Six

Chapter Five

"I'm Nathan." He whispers, his lips curling into a gentle smile.

I watch him from the corner of my eye, a weird feeling suddenly filling my stomach. I quickly brush away the feeling, my fingers tugging nervously at the bottom of my hospital gown.

Nathan lets out a dramatic sigh, his smile drooping into a playful frown as he pushes for more things to say.

"Well, I just came over to say that I think what you did was amazing. That Ian guy is insane. He deserved every bit of it."

I turn my head slightly in his direction, a grin twitching at the corner of my mouth.

"Really?" I ask shyly, my eyes brightening up.

Nathan nods, his eyes staring deeper into mine, a sudden silence filling the air. It breaks quickly.

"How'd they get you?" He asks in a low whisper, his eyes not leaving mine.

"I was in my room. Someone suddenly tackled me and stuck a syringe in my neck. It was so fast, I didn't even get the chance to fight back."

Nathan's eye widen in surprise, his lips pursing. "They did it in my sleep. I thought it was just a nightmare. Who knows, maybe you're just the nice part of it?" He says with a light laugh, his sweaty hands rubbing together nervously.

I can't help but laugh a little too, my eyes turning back to face the wall. An awkward tension forces me to scoot farther away, my fingers curling around each other in a desperate attempt to distract myself.

His voice comes again, this time his tone reflecting hurt. "I'll stop talking to you if you want. I just figured you needed a little comfort. 24 hours is a long time to be alone."

I don't even turn to face him, the words flowing off of my tongue immediately. "I've been alone for a long time. It's nothing new."

"You don't have to be alone-" He starts, struggling to finish.

"Jessi." I whisper.

Relieved, he continues. "You don't have to be alone, Jessi. You'll be happier with someone in your life."

I shake my head, tears beginning to flow that I didn't even realize were approaching.

"I'm happier this way. I thought getting adopted would make me feel something-" My words stumble over each other, the tears flowing faster. "I was sadly mistaken."

Nathan's hands are suddenly curling around my jaw, those blue eyes pulling me in.

"We all thought the same thing, but look - we've been brought together for some reason. Maybe it was meant to be. Maybe we've been brought together to fill that emptiness with what we need most." He pauses, his eyes drawing me in closer, the buzzing in my stomach now overwhelmingly strong.

"Love."

Nathan's lips press against mine only slightly, his body's warmth reflecting onto me as the space between us breaks.

I've never been this close to a boy, let alone kiss one in my entire life. I pull away instinctively, my eyes growing wide with fear.

Nathan's fingers swipe away the tears that remain on my cheeks, his eyes studying me carefully.

"I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry," he whispers, his body scooting away from me in a burst of anxious adreneline. I grab at his hand, pulling him back over to me.

"No, no. It's okay. I've just never done this before. I'm sorry." I whisper shyly, the buzzing in my stomach returning.

A shaky laugh escapes his throat, his hand tugging at the collar of his gown. "You just met me. I just-" He stops briefly, his head turning to face me again. "There's something about you. I feel like I've known you forever."