I spin to see Nathan standing in the doorway. He’s dressed in a black button-down shirt and matching slacks, looking very out of place in here.Where does he work anyway?
I give him a curt wave. I’m not conversing with him after what he’s done to Harper.
But maybe Harper would want you to find out what’s going on?
“How have you been? It’s been forever,” he says, running a hand through his hair.
Ultimately, I decide to play along. I’ll feed Harper everything later.
“Good, yeah, it’s been a while. Harper’s missing you,” I reply, keeping a careful eye on his features. Something passes over them, but it’s too quick for me to catch. Guilt? Annoyance, maybe? It’s impossible to tell through his sickly politician smile.
“Yeah, I’m actually planning a huge surprise for her, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything.” He breaks into a knowing grin.
“Of course,” I reply with an equally knowing grin.
I’m absolutely going to say something.
“Harper mentioned she’d been trying to call you, but she couldn’t get through?”
“Yeah,” he sighs, swiping a hand down his face. “My phone broke a few days ago.”
I study his face, looking for any sign of dishonesty, but he just wears the same exaggerated smile.
“And you didn’t think to tell her?” I push, and this time something flashes across his face, but it’s too quick to identify.
“That’s why I’m planning a surprise for her,” he says, giving me a playful nudge. My body goes taught but of course, he doesn’t catch it.
“Well, this has been sufficiently awkward,” I reply. “I’ll see you later.”
I walk past him and exit the store, but not before glancing back at him. He’s stood in the same place where we spoke, casually flipping through records. Something about the scene doesn’t look right. He’s flipping through the albums too fast to be looking at them.
The door chimes behind me, and the warm cocoon of the store disappears instantly. The evening air bites at my cheeks. Streetlights flicker on one by one as I head down the block, the sky fading from pale orange to a murky blue. Cars rush past in bursts of headlights and noise while people rush by on their evening commute home, bringing the streets to life.
I pull my jacket tighter. What the fuck was he thinking? Nathan knows Harper tells me everything. She always has. There’s no universe where he expected me to keep my mouth shut.
Unless…
Unless he wants me to say something.
The thought makes my jaw clench. Is this some kind of power trip, or does he genuinely think I won’t tell my best friend?
I glance at my phone screen. 8:30 p.m.
I’ll definitely be telling Harper at work tomorrow, if he hasn’t already surprised her by then. She deserves to know he hasn’t dropped off the face of the earth before he shows up pretending to be Prince Charming.
Most of the shops are closing now. Metal shutters rattle down over the storefronts as employees lock up for the night. A couple laughs loudly as they stumble out of a bar across the street, their voices carrying through the night.
The walk to my apartment only takes fifteen minutes. The streets quieten down quickly, and I’m left alone with my thoughts.
As I approach my apartment, I rummage through my bag, looking for my keys. One day I’ll migrate to a smaller one that doesn’t resemble Mary Poppins’s magic bag—but that day is not today. Pushing aside various lip balms, paper receipts, and something sticky that I don’t remember putting in there, I finally pull out the keys as I arrive at my door.
But then I stop dead in my tracks.
The door to my apartment is ajar. Not wide open. Just… slightly, a thin sliver of darkness peeking through the small gap. My heart stops. My palms go sweaty, and my keys fall through my fingers, clattering to the floor loudly.
I remember locking it.
Or do I?