2
535words
Nathan Wells rushed over to get my slippers.
“What are you doing here?”
Unexpected visits annoyed me,especially with him,and I couldn’t hide my temper.
He grinned,raising a brow.“What if you didn’t come back alone?”
I stomped his foot,pushing him toward the door.
“Hey,I’m in pajamas!Wanna freeze me out there?”
I tossed his coat and shoes out.
He braced himself against the door,then hoisted me over his shoulder.“You’re trying to rekindle with him,huh?”
“Nathan,you jerk!”
An hour later,he winced as he looked at the scratches on his back.“Does your ex know you can be this wild?”
I rolled my eyes,exhausted.“Get lost.”
He dressed,kissed me by the bed.“I'll be away for a week.Don’t miss me too much.”
I have a childhood friend too.
But the Wells family bankrupted mine.Nathan’s dad stabbed mine in the back,destroying us.
Nathan didn’t know,but I couldn’t help resenting him.
When I married Paul,I didn’t invite Nathan,but he showed up and gave me a generous red envelope.I accepted it,seeing it as sort of truce.
A truce with him and the past.
Nathan found Sarah’s account while browsing,wanting an RV himself,stumbling on their vlogs.
He recognized Paul and initially thought Paul was cheating on me.I clarified we’d divorced.
“You didn’t even tell me you got divorced?”he fumed.
I laughed.“Why would I?What are you to me?”
That night,we slept together,half-drunk.
Maybe it was a form of revenge.
Paul told me and his mom he traveled alone.
Not suited for marriage?It’s not marriage—it’s the person.
In one of their video,they met a girl herding ducks.
Sarah asked Paul if he preferred boys or girls.He smiled ahead.“As long as they’re yours.”
“Pfft,who’s having your kids?”
I offered to have his.He didn’t want them.
Nathan was pent-up,not gentle,setting our rough,exhausting dynamic—never stopping until spent.
Afterward,he started reminiscing and asked if I had liked him before. I said it didn’t matter.
He asked about now.I shook my head.“Still doesn’t matter.”
After Nathan left,I flipped over and slept.
Life went on.His trip ended up lasting half a month.
Mrs.Carter made me some nice turkey and chicken soup,inviting me to eat and take some home for breakfast.We watched a TV show together,and I got home late.
Exiting the elevator,I caught Nathan lurking by my door.
“You weren’t home?”
He jumped,startled.
I warned him:next unannounced visit,I’d change the passcode.
“Got it,”he sulked.
Knowing I was off tomorrow,he went hard.
“Does Mrs.Carter know you have a boyfriend?”
I smirked.“You?”
He hissed as I bit him,and I kicked him off the bed.
He yelped,sprawling on the floor.“My parents are really pushing me to start dating.”
“I told them I have a girlfriend, and now they want to meet her.”
“What should I do,Comrade Emma?”
How was I supposed to know?
Next morning,he made noodles,frying perfectly round eggs without a mold,soft yolk just right.
Soy sauce and sesame oil,measured perfectly.
Paul only ate boiled eggs,nothing else.
In one of their videos,Sarah made fun of him.He smiled helplessly.“Your cooking’s so bad,I had to say I only like boiled eggs to avoid eating it.”
Sarah covered his mouth,scolding him for slandering her cooking.
I hate boiled eggs.
