Ain't No Sunshine

“Nope, I’m not interested. I’m telling my parents.”

“It’s just a month.” What the fuck? Am I in an alternate reality?

“Cory, we are not breaking up over this.”

“It’s just a break.”

“I don’t give a fuck how you word it. This is crazy.”

“Nate, what if she needs that money for something important?”

“She doesn’t.” Is this really happening?

She looks at me with pleading eyes, and I break. “Please.” God, why is she such a good person all the time?

Fuck! I drop to the couch and rub my hands down my face. What the fuck do I do? I feel Cory sit beside me, but she remains silent.

“Okay.” I say, meeting her gaze. “But we’re not breaking up.”

“Nate, I can’t. I can’t be the other woman,” she says with a somber look on her face.

“You’re not! This is your choice. Why would you even think that way?”

A tear escapes her eye, and I quickly brush it from her cheek before turning away and shaking my head. This is fucked up. So fucked up. I’m doomed if I do, doomed if I don’t.

“Nate,” Cory whispers, breaking into my thoughts. I nod in acknowledgment, but don’t look up. “Nate, please. Look at me.” Her voice cracks, bringing my eyes straight to hers. She’s staring back at me with more unshed tears and a pained expression.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask, because none of this makes sense.

She sighs, suddenly finding one of her nails very interesting. “When my mom first had cancer, we almost went broke. It wasn’t a great time for us, but we’re lucky enough to have gotten through it. We don’t know what’s going on with Liv now or what might happen in the future. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I could have helped and didn’t.”

God, this woman.I love her mom. She’s as wonderful and kind as Cory. We’ve talked about her cancer before, but never about the financial implications.

“Plus, we both owe her. For saving your life.” She smiles, but I still can’t bring myself to return it.

“This is bullshit. You know that, right?”

“I do.”

“I can’t do this if we’re broken up. I won’t.”

“It will be a bre—”

“Same thing. We have to stay together. If that means we can’t be intimate, that’s fine. But we’re not breaking up.”

There’s silence for a moment, and then Cory finally speaks. “Okay,” she whispers, and I sigh.

“Okay?”

“Yes. But, it’s to keep up appearances only. I love you. I want to be with you. I won’t tell a soul about her, and I expect you to do the same. I just can’t…”

Fuck! That’s less than ideal, but I get it, and I’ll respect her wishes. I also suspect there’s more to the story, but I know Cory’s likely to brush me off if I ask. All I can do is accept this as is and talk to Liv to see if there’s another way around it. The thought of not touching Cory pains me.

I nod and then pull her into a hug. “I’m going to fix this,” I say for the millionth time, and I mean every word. “Then I’m going to spend my life making it up to you. I promise.”

“This is not all on you. We’ll get through it. But, for now, you should go.” What?

She looks at me with a serious yet sympathetic expression. Oh, right, sleeping over would be considered intimate.Fuck! Leaving is the last thing I want to do, but I do as she asked.