Slipping Through My Fingers

Chapter Thirty Seven

Chapter Thirty Seven

Nate's POV -

She was finally smiling again. At me. She would actually look in my direction and smile and it was like the best feeling in the world to know that I could cause her happiness. That it could be me that makes her happy. Her joy was kind of contagious and so dating her had probably changed me into a... happier guy. I know, sappy, and all that crap.

"We should get going." She murmured, releasing herself from my grip and standing up.

"We don't have any classes to attend to you know." I told her, a sneaky gleam approaching my features.

Her eyebrows crinkled into a frown and she shot me a confusing look.

"What? Why?"

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, pushing myself up from where I had been sitting on the grass for the past two hours.

"School will be over in five minutes. Did you not realise that we had been sitting for a few hours?" I smirked.

Her eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously.

"No." She muttered. "You're just joking, right?"

Laughing, I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards me.

"Nope." I murmured, pressing my lips towards hers.

She pushed me away quickly and began pacing around frantically.

"I missed class. Shit, I can't believe I missed class! I'm going to be so behind. Oh God, this is terrible. Nate!" She muttered agitatedly, pointing an accusing finger at me.

Right, I forgot my girl was a nerd.

"Rose, it was one day."

"If I fail my SAT's I swear I will kill you." She frowned.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Yeah, this petite brunette did not intimidate me. Maybe she had me wrapped around her little finger but I was not intimidated.

"Whatever, babe." I shrugged, kissing her cheek.

She rolled her eyes and in a sudden rush, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me towards her, putting her lips on mine and kissing me quickly. Before I could even begin to take dominance and deepen the kiss, she pulled away and placed a quick peck on my cheek.

"We have to go pick up the boys, come on." She grabbed my hand and started pulling me to the parking lot.

God, I couldn't wait to marry her. And this thought wasn't a surprising one. I've been thinking about this for a long time and when the time was right, I'd pop the question. In my own charming way, of course. And to be honest, I was a guy, and the fact that she said we had to wait till marriage to actually have sex was killing me.

I didn't want to get married to her for the sex, nope, that was a bonus. But when it did come, I was going to go wild.

We had to go in separate vehicles since she came in her car and I came on my motorcycle. I hadn't ridden the thing in months and since I wasn't supposed to be carpooling with anyone this morning, it was perfect opportunity to take it for a ride.

I told Rose that I'd meet her at home and she agreed. When I was home, I went straight to the main house and was in the lounge room, where my parents and brothers were lounging around.

"Bitch, we finally see your face." My dad commented when I sunk into the barcalounger.

I rolled my eyes and restrained myself from flipping him off. He wouldn't have a problem with it, it was my mum who would give me hell for having 'no respect'. She didn't understand that my dad was as immature as my brothers and that's how I saw him.

"Yeah, you've been living in the gym for the past week." My mum frowned, looking at me worriedly.

"I was angry." I shrugged.

Ashton and Brandon shared an amused expression and looked at my dad.

"Rose was ignoring him." They said simultaneously.

"Bastards!" I yelled at them before my dad began exploding into laughter.

Ha-ha, of course they were now going to laugh at how 'whipped' I was over Rose. It's not that it wasn't true because I was able to accept that she could have whatever she wanted from me, but I could never have my dad finding out about it.

"I should probably call you 'Rose's bitch' from now on," My dad laughed. "It's more fitting."

This time, I actually did flip him off. And the obvious response was my mum scolding me.

"Nate, that's your father." She frowned.

I was nineteen and was still getting disciplined over my attitude.

"Mum, just be happy I don't disrespect you." I replied, sending her a smile.

She immediately softened and smiled in return. I grinned in triumph and sent a knowing look towards my brothers. Being the youngest son pays off sometimes. My brothers were never let off for those kinds of things.

"So, Nate, has Ashton told you the big news?" My mum said, changing the subject.

I looked at my brother and he looked as if he was trying to figure out what the big news was.

"That his fiancé's pregnant? Yeah, I've heard nothing but." I replied wittingly, shooting my brother a dry look.

My mum shot me the same dry look and shook her head.

"The wedding is in three weeks." She told me, her face pressing into a full grin.

I looked at my brother and he nodded in confirmation. As much as a douche I was, I was completely happy for him. He found his own Rose.

"Wait, but won't Emily be like two months to go?" I asked.

"Yeah, but she wants to get married before we have the kid. We don't want a repeat of what happened in Lethal Weapon."

I couldn't wait until Emily had the baby because I would be getting a nephew (yes, it was a boy) and God only knows how good I actually was with kids. Not that I'd ever admit that though.

"Right okay." I chuckled, remembering the scene from Lethal Weapon where the woman was in labour and refused to give birth till she was announced married.

"Yeah, and you're a groomsman so you got to get fitted for a tux." Ashton told me.

"Who's the best man?" Brandon asked.

"I can't choose between the two of you. You'll both be groomsman. You better throw me a good bachelor party."

Ashton smirked, his eyes gleaming at the mention of a bachelor party.

Something about the Sanders family was that we were kind of isolated. In a social way. We didn't have many friends and we were completely fine with it. It wasn't because we weren't liked because come on, we were charming, but we just didn't like talking to other people. That was why me and my brothers were pretty close and the fact that Ashton didn't have a best man, and was rather having his brother's be his groomsman.

I met Chris pretty early in life, and that's why he was there, and the girls came along after but other than that, I was pretty isolated myself.

"You know Emily will kill you if she finds out there's strippers, right?" Brandon said, raising an eyebrow.

Cue Rose's grin.

"But what's a bachelor party without strippers?" Ash cried.

"You want Emily to kill me?"

"No strippers. You're going to be a dad soon, start behaving responsibly!" My mum scolded.

Before I could make a quick witty response, I heard a car pull into the driveway and saw Rose taking her brothers out, and having them rush to their home.

"Kids are home. See you bitches later." I said, standing up and heading towards the door. "Except for you mum! You're not a bitch!" I quickly corrected myself, realising what I had said.

I heard my dad yell something like 'what about me' which I replied with a 'no comment' statement.

I walked into Rose's place without knocking and found the boys on the couch, their feet up on the coffee table just like I did every time.

"Hey boys," I smiled as soon as I saw them.

I guess these little guys had me just like their sister. Not in the exact same way, though. Nope, Rose was able to persuade me in... other ways.

"She's in the shower." They all said simultaneously.

I rolled my eyes and sat on the couch.

"I came to see you, not her."

"She's finally talking to you again?" Jace asked, a knowing look in her eye.

"Yeah, guess she can't resist my charm." I smirked.

"Or maybe you chased her around school, jumped and tackled her to the ground and apologised relentlessly?" He replied.

"F*ck." I muttered and then immediately hoped the twins hadn't heard me.

Rose said I shouldn't swear in front of them because it would encourage them. Unfortunately, I had no such luck and the boys had undoubtedly heard me.

"Nate, you shouldn't say f*ck." Liam grinned.

"I never said anything!" I grumbled quickly, raising my arms in defence and slowly leaving the lounge room.

I went to Rose's bedroom and opened the door, hearing the water running and seeing steam coming out from her bathroom. So far, in my relationship with Rose, we've basically only made out, nothing else heated going on. My shirt has come off and so has hers but that was it. I knew that with Rose, she was shy in terms of making progress in that specific part of our relationship.

I smirked internally and decided I'd help break down her barrier.

I slowly approached the bathroom door and checked to see if the door was locked. It wasn't. I grinned in triumph and began to slowly twist the handle on the door, trying to make as little noise as possible.

If the water was running and Rose was actually in the shower, it was doubtful that she'd hear the slight sound of a door handle twisting. When the door was open, I pushed it forward a little and through the little whole, I saw just how foggy the shower was.

If I wanted to see my girl, I'd have to actually get in the bathroom. I knew that what I was attempting was deadly. I was going to be looking at Rose and I had to make sure she saw me in order for her to become more confident in herself.

As soon as my whole body was successfully in the bathroom, I turned around and heard Rose humming a tune to a song. I smiled and the sound of such innocence and sat on the stool next to the vanity.

And that's when it hit me. I was seeing my girlfriend naked.

It kind of felt... wrong. I didn't want to do it without her permission but I also wanted to help her in some way. So, in my own little twisted mind, I compromised.

Since the shower screen was foggy from the heat of the water, I wasn't able to see Rose fully. I could see the shape of her body and the fact that she had nothing on was clearly evident, yeah, but I couldn't make out any proper features. But she wouldn't know that.

She would think that I was able to see her properly when in reality, I couldn't. So that way, I wasn't actually disrespecting her and she could become more confident in showing herself off to me.

Now in no way did I expect her to change her mind about the whole sex before marriage thing but she should at least be confident in front of her boyfriend, right?

I heard the water turn off and the humming stopped. From inside the shower, I saw Rose's hand stretch and grab the hanging towel and I knew she was wrapping herself with the towel inside the shower. She stepped out and my God, the look on her face was priceless when she saw me sitting there.

"Nate!" Her voice was sharp and screechy, making me cover my ears in amusement.

"Oh my God, get the hell out! Nate!" She yelled loudly, her arms crossing over her chest like she should be hiding something.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, replaying her expression when she saw me in my head over and over again. I wish I had a camera on me.

"You pervert! How can you do that to me!? How long were you there? Oh my God, this is the most humiliating thing ever. Oh God." She kept rambling, her eyes widening in fear.

And my God the way all the heat had risen to her cheeks made her look adorable. The fact that she was embarrassed and blushed so easily just made me feel like I was a predator going after its prey.

Kind of creepy if you ask me.

"Relax." I chuckled. "You're beautiful, naked or not. I was merely curious at just how more beautiful you could get. Apparently, there's no limit with you."

I didn't realise how cheesy I was sounding until the words left my mouth. God, I had become so soft these days. Is that what falling in love does to you? Makes you all mushy and weak at the knees? It was kind of annoying.

Rose smiled lovingly at me, the blush still remaining on her cheeks. When she looked at me like that, I was kind of... baffled. Rose had a radiating smile, one that could make someone mesmerised for years and to see her smile at me like that? I was mystified.

She looked at me like I was good. Like she actually deserved me. She didn't realise how much better she could have gotten. It was bullshit really, because I wanted her to be the happiest possible and she wouldn't achieve that with me, but I was never going to let her go.

"Can you tell me what it is you wanted to say at dinner?" She asked, her voice soft.

I smirked and shook my head.

I don't think I ever wanted to actually tell her. What I wanted to say would have been a spur of the moment kind of thing, because I had only figured it out in the car. But now that I thought about it, I didn't actually want to tell her.

"Why not?" She whined.

"Maybe in about fifty years." I answered, a smug look on my face.

"You intend to still be dating me in fifty years?" She looked kind of taken aback.

"No." I scoffed.

She looked at me confusingly and I realised that she thought that I meant I'd break it off with her. I snorted internally, yeah like that would ever happen.

"I plan on being married to you, idiot." In hopes of not sounding too cheesy, I just had to add 'idiot' at the end.

"Oh." She murmured, her face going into flames and she averted her gaze to the floor.

And that's when I realised she was still in a small towel, her hair sexily cascading down in waves while water droplets were still going down her body.

"I have to leave." I muttered.

I couldn't stand to be around her for longer when she was like that. To know with one flick of the wrist and her towel was down and her body was off to me, I needed to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be in the lounge room or something. Don't be long getting dressed, I'm hungry." Before she could make a response, I quickly pecked her lips (wrong move by me, it only made me want to stay) and fled outside.

I had gotten pretty used to the idea of Rose cooking for me. She was amazing at it, she had tremendous talent and that was only good for me since I was the one eating her food. That was probably another reason why I'd marry her.

I walked to the lounge room and saw the boys still in the same position, their eyes glued to the TV.

"You boys going to start your homework soon or what?" I asked them, plopping myself onto the couch next to them and resting my feet onto the coffee table.

"I'll make you a deal, Sanders. When you do your homework, I'll do mine." Jace said, removing his fixed gaze from the TV to my face.

"Turner, I don't even go to school for me to get homework." I smirked.

"You skip class?"

"Yep." I grinned proudly.

And then I hoped that Rose was still in her room so she wouldn't hear what I just said. I was a bad influence on these boys. I tried to be good and tell them to do their homework, eat veggies and stuff but my inner Sanders didn't like the sound of me trying to act good.

"Maybe we should try skipping class one day, Liam." Mike spoke.

My eyes widened and I slammed my palm against my forehead. God, I was an idiot.

"No! No, no. Mike, school is the best. There are a lot of hot chicks, you get to learn cool stuff and uh, you um, become smart. Don't ever skip school, it's the best." I rushed frantically, hoping I could get them to forget what I said before Rose came out.

"So why do you skip class?" Liam spoke, an amused smile on his face.

These guys were tough.

"I don't skip class." I mumbled. "Who told you that?"

"You just said you did!"

"I don't remember." I shrugged.

Ha, probably the best way for them to forget was to throw them off.

"I said I skip grass. With a 'g'." I continued.

"Bullshit!" Liam scowled.

"Language." I tried to make my voice stern.

I probably failed.

"But you say f*ck all the time." Mike frowned.

"Mike!" It wasn't me that yelled his name.

I turned around and saw Rose tying up her hair

"How many times do I have to tell you not to swear?" She grumbled, scolding her brother.

She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a simple flowy shirt.

"I was proving a point." Mike gleamed cheekily.

"Do I have to start grounding you for every time I hear you swear?" She threatened.

She looked cute trying to look intimidating.

"No, ma'am." Mike answered, looking kind of scared.

Rose rolled her eyes and smiled. I knew that she couldn't really hold up for so long in trying to stay stern with her brothers. I knew how much she loved them and their happiness was all that mattered so for Rose, it was kind of difficult for her to stay stern, despite how much she wanted to be.

"Good, now go take a shower and start your homework."

The boys all stood up and left to take their showers. Rose went to the kitchen and started preparing food.

"What are you making?" I asked her.

"Well do you like vegetable stir-fry?" She asked me, poking her head into one of the cupboards.

"Nope." I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Then I guess that's what I'm making." She grinned.

Oh, she was good.

***

I had just finished a workout from the gym and I walked into the main house where my mum set down dinner on the table. Tonight, the Turner boys were with us but Rose had to bail. She had invited Cam and Chloe over to study for their English test and I obviously didn't want to be around a study environment like that.

I took a seat on the chair in the dining room and helped the Turner boys get accustomed to their seating.

My mum adored the boys, she absolutely loved them. She said they kept her alive and on the go considering she managed to convince Rose into helping raising the boys.

"How was school today?" My mum said, smiling at the boys.

"Boring." The twins answered simultaneously.

She rolled her eyes and turned to Jace who was smirking proudly.

"I asked out a girl today. She said yes, obviously. I'm taking her out on Saturday night." He grinned.

"You have self-defence class that day!" Ash argued.

I ignored his jibe and looked towards the gleaming Jace.

"A date?" I said, a playful smile creeping into my face. "Does Rose know about this?"

"No, and I don't plan on telling her so please don't say anything." Jace begged, looking like he made a big mistake telling me.

"How do you plan on taking a girl out without your sister knowing?" I laughed amusedly.

"I'll figure it out." He shrugged.

I rolled my eyes and I already knew despite how much we men had to stick together, I had to let Rose know. After what happened to Liam, even I myself wouldn't let Jace go out by himself. I get that he was almost fourteen and all, but he was in no position to take a girl out by himself.

"Okay, whatever you say." I shrugged.

He groaned and scowled in my direction.

"You're telling Rose, aren't you?" He grumbled.

I kind of felt guilty. This guy actually trusted me in telling me stuff and it was true, he did tell me a lot of things. But this kind of thing had to be run down by Rose or else she'd have my head for it.

"Sorry." I nodded.

My dad chuckled and I shot him a glare.

"Don't start." I warned.

He feigned a look of innocence and shrugged.

"I didn't say a thing." He laughed.

"Sure."

I finished my food and stayed quiet, listening to my parents talking and Ash and Brandon conversing with the Turner brothers.

I grabbed a few spare plates and put food inside and took it towards the pool house. Before I entered, I heard my name being said and curiously pressed my ear against the door.

"Nate won't tell me what it is." I heard Rose grumble. "He said he was going to tell me during dinner but yeah, it never ended up happening."

I smirked proudly. Firstly, they were talking about me and secondly, I seemed to be getting under her skin.

"What do you think it's about?" That was definitely Chloe.

"No idea. He said it'd probably make me cry but it seemed like he meant happy tears." She was right.

"Oh my God!" That was undoubtedly Cam.

I heard some bang-and-crash and tried to stifle a chuckle. Seemed like Cam's screaming was a surprise to the girls.

"He is so going to propose!" Cam gushed and I froze.

Shit.

"No he isn't." Rose replied and I couldn't seem to put my finger on her tone.

"He is! Rose, trust me, I know that Nate wants to get married someday but why would he have to wait? There's nothing stopping the two of you from getting married. Oh my God, can I be your maid of honour?" She continued to blurt out.

Okay, this was my cue. I couldn't let Rose make a reply.

"No, actually, I wasn't going to propose." I spoke, walking inside and laying the plates of food onto the coffee table.

The girls all jumped when they heard my voice and I chuckled.

"You were listening?" Chloe glared.

I shook my head and they looked at me disbelievingly.

"I'm just intuitive?" It was supposed to be a statement but it came out more like a question.

I told them that I brought them food and Rose smiled at me lovingly and thanked me before I exited. Wow, guess I was really that whipped.

***

"Please don't be mean." Rose begged, looking at me with pleading eyes.

"Mmhm." I answered, not knowing just how bad my attitude would be like when her mother came.

We were sitting in a really bad styled café, awaiting the arrival of Rose's mother. She hadn't told her that I was coming today but according to Rose, her mother had asked for more money.

"I'm serious, Nate. I want to give her a chance." She gripped my upper arm and her eyes widened in hope.

"I'll see if she's worthy of a chance." I replied easily.

Rose was going to say something but her eyes shot up and I turned to see where her gaze was leading. Looks like the mother was here. I felt my blood run cold and immediately, I was raged in anger. I was even more furious that I couldn't exactly do anything about it; I was stuck with being 'nice'.

Rose's mother was short, she had shoulder length light brown hair and her eyes had red rims around it, like she had been crying.

"Rosalie," She nodded formally.

Rose half smiled at her and turned to me, her eyes warning me to be nice. If Rose wanted nice then she wouldn't have started dating me. Too bad for her.

"This is uh, my boyfriend, N-"

"Nate. Yes, I know. You can call me Emilia. Nice to meet you." Rose's mother smiled and extended her hand towards mine.

I eyed her extended hand and looked back up to her, distaste clearly evident in my features. When she noticed I wasn't going to shake her hand, she slowly retreated it and sat down across from Rose and I.

I could already feel Rose's body go tense and I knew she was probably angry with me already. I hated when she was angry with me and all I wanted to do was make her happy but come on, I was so not going to be nice to the woman that made Rose's childhood a living nightmare.

"Anyway, have you seen him lately?" Rose asked her mother, getting straight into things.

Emilia shook her head and that slight shake made me notice that she had a pair of really expensive earrings on. Looks like she wasn't using the money just for necessities like she had claimed.

"Ever since I got the apartment I haven't seen him at all. Thank you, Rosalie." Emilia smiled.

"Is the living condition alright?" Rose asked.

I could tell that they were both strained around each other. Rose wanted to badly believe that her mother was telling the truth and with so much belief and wishful thinking, I think she convinced herself that her mother was being truthful.

But with me, I picked up on it straight away.

She was lying and it was oh-so clear.

And the funny part? Emilia knew that I knew. She could see it.

"It's perfect. However the bills for rent has just increased so I am going to need an extra two hundred dollars every two weeks."

"You lying bitch." I spat without thinking.

Rose gasped beside me and shot me a deadly look but the expression on Emilia's face was a mask of innocence and smugness behind it. I just wanted to slap her one. Not that I actually would.

"Excuse me?" She frowned, pretending she looked offended.

I could see that Rose believed her and for the sake of listening to my girlfriend and taking her opinions into consideration - which was an idiotic move on my behalf - I stayed silent.

I clenched my jaw in anger and looked at the woman across from me with such hatred.

"Sorry about that." Rose muttered towards her mother.

I scoffed and received another angry look from Rose.

"Anyway," Rose spoke loudly. "Would you like me to transfer the money into the bank account?"

What?! Rose had set up a f*cking bank account? Seriously? I couldn't believe it. This bitch was going to bleed her dry and Rose couldn't see it!

"She isn't getting a cent!" I yelled angrily.

Strike three.

"That's it! Nate, outside now!" Rose yelled.

I battled with her silently, trying to tell her that this bitch was out for the money and only that. Rose didn't seem to understand.

Begrudgingly, I stood up and walked out of the shitty café. Rose was right behind me and when I stopped she glared at me with fury.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" She all but yelled.

"Rose, she's lying! How can you not see that?" I pleaded.

I desperately wanted her to understand what I saw. That her mother wasn't trying to change and she was only out for the money and nothing else. Why couldn't she see it?

"Nate, I can't do this right now. Just wait out here. I'll be two minutes and then we're going home."

I reluctantly nodded and watched as she walked back inside and sat across from that two-faced bitch.

I gave my back to them, not being able to stand the sight of Rose easily feeding into Emilia's plan. I just didn't see how Rose could forgive someone who did what she had done. It was ludicrous.

I was barely able to forgive my brothers when I found out they went skydiving without me, let alone forgiving a torturous mother. This woman literally allowed their father to beat up Rose. She had permanent scars from the event. The girl was damaged! And she was so willing to greet her mother in open arms.

And I never, ever believed her bullshit story about her father being after her. That was an utter and total lie and she just couldn't see it.

In anger, I pulled out a cigarette from my pocket and lit it. I hated smoking, it was literally sickening to me but in these situations where I couldn't turn to Rose, I felt like I had no one to turn to.

I puffed out the smoke and brought it back to my mouth and that's when I heard a loud clatter and yelling. I frowned and walked towards the glass entrance of the store to see what was going on.

I dropped my cigarette. It went to the floor like I felt my entire life was. I couldn't talk, or move, or anything really. Is this what Rose felt like when Liam was gone?

Because that's exactly what was happening.

I felt angry moisture build up at my eyes immediately and I willed myself to not act like such a pussy right now. I felt sick, so sick that I could puke out yesterday's dinner.

I looked in and saw that table empty. It had a broken plate and cup on the floor and the tablecloth had been raggedly moved.

She was gone.

My whole entire f*cking existence was gone.

And the only thought going through my mind?

How the hell do I breathe again?

--------------------------

Authors Note:

It's official. The wattpad app is stuffed. It uploaded my chapter twice but on the Internet it comes up once! Ughh!

Anyways, guys, I uploaded! And I'm sorry for the poorly written and boring chapter! I was fasting today so my mind wasn't into it.

Okay, now to Nate and Rose! They were cute together this chapter, right? But unfortunately, the ending was very sad. Not really. But yeah. Rose has been kidnapped. From who?

DUN DUN DUN!

Nate's POV is really hard to write so no one hate on me please. LOL!

Anyway, guys, last week I finally received a ranking in the romance section! Thank you so much! Your comment and votes mean a lot x

Now, please, please, please let me know what you think is going to happen next. Rose has been kidnapped and from Who? Why? Where?

And one more thing! How do you guys like the sound of a sequel/spinoff? I think I'm going to write a spinoff after this, I can't let go of my characters just yet! Just let me know first!

Vote, comment and fan.

Farewell xx