CHAPTER FORTY

NICK WALKER ©

For the entire day at school after I broke down, Avery didn't bring up the matter.

Or maybe she just didn't want to talk about it yet.

I felt embarrassed after everything happened. It had been a long time since something like that happened.

The last time was when I searched for my mum after she left Mira with me and left.

“Let's go out this weekend,” Avery said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I turned to her.

“Go out?” I asked and she nodded.

“Yeah. Mira, you, and I,” she said as she opened the door to the house.

“Well… the semester exams are coming, and we need to prepare for them,” I reminded her.

She groaned.

“Boring. That's exactly why people call you a nerd,” she said before walking inside.

We met Mira working on her assignments when we entered.

“Mira, what do you think about going out this weekend?” Avery asked as she sat beside her on the floorboard.

“Going out?” she asked, looking up at me.

“With Nick too?” she added and Avery nodded.

I dropped my bag on the couch before lying down.

“I told you our exams are coming soon,” I said, pulling out my phone.

“Why not? As long as there are snacks and ice cream, I'll make the picnic peaceful and won't nag you,” Mira said and I couldn't help but chuckle.

“What do you need those for?” Avery asked.

“What's a picnic without those things?” Mira replied.

“Yeah… she does have a point,” Avery muttered, admitting to herself.

“What's the occasion anyway?” Mira asked.

I scrolled through my phone, barely paying attention to Avery and Mira as they continued talking.

My eyes landed on Enzo's contact.

There was no new message from him. Still, I opened our past conversations and started scrolling through them.

“That’s it. Nick is joining the picnic, right?” Avery asked.

I sighed without looking away from my phone.

“Fine. Alright,” I replied.

“Now can I focus on my homework?” Mira asked.

“I’m hungry. Aren’t you?” Avery asked. Mira groaned before shushing her.

“I’m busy with my homework. And since when are you never hungry?” Mira complained.

“I didn’t eat before leaving home,” Avery said.

“Well, you should always eat before leaving your house,” Mira half yelled.

“Nick only works for two people, and that's me and him. Not some Avery included,” Mira added and Avery gasped, pretending to be hurt.

“Mira! You're hurting me with your words,” Avery said dramatically.

Mira cringed at her reaction.

“You're so bad at acting, Avery,” she said.

I sighed as they continued bickering with each other.

It clearly wasn't going to end anytime soon.

I pulled my books from my bag and started to study for the semester's upcoming exams, ignoring them completely.

It was time for my shift at work anyway.

Mira groaned a few minutes later and stood up.

“I'm so tired of Avery,” she complained to me before picking up her books and walking into the room.

“What? We aren't done yet, Mira,” Avery called out.

I shook my head at them and continued reading.

The quiet Mira wanted before she went into the room finally settled between Avery and me.

Avery shifted closer, still sitting on the floor beside me as she opened her books and started reading.

“Nick,” she suddenly called and I hummed in response.

“What if you find out you have feelings for Grayson?” she asked without looking up from her book.

“What?” I asked, pulling my eyes away from my book to look at Avery.

She continued reading like she hadn't just dropped a question that left me speechless.

“You're nineteen, and he's in his late twenties or maybe early thirties. Does liking him make it wrong?” she asked and I fell quiet.

“Ever since the day I met you, everything was always about Mira. Taking care of her and making sure she was okay,” she said.

“But everything changed when Grayson came into the picture.“ she added and I bit my lip, not knowing what to say.

“I don't like him. I can't like him. He doesn't even see me that way,” I rushed my words.

Avery finally looked up at me.

“Really? The cold professor you claimed to hate is the same professor you run to the moment you get a message from him.” she said and my heart began to race.

“We're just close… that's all,” I said quietly.

Avery stared at me for a moment.

“A lecturer known around college for his cold expression only smiles and teases one person.”

She paused. “It's you, Nick.”

My breath caught.

Suddenly, it felt like something was stuck in my throat, making it hard to breathe properly.

I felt like I was about to break down again for a reason I couldn't explain.

I forced myself to stay calm.

“If you ever find yourself in a situation where you feel like you should be the one with Grayson whenever he's with someone else...” Avery said.

“You should ask yourself what you're truly feeling at that moment,” she added. “But if you believe it's not what I think it is between you two, then just follow your heart.”

I fidgeted in my seat, thinking about Avery's words over and over in my head.

“I'll leave for work,” I finally managed to say and stood up, trying to pull myself together.

∆∆

~ FIVE STAR CLUB AND BAR ~

I managed to stay focused for hours during today's shift, even though my mind and heart were a complete mess.

“Are you fine? You don't look okay,” Matt, my other colleague behind the bar, asked.

I forced a smile and nodded.

I'm fine. I'm just dealing with a lot of complicated feelings right now.

I'll figure everything out like I always do.

“The rain is going to fall heavily,” a customer said as she picked up her cocktail.

I sighed tiredly.

I needed to leave the bar soon. My shift was almost over, and I didn't want the rain to start to fall while I was still at work.

I needed to get back to Mira.

Avery's driver had probably already arrived to pick Avery up.

“Isn't your shift ending soon? Go ahead. I'll cover the rest of the minutes for you,” Matt said and I immediately nodded.

“Oh my. Thank you so…” I trailed off when I noticed Enzo walking down from the VIP bar upstairs with Professor Douglas.

He had been upstairs all along.

With Professor Douglas?

“I… I'll leave now,” I said quickly.

I grabbed my phone and rushed into the changing room to change my clothes.

Why did I even want to see him?

Maybe because I hadn't seen him since everything that happened in his office.

I quickly changed and walked back out.

I stopped at the entrance of the bar and watched as Enzo opened the car door for Professor Douglas.

He removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders before she got into the car.

He closed the door and looked toward the entrance where I stood.

Our eyes locked and I couldn't look away.

My heart raced as I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to ignore the ache in my chest.

The person wearing his coat should have been me.

I should have been the one he was taking home before the rain started.

He got into the car and drove past me, heading to the road.

A few seconds later, the rain began to fall.

I tightened my grip on my bag against my chest and walked into the rain.