LOVE BUG

CHAPTER 19: TORNADO

Before starting, I want to let you know that thanks to your awesome suggestions, I narrowed the choice of Anastasia and Nate's ship name. Now, you tell me between Nastasia, AnNa, and Nana (though, the last one is the one I like the least because it means 'Chick' in French 😅)

"Merde, merde, merde!"

"Cursing in French again? What is happening?" Nate chuckles, his mood lighter since the moment he has passed the doorstep and has glimpsed this blond ponytail, and when Anastasia looks up from her phone, her shy smile appears like a ray of sunshine on this rainy day.

"My train got canceled because of the weather." She glances back at the torrential rain almost splashing their feet despite the canopy above, and a wince replaces her smile in front of the dark clouds threatening to worsen the storm at any minute. "I guess I'm stuck here."

"I can drive you! I was going home anyway," he suggests so easily, his chocolate eyes shining with kindness.

"Oh–"

"And don't say that you don't wanna bother." His confident tone instantly brings flashbacks of her recent dream in her mind, and of course, the blood is quick to follow to her cheeks as she avoids his piercing gaze.

"Staying alone in that big building during a storm is creepy." He takes a look at the imposing front door, the words 'We serve and protect' almost mocking him as he is once again playing with fire. "With my car, we will fly there in no time."

These arguments and his softer voice make her lift her head, and he is glad to find back the soft hazel in her eyes. "Okay, then..." She bites her lower lip, offering him a smile – if that's a smile, because he's never known a smile could blow him away more than the howling wind around.

"Wait a minute, don't move." He holds up his index finger before running under the pouring rain and leaving her with her mouth open, and too many flashbacks...

It is exactly word for word what he has told her on their first encounter, and she gulps trying to push back the as vivid memories of what has happened after. 

It can never happen again, she reminds herself when Nathaniel is already back with his shiny car, stopping it right in front of her, and a smile tickles her warm cheeks as she notices how close to the building he has pulled over, heroically making sure that not even one raindrop can get to her.

Why does he have to be so irresistible? The door opens before she can even start to consider the question, and she quickly gets in, deciding it is safer to not answer this right now, when she is confined in such a small space with him.

Although the vehicle isn't that small, and inside, it is as modern and gleaming as outside, white soft leather seats welcoming her, along with the typical smell of new expensive cars. From the sparkling white everywhere and all the newest high-tech commands, this car must not be older than six months and probably costs twice her house, she deduces. 

Though she is not one to be impressed by shiny cars and new gadgets; all this modernity and luxe, all this white with only a few touches of shiny light grey here and there reminding the body of the car, it only makes her feel out of place.

If truth be told, she is out of place. She shouldn't be here, and it's all kinds of wrong, knowing everything that has happened between them. Yet she can't help the warm sensation in her stomach, which she puts down as thankfulness for Nathaniel always heroically saving her.

"Natha– Nate," she stammers, the syllables of his full name echoing too much like the moan from that steamy dream, and she even wonders if she will ever be able to pronounce it again.