It had been a year since Nate left the city that never sleeps. It took some time before he got used to Washington and so far, he loved it. He would walk around and explore the city whenever he had the day off but most of the time he was all alone. He did make friends but they were not the same as his best friends back in New York. Most of the people he knew had families and they rather spend their free time with them. Nate loved Fridays because those were the times when he can actually drink after work and the 2 following days were his time off from work. He thought of spending the weekends in New York but it was a hassle thing to do and there were times when he needed to work on a weekend. He was in his office doing some paper work. It was a Friday and he can't wait to get out of work. He needed a drink. He sighed and leaned against his chair because he was so exhausted when his phone beeped.
'Mr. Archibald, the files from Mr. Lee have arrived.' His secretary Laura said.
'Okay, good. Can you just leave it there with you? I'll check them on Monday because I'm leaving in a few.'
'Yes, sir.'
Nate checked his watch and it was only 4. He needed to leave and getting off a few hours earlier wouldn't hurt. He grabbed his coat and keys and left the office.
When he got down from his car, he went straight to the building he stayed. He greeted the guard and when he was about to hit the elevator button, he heard someone call his name.
'Nate!'
He turned around and saw a familiar blonde. He smiled because it was Serena.
'Serena?' He came and embraced her. God, how he missed her embrace. They hadn't spoken nor seen each other for a year. They just exchanged messages occasionally.
'I'm here to surprise you.'
'Well, you succeeded.' He laughed. 'What are you doing here?'
'Can't a friend visit a friend?'
Nate nodded in agreement. 'I'm glad you're here.'
She touched his arm. 'I'm sorry I came here unannounced. I really wanted to surprise you.'
'No, don't apologize. I love that you're here.'
Nate saw that Serena brought a luggage. It looked like she was going to stay for a while maybe. He gestured towards it. 'You're staying?'
Serena looked at her luggage then turned back to Nate. 'Yeah. Just today. I go back tomorrow though. I have a meeting with clients.'
'Do you have a place yet?' He was hoping she'd say no.
'Umm, not yet but I've passed by a couple of hotels so…'
He smiled. 'You can stay with me. My place is pretty big and I have a spare room.'
'Really? Are you sure?'
Nate grabbed Serena's luggage and pressed the elevator button. 'For you? Always.'
Nate showed Serena his penthouse. It was quite bigger and modern-ish than Chuck's place in the Empire. He showed her the guest room where she will be staying. They ordered pizza and drank wine. After getting Serena settled in, he went to his room to change. Minutes later, when he came out to the living room, he saw Serena admiring the view from the window. He studied her from afar. He remembered how much he loved her expression whenever she looked from the balcony or window. 'I like looking through the window too.' He stood next to her.
Serena glanced at Nate for a few seconds waiting for him to continue talking.
Nate continued. 'Whenever I feel lonely, I watch that monument.' He pointed at the Washington Monument. 'I could watch it for hours and not get bored of it. Sometimes I think it gets lonely too.'
