All I Ever Knew Was Your Name [Nick Robinson]

FORTY FOUR

lover by taylor swift

As I struggle to catch my breath, Penny stumbles through the door with Owen behind her, who most definitely saw more than Nick and I are able to process.

The room feels like it's spinning, like it's a million degrees. All from his touch. His gaze. His voice. Everything.

My heart is set ablaze, and I've never been more happy to feel something other than hurt.

I've fallen in love again. I've always loved him, but I forgot what the beginning was like when we were so close and gentle with one another. I've fallen, and I've fallen hard.

"Everything okay?" Owen asks, looking concerned as he continues to hold Penny.

She has her infamous drunk eyes. They're heavy and watery and dazed. She's kind of got the thousand yard stare, like she's not processing anything that's going on around her.

Let's hope that's true in this case.

"Yeah, uh," I look up at Nick, then remove my hands from his. He holds the frozen vegetables on his knuckles now without my assistance.

As if he ever really needed it.

"Nick was just defending me from some guy. That's all," I say, touching my hand to my forehead and leaning back against the counter.

Owen's blue eyes show me that he saw what was going on. He saw that something was about to happen until he and Penny barreled through the door. He feels sorry for it, but he wishes we'd tell him more.

He's always rooted for us.

"I took Sadie home," he says next. "Didn't realize she lived a couple blocks away."

"Oh, yeah," Nick says, raising his eyebrows. "She mentioned she lived close to the bar, so that makes sense."

He's never been to her place. That's a good sign.

"Yeah, up on Kenmore in those apartments by that private school," he explains, leading Penny to her bedroom. "Nice place."

"Ritzy bitch," Penny mutters.

I can't help but laugh, which I try to hide with my hand. I'm not one to judge people before I actually meet them. Hell, I'm not one to judge at all. I don't really ever pay attention to anyone enough to form an opinion on them. But this Sadie, I'm not sure if I'd like to spend the time to get to know her.

I don't have an interest.

"All she could talk about was her sorority sisters," Penny slurs, waving her hand back and forth. "Who gives a fuck? Mary, you would've hated her guts."

"Alright, lets get you to bed," Owen pushes, and they disappear into her bedroom.

"No, seriously!" she goes on from the other side of the door. "Nick, what were you thinking? Paint drying is more interesting than her. I can't—"

I can hear them going back and forth until Owen closes the door, which I then hear muffled conversation through the walls. I'm used to it, anyways. It's either that, or moaning.

My attention moves to the coffee maker once it beeps, in which case I reach for two mugs to fill in order to warm the both of us up, as if we both didn't feel like we were on fire already.

"How do you want your coffee?" I ask to cut through the sudden silence, focusing on the nearly black liquid filling up the matching white mugs. Steam emerges quickly, immediately supplying me with more warmth than before.

"Just black is fine."

I smirk, pushing his cup towards him on the counter.

He smiles back, his attention only on me as I sip on the hot, bitter liquid that quickly coats my tongue.