Poison

Chapter 51

"I think you should do this alone." I stay stopping Nate as he reaches for the door handle. We were parked outside a little cafe that Nate arranged to meet Elizabeth a full month after reading her letter.

He'd made up his mind to meet her, but every single time I asked when he'd brush it off and drag me away for some summer activity. Everything was a blur after the SATs, graduation went in a flash and before I knew it everyone was leaving town to travel with friends. Do the whole, cliché EuroTrip, backpacking through Europe and all that shit. I was really just being bitter since I couldn't do it, we were right on funds with me going to university and simply couldn't afford it. I got accepted into Browns, thank God. Everyone went crazy with the news except Nate, he said it was inevitable. We were still waiting on our scores but I tried not to worry about that. When Emily and Nate weren't dragging me out to a party I stayed perfectly sober in, I was hanging out with Matt. He'd been suspiciously quiet about him and Zane, he just kept saying he had it under control. I just left it knowing he'd come to me when he really needed me.

So after a full month of avoiding the topic Elizabeth, Nate finally budged when his own parents forced him to go. He told them about her shortly after and of course they were worried about her trying to take him back, but after hearing the full story and reading the letter, they were urging him to meet her at least once. They weren't her biggest fans truthfully, but they didn't want him regretting not meeting his birth mother later on in life.

"You know I can't do this without you." He says with a comforting smile as he turns to face me.

"It's just, this is something very personal and private. I think you should go in without me." I say nodding as I agree with my own logic.

"If you don't come, I won't go." He says leaning back into the chair. I stare at him in disbelief as he lowers the chair making me groan.

"I really hate you." I grumble getting out the car, he gets out after me laughing as I circle to meet him. Grabbing his hand, we walk towards the small cafe with two very different emotions. When I open the door, I glance up quickly to see the nerves swimming in Nate's eyes behind his cold exterior. I look around the room for Elizabeth, my eyes stopping on the familiar brown haired woman who was pouring a pack of sugar down he throat. I nudge Nate before pointing to her, his eyes show no emotion as he studies the woman for a long time in complete silence. Not saying a word, he tugs me towards the booth she was seated in. When her eyes catches us, she chocks on the sugar as we slide into the opposite side of the booth. Her eyes widen as she tried to speak but just coughs instead, she puts up a finger to tell us to wait as she chugs down the water she had next to her. Taking a deep breath she smiles up at us, I look up at Nate to see him with slightly amused eyes.

"Hello!" She greets loudly attracting some looks our way.

"Hi.." Nate strains not looking away from the charged up woman. She stares at him the same way he does for an long time before he frown openly.

"Sorry, you just look so much like him." She says with a weak smile as she takes a sip of her water before fiddling with her fingers, Nate stays silent as he unconsciously tightens his grip on my hand under the table. "Nice to see you again dear, thanks for giving him the letter."

"No problem." I say with a weak smile filling in for Nate's silence. 

"I'm sorry." She says turning to Nate. "But is it legal to have so many tattoos at your age?"

Big mistake...

Nate visibly tenses as usual when someone questions his beloved ink. He was wearing a tang top today, so his tattoo sleeves were exposed for the world to see.