Heart Me

Chapter 39

Nate's POV

"What are you going to tell your mom? About us..." I asked, grabbing Kayla's hand before she could step into the ward. I felt her pulse quicken under my grip, a tiny tremor in her fingers that made my own heartbeat stutter.

She hesitated, her eyes darting away from mine. "I... I don't know... That you're not just my friend. I don't know," she mumbled. Her voice was soft, almost swallowed by the antiseptic-scented air around us, but the embarrassment in her tone was clear.

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the lump forming in my throat. "I'll tell her that you're..." I started, then paused. What if she rejected me, right here in front of her mom? "Never mind."

"Girlfriend?" she asked, turning to face me. Her expression was painfully blank, like she had masked every emotion so that I wouldn’t know what she was really thinking.

"If that is okay with you. I... I mean... Do you want to be..." My voice trailed off, nerves seizing me just as the door to the ward swung open, and Kayla's dad stepped out.

"Kayla? You haven’t gone home yet?" Dr. Sergal's eyes shifted to me. "And your... friend..." He paused. His gaze was piercing, like he could see through the excuses I'd built up. "Do your parents know where you are?"

"My dad knows," I replied quickly. "I told him that I left school camp to visit a friend's mom at the hospital."

"Friend? I see..." he muttered, skepticism lacing his voice. "You should give him a call right now to come pick you up."

"No, Dad. I... I will drive him to his place," Kayla interjected, her voice tight with urgency.

"It's late. Do you know where he lives?" Dr. Sergal's tone softened only slightly, but there was an edge to it, like he was assessing how far he could trust her judgment.

"Not really," Kayla admitted, looking frustrated. "But I know his place is in this city... Like a fifteen-minute drive from our house. Can I drive him?" She sighed heavily, looking at her dad like she was pleading for his understanding. "It's not that late, Dad."

He checked his watch, the seconds ticking by with agonizing slowness. Finally, he nodded. "It's almost 7:30. By 9 p.m., I want you back home," he said, a note of resignation in his voice.

"Okay. Thanks, Dad," Kayla breathed, relief washing over her face. "Is Mom still awake?"

"No, she fell asleep a while ago. Don’t disturb her. She needs rest. Now, take your ‘friend’ home," he instructed and walked away.

"Actually, Kayla, you don’t need to drive me," I said, releasing a breath I didn’t know I was holding. "I'll just call my dad and he'll pick me up. Just go home."

Her eyes narrowed, studying my face. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I forced a smile, feeling a strange mix of relief and regret. "I'll go now. Bye." I leaned in and gave her a light peck on the cheek, her skin soft and warm against my lips. Then I turned and walked away, feeling her gaze on my back.

I needed to get home. I needed space to think. Mia was waiting for me, and I had promised to take her to her parents’ house before heading back to camp. I called my mom to check if Mia was still there as I walked down the cold, sterile hallway of the hospital.

"Hey, Mom, is Mia still there?" I asked.

"No, she left hours ago," Mom replied. "I thought you said you were visiting a sick person and you wouldn’t take long. She was mad at you when she left."

My heart sank a little, a guilty pang in my chest. "Can you send our driver to pick me up?"

"Okay," she agreed.