All Chapters of I'm in love with my gangster boyfriend: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Tamrin crosses the café with an unreadable expression, her eyes darting between me and Nathan. She stops just short of our table, and I can’t tell if she’s nervous or just annoyed."Mind if I join you?" she asks, and her voice is softer than I expected.Nathan leans back, his lips curling into a smirk. “Back to yell at me some more?” His tone is light, but the words feel heavy, hinting at something I didn’t know had happened between them. I glance at him, then at Tamrin, searching for some kind of explanation.She rolls her eyes, but there’s a slight pinkness in her cheeks. “I didn’t scream at you, Nathan,” she says, though her voice is defensive, and it makes me wonder just what I missed.I can’t help it—I look at Tamrin, silently asking her for an explanation, but she just shakes her head, clearly unwilling to dig up whatever tension had passed between them. Before I can press her,

I can feel my stomach twisting as I sit there, watching Liam and Celeste with this gnawing feeling that I’m not understanding something huge. There’s an undeniable tension between them, but it’s nothing like I thought it was. And the longer I sit here, the more frustrated I feel, like I’m the only one on the outside looking in on some inside joke.The words come out before I can stop them, sharper than I mean them to be. “Do you… do you miss my cousin? Presley?”I know I’m crossing a line, but I can’t help it. If what I’m seeing is true, if Celeste and Liam are actually… well, if there’s something between them, then she’s not just keeping secrets—she’s betraying Presley, her friends, everyone. I know my question sounds bitter, but right now, I don’t care.Liam’s expression doesn’t falter. He just looks at me with a half-smile, friendly but… colder

Later that night, my phone buzzes with Liam’s name lighting up the screen. I can’t help but feel a flutter of excitement before I open the text, which quickly evaporates as I read.Liam:Why’d you leave with Nathan instead of me?I bite my lip, uncertain how to respond. I should have seen this coming, but the last thing I want is for this to turn into an argument. I start typing, choosing my words carefully.Me:It wasn’t about you, Liam. Tamrin was there, and she’s already suspicious. If she sees me with you too much, she’ll go straight to Presley.I stare at the screen, waiting for the three dots to pop up. A part of me hopes he’ll understand, that he’ll get that I’m just trying to keep things from exploding into more drama. When his reply finally comes, it’s clipped.Liam:I don’t care what Tamrin or Presley thinks.

The sun’s just about to dip below the horizon, casting this deep orange light over everything as we step onto the carnival grounds. It’s cool, that kind of perfect evening breeze coming off the ocean. The sound of waves rolling up the shore blends with the laughter and music around us. I glance over at Celeste and see her smiling, her hair catching the last bit of daylight, and for a moment, I feel… content. Peaceful, even.Nathan is already pulling ahead, grinning like a kid on holiday, dragging us toward the game booths. There’s a lightness to the whole scene that feels rare these days. It’s almost surreal.“Come on, Liam,” Celeste teases, looking over her shoulder at me. “Let’s see if you’re any good at carnival games or if it’s all talk.”I laugh and pull her gently toward the shooting game booth, waving a couple of tickets to the guy behind the counter. “Think you’re up for a real challenge?” I ask, raising an eyebrow as I hand her a plastic rifle.C

I catch sight of Tamrin the second Nathan calls her over, her face cautious, her eyes bouncing between Celeste and me. I force a polite smile as she approaches, but inside, I’m grinding my teeth. Her showing up means we’re back to pretending—like everything between Celeste and me is just casual, like she’s not the only person on my mind right now. I know Celeste feels it too; the forced smile she gives Tamrin is too practiced, too stiff. The whole scene feels like a well-rehearsed lie, and I hate it.Without saying a word, I start walking toward the Ferris wheel, letting my steps make my frustration known. It’s high up there, away from prying eyes and hushed whispers, a place where maybe, for a few moments, we don’t have to act. I dig into my pocket, pull out a few crumpled bills, and pay the attendant for a cab big enough for all of us. I glance back, calling them over.They gather around, and as we settle into the cabin, it’s