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I don't know if I've hated a chapter more than I hate this one, because, holy shit I hate this chapter. The whole Chloe/Nate thing seemed so, I don't know, stereotypical. Ugh, you'll know what I mean. But I really, really wanted to post a chapter for New Years, even if it is a little late. For some reason these stories haven't really been a top priority for me, so that's one of my New Year Resolutions. Anyway, thanks to those of you who are still with this story, I really appreciate all the feedback and love this story's gotten! You guys are absolutely amazing.

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Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kelley Armstrong

CHAPTER 9

Chloe's P.O.V.

Derek.

The word replayed over and over in my mind, each time a different image appearing and the strange feeling in my stomach grew more intense.

Derek.

No, Chloe, stop it, this is getting a little to weird.

Derek.

Stop, he's your roommate.

That shut me up. He was my roommate, I could probably hear him snore if I listened closely enough. He was not someone I could possibly be interested in, and that's that. Right? Yeah, I swallowed, right.

"You're quiet."

I glanced at the fiery redhead sitting in the cab next to me. We were on our way to grab some food before our concert, probably a pizza joint nearby or something like that.

"So are you." I pointed out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Nate rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but that's not the point. You got a lot on your mind?" He nudged my side with his elbow, I scooted away slightly.

Yes. "No." I said a little too quickly, Nate glanced at me warily.

"School?"

"Y-yeah, finals." I lied, sure finals were bugging me out, but no, school was not on my mind at the moment. Yet again, it was Derek.

"Which is why were doing this tonight. No school, no worries." Nate said, I let out an uneasy laugh. "Just you and me." His voice was quieter at the end, and the cab felt chiller, as if the driver just opened the window an inch and the breeze just entered.

I nodded, "Just you and me." Nate smiled and leaned back in his seat, his cheeks turning red. He glanced at me again, and our eyes caught for a split second before I looked out the window.

"So, how far away is this place?" I mumbled, staring out the window. Nate was right, it was way too far to walk.

"Um, it should be coming up." Nate muttered, shaking his head as if to clear it before he too glanced out the car.

I leaned back in my seat and reached into my pocket, fishing my phone out as a distraction. I was flipping between different apps as I heard Nate's seat belt unbuckle. I glanced at Nate and then the window, then I sent Nate a questioning look. This restaurant was in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and our cab was parked in front of a very luxurious restaurant.

Nate grinned at me and opened his car door and I hissed his name as he ran around to open my door as well. "Nate, I only brought fifteen bucks."

Nate rolled his eyes and his red hair bobbed as he shooed me out of the cab. "I got it." He muttered close to my ear and his fingers brushed my arm, leading me closer to the restaurant.

I pulled back, "Nate, come on. We don't have to do this." I searched his blue eyes with my own. "Let's just get some coffee or something. Nothing fancy, alright?"

Nate's eyes danced with mischief, "I told you it was my treat, now follow me." He finished with a slopping grin and bright eyes. I shook my head, unsure exactly as to why we were here. I knew he suggested to get dinner before, but surely it would be something casual. It was always casual with Nate and me, we were always on the same page. Besides, it wasn't as if Nate had the money to spend on dinner as it is. A dinner like this would easily snatch two hundred dollars from his wallet.

"Nate, I'm serious." I brushed my blonde hair behind my left ear. "I don't want you spending your money on me."

He shook his head and tried tugging me along, his fingers tracing my forearm. "Don't worry about it." His smile was beginning to fade slightly, "Let's go."

I yanked my arm back, "Nate." I stared at him, and his eyes asked, begged, me to just listen to him and follow him into the restaurant, because tonight it was his treat, and this was important to him. And I wanted, oh I wanted, to melt in the ocean colored orbs and nod, just to make him happy because I would do just about anything to make him happy, but all this wasn't necessary.

"No, Nate, let's do something else." I started to walk further down the sidewalk, away from the glittering restaurant, but his hand was on my wrist within seconds, and when he yanked me around the smile that Nate always wore had dripped off and instead been replaced with a bitter scowl. Something that I've never been used to. But in a second, the smile was back and he was begging again.

"Chloe, I got us reservations and everything, alright? Let's just go in, have some fine dining, and then go to this concert." His voice was thick against the heavy air between us and his fingers reached forward and clasped my shoulder. His lips quirked upwards once again and I was so close to agreeing, but I remembered his face seconds ago and how angry he looked at me, and that wasn't the Nate I knew, and that Nate honestly frightened me.

"N-no." I said finally, after nearly moment of silence. I broke free from his grip and took a step back, realizing how little space was just between us. "I'm going to the coffee shop two blocks down, feel free to join me if you cancel your reservation."

And I started walking.

...

Nate joined me about ten minutes later, his face almost as red as his hair and his eyes completely downcast. I gave him a weak smile, "Here, I got you some coffee." I said as I handed him the cappuccino.

He smiled for a second and took a sip, "Look, Chloe." He began, his voice quieter than usual as he shifted uncomfortably in the leather chair.

"I know." I muttered, taking a sip of my drink. Nate did that sometimes, he can become so stubborn that when he doesn't get what he wants he'll sulks, a lot.

"Chloe, I'm sorry. It's just-" He started once again until I cut him off.

"I know." I repeated for the second time, taking another sip of my coffee.

"I'm being stupid, I just wanted you to have fun tonight and I thought that it would be nice, you know?" He stared at me with puppy dog eyes and my gaze softened; he just wanted to make me happy.

"The concert's more than enough." I said quietly, giving him a quick smile. "Speaking of which, how much time do we have left?" I pulled out my phone quickly to check the time.

Nate glanced at his wrist before answering, "We should probably head off in about twenty minutes."

I nodded, taking a bite out my stale blueberry muffin.

Nate relaxed in the chair, leaning his back against the plush leather as he propped his head up with his fist. "So, are you excited?"

I rolled my eyes. Not particularly. "So excited." I said, my voice sliced with sarcasm.

"Yeah?" Nate grinned at me.

"Oh yeah, just wait until we get there, I'll be crowd surfing by the end of it."

"And I have your word on that?" Nate laughed.

"Hundred percent." I said, finally relaxing.

...

The concert venue was a lot closer than I thought; and after walking for ten minutes we were standing in line with endless forty year old women waving their tickets in the air. Nate's fingers ran carefully over the edges of the print-out ticket he had purchased as he stared at the bobbing blonde tendrils of hair attached to the woman in front of us as she spoke to her friend enthusiastically. I glanced at him, wary of how quiet he was.

He'd been quiet in the coffee shop too. But that was expected since I had just went off at him. But this was a different kind of quiet; he looked, well, anxious. But, for a band he didn't even like? I decided to drop it, blaming it on the way he and I disagreed before and turned towards to line again, shifting his red hair from my line of view.

Derek.

"Enough!" I hissed to no one in particular. I didn't want to think of him, I had to stop thinking about him, it was getting out of hand.

"Huh?" Nate murmured, turning to look at me. "Enough of what?"

I blanched, almost completely unaware that any words had breathed from my lungs. "Oh, e-enough of this line. It-it's getting hot outside."

Nate nodded his head, a jittery smile gracing his lips. "It'll cool down soon."

I glanced down at what I was wearing, a faded blue t-shirt and a pair of white denim shorts. "Really? I didn't bring a jacket."

Nate's cheeks turned pink, "You can borrow mine if you get cold." His eyes darting everywhere but my face. He shrugged his shoulders, emphasizing the thin black jacket that he was wearing on top of his shirt.

"Maybe." I muttered quietly as I reached into my pocket for my phone. Nate sent me a quick look, a grin threatening to spill from his lips as his ears blended in with his red mop of hair.

I put my phone in my back pocket again, "They should be opening the doors soon."

"Oh," Nate murmured, his face still the color of his hair. "Maybe we can grab a drink after this?" He glanced down at me through his pale eyelashes bashfully.

Remembering last night at the bar made me frown, which Nate picked up on because he immediately began retreating his offer.

"I mean only if you want to. We don't have to or anything, I dunno I just thought it might be okay." His hand flew to his hair as he twisted the fiery strands between his fingers, something he tended to do when he was nervous.

What was going on with him?

"No, no. I do want to hang out afterwards, but I've had enough alcohol, maybe we can go somewhere else." I said with an apologetic smile and a shrug.

Nate relaxed a little, moving his hand from his hair to the back of his neck. "Since when has Chloe Saunders been drinking alcohol?" He teased, lightly bumping his arm with mine. I moved away.

"I went to a bar last night." I said casually as I scoped the crowd standing in line.

Nate gave a small laugh. "I've got to meet this person who managed to convince you to go drinking. And the bouncer who believed you're twenty one without an I.D."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to be twenty one soon, its not too much of a long shot." I shifted on my foot. "And I only went with Simon, Tori, and Derek."

Nate stilled, his smile almost immediately vanishing from his face. "You went to a bar with Derek?" His eyebrows quirked upwards in a mixture of confusion and discomfort. He moved his head away from me as the words dripped from his tongue.

"And Tori, Simon, and Liz." I added, taken aback by his sudden mood swing. I wasn't exactly sure where this absolute hatred for Derek came from, as Nate was a fairly social and friendly guy who never seemed to have a riff with anyone. But he did for Derek. He hated Derek.

Sure, I can see why some people wouldn't think he was the most popular guy in high school, but hating Derek seemed a little strong. I'm clearly a little biased, but Nate's hatred for Derek almost seemed uncalled for, as Derek's never really been outright mean to Nate, after all they didn't even know each other. But the way Nate's face twisted in discomfort at just his name sent a shiver down my spine.

I took a slow step back as Nate's mouth opened again. "You know, Chloe," His voice was strangled in his throat. "I don't get why you're still living there."

My mouth immediately flew open, my tongue ready for a quick response, but none came. I closed my mouth and glanced away. Why was I still living there? Simple, because I wanted to. But that didn't seem like a reason Nate would be satisfied with. I crossed my arms over my chest and glanced away from Nate. Should I tell him? About Derek? No, I barely even knew what I felt for my roommate. But even when I'm certain that I do, should I tell Nate?

In high school, Nate always knew whenever I had my eyes on a boy, he'd be the first one I'd go to for advise. It was just the way things were; I'd tell him about my own boy complications and he would rant to me about the girls he fell for. It was the way it went. Well, until this past year or so. Nate would stop going to me fawning over girls, he had practically never brought up a name of the opposite sex around me. He had learned to deal with his own romantic issues, right?

And I stopped going to him for advise, mainly because I thought that we had both moved on from our high school traditions, and we definitely weren't as close to one another as we were used to be. Not since I had moved into the new apartment. Things between us had be strained. And whenever we would talk, the vibe changed; the entire atmosphere was different. I just wanted my best friend back.

"I like living there." I murmured softly, my eyes finally meeting his steely ones. "They're good people."

Nate snorted, his hair flopping over his forehead as he threw his head back snidely. "Good people." He muttered, a wicked smirk plastered across his face.

I took a step back, "Nate," I started, but he cut me off.

"Chloe," His eyes danced with a fury I couldn't place. "What's going on with you?"

I blanched, my jaw slackening as it fell open in surprise. "With me? What is with you?" My voice raised in resonance as I looked him squarely in the eye. "You're the one acting out, Nate. That's not me, it's you."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm just looking out for you Chloe." He said, but at the end of the sentence his eyes were softer and his voice quieter.

I seethed. "I don't need you constantly 'looking out' for me, Nate! Alright? I don't like you being this protective of me! It's creepy." My body shook with each word and I took another step back. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest and my fingers itching to burrow themselves in my hair.

He took a large step towards me, his eyes wider and more childlike. "I can't help it."

I closed my eyes in frustration before slowly opening them up again. "Why? Why can't you just treat me like I'm my own person?" I demanded harshly, completely losing all self control.

"You know why." He muttered softly, glancing at me through his eyelashes. He moved another step closer to me, brushing a strand of golden hair from my cheek. I froze.

This was it, even I could see that this was the moment that Nate was going to kiss me. I've been denying his feelings for so long. Once or twice I had thought about the possibility of Nate possessing romantic feelings towards me, but I had always pushed back the deadly thoughts. I thought I was overreacting, but maybe I wasn't.

Nate and I made sense. In a romantic comedy we'd star as the two best friends who slowly fall in love and realize that we're perfect for each other. Something I would've rolled my eyes at in a theater, but now, not so much.

But, were we perfect for each other? We're people in the audience rooting for us to get together?

The characters in the movie would compliment each other's traits. Not as in actual compliments, but being with them would be beneficial to both of them and bring out something in them that hadn't been there before. Did Nate and I do that?

Nate was a nice, sweet, charming, funny, attractive, and smart guy. In a way, he was the perfect guy. But was he my perfect guy? I'm not so sure. Did we bring out the best in each other? I don't know. But how would I know for sure unless we gave it a try?

Nate's lips were inches away from mine as I stilled, unsure as to let our lips touch or to flee. Should I trust my brain or my gut?

Slowly he closed his eyes and reached forward a little further, leaving only half an inch of space between our lips. My heart was galloping, my hands shaking profusely. With eyes half-lidded my breath hitched as I imagined a different scenario.

A scene with someone else taking Nate's place, and all this felt wrong.

I didn't want Nate to kiss me. I wanted Derek to take Nate's place. I immediately took a step back before I had even realized it, bumping into a woman behind me.

"S-sorry." I stuttered, unsure whether it was to the woman or to Nate and I darted off into the crowd and in the opposite direction.

Chloe finally realizes Nate likes her, took her long enough. Anyway, I'm sorry my updates have been weak and infrequent. I promise that my next chapter will be up sooner, probably by the end of the month or beginning or February. I also promise my next chapter will have Derek in it, and not so much internal conflict for Chloe and the guys. Less drama, more entertainment. But also, drama. I don't know what I'm trying to say, but I hope that this chapter held you over, even if it was a little bit of a filler chapter.

I just want to thank the readers of this story, the views I get really inspire me to continue writing this story, so thank you so much for reading and you're heart warming reviews, I read every single one. If anyone has any suggestions or predictions about future chapters I would love to hear them in the reviews or you can private message me anytime you want.

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Thanks, Bridget