How to Destroy a Rich Boy

Chapter Sixty-Two

I'm not sure how long we stayed there with our gazes interlocked and my heart pounding away. 

I stared at him, desperately hoping that he would take back his words. He couldn't love me; he just couldn't. 

He swallowed and took a step closer to me, his eyes soft and vulnerable. As he tried to grab my hand, I tore it away and shook my head. I fought back the tears that were threatening to bubble to the surface.

 "No, you don't, you don't know what you're talking about," I said, my voice shaking slightly.

Shaking his head, he let out a stressed laugh. "Yes, I do, Sophie. I know what I feel," he said, his eyes searching into mine. "I love you."

As I heard him say the words again the last of me broke, and I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I shoved it away from me roughly. "I can't believe I thought I could be your friend. I should have left you alone."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What are you-"

"I-I need to go; I shouldn't have come here," I whispered before turning for the door. I ripped it open before marching my way out of his bedroom and to his front door. Quickly ripping my bag off the back of the kitchen chair, I turned for the door.

I heard footsteps beat the floor before a hand grabbed my arm."Wait, hold on a second," Nathan said as he swung me around. I swallowed as I took in the startling intensity of his eyes.

He let out a disbelieving laugh. "What? So, you're going to leave again? You promised me you wouldn't do that again. Do you not know how much that hurt when you did that to me in Greece? That shit hurt, Sophie. I told you about Aiden, my dead brother, and then you ran. After I broke down against you, after I nearly killed myself worrying about your safety..and...and- why the fuck do you keep running?" he yelled, the whites of his eyes brimming red.

"And now," he said, his voice considerably weakened. "And now, I just told you I love you, and that's still not enough to make you stay..."

As I stared back at him, the pain in his eyes became almost haunting. My heart continued to hammer away so violently that I felt like I could have been sick.

Backing away from him slowly, I continued to shake my head over and over. "Nathan, please, please don't say that," I whispered.

His eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer to me. "And why the hell not? It's the truth! You might be okay pretending that there's nothing between us, but I'm not. Do you know how painful it is to hold in my fucking feelings all the time? To pretend that I don't mind being your stupid friend. To pretend that it doesn't hurt every time you push and push me away," he yelled.

"Well, I don't like it either, Nathan," I snapped, losing my patience. "Do you think it doesn't hurt to push you away? Do you think I enjoy calling you my friend? Do you think it doesn't kill me inside every time I lie and say I feel nothing for you? Well, newsflash Nathan, I hate it! I hate every second that I have to pretend that I don't love you. So, maybe you should get off your high fucking pony and-"

"What did you say?" Nathan interrupted, his voice soft yet riddled with disbelief.

I backtracked and replayed my earlier words over again, then I froze as I realized exactly what I had admitted. I had told him, I loved him.

"I...I..I-" I stuttered, my eyes darting around desperately. Letting out a sound of frustration, I snapped my eyes back up to meet him. "Well, okay, fine, so what if I love you? That still doesn't-"

My words got cut off as Nathan suddenly pushed me against the wall and crashed his lips down onto mine.

The gasp that escaped my lips soon dissipated into a moan as he grabbed my chin and started to move his lips softly against mine. The soothing scent of him submerged me, and I found myself melting into his grasp as his touch gave me breath.