They don't know 'bout who we are
They don't know 'bout you and I
They ain't know 'bout the stars of your eyes
Oh hot blood love is gonna get ya
Natalie didn't remember, and I was pretending I didn't.
I didn't have to ask to know she had no idea about what happened, I had learned to read her nuances since we were spending so much time together... and her cluelessness on that certain topic was more than clear to me.
She was acting all happy and giggly, something had her in a good mood and I was glad about it. But I still couldn't get out of my head how she just confessed out loud that she liked me. She completely dozed off after it, and the toxins on her system had erased any evidence that last night even happened.
I didn't know how to feel about it. Relieved, maybe? I didn't want to talk about it, which was why I should probably feel allayed about her not knowing. But it actually had me feeling oddly uneasy, what if she denied saying it once she remembered? I didn't want her to take it back, I felt it too.
I liked her.
I liked her and, now that she had said it, I wasn't scared to admit it. Liking someone wasn't a big deal and I knew how to handle it, it just felt different with her. Maybe because she was different herself.
The feeling of not knowing her enough still haunted me. I told her I wanted to get to know her but things happened, how was I supposed to get to know her now? Maybe I would start knowing with time, but this whole fantasy would be over soon. I didn't have much time.
We had a couple more days for the next trade and I was feeling nervous about it, mostly because I had this very weird feeling. I didn't want this to end, I didn't want to go back to my old life and Natalie to go back to hers.
Once you get a taste, by the addiction you'll be chased.
I had been going around in life feeling incomplete without knowing what I was missing. I wanted to feel something, anything. Natalie made me feel things... I liked it. And I wasn't one to let that go just yet, I wanted to prolong the sensation for as long as I could.
Before, I was craving my regular life because I hadn't realized there was nothing to go back to. My life wasn't good enough to be missed, there was absolutely nothing special about it and I was just realizing that I'd much rather stay where I was than go back.
I couldn't say the same about Natalie. I had a faint idea about her having a boyfriend, I was almost sure, which meant she actually had something to go back to instead of choosing me. The thought of it was tormenting me to great extents.
I also had something else in mind... the marijuana had hit me real hard. I didn't even hesitate to smoke it, but I didn't stop to think about what it meant. It was weed, drugs. Fuck, I was way too mesmerized by Natalie that I didn't even consider thinking about the consequences.
After Natalie fell asleep, I carried her to her bed and headed to mine. I couldn't sleep at all though, I tossed and turned till my muscles were sore. And so today, feeling tired was an understatement.
I was attracted to the kitchen when I heard quiet music playing, and I clearly didn't expect to find Natalie swaying to cheery songs at ten in the morning. I didn't know if the word was 'hungover', but she certainly didn't look like it.
There were tenuous bags under her eyes, but she still had a very big smile on her face and she looked so fucking blissful. I had no idea what was making her so happy, maybe it was one of those days where people just want to smile, but I felt really curious about the reason.
I cleared my throat, only to see her turn around slowly and smile wider. I don't know for how long I watched her dance, but her sudden peace of mind made me happy. The whole overthinking that was going on minutes ago was drastically erased.
"Someone's in a good mood today," I arched my eyebrows as she lowered the volume of the music and walked towards me. The height differences had me looking down while she looked up. "Is there a specific reason for it?"
"Nope, not really. I just feel... unfuckwithable," She shook her head with the biggest smile on her face, which she clearly couldn't obliterate.
I chuckled at the word choice because it wasn't the one I was expecting her to use. But unfuckwithable really did seem to suit her state of mind, which was why I decided to go with the flow.
She was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants, matching mine, and a loose black cropped t-shirt. The outfit looked very carefree, as if she was in a hurry when she picked it, but somehow, it still looked great on her. Her hair was messy, so I assumed she had just woken up.
"Unfuckwithable? And why that word?" I laughed under my breath, her laughing back. I liked it when she smiled.
"Why not?" Natalie rebounded playfully, turning off the music completely.
I followed her with my eyes while she walked to the couch and sat there on her usual position: her legs bent over the backrest and her head hanging close to the floor. She was quick and smooth, her flexibility was a very big fucking surprise.
Now she looked tired, as if dancing had worn her out. I was aware she was still on her period, her mood swings were lighter yet still as funny. I didn't know about the cramps though, she hadn't been as open about them. I guessed she was still having them, but I honestly couldn't tell.
My eyes landed on her hand, only because I noticed the lack of all of her rings except for one. The silver rose sat now on her right ring finger, contrasting on her pale skin. I was still pretty much orbiting about the fact we had matching rings without even meaning, it had surprised the fuck out of me when I first noticed.
I also really liked how she would always use the necklace I got her. It was always there. I knew she'd like it from the moment I bought it, but I never expect it to mean that much to her. It glimmered under the lights of the living room, matching her tanned skin perfectly.
I also noticed for the first time a very beautiful bracelet, I had no idea how I hadn't seen it before. It garnished her right hand and it was made out of shiny black beads. There were also tiny stars and colorful beads... and I was slowly understanding its meaning.
Each colorful bead represented a planet in the solar system, Saturn even had its rings. The bracelet reflected Natalie's interest in everything that had to do with the sky, astronomy and cosmology.
I really fucking liked the bracelet, it was so colorful yet so dark and I couldn't even begin to understand how much it represented Natalie. It was childish, but in a good way. She was childish herself, and that was probably one of the things I liked the most about her.
"Are you going to keep staring at me?" Her sudden voice snapped me out of my trance.
"Sorry." I murmured awkwardly, but the only thing she did was laughing lightly under her breath. I sat next to her, my knee leveling her neck since she was still positioned weirdly on the couch.
I took in her appearance once more, examining her features like it was the last time. It was weird how I kept discovering new things about her, both physical and emotional. I had recently noticed how immaculate her skin was, and I wasn't overreacting. There wasn't a single mark on it.
"What do you think is Alex doing right now?"
Her question made me arch my brows, since I clearly didn't expect her to ask something like that. I really couldn't care less about what that asshole was doing right now, his only purpose was to make this more difficult than it already was.
"Alex as in Alex Turner?" I looked down at her, meeting eyes with her hazel ones. They looked really dark today, almost brown.
"Of course, dumbass." She rolled her eyes playfully. "I strongly believe he's jerking himself off."
The bluntness of her statement made me start laughing out loud. I tossed my head on the backrest, feathering my eyes shut. Natalie didn't laugh, though I knew she had one of those cheeky smiles on her face.
"Why on earth would you think that?" I said as my laughter chilled off, looking down to meet her gaze.
"What else would he be doing! Isn't that like the only thing guys do?" She furrowed her brows, throwing her hands in the air while she laughed a bit.
"No! Have you ever met a real guy?" I faked slight anger, though I wasn't able to repress the smile that was threatening to come out.
"Please! Now you'll tell me you've never jerked yourself off." She rolled her eyes once more.
Damn.
"I-I mean, that's not what I'm saying, because I did... you know." I stuttered awkwardly, noticing the sudden change in the atmosphere.
"What? Touched yourself?"
Her eyes were expectant while she stared at me, knowing very damn well how much this conversation was affecting me. I was curious if it was affecting her too, talking about sex was definitely not my forte.
She suddenly incorporated on the sofa, sitting on her knees and facing me. The way she was looking at me was more than intimidating. It felt as though she was waiting for me to do something but yet, I didn't know how the hell I was supposed to react.
Her eyes were almost black now, her pupils dilated enough to cover any trace of hazel or orange on her irises. Her eyebrows were battling up and down, and there was a sly smirk plastered on her lips while she raked her eyes up and down my body.
Oh wow.
"Does this..." She said, placing her hand on the couch in between my spread legs... very close to my crotch but not touching me. "...affect you?"
I'll let you guess, dickhead.
Her hand was dangerously close, making me hold my breath in response. I had no idea why she was teasing me like this, but the proximity was really making me tense. I was curling my toes not to move a single muscle, but something told me she wasn't going to do anything else than this.
"Answer." Was all she said, keeping her free hand on the backrest behind my neck.
"No." I blurted out as quick as I could, though I was a hundred percent sure she wasn't going to buy that.
"Are you sure?" She hovered her lips over mine, making a shaky breath escape my mouth involuntarily.
"Natalie, what the hell are you doing." I stared into her eyes, trying to seem as unaffected as I could. But, to be honest, even keeping my eyes open was coming out as a hard task.
"Leaving." She answered before leaving the couch and walking towards the kitchen.
What the actual fuck.
I was beyond frustrated by now. Her little games had me tired, and she managed to get to me every single fucking time. I knew I could tease her too, but I never did for some reason. She was always the one enjoying the effect she had on me, but I knew very damn well that I had a major effect on her too.
Maybe I would start playing my own little games.
I sprinted towards her and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her backwards towards me. I made sure to press my hips against her ass so she could feel my rock hard erection, and all of this was giving me flashbacks of that afternoon in the beach.
The sudden action made Natalie gasp quietly and then clench his thighs, just like she had done in Barcelona. I kept her close to me, never letting go so she could have a taste of her own medicine.
"Such a tease." I breathed on her ear, noticing as goosebumps erupted all over her skin. "Don't get me wrong, I have all the power here."
And just like that, I pulled away. I didn't turn around to look behind me, but I knew she was clenching her jaw. Counteracting fire with fire was the best option I could ever choose, it improved my mood because I really liked seeing her in that state of exposed vulnerability.
I walked towards the kitchen and drank a glass of water, hydrating my bone dry throat. The limelight of the kitchen reflected on the marble counter, and I still wasn't spotting Natalie approaching me. I was starting to wonder how mad she actually was about the whole teasing thing.
I decided to go look for her upstairs, since she wasn't in the living room either. I started walking up the stairs to her room, but it was empty, so I headed towards the bathroom, which was the only place I could think about.
And there she was... cutting her hair?
Natalie held a pair of big scissors on her hand and she was trimming the edges of her hair up to under her chin. She had a cryptical expression on her face and I couldn't believe what I was seeing, mostly because it didn't fit the atmosphere of what was going on only a couple of minutes earlier.
I knew she had seen me under the doorsill, but she was doing nothing about it. She kept maneuvering the scissors, strands of her jet-black hair falling on the sink, till she reached her forehead. And it surprised the fuck out of me when I noticed she was cutting out bangs.
As the hairstyle started to acquire a shape, I realized it didn't look bad on her. It certainly didn't, she looked so fucking hot, it just had me dumbfounded how out of place this action felt to be. Why suddenly cut her hair? Was she high or just on her period?
I was gawking at her as she finished her new appearance, shaking off the sparse hairs that had fallen on her shoulders over the shirt. I really did like how she looked, but I didn't seem to be able to talk at the moment.
"Close your mouth." Natalie walked past me, not even looking into my eyes and making me snap my mouth closed.
I blinked a couple times before following her down the stairs. She was shaking her hair in waves, and I was surprised by the fact she had another rose tattoo on the nape of her head. It surprised me the amount of tattoos she had... mostly because they were all exactly the same.
I had spotted four of them, but I knew there were more because I had caught a glimpse of them when I saw her in a bikini. They were on the back of her hand, her shoulder, her stomach and, now, the back of her neck.
"You're so weird." I said under my breath as she laid down on the couch, and now I was realizing she had a book on her hand.
The Fault of the Stars.
"I know." Natalie chuckled a bit, and I wasn't sure what that meant.
She was skimming through the pages, probably ready to continue from where she left off. I just stood there, trying to comprehend whatever the hell just happened. We were supposed to be teasing each other, not getting fucking haircuts.
"I had no idea you read." I said, shaking away the stupefaction and sitting down next to her. I guided her to rest her head on my lap, her freshly-cut hair fanning on my thighs.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Harry." She said calmly. The mention of my name with her voice made an odd chill go down my spine, since she somehow managed to barely ever say it.
"You promised I'd get to know you." I complained indirectly, subconsciously braiding a very small strand of her hair.
"I know. And I didn't break my promise," Natalie smiled lightly, making me smile too though I knew she couldn't see me.
Her eyes were fixated on the book as she read quietly. I never expected my heart to skip a beat, my stomach to turn and my eyebrows to furrow at the mention of the following word she pronounced, but it was just so weird when she simply said:
"Yet."