Nicole

Chapter: 17

At around six o'clock, Nicole came out of her room and went downstairs where the light chatter was coming from. In the living room, Nathan sat on the couch-without a book, to Nicole's surprise-with his lips pursed and a bored expression that said that he wanted to be anywhere but there. Next to him sat Derek with his heavy arm around Nathan's delicate shoulder. He seemed to be telling him something in his usual accent that made Nicole's blood boil.

Across from them sat Isabelle and Axel, trying to be as distant as they could from Derek with Isabelle throwing Nathan looks of pity every now and then.

Nicole inhaled sharply when her head started spinning. She knew something they didn't but she could undoubtedly say that if they did, they wouldn't let Derek anywhere near Nathan.

As she came into the living room, Isabelle looked at her in acknowledgment while Nathan seemed relieved but stuck to see her. Axel knitted his eyebrows when he saw Nicole, "What happened to your hand?"

At that, she looked down at her bandaged hand and then back up. The rest of them had also noticed and were looking at her in concern while Derek was secretly glaring at her. Nicole sighed inwardly and forced a careless smile.

"I was cutting an apple and accidentally cut myself," she lied, unable to feel a pang of guilt. This is for Nathan, she told herself again. Axel and Isabelle merely nodded and got back to their phones. "Hey, Nathan." She walked up to both Derek and Nathan although she didn't spare Derek a gaze. "Remember when I said I'd take you to a bookstore?"

Nathan's face lit up both in relief of being pulled away from Derek and at the chance of buying a new book. He quickly got up and Nicole heard Derek click his tongue. She only spared him a glance of triumph before walking out the main door with Nathan.

The sun was setting and the air was hot. Nicole had worn a sleeveless shirt with jeans and sneakers while Nathan wore a loose T-shirt and jeans with converse. She noticed how most of his shirts were loose and hanging-she suspected it may be because of his skinny figure.

Both of them sat in the car that was parked in the driveway. As Nicole started driving, she played the song Unstoppable by Sia on the car. She leaned back and relaxed, trying not to think of her conversation with Derek for a while.

"You weren't cutting an apple," Nathan suddenly said.

Nicole blinked at him, "What?"

He turned to look at her, "You didn't get cut while cutting an apple."

Nicole sighed, "Why do you say that?"

"Because we ran out of apples," he told her as a matter-of-factly. When she didn't respond, he leaned back and sighed. "It was Derek, wasn't it?" Nicole didn't answer; she just sighed, wishing Nathan wasn't as observant as he was. When Nathan didn't get an answer, he turned off the radio, looking at Nicole firmly. "Wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," she heard herself say. Perhaps her tongue had spoken out of stress but she wished it hadn't.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Because," she started. "he threatened to take something away from me. Something very dear to me."

Nathan was annoyed, "What's so dear to you that you would risk getting hurt for it?"

Again, she didn't answer but looked sideways at him. Oh, you have no idea, her heart forced her to say but she overpowered it. Nathan was the last person on Earth who was to know about her and Derek's conversation. He was the victim; Derek was the assailant; she was the shield between them.

They reached the bookstore and Nicole pulled over. The moment they entered the store, Nathan's eyes lit up in a way she had never seen them light up and he seemed to forget about their conversation in the car.

"Take whatever you want," Nicole said and he looked up at her. "It's on me." He smiled and wandered off to the shelves, his eyes scanning every book.

Then, his eyes fell on a big blue book and Nicole could've sworn she heard him gasp. He took the book out and she caught a glimpse of the title. Lord of Shadows. Suspecting from the similarity of the cover of that book and Lady Midnight, it must've been the sequel.

Nathan turned the book over and he swiftly read the back of it. As his eyes traveled down, they fell on the price and his smile fell. He clicked his tongue and after thinking, put the book back, going off further. Nicole watched him as he turned around the corner and took the book out, checking the price. It cost twelve dollars and she sighed at Nathan.

But then she smiled as a thought came to her mind. She put the book back and found Nathan in the aisle next to the one she was standing in. He took out a smaller and thinner book, reading its back and nodding at it.

"This is the one I want," he said to her.

"Are you sure?" she asked and he nodded. "That's it? Nothing else?" he shook his head and she nodded, walking to the counter. They checked out the book and Nathan took it as Nicole paid.

"Go wait in the car, I'm coming in a bit." He nodded and walked out of the bookstore. When she was sure he was out of sight, she wandered back to the aisle and took out the copy of Lord of Shadows. She walked to the counter and checked it out as well, paying twelve dollars.

She walked out of the store and saw Nathan in the car with his head in the book he bought. She knew he wouldn't notice her unless she opened the door so instead, she put the book in the trunk. Then she sat in the driver's seat and Nathan finally looked up.

On the way back, Nicole kept hiding her grin of triumph with her hands at the wheel. She was careful not to put a lot of stress on her injured hand although even the lightest touch hurt. She endured the pain though. Anything for Nathan.

When they reached home, Nicole pulled over and got out of the car. She took the book out of the trunk before Nathan could get out of the car and turned toward the door, hiding the book. It was hard since the book was quite big and thick. It had to be at least 600 pages.

She kept her pace quick as she passed the living room where everyone was still in the same position as they were before she left. She ran upstairs to Nathan's room and quickly put the book on the nightstand before walking out. She stood in front of the door of her room when Nathan appeared to make him think that she was coming out of her own room.

As he opened the door of his room and walked inside, Nicole walked forward and leaned in the doorway smirking at him.

He saw the book on his nightstand and looked puzzled. He turned around to see Nicole smirking at him and realized what she did.

"Why did you buy it?" he asked, gesturing toward the book.

"Because I knew you wanted it," Nicole answered.

"But-"

"No buts," she cut him off and looked at him seriously. "When I take you somewhere and say it's on me, and you like something, then you don't check the price, Nathan."

At first, he was baffled. But then, he grinned and walked forward to her in three large strides. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Thank you," he said in a muffled voice. Nicole returned the hug and buried her face in his thick, dark hair.

She didn't know when the tears slipped from her eyes but she wiped them away and willed the rest back. She wasn't going to let Derek get to him no matter what. If she was a shield, then she wouldn't move aside and she would stand in the way. Even if it caused her to break, she would pick up the pieces. She would do anything. But she wouldn't let Nathan get hurt.