CHAPTER FOUR
I looked out the window as the car rushed past everything. It was starting to get dark, it had been cloudy all day so it got dark earlier than usual. I could see the other cars as they passed by us.
My dad didn't even let me go back to the house to get some clothes. He didn't care where I wanted to go-he just wanted me to go away.
"Just while we find the shooter." My dad had promised me.
That could take weeks. I didn't want to be stranded in some cabin, hiding with Nathan. While the idea was tempting, I decided to just go to Miami. It had been a long time since I had seen Patrick and I missed him. The problem was that my dad didn't think it was a good idea to fly. He insisted we drove the whole way. In my opinion, that wasn't the safest way to get out but my dad seemed so scared and desperate, I just agreed to everything he said.
As Nathan drove, I was starting to regret it. How long does it take to drive to Miami from New York? I took out my phone and googled it.
19h and 1m
Adding a few gas stops and food stops, it would take about a day to get there. A day alone with my bodyguard. That I kissed. I glanced at him. He actually looked serious as he drove, I thought he even looked angry. His jacket was off and so was his tie. He had the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows. A few of his bangs had fallen over his forehead, giving him that bad boy look.
I looked away.
I started freaking out. I was alone with him. Just him and I. For one whole day. I can't run, I can't walk away from him. He was supposed to be with me 24/7, I was there when my dad gave him the order.
I took a few deep breaths.
Ok, Hannah, calm down.
"Hannah?"
"What?" I didn't even realize he had been talking.
"I asked you if you were alright?" he asked glancing at me through the rearview mirror. His green eyes seemed darker.
"Uh, yeah." I murmured looking out the window.
Thankfully, he didn't press it. I was glad he was driving, it meant he had to focus on doing that. I leaned my head on the window and closed my eyes, trying to get some sleep but I couldn't. I could feel Nathan glancing at me a few times but I didn't look at him. When I checked the time, only two hours had passed since we left the hospital.
Now that I knew that Nick was going to be okay, I realized that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. My appetite was back
"I'm hungry." I announced.
I could see Nathan half smiling. He seemed more relaxed. "I'll get out the next exit."
I watched as he kept moving to the left until he reached the last lane and got out. There was a fast food restaurant and I told Nathan we could just eat there. When he parked, I didn't wait for him to open the door and just got out.
It was a chilly night and I crossed my arms in my chest, then I felt Nathan place a sweater on my shoulders. I realized it was mine. I frowned. This was in my closet this morning.
"Your father sent me to get pack you some clothes." Nathan explained.
I blushed. He saw my underwear. My grandmother underwear.
Nathan chuckled. "Just another secret I'll keep." He teased as if reading my mind.
"Who do you think shot Nick?" I asked him as he opened the door for me and eager to change the subject.
He shrugged. "I have no idea. Your family has a lot of influences but they are not always good. Especially Nick. There will always be people who are willing to hurt others because they want what they have."
The restaurant was packed and I stood next to Nathan, trying to fit in. I didn't want him to look like a bodyguard. I didn't want people to look at me. We stood in line and I looked up at him. "So you think someone envied Nick?"
He nodded. "Or someone wanted to hurt your father. There are infinite possibilities." He looked at me. "You can't be angry at your dad for trying to protect you."
I bit my lower lip. "Do you think I'm in danger?"
He stared at me for a moment. He still looked pretty serious. "I think it's better to be safe than sorry."
I nodded slowly, looking away. "Okay."
We waited in line in silence. It seemed to take forever before we reached it. After we ordered, we sat down on one of the booths. The people that were there were just leaving and I silently thanked them. I was tired of standing up.
I didn't waste time and bit off the cheeseburger as soon as I sat down. I knew I was eating fast but I didn't care, I was too hungry. Before I knew it, the cheeseburger was gone and only the fries were left.
"So," Nathan said. "How are you?"
I frowned at his question. "Okay?" He had asked me that a hundred times from the moment we left the hospital.
"Really?"
"Why do you say it like that?" I asked dipping some fries in the ketchup and then putting them in my mouth.
"Because I know you." He said with a shrug.
"No, you don't." I said suddenly feeling annoyed.
"I do." He said sounding confident.
"You are my bodyguard, Nathan, we've rarely talked. This-" I said waving my index finger between him and I. "-is the most we've talked."
"But I notice everything about you." He said looking at me with his intense, green eyes.
I looked down then back up at him. "Enlighten me." I said crossing my arms in my chest.
He leaned in over the table. "You only have one friend, Patrick. You talk to people at school but you don't really hang out with them. You read in your free time. You love drawing, you're really good by the way. You used to laugh at everything, don't try to deny it. You used to always complain about it. But that changed after..." he trailed off.
I was speechless. I didn't know what to say or think. I knew he probably didn't mean it that way but that was the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. And of course, I would find it romantic.
Leo never noticed anything about me. I guess it made sense, before Leo, Nathan was always with me. He had to, it was his job. It just never occurred to me that he noticed things.
"After Leo." I finished for him. "It's okay."
"I know you don't like talking about it." He said slowly.
"Thank you for reminding me that I'm a loner by the way." I joked, trying to lighten the mood. Whether I liked it or not, I was stuck with Nathan for the next day, the last thing I wanted was to make things awkward between us. "And you're also a creep."
He chuckled. "It's not like I had a choice."
"Geez. Sorry for being such a burden." I said, making him roll his eyes at me. My phone rang then. It was Colton. I had asked him to keep me posted on Nick. Everything was fine. He still hadn't opened his eyes but the doctor said he was stable and would be okay.
"Nick is going to be okay." I said then frowned as I put my phone down. "You know, I hadn't seen Colton since the wedding. Isn't it sad that something like this has to happen for my family to come together?"
"At least you'll know they'll be there if something happens." Nathan said.
I frowned. "Why do you always do that?"
"Do what?"
"Look at the bright side of things. It's annoying."
He chuckled. "Sorry for being an optimist?"
"I think it's better to look at things the way they are: black and white. It hurts less that way." I said quietly looking down at the table.
"But the world isn't black and white." He said softly. "There are colors everywhere...You are a color, Hannah." He cleared his throat. "Everyone is."
I looked up at him and moved my head to the side. "Why are you always so nice to me?"
He half smiled. "I know you've been hurting and I've made it my mission to make you smile again."
I didn't say anything and I was glad he didn't either. Nathan talked too much sometimes and he said things that made my heart flutter and that was dangerous. We finished eating in silence and then headed back to the car. Except for the car's headlights, the road was dark ahead of us. It almost looked like the scene of a scary movie.
I didn't know how much time passed or how it happened but Nathan was driving straight ahead when something hard hit the car.