Stepping into him, I wrap my arms around his waist and kiss his collarbone. It takes him a few very long seconds, but he finally encloses his arms around me. “I hate him too.”
“I’m sorry.” He says this with his lips against my hair. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” I lie. He did, but not in a bad way. He needed me. I’ll never blame him for that. “Not in the slightest.”
“I’m sorry I ruined our day.”
“You didn’t. I’d say that that was a pretty amazing ending.” Then I look at the ground and frown. “You broke my penis.”
He looks at the lolly on the ground, throws his head back and laughs louder than I’ve ever heard from him. Then he kisses me, still laughing and still shaking with it. “Christ I love you Gwen, so damn much.”
“Does that mean I can have your boobs?”
He smiles down at me and shakes his head. “Not a chance.”
******
Nathan vanished into his office the past three nights. I was concerned for him. He’d help me get Dillan to bed and then go straight to his office, without eating or saying more than a few words to me. Considering what happened the other day, I thought maybe he was ashamed of his actions.
Ever since the first night that I stole his virtue, as he calls it, he hasn’t been able to keep his hands off me. Suddenly, after that almost violent session in his office, he’s barely touched me and has only come to bed once he knows I’m sleeping.
So naturally, I got concerned and walked in on him. So many thoughts flashed through my mind: porn, a woman via Skype, Facebook sluts, anything, but what I discovered was none of these things and was actually something so shocking and funny I can’t stop giggling about it whenever it flashes through my mind.
Nathan likes SpongeBob. He’s been watching it on his laptop in his office. He apparently finds it relaxing.
Although he has been avoiding me because he’s ashamed of how he reacted in his office the other day, the fact that he’s been ditching me for SpongeBob makes me quick to forgive him.
Let’s face it, how can anyone be mad at that? It’s SpongeBob. And it’s so not Nathan. Or maybe it’s always been Nathan and I’ve just never realised it.
The look on his face when I walked into his office frightened me to the very core. It was shock and fear. I never disturb him in his office, so he didn’t think to lock the door. When I saw his face, all of my fears were confirmed and I stomped over to his desk, pulled the laptop screen down towards me and stared at the screen.
“It’s not what it looks like!” He blurted as I watched the yellow sponge blow a bubble shaped like a flower. “It helps me relax.” I continued staring at the screen, trying to figure out what it was I was seeing. “Don’t you dare laugh!” Of course I laughed; I laughed so hard my hand that held my weight on the desk, slipped over the edge and I fell to the ground.
We made love on the floor that night.
The entire time I was still laughing.
Right now we’re on our way out, much to Nathan’s annoyance. My mum has come over and is babysitting. Nathan, Tommy, Sasha and I are heading out for drinks at our old local. Sasha seems to think it will help me heal. I disagree.
Mostly I’m just hoping the people who used to work there and frequent it, the ones who knew us and knew Caleb and I, no longer do. The last thing I want on a relaxing night is to be judged and questioned.
“Stacey is a bitch,” Sasha says to Tommy as we enter the taxi that has pulled up in our driveway.
“She’s not a…” Tommy, seeing the scowl, quickly changes his tune. “Yeah, she’s a total bitch.”
“You don’t even mean that!” Sasha slaps him upside the head.
“I do babe, honestly, she’s always a bitch. Especially when she served me dinner with such a polite smile on her face.”
“She wants you.”
Oh dear.
“Really?” He feigns enthusiasm, earning himself a slap on the arm.
Nathan sniggers in the front seat and I glare at his profile. He sees me out of the corner of his eye and immediately puts a stopper on his amusement.
“So, bitches, how’s it hanging?” Sasha asks, clearly bored of whatever the hell she was arguing about moments ago.
“Nathan’s cheating on me with SpongeBob.”
Nathan turns in the front seat and begins projecting the different ways he wants to murder me through his eyes. “Thanks Gwen.” I only smile cheekily in response.
“What?” Sasha and Tommy both ask at the same time.
“Gwen thought that to move from Swindon to here you’d require a Passport and a visa.” Nathan retorts.
My mouth drops open. “I thought you said Sweden!”
Nathan shakes his head, smiling at the memory. “No you didn’t. You even said… ‘Swindon? You lived in Swindon for six months? Don’t you need a visa for that?’”
“Where the fuck is Swindon?” Sasha whispers to me. Tommy blinks and then he laughs, Nathan joining him.
“I have no idea,” I whisper back.
It’s weird being out with Nathan. I can see he’s not comfortable, but I can also see he’s trying for me. I begged him to come with me and, when he finally relented, he also let me know that he wouldn’t be happy doing it. So I gave him the puppy dog eyes, to which he relented again and said “Fine, I’ll pretend, just for you.”
Good enough.
By the time we get to the pub, I notice that he’s relaxed a lot more than he was when we left.
“This is going to be fun,” Sasha says, bouncing on the spot after climbing out of the taxi.
I disagree; something is bound to go wrong.
Nathan, after paying for the taxi, immediately pulls me into his side. At first I think it’s because of his discomfort, but then I realise it’s actually his possessiveness getting the better of him. I’m wondering what is making him so on edge and I’m about to ask, but Sasha interrupts me by yanking me towards our old corner booth.
Tugging myself free, I stop and stare at the worn, red, padded bench seat that curves around a large circular table. I can see him sat there, smiling with a pint of beer in one hand. My heart stops and my lungs constrict.
His soft brown eyes come to mine and he tips his beer at me.
I’m pinned on the spot, staring at him and the love that shines from him.
“Gwen?” Nathan asks as Sasha waves a hand in front of my face and says, “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
“No.” I look at the now empty booth and smile slightly. “It’s okay, it was just…”
Sasha places her hand in mine and gives it a squeeze. “It’s okay; you don’t have to explain.”
Blowing out a long breath, I look to Nathan, whose sad eyes are on me. Stepping on my tiptoes, I press my lips to his and leave them there until my heart calms. When I pull back, his eyes are smiling and the back of his knuckles smooth over my cheek. We smile at each other, only slightly, but it’s enough.
“Sit, I’ll get you a drink,” Nathan whispers into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.
“I’ve got these, mate,” Tommy announces. “You paid for the taxi.”