Chapter 64
Nick
These waffles are fucking delicious,” I say with my mouth still half-full of food.
Tristan had already set the table and laid out all the food by the time I woke up, and I felt a little bad about him doing all that work, but he insisted that he didn’t mind.
“Thanks,” he says in a small voice.
I pause after swallowing. Something seems wrong, but I’m not sure what.
“Are you okay?” I ask gently. “Is it about last night? I’m sorry if I pushed you.”
“No!” he says. “No, not at all. I just…didn’t sleep well.”
I want to question him, but I also want to trust him, so I don’t press the issue.
Part of me—okay, a large part of me—had been hoping that maybe this morning Tristan would be ready to say that he loves me, too.
But I meant it when I told him that there was no pressure.
Maybe I’m a little disappointed, but I can handle disappointment.
When we finish our breakfast, I insist on clearing the table.
“Do you want to do something today?” I ask Tristan. “I was thinking of maybe picking Abbie up from school and taking her out for lunch. You can join us, if you’d like.”
My back is to him as I wash the dishes, so I can’t see his face, but I hear the hesitation in his voice.
“I don’t know if I can today. I told Chasten I’d hang out with him today. I haven’t seen him in a while.”
I nod. “I gotcha. Tell him I say hi.”
“I will.”
I turn off the faucet and turn to look at Tristan. He doesn’t meet my gaze.
“Are you sure everything’s okay?”
His face brightens into a smile, but it feels false.
“I think I just need some rest. Last night, with my dad and everything, left me a little exhausted, I think. I’m gonna go shower.”
He goes to the bathroom, and by the time I hear the water running, I realize that he never directly answered my question about whether he’s actually okay or not.