Chasing the Browns

Chapter Seventeen

I highly doubted that.

‘…or maybe you really do have feelings for Nick, but you’re just not ready to admit them to yourself yet.’

I grimaced, yanking on a jammed seat until it clicked into place. I straightened up and looked over at where the contestants were beginning to come in. Nick was there with Rita. One of his arms held onto her waist and the other tugged on the strap of the guitar slung over his shoulder.

He was going to sing.

I watched as he whispered something to her before crossing the room and walking out the doors. I didn’t know why, but I decided to follow him. Poppy called for me to come back, but I ignored her and jogged out of the doors.

I found Nick at the end of the corridor, leaning against the wall by the open door.

‘I guessed you’d follow me out here,’ he said, not looking at me.

I wondered how he’d known that I’d gone after him. I mean, I’d tried to be quiet.

I walked closer to him. ‘How?’

He shrugged, staring out of the window. I couldn’t help but notice how the breeze coming in rippled through his blonde hair.

‘I don’t know…I saw you staring.’ He turned to me. ‘You shouldn’t be near me, you know.’

He was right. After all this avoiding I’d done and now I was suddenly going after him? What was this?

It’s luurrve.

I suppressed a groan through gritted teeth.

‘I don’t care. I need to talk to you.’

He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded. ‘Go on.’

‘I-I…’ I trailed off, thinking about how to put it. Was I going to tell him about the whole dream, or the end when he told me he loved me? What about the start, the part I’d been trying to forget? ‘I had a dream last night,’ I said.

He stared at me, waiting for more. When he realised I wasn’t going to say anything, he frowned. ‘I had a dream last night, too. Doesn’t mean it had anything to do with you.’

‘But mine did,’ I said, watching as his expression changed. ‘At the start of the dream, you and me were talking. You said you’d never lie to me.’

‘That’s also what I said a while back,’ he pointed out.

I shook my head. ‘That was different,’ I said, remembering the angry look on his face as he’d grabbed me by the throat. I blinked away tears and tried to keep my voice normal as I continued. ‘You said that you hadn’t lied to me, but in the dream you said you would never lie to me.’ I paused, tilting my head. ‘Is that true?’

A thoughtful look came over his face. The ghost of a smile hovered over his lips. ‘Depends. Do you want it to be?’

I nodded, suddenly feeling shy. Why was I feeling shy? Why did he have the capability to make me feel all these things – feel shy, feel tearful, feel angry, feel scared?

‘Also,’ I continued, trying to remember what else we’d said, ‘you said that you’d tell me anything I wanted, only if I asked. Is that true, too?’

He raised his eyebrows, a smile coming to his face. His blue eyes asked the same question he’d asked before. Do you want it to be?

I nodded again. I took a step closer to him. I had to find out the answer. Was it Rita? ‘Is it R—’ I broke off, realising that I wasn’t able to say Rita’s name. My face hardened. ‘Is it her?’