Chapter 21
Chapter 21
I clamber into my car, feeling hopeful and excited. I’m going to find him, and he’s going to tell me the truth. I find the most uplifting playlist on my phone. A girl needs the right soundtrack when she’s going after her man, after all. I click play and Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now comes blasting out.
As I turn onto the main road, it suddenly occurs to me I don’t know where Nick lives. Sure, I know the area, but I’ve never been there. I sit in my car, wracking my brain. He looked distraught when he left the conference room. Where would he go to feel better? Would it be home, or would it be somewhere else?
A smile creeps across my face. I bet I know where he is.
The drive is long, and I’m impatient to get there. Finally, I pull my car into an angled parking spot and switch it off. I get out and peer out at the expanse of green before me. Nick’s childhood rugby ground. This is where I bet he’d come if he was upset. This is where he once told me he feels most at home.
I scan the grounds, searching for him. I spot a dark figure sitting in the shade of a tree, and I feel of surge of hope. It’s Nick. I’m sure it is. A begin to make my way across the grass to him, my Queen-induced confidence slipping. What if he meant what he said? What if he’s not the man I feel so sure he is? What if I’ve got this all wrong?
I slow my steps as the figure stands up and turns to me. It’s not Nick. I come to a stop and look around. There’s no one else in sight.
He’s got to be here.
I walk toward the club house, but when I get there, I find it’s locked with no sign of life. I turn and put my hands on my hips, squinting into the light as I search and search.
It’s then that I see another figure. It’s a man, his head down, his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. He’s kicking the ground as he moves slowly down field.
I’m certain it’s him.
“Nick!” I call out.
The figure stops and turns. It’s him. It’s Nick.
I quicken my pace, dashing across the grass to him.
He stops and waits, his hands still thrust into his pockets.
“Nick,” I say as I catch my breath, my relief at finding him. “I found you.”
His features are pinched as he looks at me, his shoulders tense. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to find you. I wanted to see you. I’m so worried about you,” I say in a rush.
His eyes widen. “You’re worried about me?”
I move closer. “Of course.” I reach out to touch him, and he stiffens. “What’s going on, Nick?”
“Erin, you’re a good person. You don’t want to get mixed up with me.”
“What does that mean? I’m already mixed up with you.”
He lets out a puff of air. “Forget about me. I’m no good for you.”
Panic washes through me. “But what about all the things we said. We want to be together. You even let my friends vet you.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?” I say with increasing exasperation. “What’s happened?”
He studies my face for a beat, before he replies, “I can’t tell you.”
I throw my hands in the air. “Why not? Don’t you trust me?”
He runs his fingers through his hair. “It’s not that.”
“What is it then? Tell me.”
“I want to tell you, truly I do, but I can’t.”
“It sounds to me like you won’t.”
“I’m really sorry,” he says as his gaze locks with mine for a moment before he pulls it away. He turns his back to me and walks away. I watch him leave, powerless to do anything more, my heart breaking in two.