Nath is recovering better than expected. It was with relief that I attended, alongside Amber, Nathaniel's last examination which were, thanks God, all very good. I was glad to hear his head trauma didn't damage any part of his brain; Nath can move, speak, hear and his memory capacity doesn't seem affected.
The only real problem is his flank injury, and although he's healing quickly, the doctor strongly advised him to take it easy with sport, especially since my boyfriend is boxing.
"You should avoid too intense activities." had concluded the doctor.
"With a personal nurse as pretty as mine, I can't promise you anything doctor." That idiot had responded with a suggestive wink in my direction.
Amber had scolded him, very strict with her brother recovery, and here I was blushing stupidly without knowing what to answer. The doctor had just laughed softly, very amused by the comeback of his patient but hadn't replied to his salacious remark, except that the wound shouldn't open as long the efforts were not too important.
Fortunately, Nath added nothing to embarrass me further... his twin sister would have stopped him anyway. He'd just chuckled to himself when he saw my flustered state. Nath was enjoying this way too much. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
"You are beautiful today." Nath says as soon as we arrive at his apartment, suddenly pulling me out of my thoughts.
We've just returned home that he had immediately hugged me, his face nuzzling in the crook of my neck. I shudder while feeling his breath on my skin. He's taking advantage of Amber's absence since she has a photo shoot the whole day. He couldn't do much when he was at the hospital.
To say the truth, Nath has changed. He has become extremely tactile since that awful night. His hands are always looking for mine, his lips wander more often on my skin, his fingers are more easily lost in my hair.
Before his assault, he was more conscious with his touch, always slipping away when things became more heated. Like a frustrating gentleman. I could tell he was fearing to touch me more than he was allowed to, but now it seems like he cannot stop it. I won't complain about his change of behavior, I'm myself clingier with him.
"You're exaggerating. And what do you mean by today?"
"Never." he retorts, lingering an affectionate kiss on my hand. "You are beautiful every day, but what I mean is you are particularly breathtaking today."
"The medicines make you crazy." I put a finger on his lips as he tries to take mine. "Or you're looking for something."
"Maybe ..." My sly boyfriend grabs my finger between his lips and sucks it tenderly, eyes glued to mine. This idiot, my idiot, really does his best to seduce me. Another perk of his changing attitude. If he wasn't hurt, I would gladly let myself go to his embrace without a thought but ...
"The doctor said no."
"The doctor said to be careful, not that was forbidden."
"The medicines make you crazy." I repeat, holding a laugh.
I somehow extricate myself from his grip thanks to Blanche who came to greet us by rubbing on our legs. The blond-head grumbles a little bit but doesn't try anything more. For now, at least.
I roam in his room while he picks Blanche up to pet her. It warms my heart to watch them together, you can see how much they missed each other during Nath's hospitalization. The white cat cannot stop rubbing her face on his while Nathaniel fondly pets her, maybe to reassure her after two days of absence. Animals perceive those things better than humans, she must feel that her master isn't feeling well. It's so cute I'm gonna die of fluffiness.
"There's no better medicine than having my girls in my arms." he says, embracing me with his free arm and I only hum in agreement.
None of us dares to bring up the incident, too afraid to talk about it, although we know that sooner or later, we'll have to. I just want to enjoy the present, this moment with Nath and think about nothing else, as if we are alone in the world. Feeling him, his breath, his touch, his heartbeat.
It's not right to turn a blind eye and shut myself from my surrounding, but I don't care. In this apartment, our own happy bubble free of trouble and pain, the outside doesn't exist anymore. There is me, Nath and the cute Blanche. No cartel, no police.
My eyes close half way. I'm just a coward who can't face reality.
"Do you remember the first gift you gave me?" Nath asks out of blue.
I blink, a bit puzzled. My first gift was from high school.
"The first… are you talking about the sweatshirt on your birthday?"
"Close enough, but not what I had in mind."
I frown, trying to focus. I'm fiddling with my memory to seek for a clue, but nothing comes to my mind. Nath inwardly chuckles, more amused than annoyed by my oversight, and frees me to lay Blanche down in her condo. She raises her head, confused to be disturbed in her nap but quickly keeps sleeping after a few strokes behind her ear.
I see Nath searching for something inside his drawers, then soon coming back to me with a stuffed toy between his hands and I open my eyes wide in surprise. A heat wave suddenly rushes over my face, maliciously making me go red as a beetroot.
"Y-you kept that?!" I exclaim, mortified. My hands on my cheeks confirm my face is overheating, I'm indeed blushing. It's so embarrassing that I have to turn my back, so he doesn't see me redden even more. That doesn't stop him to burst out laughing, on the contrary, he's ignoring my obvious discomfiture. Jerk!
Without a word, I feel him spooning me from behind, his body molds perfectly to mine. There's no stuffed toy in his hands, he probably drops it off on his desk. Shame stiffened my body despite Nathaniel's sweetness, but I slightly relax when he kisses my bare shoulder.
"Don't be embarrassed." he tenderly murmurs and his breath grazing my skin gives me goose bumps.
"How can't I when you're teasing me…?" I pout.
"I'm not teasing."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Shut up." I mumble and he chuckles. "What about the sweatshirt, by the way? I never saw you with it."
"I still have it, I'm just not wearing it anymore."
"Why not?" I ask with a touch of bitterness. I remember spending hours with Rosa finding the perfect present for him as nothing was good enough for me. Now he says he doesn't wear anymore.
"Well… it's a bit small for me now." He admits a bit sheepishly.
I raise an eyebrow, doubtful. I turn around and take a step back to eye him. He blushes a bit seeing me checking him out shamelessly. He indeed has more muscles than before…
"Can you stop ogling me like that?"
"Just checking you're not fooling me." I reply as I go back between his arm to feel his torso under my palm, near his heart. It's nice to feel him like this. Warm and alive.
"You're mocking me." He emphasizes with a I-don't-trust-you-look.
"You did it first."
"Let me close that mouth of yours."
I try to sneak away before he could get me, just to tease him, however he brings me back to him with no effort. He settles the matters with a demanding kiss that I struggle to escape, but no to avail, he tightens his grip in a more possessive way. I could draw away from his arms by biting his lip, yet it only encourages him to go further to which I respond with too much vigor and passion.
Hell, I'm too carried away by the sensuality of Nath's tongue, my body liquifies into blaze beneath his mouth and fingers. Between two kisses, heavy pants and deep moans shatters the seductive silence, and my resolution to pull away from him is melting like snow under the sunray. Slowly… languorously … taking its time like his lips on mine.
My eyelids only open when he moves away to catch his breath.
"That's enough for now." I gasp.
"Then later?"
"We'll see…"
He just smiles but doesn't let me go. He'll be the end of me.
"You know, I hesitated to give it to you. The stuffed toy, I mean." I confess, completely comfortable now. I give up on moving away.
"What made you hesitate?"
I smooth my palms on his shoulders before answering.
"I thought you might not like it ... Usually boys aren't into those things."
"I assure you, I loved your gift just because it came from you. That's why I still have it. It's too precious to me."
I happily beam thanks to his confession, he grins back by mimicry. My arms is knotting around his neck and he immediately hold me tighter. Our bodies are slowly moving in a timid waltz., we dance in a rhythm devoid of music, eye to eye. The tip of our nose brushes, our breaths mix together, there is minimum space between us, just enough to talk. It seems almost magical.
"I was happy you thought of me." he continues in a low voice, accentuating this intimate moment. " It was the first time I received something without ulterior motive."
"You can be cute when you want to, even though you're teasing." I purr against his lips. My fingers are playing with his golden hair.
"I didn't bring up this to tease you. That was just a bonus."
He takes my hands and spins me before pulling me in his embrace again. He brushes a fond kiss on my forehead, and we continue to swing.
"You're good at dancing."
"I'm good at a lot of things. I can show you if you let me." His tone is much more suggestive.
"You wish." I laugh but kiss lightly the tip of his lips anyway. "Why did you show me the stuffed toy? You had a point, didn't you?"
We suddenly stop to dance, too brutally. Nath doesn't move away though, he just stares back absently, as if he doesn't see me, his gaze lost between past and present. He doesn't say a single word when he grabs my wrist and brings it to his lips, closing his eyes as if to savor the taste and texture of my skin.
"Nath ...?"
His unexpected reaction is scaring me. I stroke his cheek to encourage him to confide in me, confused by his sudden change of behavior. Enigmatic, a simple smile stretches on his lips. A smile that sounds wrong.
"Do you remember that day?" he inquires.
I only nod. I do remember. Amber wanted to cheat for the exam. She took the keys from Nath to access to the staff room and stole the exams. Nathaniel could have been expelled … He had no other choice than give her a lesson. She was excluded for a week.
"You didn't know that yet, but I was beaten again by my father that day. The whole week even. It was hell. Amber complained that I excluded her for no reason. Of course, I never was mad at my sister, she didn't know what happened."
He was… beaten? Because of that? It wasn't even his fault! How could it be so unfair?
He looks away to avoid my eyes, ashamed. No, Nath. Please, don't be.
"I felt really bad that day. I felt guilty. I thought it might be my fault, I should have handled it differently." he continues, and I realize he needs to speak out, so I keep quiet. Supportive, I cup his face and give him a reassuring smile. I feel him relaxing to my embrace.
"When you came to comfort me, when you gave me that stuffed toy ... It's a little ridiculous to say, but I had the impression you offered me a part of you. Being beaten hurt less."
"Oh Nath ..."
I bite my lip, my body agitated by his confession, the atrocity of his story makes me tremble like a leaf. Seeing me shaking, he puts his hand on mine and squeezes it gently. The contrast between my small hand and his rougher and damaged is striking. He kisses my knuckles to appease me, or to appease himself, grasping anything that could assure him he's far away from this. Safe.
"So, don't be embarrassed by your gift. Just like the day we went to adopt Blanche, this is one of my most precious memories of you."
He squeezes me closer against him and puts his forehead against mine.
"I want you to know it. You are and you will be the best thing that happened to me in my life."
Nath ... I may be wrong, but I have the feeling that you are trying to tell me something else. Although I can't tell why, my heart is heavy. Is it the thousand emotions dancing in his eyes I dread? I can see it, he tries to formulate other sentences, but once again, his words die between his lips, suspended in the silence and I remain a stranger to his tumultuous thoughts.
"It's okay." I reassure him.
He lowers his eyes, perhaps feeling shameful for not being able to express himself better than this. I cup his face and pepper his cheeks with kiss until he offers me a real smile. I don't ever want to see him sad.
"I'm sorry ..." he breathes, bitterness and sadness vibrating his voice. His brief answer makes me understand that he doesn't want to dwell on the subject further despite his uneasy attempt. His face is tense with remorse, and I do not insist regardless all the questions that come to my mind.
I wish he would talk to me, but more than anything, I wish I could to take all his pain away, erase all those bad memories and replace them with happier ones. To appease his regrets, I smooth his face.
"It's okay." I repeat.
Nath's hands plunge into my hair cascading my shoulders to reassure me. He noticed my sour expression. I smile, or I try to convince myself that's a smile on my face and not a grimace.
He stops his caress and sighs, moving his hand away from my skin, as if he doesn't deserve to touch it. I take it back and intertwine with mine.
"Can I tell you a secret too?"
"Which one? You're hopelessly crazy about me?" He tries to joke to lighten the mood.
"Jeez, not that. Anyway, I must admit my first gift wasn't without interest."
He stares at me, surprised. "What do you mean?" he asks, anxious, and gnaws his lower lip. I laugh deep inside and try my best to conceal a grin, he's so cute ...
"Actually ... I already had a crush on you. I thought you were really cute, and I wanted you to notice me."
"Really, you…" He sighs, relieved. I crack up in front of his dismay and he spanks me as punishment. "Stop laughing, naughty girl, you scared me!"
Mischievous, I pull my tongue out. He raises an eyebrow, amused.
"Just confess already. You're crazy about me."
"No." I playfully refuse. "By the way, I wasn't the only one, a lot of girls had a crush on you. Do you even know how hard it was for me?"
"Really? In my memories, girls were more attracted to the bad boy style. I was far from being popular."
His curiosity a little too cheerful for my taste bothers me. Am I dreaming or does he actually like it? I frown and pout.
"Why are you so happy to learn that?"
"I like the idea that you already liked me."
"Uh really?" I glare at him with an accusing look. "Just me or the other girls too?"
His widening smile gets on my nerves. He doesn't even try to deny it!
"So, you really like to attract other girls!" I accuse him and slaps his shoulder. He bursts into laughter on top of that, that boor! The teaser being teased back. "Nath, stop laughing!"
"Sorry, sorry. You were so cute." he apologizes with a wide smile, not in the least sorry.
He aims at my lips to calm me, but I turn my head away. I refuse letting him kiss me in these conditions. Far from getting discouraged, he plays with a strand of my hair, still with that cocky smirk I wish I could erase. Haa, he upsets me.
"I told you before you are the only one, princess." he whispers in my ear and my body vibrates in spite of me, especially when he begins to wander on my hips, my back, … everywhere his hands could reach. With a caress, he moves my hair away from my neck, revealing my skin exposed to his feverish kiss. He first sucks it tenderly, then harder to leave a hickey and I let out a cry that sounds a little too erotic for my taste. He's enjoying it, that idiot ... as much as I do.
"Humph ... I'm sure you'd preferred your fan club giving to you a stuffed toy like I did." I scoff.
I know I'm ridiculous to react that way. I sound like a whining kid begging for his attention ... But I can't help myself, even when his hands slip under my top to fondle my skin. He won't get away with kisses, as intoxicating as they are.
"Just like Melody gave you lots of presents too when we were in high school." I add without thinking.
Nath stops and looks up at me, visibly annoyed.
"Please not her..."
"Why not? She was crazy about you in high school ..." I try to justify myself with a small voice. I don't even know why I'm insisting so much. Jealousy is speaking in my stead.
"I don't care about her, she's fake. I hate that kind of girl who pretend to be saints. You're much better than she is."
Too late to praise me, idiot.
"Did you know that when she found out about us, she always made stinging remarks to me?"
"Tch. I'm not even surprised. She was the first one to turn her back on me. What a bitch."
It's true she spoke ill of him behind his back the first time I ran into her. To believe that she was only interested in the perfect Nathaniel without any flaws. And now she does the same with Mr. Zaidi. She'll definitely never change.
"Do you really want to keep talking about other girls?"
No. "Yes." I say instead. "She wasn't the only one, there were girls from other classes who were eyeing you all the time."
"Aren't you exaggerating a bit too much?"
"Oh no, I could see how they were devouring you with their eyes, and now it's even worse!"
He laughs when he sees me sulk and I roll my eyes, exasperated by his casualness especially when I see his orbs sparkling in amusement. Frowning, I clench my jaw and swallow somehow a list of insults that comes to my lips. He does enjoy the situation a bit too much.
"Do you know how cute you are when you're jealous?" he said to change the subject, brushing his fingertip on my neck where he left his mark. I shudder at this contact and hold my breath, hypnotized by his bewitching fingers. My heartbeat is racing, and I'm almost forgetting I'm irked.
"Nath, it's serious ..." I whine whereas his mouth slips again on my neck and pecks it. In response, I instinctively press my body closer to him, my head tilting back.
"And I'm extremely serious, sweetheart." he whispers hoarsely. "You don't have to worry about that, you're a way better than all of them."
"Maybe, but I don't like it ..." I moan as his lips languidly graze my throat, up to my ear and nip it. I'm losing the track of my thoughts ... His touch leaves an indelible burning imprint on my skin.
"I am entirely yours." he concludes in a breath, closing the discussion by taking my mouth. His tongue caresses mine, teasing at first by the tip, then licks it entirely. My vocal cords vibrate with a lustful roar in my throat. Getting hungrier, he catches my tongue between his teeth to put it in his greedy mouth. I sigh and shake when he sucks that piece of flesh. God, he's not lying when he said he was good at a lot of things.
"Nath ..." I pant between his passionate kisses. I have trouble concentrating but I have to push him away. However, he doesn't give me time to think, storming my mouth to shatter my last resolutions. "Nath please ..."
I know I have to stop him, but he has very good arguments ... Very, very good arguments. And me gripping his hair so tightly only fuels him even more. In the heat of the action, his hands cascade my lower back to cup my buttocks and press me against him. He can hardly be more explicit than that; he's hard and wants me. It'd be a lie to say that I don't want him too, my body is already starting to wave.
An alarm signal rings in my head. The situation is completely going out of control. I step backwards, he moves forward, until I get stuck between him and the desk. My hands are pressed to his chest and I shove him before I give in for good.
"Nath, no!"
I may have pushed a bit too hard, because I see him wince in pain.
"See! It hurts you!"
"It's nothing, my little vixen just pushed me away a little too abruptly ..." he said, feigning sadness. "My heart is broken, but I'll get over it."
As a sign of peace, I steal a butterfly kiss in complete opposite of the prior passion, very soft and sweet.
"Only good boy are rewarded, so behave."
"You're too beautiful for me to behave."
"Yet you did pretty well before. You even shoo me away the first time I came here."
"Everyone is bound to make mistake. I was stupid, forgive me."
"Stop fooling around and sit down." I force him to sit on his bed to rest and he willingly complies. Even though he acts like he's fine, I can see he's a bit tired. Not surprising, he just left the hospital this morning. If Amber saw him, she would throw a tantrum.
"Want me to read you a story?" I suddenly propose, sitting next to him. His shelf is full of book, I'm sure we can find something interesting for both of us.
"Want you…?" He brushes a peck on my cheek. Always grasping every opportunity. "Mmm, yes good idea."
"To read a story."
"To read a story." he chuckles.
jacobvanloon
dailybridgerton
turnnoffyourmind
