His Favorite Shirt novel · Chapter 12 of 24
Chapter 12: The Rule
That night I walked into the lodge office and put the ring on Nolan's mother's blotter.
"Put it in your safe," I said. "Don't let it go to anyone but me."
She wrote my name on a small brown envelope and sealed the ring inside.
"Is it evidence?" she asked.
"It's mine," I said. "But I'm not carrying it anymore."
She looked at me a moment longer than necessary.
"The boathouse light is on," she said, and turned the dial on the safe.
The dock boards were cold under my bare feet.
I had left my shoes at the cottage and I did not remember doing it.
Nolan was at the bottom of the loft ladder with a mug in his hand.
"Your mother put it in the safe," I said.
"I heard."
"The ring is not in my pocket."
He set the mug down on a crate.
"Rule's gone, then?"
"Rule's gone."
He did not move.
"Before you do anything," I said, "I have to say something."
"Say it."
"You stood in that doorway on Saturday and you watched. You watched them hand me a camera and tell me to smile. You didn't walk out. You didn't say anything."
His jaw went tight.
"I know," he said.
"I've been angry about it for three days and I haven't said so."
"I should have walked out."
"Yes."
"I stood there with a rope on my shoulder and told myself it wasn't my place." His voice was low and steady. "It's the worst thing I've done in years. I'll tell you that every day if you want it."
"I don't want it every day."
"What do you want?"
I crossed the boards and put both hands flat on his chest.
His heart was going hard under them.
"I want you to be better than that, starting now," I said. "And I want to stop being angry for one night."
Keep reading free with an account. Start His Favorite Shirt from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.
← Chapter 11 · All chapters · Chapter 13 →
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend