Nathan gapes at me, his mouth opening and closing without any sound coming out. Then he clears his throat. “So you are in love with me?”
“What does it matter to you? Ah, wait, yes…of course. Do you need written proof of my emotional involvement for your bet to be valid? Just hand me a pen, and I’ll write it down for you…with the condition that”—I suck in a big breath, increasing my volume to almost a scream—“you get out of my life for good!”
“Eva, I can’t do that. I don’t want to.” Nathan launches forward, closing the distance between us so his face is only a few inches from mine.
His familiar musky cologne wafts around me and my insides quiver with longing to move closer and inhale it some more. I press my hands firmly to my body to avoid them taking on a life on their own. I withdraw my glance from Nathan. The less I stare at his handsome face, the more I can focus on how he mistreated me.
From the corner of my eye, I notice my grandmother’s red sedan. Finally! I’m saved before I can say or do something I will regret later.
My heart can’t stand more of him. There’s nothing he could say to mend my shattered trust. I don’t want more lies. Or half-truths. Or anything other than our old, shabby couch where I can cover my face in Abuelita’s lap and finally cry all the tears I want.
I capture Nathan’s gaze for the last time. “Ah, no? Guess what? You don’t have a choice.”
I grab my skirt with both hands, folding it in front of me so that the pointy toes of my stilettos peek out. I break into a run as fast as the grass and my shoes allow me.
“Eva, where are you going? Please don’t, I need to speak to you.”
The loud thuds behind me tell me he’s following me and will probably close on me if I don’t hurry. I increase my speed as much as I can, surprised how I’m able to pull off a sprint worthy of a marathon runner in these highly uncomfortable sandals.
Just as I grip the sedan’s handle, Nathan catches up. I might be a dancer, but his climbing practice gave him thigh muscles that would make him win in any race.
He turns me to him. “Eva, let me finish what I started.”
Abuelita rolls down the window and leans across the passenger seat. Her eyes are pulled in a frown of worry. “What’s all this, Eva? Nathan? Why are you two fighting?”
“Because he’s a liar,” I shout without thinking.
“Yes, Eva. It started out as a lie, but became real for me. I have been a fool for not recognizing my feelings before, and for keeping quiet about them when I did. I should have told you truth before. I’m in love with you.”
“Did you hear that, Evita?” Abuelita squeaks.
I did hear him. So did my heart. In fact, it skipped a beat or possibly a hundred. But my mind isn’t ready to believe him. Not after all the pretend.
I blink up at Nathan, setting my brows in a scornful wrinkle. “How can you be in love with me, if you told your Mother they can promote you? Wasn’t falling for me a condition of your precious bet?”
Nathan’s eyes widen and panic invades his features. “You heard that?”
“I did.”
“That was a lie. I lied to her because...”
“Ah, a lie. Another one. Of course, I should have guessed. How do you even know what is true anymore, Nathan? You’ve lied to me. You’ve lied to your mother. And most likely you’ve lied to yourself. Your ambition to become who you think you need to be makes you betray the people around you. People who love you.” I pivot away from him and pull the car door open.
Nathan grabs it and holds it so that I won’t be able to close it.
I hop in anyway.
He bends down so that his face is almost on my eye-level. “I have been blind, Eva. Yes. But I’m not anymore. Give me a chance to show it to you.”
“I already gave you a chance and you blew it. So, no thank you. You can’t convince me with your words that you are different. You played with my feelings. You exploited them for your own advancement. I could never come first to you, Nathan. Never. Now please, let me go.”
Nathan drops his hand, and I slam the door. “Abuelita, please, take us home,” I whisper quietly, because the first real sob breaks my voice.
Abuelita stares at me bewildered, then her eyes move to Nathan.
He stands there, still like a statue. His somber face, gorgeously painful like it was sculpted by Raffaello himself, is a reminder why I need to get out of here fast. I might have said what I did with a feigned assurance, but I’m aware that my words are nourished by my freshly bruised soul. The anger I felt for Nathan began to dissipate as soon as he said he loved me. My brain refused to believe him and still does, but my heart? My heart is a different beast.
If I stay in his broody, self-accusing presence, sooner or later my heart will make me jump out and close him in a tender embrace.
Luckily, Abuelita switches on the engine and we roll off.
I sigh as Nathan’s masculine figure fades in the rearview mirror and feel the first hot tears drip down my cheeks. And this is the end of my fairy-tale evening.
I glance at my watch. It’s just before midnight. How fitting. Just like Cinderella escaping home from the ball. Only in my version of the story, there is no chance at a merry reconciliation.
Ever again.
Chapter 36
(Nathan - One week after the ball)
The steady drone of air conditioning is the only noise filling the large boardroom following Mother’s announcement,
