Chapter Four

Nate’s POV

"I'm sorry if I didn't tell you earlier. I discovered that I was gay and I've come to accept my sexuality." Claire’s father smiled, like it was just another casual conversation.

I didn’t react. I’d known for a while. But her? She sat there like someone just pulled the rug out from under her, and she was still very composed.

I threw a fit after I discovered my father was getting married again. It got after I realized I would be having a step father. It was just too confusing.

She didn’t even look at me like the way she had done. I couldn’t tell if she was trying not to break or probably want to destroy something too.

"I know it might take long for you to process. We aren't getting married now though, and you have a lot of time to get used to it." My dad’s partner added, like he was offering her a gift.

The man standing next to him wasn’t just anybody. He was my father.

The same man everyone feared in business. And Claire, she knew who he was-hell, most people did. But this? This probably wasn’t how she imagined meeting him.

"You can do whatever you like." Her voice was calm, but I heard it—the sharp edge behind the sweetness. Her father had gotten married several times, and I wondered how hard it must have been for her.

My dad placed a table water between us like he was trying to be helpful.

"Nate would give you details about the project you two would be working on. I heard you attended the same high school, so you should be able to get along well."

I glanced at her again.

Right? Highschool. I wondered what'd be their reaction if they found out we had slept together, and with the way things are going I might not be able to resist her again.

She was nothing like the girl I remembered.

"Alright." She cleared her throat.

I watched them walk out, and then I felt it, the shift in the atmosphere. The silence between us wasn’t just awkward.

It was heavy.

"You knew about it and you couldn't stop it?" she snapped, grabbing the water from the table like she was ready to throw it at my face.

I kept my tone flat. "That isn't what matters right now."

But I knew I’d already lost that round.

"What matters? The project? What would happen if the project gets successful? I mean, what are you going to benefit from it?"

“You changed completely, Claire.”

And damn, did she. The glow up wasn’t just physical. She carried herself differently now, like she’d never been the girl who cried. Like she could ruin someone without raising her voice.

"I've heard that countless time." She shrugged.

She wasn’t impressed by me or by anyone. She had every right to feel that way, since the society neglected her and made her feel that way.

I stood from the couch and walked toward her. Deliberate steps. I wanted her to move back. She didn’t. Not even a step.

She was testing me and it was working.

My hand reached for her face, slowly, careful. My thumb traced her lips. Soft. Same lips that used to whisper my name in the dark. My chest tightened at the memory.

"You look so pretty when you were chubby." I said it without thinking, but I meant it. "And you still look very beautiful too, took me so long to know you were the one."

She was pretty then and now, and that was why I couldn't resist myself back then, and how hard it was for me to cope after seeing she dropped out from high school.

Her eyes flicked to my neck. She noticed the ink. Good. I knew what that did to her.

"Don't touch me, Nate." She removed my hand from her lips.

I let her.

"I've always wanted to apologize for what happened the other day. I bet you are still angry at me."

"Yes. I'm still very much angry at you. You watched me getting bullied, and it was more like a fun to you. Everyone who stood by and watched me getting bullied aren't different too."

She didn’t hold back and I was glad she was expressing her anger again.

And I stood there, taking every word, because I deserved it.

But even as she threw her rage at me, all I could focus on was how her body had changed.

The way her eyes burned now when she looked at me.

The fact that I wanted to pin her to the wall and hear her moan again. I want to hear her whisper my name again.

I hated how much I still wanted her.

Do you want to know what else is worse? I hated knowing I couldn’t have her unless she let me.

Her scent drifted toward me sweet and bold. My eyes dropped to her lips again, and my body didn’t give a damn what my conscience had to say.

I took one step closer, slow and calculated, my voice dropping low. “I didn’t post that video, Claire.”

Her eyes flicked up, cold and unrelenting. “But you didn’t stop it either.”

I went silent immediately, unable to think about any more words to say, and then, her smirk the one that said she saw right through me.

“You might want to get one thing straight, Nate,” she said. "You’re close to being my stepbrother now.”

She stepped closer, her body brushing mine like she assumed it wasn't going to have an impact on me. At this point, it felt like she might just be using me.

“And whatever sick little fantasy you’ve got playing in that cocky head of yours?” Her gaze dropped pointedly to my pants, where I was already growing hard.

“You better kill it. Fast.”

My breath hitched.

“I don’t want your touches,” she continued, stepping past me slowly, each word like a blade sliding under my skin. “I don’t need your apology too. Let's finish this project as fast as we can, and I'd take over what belonged to me." She stated, sitting on the couch which I was on before.

"The project is going to last for about three months." I stated. "It's about building an app that's being us a lot of revenue after being launched."

"Okay! That's great. I'm not really an expert when it comes to tech and all. I wondered why my dad would want to me to work on this project with you."

"I told my dad I'd need someone to work with, and he told me his partner has a daughter and I agreed to it." He shrugged his arm.

"So what app did you come up with? I could just give you ideas. We need to make this successful." She seemed really determined. Her fingers intertwined, while she questioned with a crossed leg.

"I came up with a compability app. Most people nowadays are obsessed with pornographic content and just want to satisfy themselves."

"Are you encouraging pornography?" She squinted her face in extreme disgust. "Does our parents knows about this?" She furthered questioned.

I was yet to tell them. We can only tell them once everything turns out to be a success.

"No, I am encouraging couples to know each other well before getting married or being in a long relationship." I stated. "I'm almost done with everything, but we could test it first before launching. If it doesn't work, we'd come up with something else." I explained to her carefully.

"What does this means? Getting to use the app first before everyone else?"

"Yes. That way we can see how accurate the app gets. So we will have to pretend like couples for thirty days before making our decision. What do you think? Deal?"

"No." She didn't hesitate before giving me an answer. This better a joke.