Non Verbal

11

Happy Reading- Filler basically sorry:)

"Lots." Nath whispers, shaking my shoulder a little and I open my eyes, looking at him.

Ah.

I had fallen asleep at the table at lunch.

I sit up, looking around and I was shocked to see it was just us at the table, my friends having left already, the lunchroom a lot emptier than before.

"The bell just rang." He says. "Scarlett went to the dance studio, the other two went to class."

I nodded, rubbing my face.

"Why you so tired?" He asks.

I shrug. "Late nights."

I pull my hair out and retie it and Nath just sits there and watches me, his eyes on my skin, I am too tired to tell him to stop looking at me like that.

"What lesson do you have now?"

"Math, well mum's actually." I say. "I have to go to her office."

He nods, not questioning it. "I'll walk you. I have Mr Pierce anyway."

I nod. Mr Pierce doesn't really care enough to give out lates. We stand together, Nathan helping fold Scarlett's scarf which she had left on the table for me to lie on and he stuffs it in my bag as we start walking.

"I feel like we haven't talked in a while." He says.

I nod. "I mean yeah, that was sort of the point of ending things properly."

"What? Not talking to one another?"

"Having space to move on." I say.

"And you've moved on then? Yeah?" He says.

I pull a face. Glancing at him as we walk towards my mum's office. "Nathan..."

"I mean that guy, you're always with him."

"He's my friend."

"I am just asking if you've moved on Lottie."

"Why?" I ask. "Will it make you feel better about asking girls out?"

He stops walking and I sigh, carrying on, he catches up with me. "I haven't asked anyone out."

"Solana thinks differently."

"Oh. Well ok, I hinted I would take her out if she would let me."

I nodded. "So why are you- here with me right now?"

"Because I miss you? Because we used to be friends? because we agreed to be friends, didn't we?"

I don't remember agreeing to that.

"I don't mean to sound jealous Nath, I want you to move on, just, I wouldn't have asked you about her, or about that other girl the other night. But you keep asking me about Sutton, which isn't even anything like that."

"I just want to know-"

"You don't get to know." I say.

He sighs, we stop before we get to mum's office. He leans against the wall and I just look at him.

"I am not your business anymore." I say carefully. Trying to be gentler. I think I need to work on saying things with less of a harsh edge. "I don't want your hands running through my hair or you walking me to my next lesson Nath."

"And yet here we are." He says. "I was just helping you fall asleep earlier."

My chest hurts a little. Because yeah, it did help me fall asleep.