Chapter 4

I dialed Nolan's number. The automated message reminded me that I'd been blocked a long time ago. With no other choice, I called Becca instead.

Her voice came through with a note of surprise. "Oh, Fiona! We forgot to tell you. Nolan and I already went out to eat."

By the time I rushed over, the table was nothing but picked-over scraps and cold plates. Nolan saw me and stood up. Something in my chest loosened, thinking maybe he was going to ask if I was cold, or why I'd taken so long.

Instead, he walked straight past me and grabbed the rain-soaked plastic bag from my hand. His brow creased.

"If you didn't want to get the medicine, you could've just said so instead of dragging your feet about it. What if it got damp and lost its potency?"

One sentence, and whatever I'd just been hoping for felt laughable.

Becca gave him a shove and moved to stand beside me. "Nolan, what's wrong with you? She's drenched."

Nolan looked me up and down, then softened slightly. "Fine. You must be hungry. Go ahead and eat."

But the moment I took the menu, my heart sank. I glanced around at the restaurant's interior and realized this was a seafood restaurant. I was severely allergic to seafood.

I closed my eyes, a wave of exhaustion washing over me. "Nolan, I told you I'm allergic to seafood."

A flash of embarrassment crossed his face, like it was only now coming back to him. Seafood used to never appear at our table.

Then his gaze landed on the breakfast I'd bought, and his eyes lit up. "Perfect. Just eat that."

I looked down at the pastries inside the bag. The paper packaging had soaked through in the rain, and the pastries were bloated with moisture. I could smell the damp from where I stood.

And just minutes ago, he'd been scolding me for not keeping Becca's medicine dry.

When I didn't respond, disappointment settled over his face. "You won't eat the seafood, and now you won't eat this either.

"You used to share stale bread with me back in that rental, and you never complained once. When did you get so picky?

"What, do you want us to find another restaurant and sit around waiting for you?"

I stared at him as if I were looking at a stranger. So those years in the rental had given him the impression that that was all I deserved.

Mom had left me money when she died, enough that I never would've had to worry. But I gave every last cent of it to Nolan as startup capital.

I didn't argue. The light in my eyes just quietly went out.

The fever that came was no surprise. What did surprise me was waking up to find Nolan sitting beside me.

He had a damp cloth in his hand and was wiping my forehead over and over. When he saw my eyes open, there was reproach in his eyes, but for the first time it came from a place of worry.

"You couldn't even bother drying your hair when you got back. And now look, you're the one who has to suffer through it."

I studied his face. Honestly, I couldn't make sense of him anymore.

"Nolan, what am I to you?"

But before he could answer, Becca's voice rang out from the hall. "Nolan, we need to head out for the Northern Lights! If we miss it, who knows when the next chance will be."

He stood up, and his eyes lingered on me for a moment, something uncertain flickering there. But he still grabbed his coat and left, tossing back one last thing.

"Your medicine's on the nightstand. Don't forget to take it on time."

I watched them leave. And somehow it didn't really matter whether he'd heard my question or not.

I got up and started packing my bags. Then I booked a flight home.