Chapter 16

Iwas so fucked.

This shouldn't have happened and every time I let it, no matter how much I wanted it, a piece of that wall came down. Drew was right that I needed to tell Nate everything. My chest ached as we stood at the sink and wiped it down. We'd managed to pull our underwear on as it was the least soaked from my shower "accident."

Okay, so I totally hit the handle on purpose. I wanted him to get a little upset and see how he'd react. The response was a little more than I'd anticipated, but it had been more than enjoyable. If he wanted to blow me and then frot again, I'd be game. The closer he got... I wasn't sure I could keep my feelings out of the equation. There was just a little too much history there.

As we walked our clothes to the laundry room to put them in the dryer, the front door swung open. We both froze when Drew walked in. Nathan and I looked at each other wide-eyed, holding drenched garments and wearing only underwear.

"Do I even want to know what happened?" he asked.

I fought the urge to laugh as Nathan's face turned red. "There was an accident with the shower," I explained.

Drew looked skeptical. He shook his head and closed the door, dropping keys on the kitchen island. He quickly scanned the room, inspecting our work. "A shower accident that ended with both of you getting wet?"

Both Nathan and I gave in to the urge and doubled over in laughter. Drew didn't look amused, but we continued to the laundry room, throwing our clothes into the dryer and starting it.

"Anyway, I was going to let you know that plans have changed today. I had some visitors show up at my house. Guess I'll be taking over cleaning duties."

Nathan seemed to perk up at that. "Visitors?"

"Yeah, three other guys and your brother, to be exact."

The smile that spread across Nathan's face made my heart do a weird fluttery thing. I liked seeing him happy. However, with that came the unease of having to see at least part of his family again. It would drag out questions about mine.

"Are you okay with meeting my friends?"

My head jerked in his direction at his question. That blush was back as he chewed on his bottom lip. He'd met Daniel, Tilly, and Art, but was I really okay with meeting his friends? That was a different ballpark… wasn't it?

My heart pounded and my pulse raced in my ears as I answered him. "I think I can manage that." Shit, I sounded unsure even to myself.

Drew clearing his throat made the both of us jump. "Well, whenever you guys are done here, go ahead and head back to the house. Everything finished?"

"Yeah, we're done," I answered.

Drew nodded and left us alone. Nathan's blush spread from his face down to his neck. He leaned against the wall and stared me down.

"I didn't realize they would come so quickly. And I honestly thought it would just be Andrew."

I shrugged, taking a similar pose against the wall across from him. My eyes couldn't help themselves as they trailed his frame. God, Nathan was so damn hot. He'd toned up considerably in the last few years. His abs were more pronounced and that little dark trail of hair that led into his briefs tempted me all over again. Maybe it was for the best that we slowed down a little. Not that we'd been too wild.

Did I want him to fuck me? Hell yeah. The way he'd felt inside me back in the day had always been intense. Nathan had a way of owning my body that made me feel alive. I wanted to break apart for him.

We dressed in silence after making small talk to fill the quiet while we waited. It took forty-five minutes for our clothes to dry enough to put on and leave. When we got outside, my bike was missing, and I cursed Drew. I knew what he was doing, but at least we were only going back to his house.

The closer we got back to the old A-frame home, my hands clammed up. I wiped them against my shorts in an attempt to dry them when Nathan parked his car in the driveway. There was a car parked there that I didn't recognize. I only hoped that his friends didn't hate me. The thought was stupid because we weren't in any type of real relationship and I wondered just how much they knew about me to begin with.

When we entered the house, a lot of my worries died when a tall, skinnier version of Nathan tackled me in a hug. "Chase! You are still here."

I laughed and wrapped my arms around him. "Hey, Aiden. You're not so little anymore."

He beamed when he pulled away from me. "I think I'll end up bigger than my bro."

I laughed as I looked over at Nathan. Considering that they were the same height now, Aiden was either done growing, or he would in fact end up taller.

When he released me completely and moved to the side, those fluttery nerves were back as three sets of eyes looked right at me. I didn't know any of these people, assuming Nathan had met them in college. Had he had any type of relationship with them? Considering the guy with the darker skin and dark brown hair had the petite brunet with glasses glued to his side, maybe not when it came to them. The other one looked intimidating. He was taller than everyone with jet-black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a ring through his lip.

"Well, Chase..." Nathan cleared his throat as he motioned around the room to introduce me to everyone. "This is Andrew and Brandon." That was the dark-haired guy and the twink with glasses. "And that's Joe," he said as he pointed to the guy with the black hair who was now studying me closely. What the hell was his deal?

"They can be, uh, a bit intense?" Nathan chuckled nervously. "Guys, this is Chase."

The guy that had the twink wrapped around his arm stood and offered his hand out for me to shake. "I'm Andrew. It's nice to finally meet the famous Chase."

My face burned as I looked at Nathan. He scratched at the back of his neck as he chewed his lip. So that answered the question if his friends knew Nate was bisexual or not. And they clearly knew about me.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Andrew."

Everyone seemed to relax after that. Although, I still wasn't convinced if his friends really liked me or not. Then again, it was Nathan that had hurt me and not the other way around.

There was an awkwardness as we all sat around in Drew's house. Nathan and Aiden seemed right at home, but they were family. I knew for a fact that Nathan's friends had never been here and if they had, he'd somehow managed to fly under my radar. That would have been impossible with how tiny this town was.

Andrew suddenly let out a loud sigh, and Brandon sat up, looking him over like he was worried about him. Nathan laughed at his friends. "Sorry guys, there isn't a lot to do out here. Thanks for bringing my computer out. If you want to see the beach, we can do that?"

Brandon and Andrew smiled, while Joe gave Aiden a sly grin. Aiden blushed, and Nathan shook his head and smacked Joe. His friend glared at him before we all filed out the front door and walked toward the ocean. They were all a little surprised that everything was so close to the water here. Even the houses that were the furthest from the beach access were no more than a twenty-minute walk.

The day was bright and sunny, and the breeze kept things from getting too warm. It was the perfect day for shorts and a tank top. My hat was securely on my head and I found myself wondering again if Nathan's friends noticed I was wearing that UW one that he'd gotten me before he left for college. I'd worn it for Nathan's benefit and not for theirs. It was significant for us and no one else. Although, I secretly wished for them to suspect that there was something more going on between us. It was stupid. I was the one who said this was nothing more than a summer hookup.

I was lost in thought and didn't notice that Andrew had disentangled himself from Brandon. The shorter guy was walking with Joe, Nathan, and Aiden.

"So what's happening here, exactly?" Andrew asked.

I wanted to laugh because I'd known the questions would come. I was happy that Nathan had good friends who cared about his well-being.

"I don't know what he's told you..."

Andrew cut me off, halting our progress toward the beach.

"I know that he feels bad. When I met him freshmen year, all he could talk about was this guy that he needed to get back to."

The laughter did come then. So much for him coming back. "Yeah, he was sure in a hurry."

Andrew's head tilted to the side. "Have you let him explain what happened?"

I shook my head. There was no way that his friend was going to tell me either. That was all on Nathan.

"I think it's important that you hear him out. I don't really know you, but I can tell that you were someone special."

Andrew's words sat heavy on my mind as he finally turned back down the sidewalk and rushed to catch up with everyone else. My feet felt glued to the pavement. The realization that I was being completely unfair had occurred to me, but I had a right to wallow in my hurt as well. Four years was a long-ass time to leave someone wondering.

Walking under the arch onto the beach was like walking into a whole other world. The wind picked up, and I had to turn my hat backward to keep it from blowing off of my head. I kept my distance from Nathan and the others, my mind still buzzing with Andrews words. It wasn't unrealistic that something important had prevented him from coming back, but he could have called. There were other ways that he could have reached out to me to let me know what was going on and Nathan had chosen not to.

My better mood from earlier today had soured. Andrew had tried to help, but he had potentially made things worse. It was funny how things like that worked.

Off in the distance, there was a group of tourists petting horses from a local rescue while kites flew in the air overhead. The beach was always so peaceful, but I didn't feel at ease.

Aiden broke from the group, hooting as he kicked off his shoes and ran for the waves. Joe followed closely behind him. Nathan cursed before chasing his brother and friend. Something interesting was happening there. Did Nathan think that Joe was interested in Aiden? Aiden was eighteen and an adult. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but maybe Nathan thought he was responsible for him somehow.

I joined Andrew and Brandon where they were sitting in the sand, watching the three others crash about in the waves. They were a sight to see, laughing and having so much fun with each other that I wanted so badly to be a part of it all.