MATURE 18+
Emily never needed someone to walk into her life to save her, to teach her, to need her. She never wanted someone to either.
Until he walked into the bar, and she couldn't ever imagine not needing that again.
At this current moment in time, I'm pacing outside my bathroom absolutely dying to use the toilet but too afraid to knock in case Nate opens the door naked and I lose the use of words, which often seems to happen around him.
My urgency has increased to the point where it's painful and I'm just about to lift my hand and knock when the door swings open, steam pouring out and all I can hear is shuffling around inside.
"I could hear you pacing outside for the last 10 minutes. Are you coming in?" I hear Nate ask and I find myself once again wishing the ground would swallow me whole. Of fucking course he heard me outside.
He probably thinks I'm some psycho stalker who was waiting for him to get out of the shower so I could watch through a peephole.
What fucking peephole? My mind sneers at me and I laugh to myself at my absurd thoughts, stepping slowly into the bathroom and freezing when I catch sight of Nate in front of the bathroom mirror. He's wrapped in a towel, and I can see that the skin of his back is still wet from his shower. His hair is hanging down on his face in wet tendrils and I can see that he's brushing his teeth.
The urge to reach out and touch him is so strong I have to clench my hands into fists at my sides, settling for watching the way his back muscles are moving as he brushes. At this moment in time I'm glad I kept the underwear on, grateful for the secret boost of confidence they're giving me as Nate puts the spare toothbrush down and turns to me.
"You okay over there?" he asks, leaning back on the sink and crossing him arms. I'm momentarily distracted by the movement until the urge to pee comes back full force and I almost keel over with the feeling it gives me.
Nate chuckles opposite and stands up straight, moving over to me languidly and tilting my head up with his finger underneath my chin. From where we both stand I have to tilt my head back so I can look him in the eyes, his 6 foot frame standing a good height above me at 5 foot 5.
"I'm going to get dressed, see you out there" he murmurs and drops a sweet kiss on my lips before he departs, closing the door softly behind him.
I wait until I hear my bedroom door open before I finally get to pee.
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I take my time, fixing my hair in the mirror and straightening my clothes. The t-shirt I changed into when I got home is old and reliable, comforting and I like the way it doesn't give away what I have on underneath.
I wander back into my bedroom after I open the window a crack to let the steam out, finding Nate stretched out on my bed in a pair of grey jogging pants and not much else.
Tease.
I know he saw me looking as I see the smirk on his face, hair still damp on his head and curling slightly at the edges as it dries. His left arm is resting across his chest and his right arm is folded up behind his head, the muscles of his arms bulging and I try not to ogle him too long, for fear of inflating his ego even more.
I sidle over to my side of the bed and lay myself on top of the quilt next to him, reaching for the TV remote to give us some background noise as we lay here together.
"Are you hungry?" I ask, turning my head slightly to hear his answer, hoping he says no so I can get rid of this guilty feeling for not feeding him after he's been at work all day.
"No I'm good. Thank you" he responds, and I feel a feather light touch on the skin of my hand where it holds the remote, sliding it over into my right hand, I turn my hand palm up and feel the way Nate's fingers trail a path across the sensitive skin on my palm.
It's quiet for a few moments as we sit in the glow of the TV, before I hear Nate take a deep breath next to me.
"Who was he?" he asks, slight hesitation in his voice and I know instantly who he means. There is no accusation in his tone, just a question born of curiosity, and I don't blame him for asking. If it was me, I would be asking the same thing.
"Just some guy that lives around here that I've spoken to a few times" I begin, turning to look at him briefly as I lean back and make myself comfortable, noting the way that the shadows seem to dance across his skin.
"He's asked me out a couple of times, but I always told him I wasn't looking for anything romantic right now" I shake my head and laugh, "I think that's why he seemed upset, to him I've just been lying to his face. But I wasn't, I never expected this to happen" I tell Nate and hear him release a low chuckle next to me.
"I did" he tells me, oozing with confidence and I almost snap my neck with the speed I look at him.
"Excuse me?" I laugh, almost scoffing at the way his demeanour has become cocky all of a sudden.
"Maybe saying I expected it was the wrong word. More hoped for it" he shrugs, as if he hasn't just sent my mind reeling. He continues;
"From the second I saw you in that place I wanted to get to know you, but you always seemed too busy, and I never wanted to disturb you. JD was trying to get me to talk to you for months" he laughs, and I feel the confusion grow.
"I'm sorry. For months? What are you talking about?"
A sly look comes across his face, and he turns his body towards me, muscles across his chest and abdomen rippling as he does.
"Sweetheart. We'd been going to that bar for the better part of 6 months before you noticed us" and I'm truly lost for words, how the hell did I never notice him.
"We always stayed in the corner booth and didn't really move from there. Marc came up to the bar a couple of times, but it was always Sam who served him, or that new kid when he started. It was rare that you weren't already busy at the other end of the bar" he shrugged,
"We just got lucky that night when JD went to the bar" he laughs to himself,
"Maybe lucky is the wrong word. JD was determined to have you serve him. Made sure he went to the end of the bar you always served at and waited there until you noticed him"
"But you weren't there when I brought the drinks over" I say, "it was only the other three then you turned up just after I got there" and he nods,
"I went out for a smoke when JD got up to go to the bar. It was a busy night, so I knew he'd be there for a while, it was just good timing on my part that I got back when I did" and he smiles over at me, lifting his hand and rubbing his thumb across my cheekbone.
"My heart just about stopped beating when I saw you stood there" and I swear I feel my own heart stop beating at his confession. He'd wanted to talk to me for months and never got the opportunity.
Clearly, I was blind to miss a man like this.
"I'm sorry I never saw you" I say, and he shakes his head, a small smile gracing his lips as we lay here and look at each other.
"Don't apologise, I think it happened exactly when it was supposed to. We're here now so let's make the most of it" and he leans forward to kiss me.
