Chapter 71: Chapter 71

I looked down at my hands, which were clenched into tight fists on the table.

My heart was racing, and my palms were sweating. I couldn't understand why I was so nervous. Maybe it was the thought of having to talk to a guy I liked about my ex. I swallowed a gulp down my throat , trying to calm myself down.

I stole a glance at James, who was sitting across from me. He looked completely relaxed and unbothered, while I was struggling to keep my cool. It seemed unfair that he could be so calm, while I was filled with nervous energy. Well, I was the one who was going to have to explain myself, not him. He was the listener.

We sat at our table, the chatters of other customers filling the silence between us. We were waiting for one of the waitresses to bring our orders.

I hated the uncomfortable silence between us. It was odd. On a normal day, we would have been discussing books, movies or anything. But now, I was wrestling with my thoughts, while James was absorbed in his phone.

Things were awkward. I hated this. I didn't know that Romeo coming to my house could make James act this way. Was it really bad for my ex to visit me in my school? There were a lot of things I didn't know. Well, Romeo was my first ex. I was new to this relationship thing.

"Are you okay?"

I heard James' voice and I looked up at him, nodding my head in the affirmative.

"Why are your hands shaking?" James asked, his gaze pointing to my clenched fists on the table. "Are you nervous about something? Don't you like this place?"

The corners of my mouth curled upwards, giving a little smile. "I am okay, and I like this place. It's cool." I replied to his questions.

"I'm sorry I've been on my phone since we came here. I'm just trying to sort out some things. I'm done now though." James apologized , running his hands through his hair making it messy.

I pouted my lips, trying to act like I was mad at him. I should be dramatic. At least, once in a while.

"What you did was not fair. You brought me to this place, then completely ignored me. I felt lonely," I ranted.

James reached across the table and took my hands in his. He began to gently caress them.

I almost smiled, forgetting that I was pretending to be mad at him. I liked what he was doing. I liked the softness of his hands. I liked how his touch was tender as he held my hands. In conclusion, I liked everything about him. He was so close to being perfect.

"Damn! I'm sorry," James said, his voice low and gentle."Trust me, I was not ignoring you. Why would I ignore the girl I loved the most?"

My cheeks flushed red. I had to look down. I could not meet his gaze, embarrassed by my reaction to his words and touch. I was blushing so hard. How could he be so perfect with his words?

"You don't need to hide your blush. You look more beautiful with it. I'll always make you blush just to see you fold like this," James uttered with a chuckle in his voice.

"Stop," I giggled.

Suddenly, James' expression turned serious, and he withdrew his hand from mine. I knew what was coming next. It was time for us to have the talk that had been brewing in the back of my mind, the conversation that I had been dreading.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I hoped the makeout I had with Romeo would not slip out from my mouth. I didn't want to ruin what was going on between James and I.

"Have I ever told you about my ex?" James' voice snapped me out of my train of thoughts.

"No," I replied. "But, you once told me that you have only dated one girl and the relationship went on for a long time before you broke up."

James blinked his eyelashes rapidly. "I broke up with her," He paused.

He continued."I was in love with her even when I ended the relationship. I had to break up with her. It was fûcking one sided. It was not fair for me to stay in the relationship when she was not completely invested as I was. I found out that she was still involved with her ex. I confronted her about it, and she insisted that they were just friends. I believed her. I didn't have a problem with her being friends with her ex boyfriend, I found them together having sex on her bed."

My eyelids dropped. "Sorry about that," I muttered under my breath.

Now, I understood why he had been so concerned about me seeing Romeo.

"It's in the past now," James stated. "But, I was really hurt when I saw Romeo at your place. I'm not upset because I thought you were betraying me or anything like that, but it just brought up memories of what happened before. I'm afraid I might end up getting hurt again."

I gulped, my throat suddenly dry. "I would never want to hurt you," I told him.

James beamed a smile, revealing his dimples. "I know. I trust you," He said.

"It's only you I want to be with," I uttered.

"And I'll never hurt you, either," He promised.

His eyes drifted down to my chest, and I tensed.

"Please, please don't let him say what I think he's about to say. Please don't make it awkward," I begged in my mind.

"I like your hoodie,"

I let out a breath. Phew! That wasn't so bad. "Thank you," I said, giving a small smile.

"You got that from a guy, right?" James asked. "You don't usually wear stuff like that. It's definitely more of a guy's hoodie."

I nibbled my bottom lip. I had not seen that coming. I didn't want to upset him by lying, but I didn't want to deal with the fallout from telling the truth, either.

"Yes, I got it from a guy, but I didn't even realize what I was wearing until I stepped out of the house." I said, hoping that would be enough to satisfy him, and we could change the subject.

"From a friend, right? I didn't know you had male friends."

"It's from Romeo," I blurted out, before I could catch myself.

"Oh," James said, his smile fading.

His eyes dropped down to the table.