Cloud Nine

6.

"Jo! I need to leave can you come out here quick?!" Nate's impatient voice rings through our apartment as I groan aloud in the shower. He has always had the least patience in every damn thing and that is one of his traits I have never been fond of.

I don't reply to him, just wrap a towel around my body and tuck it tight when I can't find my robe and tip-toe outside the bedroom.

"What is it Nate?" he's standing beside the kitchen counter, his tie half-done and his hands struggling to tie it properly. He usually doesn't wear a tie because he feels it's a time waste, but only when there is an important meeting or client to impress is when the tie drawer opens.

Shaking my head, I get another tie from his drawer-- the one that actually matches his blue blazer suit, and stand in front of him to tie it around his neck.

He seems irritated, not because of the tie but also because he is extremely late for work. And it is his own fault. Any comment I make now can be used against me because I've learned not to poke his anger when he's already fired up. I just silently help him with the tie, ignoring the huffs from him and the constant tuts of annoyance.

"To hell with this tie, I'm already so fucking late" he jerks the tie away from him, which I was only halfway done with. I'm not an expert either, I need a few minutes but I refuse to argue with him this early in the morning. I glance over at the kitchen counter, the breakfast I made him an hour ago is soaking in the sink along with the empty coffee mug.

"Just be calm please" I whisper in an attempt to calm him down, he'll only grow more annoyed if he walks into work with this attitude. The last thing I want is for another set of people's days to be ruined just because of his petty patience and power of being above them all in the office.

"I have a meeting-- and this tie, the files aren't set properly. It's all just a fucking mess!" I reach up to him, and put my hands on his chest, looking right into his eyes. My gesture seems to calm his frantic down, and he lets out a sigh while his hands settle on my hips.

"You'll be fine, okay?" I tip up to place a quick peck on his lips, but he doesn't let go and consumes my lips into his mouth, his grip on my waist tightening.

"It doesn't help I have to leave and you're just in a tiny towel" he mumbles between our kiss and bites my bottom lip, a bit hard, as a punishment for being a tease to him, which I didn't tend to at all. His teeth leave a stinging pain on my bottom lip, and I run my finger over it to see a drop of blood.

"Bye now" he swipes his thumb across my lip where the cut is, and then licks the blood on his thumb-- which makes me feel icky. After another quick kiss on my lips, he exits the apartment along with his bag and tie which I know he'll just toss in a bin later on.

It's been a couple of weeks since I came back and he's been acting very normal like he was all those years ago. And I can't lie when I say that I've been enjoying this with him. Even though he gets a tad angry, he doesn't yell at me like he used to and just swallows it down or cusses someone else, pity that person but I'm glad it's not me anymore. Because I was exhausted from being his punching bag.

I have been on three flights after the LA trip and none of them with Hero. Luckily, both of us have been assigned the same flight for tonight to Paris. It's a short haul which is rare for us to get but we did and thankfully I'll get to meet him today. We haven't talked much since that day, and it kills me because I miss him and a part of me feels like I upset him that day.