw red. “How dare you talk to me like that. How dare you tell me you have other women and then get angry when a man shows interest in me! How fucking dare you be such a hypocrite!”
His eyes widened as he huffed. “I’m a hypocrite? Is that right? Weren’t you the one crying in my car a week ago about how that piece of shit used you and dumped you?”
“Don’t you dare throw that in my face.”
“I know you’re young, but you can’t possibly be this stupid. If he’s back, it only means one thing.”
I nodded, scoffing. “Of course. I mean, yeah. Because every man who looks at me must have ulterior motives, right? Because there’s nothing more to Nina Burton than her bank account balance.” I felt a sharp tickle at the back of my eyes. “Which means it must be the same for you, right? You’ve been fucking me. Who knows? Maybe you did know that Dean Bishop is my godfather. I wonder… did you plan this then, just like Michael did?”
Knox pinched the bridge of his nose, a muscle tightening in his jaw. “Don’t.”
Disappointed, I shook my head at him, backing away several steps. Hurt and anger curled like tendrils inside me and the only thing I knew was that I wanted to get away from him.
“You are the worst, Knox Coleman. The absolute worst.”
I felt the first tears threatening to fall, and I hurried to my room, locking the door behind me. Only then did I let the dam loose.