Stronger With You

Chapter 9

I walked down the hallway to where I thought the bathroom was. This place was huge but I found it. Nicolás glared at me until I was out of view. Gosh, what's up with him?

I’m not new to tension at dinner, but there’s more than just one person giving me grief this time. Usually I can ignore my step-dad easy enough. He wouldn't dare touch me in front of my mom. It's the other times I have to worry. s**t, now I'm spiraling.

The bathroom door shut behind me and I finally exhaled.

My hands trembled slightly as I gripped the edge of the sink. The questions at the table still echoed in my head, each one digging a little deeper than the last.

I stared at my reflection.

You’re fine. Just breathe.

To my horror, the door swung open.

My stomach dropped.

Nicolás stepped inside and closed it behind him.

What the FUCKwas he up to? The sound of the latch clicking made my shoulders tense automatically. Instinct. Old habit. My pulse spiked before I could stop it.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice sharper than I meant it to be.

“What are you doing?” he shot back, quieter but intense.

He moved closer, not fast, but deliberate. One hand braced against the wall beside me, then the other, trapping me between his arms without touching me.

Too close.

My body reacted before my brain could reason through it. My chest tightened, breath catching as memories tried to claw their way forward.

Don’t panic. It’s not Wade. It’s not the same.

Still, I pressed my back against the counter, every nerve awake.

“You look like you’re about to bolt,” he said, voice lower now. “You didn’t have to come tonight.”

“Callie invited me,” I said quickly. “I wasn’t expecting you or your parents. Definitely not Blaire’s”

“I know.”

The words came out softer than I expected, and for a second it threw me off balance. He didn’t step back, though. One hand stayed braced against the wall beside me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of him even without contact.

My fear was replaced by something much scarier... Heat. My body was warming and fast. He had a way of completely melting my insides.

“My parents are curious. And Blaire's don't know you,” he continued, his gaze steady on my face. “They don’t understand where you come from. He exhaled quietly. “They’re complicated.”

“I noticed,” I muttered. "And complicated is a nice word for it."

Up close, Nicolás looked unfairly good. Dark eyes sharp but tired at the edges, stubble catching the light, the line of his jaw tightening when he was annoyed. I hated that I noticed. I hated it even more that part of me felt calmer standing there with him blocking the door like nothing else could reach me.

His eyes flicked down briefly, then back up. “Nice outfit, you like pretending to be rich?”

“f**k you, Nico. I’m not pretending to be anything but myself!” I said louder than I intended.

His eyebrow rose like he was surprised I said anything at all.

Then, he completely ignored my outburst and said, “You keep backing away from Alexander.”

It took me a second to realize he switched topics. “I don’t know him,” I said, my voice quieter now. “I don’t know any of you. And from what little I’ve seen, I’m not sure I like some of you.”

Something shifted in his expression. Frustration softened into something almost protective.

“I’m not going to let them corner you but you need to stop acting like a charity case. They can see right through you,” he said.

“I don’t need protecting, and I’m not a charity case,” I shot back automatically, though the words didn’t carry the same bite they usually did.

He tilted his head slightly, studying me. “Your hands are shaking.”

I froze.

I hadn’t realized he noticed.

The silence stretched, thick and charged. My pulse thudded louder in my ears, and for a second I forgot to breathe. Being this close to him made everything feel sharper — the heat of the room, the sound of his breathing, the way his eyes softened just enough that I couldn’t read him anymore.

“So… you like Blaire?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it. I didn’t even know why I cared, just that the silence between us felt too heavy to sit in.

One corner of his mouth lifted. “That’s a loaded question.”

“You didn’t say no,” I muttered.

He let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a laugh. “Our families go back a long time. Vacations, business deals, charity events… she’s just always been around.”

“That doesn’t answer anything.”

His gaze held mine. “It means she’s… easy. My mom doesn’t worry about her because Blaire has her own money. She’s not chasing anything from us.”

The words landed wrong in my chest, sharper than they should have.

“So that’s the standard?” I asked, folding my arms. “As long as she’s rich enough, she passes the test?”

His eyes narrowed slightly, catching the edge in my voice. “It keeps things uncomplicated.”

I huffed a dry laugh. “Congratulations. You picked someone who’s worse than a so-called charity case like me. She’s faker than Monopoly money, Nico.”

The nickname slipped out without thinking.

“And for the record,” I added, quieter now, “I don’t care about money. It’s hard to care for something I never had… quite the opposite of what you think.”

The honesty hung between us, heavier than I expected.

He didn’t respond right away.

He just looked at me. Really looked, like he was recalculating something he hadn’t understood before.

“I know,” he said finally, voice low.

My breath caught.

Standing that close to him suddenly felt dangerous in a different way. My shoulders had loosened without me noticing, the tension bleeding out of me even though he was still being a menace. And I hated how easy it felt to stay there, caught between arguing with him and wanting him to keep looking at me like that.

“You’re still a tyrant,” I added, pushing lightly at his chest to create space. “And I still hate you for keeping me on indefinite poop duty.”

A real smile tugged at his mouth then, slow and reluctant.

“And you’re still here,” he said.

Because I care.

Because I’m stubborn.

Because you keep looking at me like that.

I didn’t say any of it out loud.

Instead I crossed my arms. “Only because Callie would drag me back if I tried to escape.”

His eyes softened again, just for a second, before the mask slipped back into place.

The door opened behind him, and Blaire’s voice cut through the moment.

“Nico,” she said, too sweet. “They’re waiting.”

He dropped his arms immediately, the moment snapping in half.

Time to go back and face the wolves. AKA Blaire's parents.