The drive didn’t take long. We pulled into the lot, and the three of us made our way up to my apartment, Chloe dragging one suitcase while I carried the other.
Once inside, Chloe wasted no time disappearing down the hall toward her room, bags in tow, already talking to herself about how she wanted to arrange things.
That left me and Nicole standing in the middle of my living room.
I turned to look at her. She was glancing around, and there was something suspiciously close to delight on her face.
"What?" I asked.
She shook her head, still smiling, eyes bright with excitement. "I’m just happy to finally be here. In your place."
I stared at her for a second. "You live in a house with a pool. You shouldn’t be this excited about my apartment."
"Exactly, right?" she said, like that somehow explained everything.
Chloe reappeared from the hallway before I could respond. "You’re staying for dinner, right?"
"She can’t," I said. "She’s busy."
"I’m very free, actually," Nicole said immediately.
"She said she’s free," Chloe added, unnecessarily.
I looked at Nicole. She was already looking back at me, that familiar look on her face, except this time there was a small, cheeky plea buried underneath it too.
I sighed. "I can’t believe the two of you have already teamed up against me."
Chloe grinned. "I’ll start dinner."
"I’ll join you," Nicole said.
Chloe’s smile widened even further.
I looked at Nicole again, and she just smiled back at me, entirely too pleased with herself.
I dropped onto the couch and scrolled through my phone, half-listening to the two of them in the kitchen, Chloe’s laugh carrying out every few minutes, Nicole’s voice mixed in right alongside it like she’d been part of this household for years already.
The smell hit before anything else did, something rich and warm filling the apartment, and by the time they called me over, the table was already set.
Three plates, two chairs pushed close together on one side, one directly across from them.
I clocked it immediately. Chloe was already seated on the far side, facing the two empty seats, and when I glanced at her, she just gestured toward the chair beside Nicole with her eyes, completely unsubtle about it.
I ignored her and sat down anyway, checking the time on my phone. 8:03 PM.
I dropped it on the table. "It’s getting late."
Chloe glanced at Nicole, then back at me. "She could just spend the night if—"
"No."
Beside me, Nicole was already turning toward me, clearly gearing up to make her case, the exact same setup she’d used on me a dozen times before.
"No," I said again, before she could even start.
Her face fell for half a second, then shifted immediately into a full, deliberate pout, the exact kind she deployed whenever she wanted to talk me out of a decision.
"Nice try," I said. "Let’s eat."
The pout vanished almost as fast as it had shown up, and she picked up her fork without further argument.
We started eating, the conversation easy and light for a while, until Chloe, halfway through her plate, glanced up like the question had only just occurred to her.
"Are you in the same department as Nathan, or a different one?"
I looked at Nicole. She’d already paused mid-bite, looking back at me, the same question sitting in her eyes.
I set my fork down slowly.
"...So, funny story." I paused, scrambling for literally anything to say. "She—"
"I’m a professor at Camden Hale."
Silence dropped over the table.
Chloe’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth.
"I’m also in love with your brother."
My head snapped toward Nicole before I even realized I was looking at her, and for a moment, I just stared, completely stunned by what she’d just said.
I mean... I knew she probably was. It wasn’t exactly difficult to figure out from everything she’d been doing lately. But hearing her actually say it was different.
Especially to Chloe.
I looked at my sister, then back at Nicole. She was still looking at Chloe, completely calm, like she hadn’t just dropped the biggest thing she’d ever said about us onto the table.
Chloe slowly put her fork into her mouth, chewing for a few seconds before looking between the two of us.
"So, let me get this straight. You’re a professor at the same school my brother goes to, and you’re... in love with him."
Nicole nodded. "I’m actually an engineering professor."
Chloe paused for a beat, her expression changing slightly, like she’d just understood something she’d missed the first time.
"Oh."
I kept my eyes on my plate.
For a few seconds, no one moved.
Then Chloe quietly took another bite of her food and resumed eating without saying another word.
Nicole did the same after a while.
I finally picked up my fork and joined them, but for some reason, I could no longer taste the food.
The rest of dinner went well. Or at least, I assumed it did.
Nobody brought up what Nicole had said. Nobody tried to fill the silence with some awkward explanation. We just... ate. That was it.
By the time we were done, I wasn’t even sure how much time had passed.
Nicole glanced at me. "I should probably head home."
I looked at the time on my phone.
9:11 PM.
I glanced toward Chloe. She was already reaching for the plates.
"I’ll drop her off," I said.
Chloe looked at me for a second, then gave a small nod and continued gathering the plates.
She didn’t say anything else.
I watched her stack the plates, noticeably quieter than she had been all evening. A few minutes ago, she’d been practically running the conversation. Now she didn’t seem to know what to say either.
I glanced at Nicole. She was quiet too, her eyes lowered toward the table.
I stood up and grabbed my keys. "Let’s go."
She looked up at me and gave a small nod. "Okay."
I headed toward the door, and she followed behind me. A few moments later, we were in my car, heading toward her place in complete silence.
I kept my eyes on the road, and Nicole sat beside me without saying a word.
Neither of us seemed to know what to say.
By the time I pulled up outside her house, the silence between us felt heavier than it had on the way there.
I killed the engine and turned toward Nicole.
She was looking down at her hands, quietly fiddling with her fingers.
"We’re here," I said.
Nicole looked up at me and gave a small nod. Then, quietly, she asked, "Are you mad at me?"
I wasn’t. At least, I didn’t think I was. I just didn’t know what I was supposed to say to her right now.
"No," I finally said. "I’m not."
She looked down at her hands again.
"I didn’t want you to have to lie to your sister about me."
I looked at her.
She finally met my eyes. "I just... I didn’t want you to have to lie to her because of me."
Her gaze dropped back to her hands, her fingers fidgeting together.
I stared at her for a moment. I’d seen her do this before. Whenever she thought I was upset with her or she’d done something wrong, she always started doing that with her hands.
But this time, I didn’t even know what to say.
She’d just told me she was in love with me.
"Nicole—"
"You don’t have to give me an answer now," she said quietly, still looking down. "I’ll wait."
She looked up at me again, forcing a small smile. "I’m extremely patient."
She was trying to make this easier for me. I knew that much. But I could see it in her eyes: the smile she was forcing didn’t reach them, and there was something in the way she looked that made it obvious she was hurting.
She reached for the door handle. "Goodnight, Nathan."
Before I could say anything else — like I even had something to say — she opened the door and stepped out.
I watched her walk toward the gate before disappearing inside.
I didn’t start the car. I just sat there, staring at the closed gates for a while.
Eventually, I let out a quiet breath, started the engine, and drove home.