Breaking Gravity (Fall Back Series #2)

by Autumn Grey

  “Never.”

  His eyes meet mine. Whatever he sees there seems to placate him.

  He nods, the anger he was carrying visibly tapering off. “I’ll give her a call.” He starts to turn away from me but stops abruptly, twisting his torso to face me. He studies me in contemplation, then huffs a breath. “I’ll text you my number, in case you need to get in touch with me.”

  My eyebrows shoot up. Well, that was unexpected, but I’m not the one to pass up a chance like this. Besides, this is for her.

  Seconds after giving him my number, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and save his number, then nod in thanks. The phone beeps again with a new text. I tap the screen and a middle finger emoji stares back at me. I look up and catch a glimpse of Nick smirking before he stalks off with his head bowed and a hand rubbing the back of his neck.

  I chuckle under my breath as I watch Nick get into his car. Then, I take off in the direction of my car and drive to Studio 22.

  By the time my class ends at midday, I’m a complete emotional mess. My period is as usual playing havoc on me. I’ve had cramps since this morning when Alex and Amber dropped me in front of Studio 22. After the incident with Rick, Nate, Amber and Alex have been taking turns driving me wherever I want to go. Alex is still in the dark about Nate. I skirted around the truth when he asked about Rick stalking me.

  Today, Nate and I had plans to spend the afternoon at his place. I texted him to let him know I wouldn’t be good company. He said he wanted to take care of me. Honestly, feeling the way I’m feeling right now, I wouldn’t mind him spoiling me.

  As soon as he calls and lets me know he’s waiting outside, I head out and spot the Wrangler parked further away from the main entrance. He has been using the Jeep on the weekends whenever we are together because it doesn’t call attention as much as the BMW does. Besides, it makes it difficult for anyone to peek through the tinted windows.

  I scan my surroundings just to make sure we’re safe, then stride toward the car. Once I’m seated inside, he takes my hand and kisses my wrist, then leans into me for a quick kiss on the lips.

  “Feeling better?” he asks as he pulls out of the parking area.

  I shake my head, closing my eyes. “I want to punch someone in the face and at the same time curl up in a ball and cry.”

  He darts me a quick look before returning his focus on the street.

  “You should just drop me at my place before I turn into The Hulk,” I moan.

  He chuckles deeply, causing me to open one eye. “You’re cute.”

  “Not feeling cute at the moment,” I mumble.

  Nate pulls to a stop at the red light. His fingers gently rub circles on my thigh before resting possessively on my knee. Then I hear fabric ruffling, followed by beeping sounds of a phone, then silence.

  Then, “Hey. Are you busy?” he queries whoever is on the other side of the call. My eyes flutter open and meet his. He has that unreadable look on his face. Seconds later, he ends the call and sends me a knowing smirk.

  “Plans for tonight?”

  He shakes his head. “Just a small surprise for you.”

  “I love surprises,” I mumble. Did I say how much I adore him? I sigh, sinking into the seat and holding my hand in front of my mouth to cover my yawn.

  “How was your morning?” I ask.

  Nate continues to talk, but my eyes are heavy with sleep. I slide them closed while listening to his calming voice.

  “Wake up, sleepy head.” I jerk awake at the sound of that familiar voice and wipe the drool on the side of my mouth, then look around.

  The Wrangler is parked in Nate’s usual spot. My eyes widen when I see whose head is hovering a few inches from mine.

  “Nick?” I squeal in surprise. I dart a gaze at Nate, who’s grinning wide, then back to my friend.

  Nick blinks twice, looking a bit apprehensive. He steps back as I open the car door and hop down to the ground. We stare at each other awkwardly. Then he takes the first step and I follow suit. Soon he’s sweeping me into his arms in a tight hug and lifting me up.

  “I’ve missed you,” I say into his neck, tears sliding down my cheek. He sets me down and cups my face in his hands, brushing my cheeks with his thumbs.

  “Shh. I’m here now, okay?”

  I nod, and he pulls his hands away and shoves them in his jeans pockets.

  “What are you doing here?” I offer him a shaky smile.

  He rolls his eyes. “You missed me, so I’m here.” He looks over my shoulder at Nate, anger momentarily flashing in his gaze. “He called me. Plus, I wanted to see you.” He kicks the flecks of dust at his feet with his sneakered foot. He’s nervous, I can tell.

  “Thank you for coming,” I say, lightly punching his shoulder with my loose fist, then smile when he meets my gaze.

  My eyes drift to Nate, realizing it was Nick he called before.

  “Thank you,” I mouth, grinning wide.

  He nods, his lips curved in a closed-mouth smile.

  “Ready to go? You and I will be making up for lost time,” he says as he grabs my cello from the back seat and then slips his arm on my waist. “I really missed you.”

  “I can’t believe you are here. Give me a minute, okay? I’ll be right back.” As soon as he nods, I dash around the car and fling the door to the driver’s seat open. I climb inside, crawl on his lap and grasp his stubbled jaw in my hands.

  “You. . . you called Nick.” He nods, his gaze soft, gentle. “You didn’t have to do this, but you did. For me.”

  He nods again. “You missed him. I don’t like to see you sad.”

  I kiss his mouth and pull back, remembering Nick is most likely watching us. I don’t want to hurt him more than I’ve already done, so I lean back. “Thank you,” I whisper, blinking back the tears.

  Saturdays and Sundays are our days. Nate and I make a point of spending that time together whenever I’m in Jacksonville.

  He just forfeited today so that Nick and I can spend time together.

  God.

  This man.

  “Anything for you,” he murmurs as he runs his knuckles down my cheek and kisses my forehead. “Go. We’ll talk later.”

  I hop down from the truck and race toward Nick, happier and lighter than I’ve been in weeks as I get inside his car.

  I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such a wonderful man. But I’m counting my blessings—and counting down the days until summer semester is over. Hiding our relationship and always looking over our shoulders is hard and frustrating.

  “WHAT THE HELL AM I going to wear?” I ask, frantically running around my room and throwing clothes on my bed.

  Three weeks ago, Izzy called me to invite me to her birthday, which is today, March twenty-ninth. Since then, I’ve been a nervous wreck. It’s one thing meeting Izzy and Grace at Nate’s house. It’s another thing going to Izzy’s place, where we’ll probably sit down and have conversations and small talk.

  Amber rolls her eyes dramatically and jumps on the bed.

  “Relax,” she soothes. “It’s not like he’s planning to ask you to marry him.” Her eyebrows hit her hairline. “Or has he?”

  This time, I roll my eyes and shake my head. She’s such a hopeless romantic. “You need to stop this, A-Girl. You’ve asked me that question like every week.”

  “You know me. I need my dose of happily ever after.” She sighs dreamily, then flips over on the bed to lie on her stomach.

  “Amber—” I shake my head and inhale deeply.

  Every time she says things like this, my hopes dash through the roof. Maybe I’m stupid for wanting what Nate and I have to last forever. I’ve had a lifetime of doubts and heartaches. Would it be such a bad thing to want more with a man who loves me? A man who put aside his pride and gave me back my friend, even though he knew Nick’s feelings for me.

  “Elon?” Amber’s worried voice pulls me out of my thoughts. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. . . sorry.”

&nb
sp; I hope Nate has enough words for both of us because I don’t do small talk. While Bennett and Izzy seem to have given in to the fact that Nate and I are together, his mother has not.

  I don’t expect her to. Hell, if Nor or my mother knew I was dating my professor, all hell would break loose.

  I’m considering calling Nate and telling him I’m not feeling well when my phone buzzes with a text. Amber leaps from the bed and grabs my phone from my desk before I can get to it. She grins as she swipes the screen.

  “Izzy says she can’t wait to see you!” She looks up at me. “If it were up to her, you two would have been married on the day she met you. She’s so into you.”

  I groan, fighting a smile. “Shut up and help me choose something to wear.” I’m usually confident choosing my own clothes, but this birthday invitation has my stomach twisting in knots.

  She hops down from the bed and makes a beeline for the closet. Seconds later she pops out, holding a little black dress.

  I shake my head. “Probably something that doesn’t show too much leg.”

  “What’s wrong with showing a bit of skin? I’m sure Professor Nathaniel won’t mind.” She wiggles her eyebrows, then ducks her head back inside the closet.

  I groan. “I’m trying to make a good impression on the Rowes.”

  She mumbles something under her breath before jumping out, holding another dress. “Ta-da!”

  I stare at the blush pink chiffon vintage dress with tiny silver buttons on the front and a black sash for a belt around the waist, one of the swanky dresses I own that I bought last year during a spring clearance sale.

  “Yes! I love you.” I take it from her and kiss her cheek. “This. . .going to this party. It feels like a huge deal, you know?”

  “It is huge,” she says thoughtfully. “He introduced you as his girlfriend to his mom and sister. Not every man would have done that.” She folds her arms on her chest and slants her head to the side curiously. “You accepted the invite. Why?”

  “I don’t know,” I mutter more to myself. Izzy invited me, and I agreed without a second thought. But deep down inside I know the reason why. And the reality of it terrifies me like nothing else ever has. “Truth?”

  She nods. “Truth.”

  “It felt so natural. Nate cares. He puts my needs before his. He looks at me in a way that sets everything inside me on fire. Like I’m someone. Like I exist. It’s hard to explain, but I feel like he is the one, which is insane, right? Girls like me don’t get a happily ever after.”

  She scowls at me. “Stop talking crazy. What do you mean ‘girls like you’? You’re not any different than any other person out there who wants the same thing as you do. Just because life dealt you negatives in the past doesn’t mean there aren’t positives in your present and future. Fight for the fairy tale, E. Reach for the stars, and everything else will fall into place.”

  Blinking back tears, I open my mouth to speak, but she lifts her hand to stop me.

  “The past few months have been nothing short of amazing to see you transform right before my eyes. You seem more. . .” She pauses and squints as if she’s searching for the right word.

  “More what?” I ask, wiping my cheek with the back of my hand.

  “Peaceful.” She quickly hugs me, then steps back. “Now, take deep breaths and get your ass in the shower. Everyone’s going to like you.”

  “Everyone but Nate’s mother,” I mutter, walking toward the bathroom.

  She trots after me and leans her hip against the sink while I lump toothpaste on my toothbrush. “You’re his student. He’s your professor.” She shrugs. “Of course she doesn’t approve.”

  I sigh. “Why does it have to be so complicated?”

  “Good things don’t come easy. Just remember that. Anyhoo, I need to return some calls. Mom’s upset because I opted to spend spring break with Alex instead of going home.”

  She starts to turn away when I call out, “Amber?”

  “Yeah?” She twists around to face me.

  “Thank you.”

  She nods and winks, before stepping out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

  Thirty minutes later, I’m standing in front of the mirror, staring back at my own reflection, taking in my flushed cheeks that don’t need blush and hair spilling past my shoulders in waves. After quickly applying mascara and nude lipstick, I step back and smile, pleased with the results.

  Amber was right. I do look different. Happy. Nervous, but happy.

  I’m meeting Nate at his house so we can drive to his sister’s place in his car.

  I grab my purse and Izzy’s gift, then say goodbye to Amber before heading out.

  The first thing Nate does as soon as I walk into his apartment is kiss me like he hasn’t seen me in years and murmurs between groans, “I’ve been dying to do that since last night.”

  “We were together last night,” I tell him.

  “Exactly.” He steps back, his eyes taking me in from head to my nude heels and then back up again. “Perfect.”

  “Separate cars or should we drive in mine?” I ask jokingly, just to see his reaction.

  He screws his face in a grimace and says, “Mine.”

  I raise a brow at him. “Where’s your sense of adventure, Professor Rowe?”

  “In bed at the moment. I’d prefer if we arrived to Izzy’s place today and not a century from now.”

  I laugh, falling in step as we walk toward the elevator with his hand pressed on the small of my back.

  He jerks his chin at the bag in my hand. “What’s that?”

  “A little something for Izzy.”

  His eyebrows dip a little. “You didn’t need to get her a gift. I did that for both of us. I put it in the car earlier today.”

  “I wanted to. It’s more like a thank you gift anyway.” I smile up at him, and his features relax immediately. I pray under my breath for the nervousness fluttering my tummy to cease. What was I thinking when I accepted Izzy’s invitation?

  The answer hits me like a punch in my gut, stealing my breath: I hope to prove to Nate that I can be more than just his student. Hope to stay in Bennett and Izzy’s good graces? Maybe in time I could make a good impression on Grace, and hopefully she’d like me a little more?

  God, I even sound pathetic in my own head.

  Maybe going to this party was a bad idea.

  By the time we get to Nate’s car, I’m ready to call the whole thing off and go home.

  He pushes me against the passenger door, pressing his body into mine. “What are you thinking about, Little Wolf?”

  I huff a breath. “Maybe I should go home—”

  “Why?” he questions, looking perturbed.

  “I feel like I’m trying too hard for your family to like me.” I wet my lips. I want him to understand where I’m going with this. “You know me and what happened with the last man I let into my life. You and me. . .it seems too good to be true. I feel like I’m holding my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.” I press my hands against his chest. “I don’t want to ruin this—”

  “Elon, stop.” He grasps my hand, stopping me and cupping the nape of my neck with his other hand. “You need to have more faith in us. There’ll be no shoe dropping anytime in the near future, or ever, because you’ll come out of this wearing both of them.”

  “Bennett and Izzy already like you. As for my mother, she’s worried, which is normal. She’s a retired teacher, so I see where she’s coming from. She needs some time to warm up to the idea of you and me. Us.” He brushes his thumb across my bottom lip. “You’re not ruining anything. I want you with me. I want you to sit next to me with my family. I just want you. It’s as simple as that. Okay?”

  “Okay.” I smile, pushing whatever doubts I had before to the back of my mind. I push to my toes just as he leans down, taking my mouth in a sweet, languorous kiss before he opens the door for me.

  Once we’re settled inside the car, I lace his fingers with mine against
his thigh as he pulls out of the parking lot and we drive off.

  “They’re here!” Izzy shrieks from the porch as soon as Nate and I get out of the car. “Just in time for lunch.”

  Grace appears in the doorway and takes her daughter’s outstretched hand, then huffs angrily, shaking her head. “I wish you’d just follow the doctor’s advice, Isabelle.”

  Izzy accepts her mother’s help while grumbling under her breath as we step onto the porch.

  After quick hugs, Nate presses his palm on my lower back in reassurance, kisses my hair and says, “Go ahead. I’ll get our gift from the car.”

  I follow Izzy inside the house. We’re met by two tiny balls of energy barreling toward us, and they screech into a halt in front of us.

  “Grandma, can we have ice cream? We’ve been waiting for ages,” the boy begs, his huge, brown eyes wide, pleading.

  “Matthew, Makayla. We have guests. This is Elon, Uncle Nate’s girlfriend,” Izzy says.

  Two sets of eyes focus on me.

  “Girlfriend? Yuck.” He screws up his cute face. “Girls suck.”

  “Matthew!” Grace reprimands her grandson. “That is very disrespectful.”

  “But Grandma, it’s true! Even Uncle Nate knows they suck. Right, Uncle?”

  We all shift around to look at Nate as he freezes in his tracks, eyes narrowed.

  “What did I miss?” Nate questions as he strides past us and sets Izzy’s gift on a nearby table.

  “Apparently, you think girls suck, Romeo,” Izzy snickers under her breath and winks at me.

  “What?” he asks, looking flustered, which is really adorable. This man hardly ever loses his cool.

  Grace shakes her head while turning to face her son and nods her head toward Matthew. “Nathaniel?”

  Nate’s lips twitch as if he’s fighting a smile as he crouches in front of Matthew. “Why do you think girls suck, buddy?”

  Matthew shrugs. “My friend Dave says so. Girls are crybabies. Like Kaylie.”

  “Kaylie is still young, you know.” Nate sweeps back the massive curls on Matthew’s forehead with his hand.

  Nate’s nephew’s eyes narrow on him. “Yeah, but you don’t have girls following you everywhere.”