Chapter 20 - "Who's Louisa?"
I was woken up by the feel of Nathan's lips planting kisses all over my face. Groaning, I rolled away from him.
"That's nice," he commented. He grabbed my hip and effortlessly pulled me back. "I was only saying good morning."
"You were trying to wake me up," I corrected.
"Well I'm sorry if I didn't resort to your dirty methods," he smirked.
I was too sleepy to be embarrassed. "Are you trying to wake me up so we can have another early start?"
"No," he said. "I'm wide awake. I've been awake for nearly an hour, watching you sleep and hoping you'd wake up. But you remained fast asleep so I decided I needed to speed up the process."
"Thanks," I said dryly. "But you're a grown man. I'm sure you can find ways to entertain yourself."
"Nah," he smirked. "All my favourite methods of entertainment involve you."
I rolled my eyes, trying not to become irritated in my sleep-deprived state. But Nathan's hands all over my naked legs were suddenly very distracting.
"Do you know how difficult it is for me to lie next to you naked?" he asked me. "Because it's really difficult."
"Put your clothes on then," I suggested.
"No..." he said slowly. "It's difficult that you're naked. Not me."
Nathan clearly wasn't going to let up, and the more he nattered on next to me, touching me, making suggestive comments, the harder it was for me to drift back off to sleep.
"What time is it?" I asked instead.
"It's eight thirty."
"Eight thirty?" I gasped, horrified. "Nathan!"
"What?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Clearly you don't have any 9am lectures. I'd be at work by now."
"But we're not at work," I moaned. "We're on holiday."
He simply grinned at me. "So, now you're awake-"
I groaned and smacked him round the head with the pillow. "Waking up a sleeping girl is a risky thing to do," I warned him, but the more I was gaining consciousness, the less moody I felt.
"What do you want to do today?" Nathan asked me.
"Apart from having a lie-in?" I shot back with a sweet smile.
He shot me a sarcastic smile back. "You need to sort out your sleeping pattern, Bella...who knows how many lectures you've been skiving because of your strong desire for sleep."
"I've attended every single lecture, thank you," I said smartly. "Well, apart from Friday's lectures...but I had a good reason."
"Very true," he smirked. "But, back to my question, did you want to explore Paris more or just spend the rest of the day in here...?"
As I considered his question, I pulled myself up into a sitting position, rubbing my eyes. Then I swung my legs over the side of the bed so I had my back to him, slowly building up to getting out of bed and taking a shower. After a long day exploring Paris, plus last night's activities, I felt especially dirty.
"As much as I feel like we should take advantage of being in Paris," I told him, staring out of the window from where I sat, "This trip was about our anniversary. I'm more than happy to just waste the day away in here with you."
From where he lay, Nathan trailed his index finger gently down the length of my spine. I involuntarily shuddered at his touch. The room wasn't cold, but it wasn't overly warm either. My lack of clothes probably added to how chilly I was feeling, but Nathan's hands always made me shudder.
"I'll make sure it's not a waste of a day..." he said suggestively, now tracing patterns on my lower back. "I'd forgotten how nice it is to wake up beside you."
Seeing Nathan's shirt on the floor next to my feet, I bent down to pick it up, and then I glanced over my shoulder to smile at him.
"Likewise," I agreed, slipping the shirt on and pulling my hair free so that it cascaded down my back. I wrapped the shirt around myself, already feeling warmer now that my naked skin wasn't exposed. Whilst I did up the bottom few buttons, my mind wandered off on one of its many train of thoughts. Wearing your man's shirt was definitely something that mainly happened in the movies. I wasn't trying to be sexy right now; I was trying to keep warm. But how many girls had worn his shirt after sex? Was Louisa one of them?
After lying awake for hours last night, thinking who on Earth Louisa could possibly be, I'd decided not to bring it up this weekend. This was about us. It was our anniversary weekend and Nathan had put a lot of effort into it. I wasn't going to ruin it by bringing up a girl who probably had no significance to him. It was a dream. It could be anyone. She might not even exist. I might have completely misunderstood things.
"I'm going to take a shower," I told Nathan, standing up.
"Don't be too long," he smiled. "I'm going to be thinking about you in that shirt the whole time you're in there..."
As I stood in the shower with the steaming hot water pouring over my body, I reflected on Nathan's behaviour. He was a lot more full-on this morning than normal. But thinking back, when was the last time we'd spent a weekend together than was dedicated solely to the two of us? When was the last time we'd been completely alone? Plus I couldn't deny that our romance was becoming a lot more intense. Not seeing each other as often, beginning to explore sex, plus a weekend away to celebrate our anniversary...it definitely added to our attraction.
When I returned to the bedroom, Nathan was still lying in the bed, with the sheets tangled around his body in such a way that not much was left to the imagination. I'd never get used to the sight of him naked, how perfect and chiselled his body was, with his rippling muscles and golden skin. I'd also never work out why someone like him was interested in me. I was plain. Nothing special. Probably nothing like the girls he was used to...like Louisa maybe. Although I had absolutely no doubt that he loved me, after everything we'd been through I couldn't possibly doubt it, I just couldn't help but just wonder how much of that was pure chance.
As I headed back over to the bed, I noticed something else. His eyes were shut. That bastard better not have fallen back asleep! Climbing into bed, I draped my arm over his rock hard stomach and let my fingers trace his abs.
"Are you asleep?" I asked him. "Because shit is gonna go down if you are..."
He didn't reply, but lay there silently, his chest rising up and down with his breathing. Scowling to myself, I stopped admiring his body, deciding that I wasn't going to give him anymore satisfaction. But I couldn't help it. Although I was getting used to not seeing Nathan every day, I still savoured every second we were together.
Suddenly, Nathan's eyes shot open, and before I even had time to jump in surprise, he'd rolled swiftly on top of me, pinning me down.
"Just teasing," he winked.
For a few seconds, I relished the feel of his hard body on top of mine. But as I thought about it, my previous thoughts of his past came rushing back to me.
"Can I ask you something?" I said quietly.
He sensed my tone of voice immediately, and his playful smile disappeared. Instead, he rolled off me and lay on his side, propping his head up on his elbow.
"You can ask me anything, Bella."
"Why me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Nathan frowned as he looked at me. "Why you what?"
"Why were you interested in me?" I clarified.
He laughed slightly. "We've had this conversation so many times..."
"Yeah, I know. But I was just thinking about it earlier in the shower. You once said that it was my stubbornness that attracted you to me. If I hadn't been so stubborn then do you think we'd still be here now?"
"I'd hope so," he answered instantly. "I can't imagine this last year without you. I can't imagine a future without you."
"But-"
"Things happen for a reason, Bella," he interrupted. "My whole life has been like that. I mean, if I wasn't such a bad-boy in my school years, then my father probably wouldn't have forced me to go to Italy. If Georgia hadn't been involved with that boy who seemed so similar to me at the time, then she wouldn't have gotten pregnant and it wouldn't have shocked me into changing. If I hadn't have changed, then I wouldn't have wasted so much time getting to know you. I'd have moved onto easier targets. You could easily say that all that stuff happened in order to enable me to fall in love with you."
"Do you really think like that?" I asked quietly, as I stared absentmindedly across the room.
"Yeah. I'm a strong believer in all that. Don't you?"
"I'd like to think stuff happened like that," I murmured, snuggling closer.
"Well we're here now anyway," he said, kissing my forehead. "That's all that matters."
"Yeah," I agreed. "That's all that matters."
-
Nathan and I spent the remainder of our time in Paris swapping between cuddling on the bed, and packing away our things. Our flight back was early evening since neither of us wanted a late night. Despite getting such a lot done this weekend, and visiting so many places, it felt like we'd barely arrived in Paris before we were leaving.
Despite it being a short flight, I still managed to fall asleep, and was woken up by the sensation of the plane landing. Nathan squeezed my hand, encouraging me to wake up properly.
"How much sleep does one person need?" he teased as we disembarked the plane.
"It's been a tiring weekend," I replied. "Such a great one though. Thank you again, Nathan."
"You don't have to keep thanking me," he laughed. "It's not like it was a present just for you."
I still couldn't help but feel guilty though. Nathan often went out of his way for me, and it only drew attention to just how well he treated me. I hoped I made him as happy as he made me.
By the time we arrived back at my flat, after a long drive through rush hour, it had gone seven o'clock.
"Are you tired?" I asked Nathan. He'd pulled into the parking space and was sitting with his hands still resting on the steering wheel, staring absentmindedly across the car park.
"No," he replied, his eyes snapping back onto mine. "Why?"
"I was just wondering if you wanted to help me unpack," I suggested. "I don't know about you, but I'm not quite ready for the weekend to end yet..."
He smiled and reached across to give me a small, sweet peck on the lips. "Me neither, Bella. I'll happily help you."
When we entered the flat, I was surprised to see that everyone's doors were shut. That was unusual. We always left our doors open. Perhaps they'd all gone down to the bar or something. As we passed Jack's room, I suddenly remembered our unresolved issues and shuddered slightly. It was a conversation that I was not looking forward to. It seemed so long ago now, despite it only being a few days.
"It's quiet," Nathan commented as I unlocked my bedroom door. "It's never quiet."
"I reckon they've all gone out somewhere," I murmured, pushing open my door and holding it until Nathan had passed through. Then I let it swing shut. No need to keep it open if nobody else was home.
Nathan seemed to have an indispensable amount of energy, as he even managed to turn unpacking into a playful activity.
"Oh, we never used this," he commented, pulling the blindfold out of the suitcase.
"Never mind," I replied. "There's always the next special occasion."
He laughed. "Oh, Bella...you do make me smile."
For some reason, and I wasn't sure why, but that sentence made me have a flashback to last night. Who was Louisa? Could I seriously carry on as if I didn't care? Nathan and I had worked out that honesty was always going to be the best policy with this relationship nowadays. So I was going to be honest, in the hope he'd be honest back. I was sure it was nothing, so it would at least put my mind at rest.
"Who's Louisa?" I asked him, keeping my tone light and conversational.
"Louisa?" he repeated, just as conversationally. "My assistant?"
His equally light tone suggested that he didn't think it strange that I'd brought it up. His lack of suspicion was comforting in a way.
"I don't know," I shrugged.
"Oh, well that's my assistant's name."
"I don't think you ever told me her name," I said.
He shrugged, not seeming at all bothered. "Probably not. I try to leave work at work. And I don't suppose I've ever had any need to bring her up. So how do you know her name then if it's not from me?"
"You kept saying it in your sleep last night."
"Oh God," he laughed. "Talk about bringing your work on holiday with you."
He didn't seem on edge at all, or guilty. Clearly he didn't think saying her name was a big deal, which suggested that it probably wasn't a big deal. I was overthinking things as usual.
"Do I often talk in my sleep?" he asked, cocking his head to the side in interest.
I shook my head. "That's the first time I've heard you."
"Hmm," he considered. "I don't think I even remember what I was dreaming about."
"You mentioned my name too," I added.
"Oh, well I was probably dreaming about you then. I often do."
The thought that Nathan dreamt about me a lot distracted me from my secret interrogation about Louisa.
"Both me and Louisa?" I asked. And I gave him a teasing smile, hoping that it would fool him into admitting if his dream had contained anything untoward.
"I don't remember dreaming about Louisa. But if I was, then it was probably a nightmare about her ruining our holiday with emails about work. I told her before I left that I didn't want to get any work this weekend, you see," he explained.
Nothing about Nathan's body language or tone of voice suggested that he was lying. What had Matt done to me? He was making me doubt the person I trusted most. I suddenly felt guilty for even considering that something had happened between Nathan and Louisa. Assuming the worst was natural after what happened with Matt, but Nathan was different. He spent most of his life showing me how much he loved me. He'd bought a trip to Paris. How could I ever think that he might have had an indiscretion with someone else?
"Have you made plans for Christmas yet?" he asked me.
"I already told you that I can't come to Italy," I reminded him regretfully, pulling a dress out of my suitcase and then reaching inside my wardrobe for a coat hanger.
"No, I know you did," he said. "But what do you usually do for Christmas?"
I felt like there was a point to this conversation but I answered his question regardless.
"Well, I spend Christmas morning at home with my parents. And then we go over to my grandma's house for Christmas lunch. We spent a few hours there. And then my dad's side of the family come over to our house for a buffet style meal in the evening."
"So it's a big family thing then?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"
"I had a crazy suggestion. But it probably won't work out."
"Go on," I encouraged. "Humour me."
"Well you said you couldn't come to Italy for Christmas because of your family. So I was going to suggest your parents came with you."
I froze where I was, and simply stared at him. "Have you even run that idea by your family?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Not specifically. But they've mentioned about inviting your family over at some point. Christmas seems like an ideal time. But obviously if it's something you do with more distant relatives then it's not really feasible. Like you said, they'll want to see you at Christmas..."
My mind was already trying to work out the logistics, thinking of a way to satisfy all my family and still be able to go to Italy.
"Would you have room for my parents?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "They'd stay in the fancy guest room, and you'd share with me."
"I'll mention it," I told him. "It's probably my grandma who'd have an issue with it."
"Cool," he smiled. "I know it's short notice but I just thought it would be a great Christmas..."
"It would," I agreed.
Nathan had completely and utterly distracted me now. I couldn't concentrate on unpacking. My mind was full of fantasies of spending Christmas in Italy with Nathan.
"I'll come visit next weekend," Nathan then said, giving me yet another thing to look forward to.
"Here?"
"Yes, here," he smirked. "Where else?"
"You don't have to do that. I really don't mind coming to you."
"No, it's fine," he assured me. "I fancy a night out. As long as you last past midnight this time and don't try to tear my clothes off when we get back."
"Oh shut up," I smirked. "I'm not getting that drunk again. I trust you to look after me."
"Bella, I did look after you. But I can't control how much you drink without being excessively controlling."
"It was just the drinking game," I said. "I won't participate next time."
"Lack of participation is what got you so drunk," Nathan reminded me. "Clearly you need to learn to be better."
"Nathan, I'm at university. I have better things to learn about."
"Like Italian?" he asked, with a crooked smile. And then he grabbed my waist and pulled me roughly against his body.
"Like Italian," I agreed with a smile, and then I stood up on my tiptoes and reached to kiss him.
It had been a pretty perfect weekend, if we ignored the argument and forgot about Nathan talking to another girl in his sleep. And like most nights, I went to sleep wondering about how I'd earned myself such a wonderful boyfriend. This weekend might be over, but I was already looking forward to the next one.
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