Ain't No Sunshine

A lump forms in my throat as I hold back some tears. “Then why would you lose me? What are you hiding that might make me walk away?”

He stands and paces the room. It’s then that I notice the mess. His usually tidy room looks ransacked. As much as I want to ask about it, I don’t interrupt him. Emotions run wild on his face until he settles on anger.

“My parents think my ex and I are back together.” Ah, what?

I don’t speak. I don’t even react at all. I’m not sure what I’m meant to say. That’s bad, but it’s an easy fix, right?

“And it needs to stay that way, for now.”

My eyes widen and flash to him in confusion. Did he just say…? “Um, sorry, I thought you just said—”

“I did,” he rasps. “I’m so fucking sorry, Cory. I’m not entirely sure of her reason yet, but Liv told my parents we got back together last week and then begged them to come to my game today. She’s been through a lot, and while what she did is fucked up, I choose to believe she had a good reason.”

My eyes well with the tears I’m no longer able to stop, and I struggle to take in air. “But you haven’t asked her? I’m confused. So, according to your parents, you have a girlfriend?” This can’t be happening again.

“Yes, I have a girlfriend. You! You’re my girlfriend. There’s no one else. This is just a… Fuck! I don’t even know how to explain it properly without telling you things I was told in confidence over the years.”

“I need something, Nate. Anything. Because right now, I feel like I’m the other woman, and I won’t put up with that again.”

Anger rises in him, and he looks positively murderous. “Again? What the fuck happened in the past? Who—”

I shoot him a glare because he can’t seriously be concerned about my past relationships right now when he’s hurting me right now.

He cringes at my look, and his shoulders drop. “I’m sorry, it’s just that the thought of anyone hurting you absolutely kills me.”

“You’re hurting me, Nate.”

His eyes flash to mine as pain radiates from his entire body. My heart clenches until I realize it shouldn’t. This is all on him.

“I’m going to meet with my parents and Liv before the game tomorrow to get to the bottom of this. But, for now, I can’t just throw her to the wolves.” Okay, but what about me?

I stare at him for a moment, unsure what to say, unsure what he wants me to say, until an idea comes to mind. “Have you thought that maybe she wants you back? Do you want her back?”

“No! To both. She has a few things going on that sometimes lead her to make poor decisions, but that’s it. I promise I’ll fix this.”

“Okay, I understand. To a degree, but the one thing that makes little sense… If your parents think you’re back with your ex, what do they think happened to me? Or was I never in the picture?” I say, raising an eyebrow as I watch closely for his reaction. His flinch tells me everything I need to know. Standing up, I move to the door. I need to leave.

“Wait, please. We need to talk about this.”

“I don’t think there is anything you could say that—”

“Fuck!” He curses under his breath and grabs my hand. “I owe her, Cory. I owe her my life,” he whispers, so it’s harder to hear the pain in his voice.

“What does that mean?” I ask in concern.

Nate takes a deep breath and then sits, pulling me down beside him. I shake him off and stand up again before sending him an impatient glare. My arms cross.

“It means when I was young, and reckless, I drove Liv home from a party and crashed my truck. I wasn’t drunk, but I wasn’t sober either. It knocked me out on impact, while Liv had a broken arm and a cut forehead. Rather than focusing on her own injuries, she gently slid me along the bench seat to the passenger side and ran to get help.

“She told them she was driving, that she swerved to avoid hitting a deer. No one else was hurt. I just lost control because I was in a mood and being stupid. But I could have killed her. And she saved me. Not to mention the fact that I would have lost my scholarship and my place on the team if I were arrested.”

I sit back down on the bed, and Nate sighs in relief. “I just need to talk to her tomorrow and sort this out before going to my parents. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding.”

“And what happens then? Are you going to tell them you have an actual girlfriend?”

“You’re not a secret, Cory. I just don’t talk to them about my love life.”

I sigh. This is too much for me to process right now. This shit doesn’t happen in real life. I should leave. I should end things right now and walk away with my head held high, but I can’t. “Do you see her often?” I ask instead, obviously wanting to torture myself.