Chapter 89: Talk to me.
"Are you learning impaired, dude? Stay the fuck down before he puts you in the hospital."
DJ is clearly embarrassed as he falls back to the ground, sits on his ass and winces again. A small crowd has gathered to watch the show, mumbling and laughing at DJ. He looks up at me and glares.
"I should have beat the shit out of you when I had the chance. You're nothing but a fucking whore anyway."
Nate rears back to kick DJ in the face, but I yell, "Don't!"
He stops and whirls on me, his eyes raw with rage. "What?"
I shake my head and look back down at DJ. I offer him a sweet, fake smile, walk sassily over to him, and squat in my heels so I'm close to him.
"You tried to kick my ass, remember, DJ? And I beat you bloody. I'm pretty sure that nice scar there by your left eye is thanks to me."
I stand and walk away from him and he calls out, "Cunt whore!"
"Do it," I mutter to Nate as I walk past him, and I hear DJ's low grunt, then his head hitting the pavement, when Nate punches him one last time in the face, knocking him out.
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"Well, one thing I will say about our nights out, it's never boring." Natalie turns around in the passenger seat of their Mercedes and looks back at Nate and me.
"No, never boring," I murmur and kiss Nate's bruised and swollen knuckles. "Are you okay?" I ask him.
"I'm fine," he mutters. He won't look me in the face, and aside from me touching him, he's hardly laid a hand on me.
Luke pulls into my driveway and Nate and I get out of the backseat. I lean in Nat's window and kiss her cheek. "Kiss Livie for me. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Okay. Bye, Nate. You kick major ass." She winks at him, Luke waves at us both, and they pull out of the driveway.
"Let's go in." I walk toward the front porch, but Nate runs a hand through his hair and stands still.
"Maybe I should just go back to the condo tonight."
"What?" I turn back to him, confused and a little scared. "Why?"
He shakes his head and looks at his feet. "You said yourself that one night apart won't kill us."
I'm completely thrown. This cold, distant man is not my Nate.
"I don't want to sleep without you," I whisper and my stomach rolls when he winces and turns away from me.
"Look, Nate, I'm sorry about DJ…" Nate whirls back to me, his gray eyes angry and face taut.
"Don't you apologize for that motherfucker, Julianne."
"Okay." I step back and fold my arms over my chest. I don't know what to say. I don't know what's wrong.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"Okay," I repeat and lick my lips nervously. "So why are you punishing me?" I ask quietly.
Nate hangs his head, plants his hands on his hips and takes a deep breath. "That's not what I'm trying to do."
"Talk to me, Nate."
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