Chapter 636

"I do, but if it's not with the one I truly want, then I’d rather not get married at all," Nathan said quietly, his voice dropping low.

"Unrequited love is already hard enough. Why put yourself through even more pain?" I said, honestly wishing Nathan would just let go after all these years of secretly loving me.

"Unrequited love is bitter and sweet, despair and hope all mixed together," Nathan murmured. "Only those who’ve lived it can really understand. Victoria, please don’t ask me to give up on this feeling, alright?"

"I won't, it's just… it doesn’t seem fair," I said, turning to look out the window.

"There are so many unfair things in this world. The fact that I can control my own heart? That feels pretty fair to me," Nathan said, seeing things more clearly than I did.

I laughed. "You know, they say if you stay friends for too long, it gets awkward to take things further. So let’s just stick to being friends for now."

Nathan froze for a second, then gave me a look. "Victoria, sometimes you’re adorably clueless."

"Don’t make fun of me," I said seriously.

Nathan burst out laughing. "It’s fine. Mr. Holcomb and I both agree on that, but honestly, your innocence is part of your charm. Not being able to scheme is actually kind of cute."

"Say one more thing and I’m getting out," I said, dead serious.

Nathan reached over and caught my arm. "Okay, okay, I’ll stop messing with you."

We had dinner at an upscale Chinese restaurant, and it felt amazing to finally enjoy some real food from back home.

I was pretty full, but Nathan hardly touched his food. He just sat beside me, quietly watching with a gentle look. "It’s still early. Want to go for a walk?"

"Sure, I haven’t really had a chance to look around since I got here," I replied. Honestly, I needed someone to go out with–Elaine had been glued to her ex lately, and I didn’t want to bother her.

Now that Nathan was willing to keep me company, at least I wouldn’t have to wander around alone.

The streets were crowded and glowing with lights. Nathan and I wandered along, stopping here and there–an old man playing harmonica by the curb, a young guy strumming his guitar by the pond.

Taking in all these new sights in a foreign country, I felt completely at ease for once.

Nathan tried to buy me a gift, but I turned him down. Friends don’t need to give each other presents—just sharing the view together was more than enough for me.

Nathan could see I really meant it–I just wanted us to be friends.

He looked a bit helpless, but in the end, he could only go along with it.

I felt helpless too, but honestly, this was all I could do.

Since I wasn’t planning on being more than friends, I couldn’t just go around flirting with him.

It was already 11 PM when Nathan finally dropped me off at my apartment building.

I glanced up at the window–there was a light on, which meant Elaine was back.

"Nathan, my roommate’s home, so I can’t really invite you up," I said softly.

Nathan nodded. "Alright, head back early. See you tomorrow."

"How long are you staying here?" I asked.

"I’ve got a flight out early the day after tomorrow," Nathan replied.

"Alright, let me buy you dinner tomorrow," I said, making plans.

Nathan just smiled and backed toward his car. "Sounds good. See you tomorrow."

As I watched his car drive off, I let out a quiet breath and looked down at the little gifts I’d picked up for Elaine, thinking I’d give them to her in a bit.

"Victoria…" A deep voice suddenly came from behind me.

I froze, then turned around to see Edward standing under a streetlight, hands in his pockets.

I tightened my grip on the bag and walked over to him. "What are you doing here so late?"

Edward glanced in the direction where Nathan’s car had disappeared. "Were you two together all night?"

Suddenly, I felt uneasy. Edward was jealous, and that never ended well.

"We had dinner and walked around," I said.

"He asks you out and you go, but when I wanted you to check out my horses yesterday, you turned me down," Edward said, his brows drawn together. The look in his eyes made me nervous–he was really jealous.

"Sorry, I..." I bit my lip. "How about I go see your horses with you right now?"

Chapter 637