Chapter 15
Few days later
Nathan's POV
The flowers and gifts had been coming more frequently.
Poems.
Chocolate—expensive chocolate—and all sorts of things.
It was starting to feel overwhelming.
I still didn't know who it was from.
Even worse, they were being sent to the house.
Mum thinks I'm back to my old self… entertaining admirers again.
Whoring around, as she would probably put it.
Chris had mentioned it too—something casual about "young admirers."
I hadn't said anything.
Because I didn't know what to say.
Kieran had been out for a while—he barely came home.
And Zane…
It had been really quiet from him.
I should be happy that my life had some peace.
Because who knows how long it would last.
But a tiny part of me felt… unsettled.
I sighed.
Today was my first driving lesson.
I walked toward the car—
but to my surprise,
Zane was there, leaning against it.
He was wearing a vest, cream pants, and sunglasses.
He looked up when he saw me.
He smiled.
And waved.
Like nothing was wrong.
Like he hadn't ghosted me for days.
I forced a smile back.
I shouldn't be—
but I was kind of hurt that he never got back to me.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," I replied, not looking at him.
"Umm… so how are you doing?" he asked.
I looked at him.
"Great." I forced a smile again.
I walked past him.
"Oh… that's good," he said.
"I'm late. I should be meeting my driving instructor."
I reached for the car door—
"Well," he said,
"you're looking at him."
I paused.
Then looked at him again, confused.
"I spoke to Uncle Chris. I'll be the one in charge of your driving lessons."
I stared at him.
He opened the door.
"Your chariot awaits."
A small smile played on his lips.
"Let's see what you've got."
I hesitated—
then slowly got in.
He closed the door.
Then walked around and got into the car.
-----
Nathan's POV
The lesson didn't go smoothly.
At all.
"Clutch… slowly, Nathan—slowly," Zane said, his voice calm.
The car jerked.
I groaned, gripping the wheel tighter. "I am going slowly."
"You're not," he said, but there was a smile in his voice. "You're panicking."
"I'm not panicking."
The car stalled.
Silence.
Then—
Zane laughed softly.
I turned to him, annoyed. "This isn't funny."
"It kind of is," he said, still smiling. "Relax. You're doing fine."
"I'm clearly not."
"You are," he said, more gently this time. "You just need to stop overthinking. You've got good control… you just don't trust yourself yet."
I blinked.
That… caught me off guard.
"See?" he added. "You're already better than most people on their first try."
I looked away.
"Thanks," I muttered.
There was a small pause.
Then I said, a little too quickly—
"You are really good at this, aren't you? Making people feel like there is something when there isn't anything."
He looked at me confused.
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Zane went still.
He looked at me—actually looked.
Surprised.
And immediately—
I regretted it.
"I'm sorry," I said quickly, tightening my grip on the wheel. "I didn't mean—"
"It's okay," he said.
His voice was softer now.
Then—
his hand moved.
He reached over and placed it lightly over mine on the steering wheel.
"Just focus," he said quietly.
My breath hitched.
I looked down at his hand.
Then at him.
He was already looking at me.
And somehow—
without thinking—
the words slipped out.
"Why did you ghost me?"
Zane blinked.
"I… I never did."
"You did," I said, my voice quieter now. "You never talked to me after that day."
He held my gaze.
"I didn't want to push it," he said. "You said you wanted to take things slow… so I gave you space."
I looked down at my knees.
Of course he would say that.
"Trust me," he added, softer now, "it hasn't been easy for me."
I looked back at him.
Something in his expression had changed.
Less teasing.
More… honest.
Then his hand moved again.
This time—
to my face.
My breath caught.
"You affect me," he whispered.
His thumb brushed lightly against my cheek.
"So much."
I didn't move.
I couldn't.
His fingers traced slowly—
from my cheek…
to my eyes.
I closed them without realizing.
Then down—
along the bridge of my nose.
My breath unsteady.
Then—
my lips.
Just a light brush.
Barely there.
He paused.
I opened my eyes.
He was still looking at me.
Like he was asking.
"I want to kiss you," he said softly.
I didn't speak.
I just stared.
And then—
he leaned in.
Slowly.
The kiss was soft at first.
Careful.
Like he was testing if I would pull away.
I didn't.
My fingers tightened slightly against the wheel as I leaned in just a little more.
Our lips moved together—gentle, hesitant—
then a little deeper.
Warmer.
Closer.
And just as everything started to blur—
A loud horn blared.
We both jerked back.
Startled.
Breathing uneven.
We turned forward—
And my blood went cold.
Kieran's car.
Right in front of us.