Teach me to trust

28. Content

I can see the surprise on his face as he sees me stood here, before he realises what was happening moments before and he turns to shoot daggers at the two people who were just arguing about getting my phone number.

"You two dipshits-" and Rico holds his hands up in defence, the woman who's name I still don't know smirks at him,

"Now who's being unprofessional" she snipes to him, and her smirk grows at the disgruntled look on his face, turning to look at me again as she realises that Nate knows who I am.

"Can I take a name for that booking?" she asks and nod slowly, not quite knowing what is going on right now and tell her my name, which she jots down as she nods her head, humming to herself before holding the book up in front of her and clearing her throat,

"Emily Carter" and she turns her head to look at Nate, pumping her eyebrows up and down as he stands looking at her, Rico snatching the book from her hands and looking up at me,

"Is that right?" and he turns to look at Nate as well, who looks positively unamused at this point, and if looks could kill I have no doubt the two people behind the desk would have dropped dead by now.

"Fuck off the both of you" he mutters, waving his hand at them to dismiss them and they both nudge each other and cackle amongst themselves,

"Come on Mils, better get out of here before Nate pops a vessel" and they both stagger back to the cars, laughing amongst each other as they wander away.

I'm lost for what to say to Nate. I was planning on crafting a perfect text to him if I hadn't heard anything from him by tonight, I was not prepared to see him looking hot as sin in his work uniform with an apprehensive, still slightly annoyed look on his face.

The both of us open our mouths at the same time, and shut them at the same time when we realise we were about to interrupt each other. Nate gestures for me to talk first but I want to know what he has to say after last night, so I nod my head at him and sip my coffee to show I have no intention of speaking first.

"First off, I need to apologise for last night. I didn't want to leave you" he shakes his head and looks over his shoulder, spotting the two people clearly trying to be subtle about the fact that they're listening to us.

Nate shakes his head and flips them the bird, looking back at me and nodding his head in the direction of a door on the left side of the building, leading me to it and opening the door for me to step inside.

An office, it seems, a desk on the right side of the room and a comfy looking couch on the left. Two chairs are placed in front of the desk and there is a small coffee table in front of the couch, it's cosy for an office in a garage, at noticeably tidier than the front desk.

Nate stops in the middle of the room and I take a seat in front of his desk, facing forward and waiting for him to sit down in the black chair behind it, all professional looking.

Can you blame a girl for wanting to see a fine man behind a desk?

He clearly knows what I mean as he rounds the desk and sits in his chair, hands wringing together on the surface. His head is down for a moment before he brings it up to look at me, eyes roaming around my face and a small smile lifts his lips,

"I didn't want to leave you last night, I really didn't. I was so fucking angry at that dipshit, I didn't know how to be around you when I felt like that. I didn't want to say the wrong thing and make you feel worse" and his hands sit still on top of the desk now, still slightly twitching and I notice the damaged skin across his knuckles.

I look up to him and see that he still has his eyes on me,

"I barely slept last night because the second I walked out the door I regretted it. I was trying not to hurt you and I left you alone after what happened. I'm sorry" he leans back in his chair and rubs his hands on his thighs, pushing his chair away from his desk and I notice how powerful his legs look in this position.

Not the time.

I shake my head at him,

"I was never annoyed at you, just confused and maybe a little disappointed" I tell him, noticing the way he winces at my words,

"If anything, I think that alone time did me some good, I'm quite an independent person and I like being alone sometimes. Especially if I have some feelings to work through" I tell him, playing with the hem of my jumper as I say this, catching a fleeting look of worry on his face.

"Feelings about what if you don't mind my asking" he says, clenching his hands on his legs and moving his knee up and down as we sit on opposite sides of the desk.

"Um, feelings about me, about Dylan, and us I guess. After what happened yesterday, I just, I thought you wanted to leave" the words spill out and I'm glad I was powerless to stop them, I need this. Adult communication.

A look of frustration rises on Nate's face and I'm unsure if it's because of me or the words that have just come out of my mouth, but either way I don't like the way he seems to be directing it at himself now.

"I got the flowers" I blurt out, and his shoulders tense, eyes looking back at me in a curious manner,

"Yeah?" he mutters, "Did you like them?" and I swear I see a tint of pink rising up his neck, before his hand comes up to rub it away like an itch. Cute.

"They were beautiful, thank you. I loved them" and a relieved smile perches itself on his full lips, hint of white teeth showing between them.

"Good, I'm glad. I uh, I remembered you telling me your favourites were daisies and I wanted you to know that I do pay attention" and the slight stumble over his words makes something feel tight in my chest, as I stand and slowly make my way around his desk.

No time to be a wuss, Em.

I can practically hear Keira's voice in my head as I stand above Nate, his green eyes staring up at me with slight vulnerability and another look I can't quite place and I rest my hand gently on his right cheek, over his stubble. He leans his hand into me and I step between his open legs, his own hands coming up to rest on the backs of my thighs.

"I know you pay attention and I'm sorry for making you leave last night without us talking properly first" he squeezes the backs of my legs and pulls me in closer to him, leaning his forehead against my stomach and I silently praise myself for wearing a black top so the potential grease marks won't be visible.

I move my hand to the back of his head as he leans against me, running my fingers across the slightly long hair there, shorter than the hair on top of his head, and I laugh gently to myself,

"You know, you're the first person to buy me flowers" and I see his shoulders tense as he leans back to look at me, an incredulous look on his face.

"You're shitting me" and I laugh at his words, swears like a sailor this one. I shake my head at him and his brows knit together as his mouth drops open slightly,

"You mean to tell me that nobody has ever bought you flowers before me?" and he shakes his head at his own question as if he genuinely can't believe it. I nod at him in response, and he scoffs, pulling me down onto his lap in a quick gesture.

I grip onto his arms at the fast movement, his head turned to look at me as he gazes across my face with a gentle look,

"Fucking idiots, the lot of them" he mutters to me, and I can see him looking at my lips as we sit so close together, moving closer to me slowly and glancing up at my eyes as though to ask me for permission.

I lean forward and kiss him myself, physically giving him my answer instead of waiting to tell him. One of his arms is wrapped around my back with his hand on my waist and the other comes up to thread into my hair, pulling me closer into him and pressing me against him as much as he can.

He pulls back slightly, then plants three more kisses on my lips before leaning back in his chair and pulling me to lean on his chest, my legs draped over the side of his chair and his arms securing me to him by my waist, swaying us gently as we sit here together.

I feel him press his lips against my hair, kissing me gently and muttering against me,

"Stay with me tonight" no question in his tone and I feel how relieved I am at the realisation we are back to normal.

I nod my head in answer, wrapping my arms around him as he squeezes me tighter into him.

Content.