When I hopped into the driver’s seat, Jess added, “It’s really nice. I’ve never seen a truck so nice on the inside before.”
I nodded, wanting to disagree with her, but couldn’t. It was nice as hell, and I knew it.
“Thanks. I try to take good care of it,” I said, thinking of all the times I’d detailed the interior myself, as if I had something to prove to everyone. Or maybe I was just trying to feel like I deserved the damn thing.
“Well, you do. It looks brand new.”
Connected
Jess
We pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex, and I directed Nick into a visitor’s spot. He held my hand the entire drive, and even though it didn’t take us long to get to my place, the gesture was comforting. I appreciated it more than I could tell him.
What had happened at the party was mostly uncomfortable and jarring. I wasn’t entirely sure how far things would have gone if Nick hadn’t shown up to stop the guy, but the fact that I completely froze in the midst of the incident wasn’t lost on me.
Honestly, that was what stuck with me the most. I had always assumed if something like that ever happened to me, I’d fight back, or at the very least yell for help. It had never once occurred to me that I might be the type of person who was too shocked to react rationally, or to even react at all. I was mad at myself, embarrassed even. Or maybe it was mostly disappointment that I felt.
I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, flipping the light switch to illuminate the entrance and kitchen area. The tension I felt eased at the relief of being home.
“Cute place,” Nick said as he looked around at our beachy decor.
“Thanks. Rachel found it for us last summer.”
“It’s really nice. Two bedrooms?” he asked, peeking his head into the first room that came into view, which was Rachel’s.
“Yep.”
“And two bathrooms?”
“Uh-huh. Two master suites. Makes things so much easier.”
It was nice not having to share a bathroom like I did in the dorms last year. Even though Rachel and I ended up in the same one whenever we got ready, it was nice having our own private space where we could be as messy as we wanted without pissing off someone else.
“Your room?” he asked, still looking into the darkened space.
“Rachel’s.” I tilted my head in the opposite direction, where my door was.
Nick entered my bedroom, flipped on the light switch, and plopped right down on my bed as I headed to get us some water.
“Comfortable?” I shouted from the kitchen.
“It’ll do,” he shouted back.
I smiled to myself before walking in, trying to calm the nerves that had started to break through all of my other warring emotions. As I handed him a glass, our fingers touched.
“It’ll do for what, exactly?” I cocked an eyebrow, teasing.
He sat up straighter and lifted his free hand in the air in surrender. “Nothing, nothing. I was just kidding.”
“Me too. I’m okay, Nick. I’m not going to break.”
“Are you sure?” He frowned. “How can you be okay? Hell, I’m not okay.”
My heart melted a little with his admission.
“It was just a drunk guy. Yeah, he was strong and a little scary, but nothing really happened.”
Nick scowled at me. “He tried to kiss you. He pushed himself on you and wouldn’t let you move. That’s not nothing, Jess,” he insisted, his voice rising with each word.
I shifted my weight from foot to foot as what he said sank in.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t mean that it’s nothing nothing, but it’s not like he—” I stopped, not wanting to say those words out loud. The thought of what could have happened, hell, what did happen all the time to other people, was too horrible to consider.
“Don’t diminish this, okay? I realize that it could have been worse, but it was bad enough. What he did wasn’t okay.”
“I know that.” Averting my eyes, I took a sip of my water.
“I’m sorry, Jess.” He leaned back into the stack of pillows as he relaxed. “I’m just a little worked up.”
“I understand. And thank you.” I sat on the bed next to him and placed my glass on the bedside table. “For everything tonight. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
Nick’s tight-lipped smile faded as he gritted his teeth, making the muscles in his jaw jump. “I can’t even think about it.”
Wanting more from him, I asked, “What do you mean?”
“I can’t think about what would have happened if I wasn’t there, Jess, if I didn’t come out of my room at that moment. You don’t understand what it was like to see you like that. Pinned against the wall, frantic, trying to move but not being able to.” He tossed his baseball cap on the bed and raked his fingers through his hair. “God, seeing how David was controlling your body and the way he was touching you . . .” He winced, squeezing his eyes shut for a second before staring at me. “I wanted to really fucking hurt him.”
My breath hitched in my throat as my heart stuttered. “I’m glad you were there, but I’m even gladder that you didn’t kill him.”
Nick’s eyes met mine, something unrecognizable in them. “Only because you stopped me.”
“Wouldn’t want you going to jail.” Forcing a grin, I added, “You’re too pretty,” trying to lighten the conversation.