Nothing More - Sam Kiszka

Chapter 19

The tension between Jake and Natalia, which had thankfully gone unnoticed by the others, told her that he knew exactly who she was. Her hand draws back from his, and they exchange a look that ensures her he won't make a deal of it.

But it wasn't something that she wanted to keep secret. She and Sam have had so many talks about being honest with each other that she knew she just had to rip off the bandaid.

"Sammy," she says, nudging his arm just slightly to snap him out of the conversation he was observing between Danny and Ashlynn. Once his attention is turned to her she nods toward the door, "I'm gonna go have a smoke, come with real quick?" It took no convincing for him to take her hand into his and lead her to the back door of the dressing room, stepping out into the chilly night air. She pulls the cigarettes from her back pocket and holds one between her lips, offering one to Sam which he declines. As she cups her hand around her lighter to keep the flame from blowing out in the wind, he decides to speak up.

"I think Ashlynn and Danny are hitting it off, we should all hang out sometime."

"Dan has a girlfriend, no?" she asks, smoke falling from her lips with every word.

"Well, yeah, guys and girls can be friends," he chuckled, turning to look at her with a smile, though the slight expression of worry never left her face as she gazed off at the sky. "What's got you down?"

The gentle nudge at her side brought her back to reality, finally facing him as she exhaled her smoke. "I gotta tell you something. But you can't be mad or act weird, okay?"

"You're setting this up really well Nat," he jokes, reaching over and taking the cigarette, drawing it up to his lips, and taking a slow drag as he nods towards her to continue talking.

"Well, when me and you weren't talking, I went out to the bar and I just wanted to let go and not care and so I made out with this guy in the bathroom and it got kind of heated but the issue is that the guy was Jake. Like, your brother Jake." No matter how fast she was trying to get all of the information out, he watched her with a cool expression, even a small smile.

"Nat-"

"I know, it's so bad. I swear I had no idea, if I knew I wouldn't ha-"

He cut her off the same way she had seconds prior, instead by bringing his soft lips against hers.

By the time he pulled away, she was more confused than before. She was never met with the anger she expected.

"Were you and I together?"

"No, we were fighting."

"Mhm, and did you know Jake was my brother?"

"No, I swear I had no clue."

"And did you do it to hurt me?"

"Well, no, to get over you maybe."

"You still feel that way?"

"No, of course not."

"Well," he says, tossing the cigarette onto the ground and stomping it out before placing both hands on her hips and pulling her in, their faces just inches apart, "it sounds like you didn't do any of it on purpose. Seems like a pretty human mistake to me."

She looks up into his eyes with a softer, confused expression, "you're not mad at me?"

He shakes his head before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and running the side of his thumb over her cheek lightly. "Not in the slightest. Am I ever going to stop making jokes about it? Absolutely not, but I'm not mad."

Her frown finally turns to a faint smile as she pushes his chest, "no jokes allowed, jerk."

"Big talk from the girl who made out with my brother."