Chapter 15
Nathan turned the video camera on Cathreese just as she shoved a piece of Pop-Tart in her mouth the next morning. "So Cathreese, my fair companion, what has been your favorite part of our adventure so far?"
She chewed slowly to give herself time to think. Dancing with him last night was most definitely her favorite part but she wasn't sure if she should say that.
"Be honest," Nathan prompted. "If everything has sucked then let me know."
Cathreese swallowed, "Dancing with you last night."
Nathan looked surprised, "That was your favorite thing? Dancing with me? We could have done that at home."
Cathreese just shrugged as she broke of another piece of her breakfast, "You said be honest."
"Okay, rewording the question. What was your favorite adventure worthy thing we did?"
Cathreese didn't feel like changing her answer, "Dancing with you."
Nathan lowered the camera in exasperation, "That wasn't an adventure."
"It was my first slow dance," she said simply, nibbling at the crust of her Pop-Tart. "It was an adventure to me."
"What's-his-face never danced with you?" Nathan shut off the camera and hopped up onto the counter, his heels knocking into the cabinet door. "Why not?"
"I never danced with him," Cathreese corrected. "I never wanted to."
"Why?" Nathan looked intrigued. "I thought you guys were really serious."
"Maybe I lied a little bit about the nature of our relationship," Cathreese kept her eyes on the crumbs she was stabbing with her finger. "All we ever did was kiss. And not that much."
"For three years?
"He never actually liked me. He just dated me because I was his best friend growing up. And I was 'hot'." Cathreese used air quotes and a distained expression when she said Caiden's favorite word to describe her. "I think he had another girlfriend."
Nathan spoke up immediately, "He was obviously stupid then. And blind."
"Huh?"
"He was an idiot to let someone like you go. And hot is a word better used for hookers and sluts, not nice, gorgeous girls like you. It's completely different. Hot is usually used if you just want to get in someone's pants."
Cathreese wasn't sure what to point out first; that Caiden had never once attempted to get in her pants or the fact that Nathan had called her hot himself.
She went with the second one.
"You called me hot. After you ran away from me on Tuesday."
"First, I didn't run away. And second, I just called you hot cause I was embarrassed about telling you something you didn't want to hear and I needed a way to play it off like it was no big deal. Hence the hot." He lifted the whipped cream can he got from the fridge to his lips and squirted the white foam into his mouth. He didn't seem embarrassed to be telling her this now. He acted like it was no big deal as he wiped some cream off his upper lip. "I apologize for degrading you like that. It was rude of me."
"Okay."
"Now ask me." He hopped off the counter and shoved the camera into her hands.
Cathreese stood a few feet in front of him and lined the camera up so she could see his face in the screen. "Nathan what was your favorite part of our trip so far?"
"Last night." That was all he said. He never specified which part of last night he had enjoyed. Was it the dancing? The talking? The star gazing? The slow walk home? "But mostly you."
"What?"
"You," he looked at her, his face so open and trusting. "Being here with you, just being around you all the time. That's what I like best."
Cathreese shut off the camera, cursing herself for not saying being able to spend every second with him as her answer. That would have been true too.
"I like talking to you. You listen to me and I feel like you understand me." His solitary dimple flashed. "You make me feel special."
Cathreese was never sure what she should say at moments like these. Should she tell him that she loved being around him too? That sometimes when he looked at her she felt as if she was the only girl in the world? She decided to put on a teasing tone just in case, "You are special Natey."
Nathan laughed at the stupid nickname. "Thank you Ree Ree." He had modified her nickname. She thought Ree Ree sounded a lot cuter, especially with his lilting French accent. He made everything adorable.
"Want to go to a museum today?" Nathan sucked some whipped cream off his finger as he stared at her. "Then we can feel smart."
"Again?."
"Nope. Another museum." Nathan shoved the whipped cream back in the fridge. "Why would we go back there? We're banned, remember?"
"Right. I forgot."
"We'll head off to the writer's museum."
***
***
Nathan bounced on his toes as he looked around the room and Cathreese knew he was resisting the urge to talk. A few people had already yelled at him for being too loud inside the museum. The poor kid was a bundle of energy and he had no way to release it in the stuffy building.
"Ree? Do you mind if we leave?" Nathan's eyes were pleading and she knew he needed to get out of there before he exploded.
"Not at all." They slipped away from the group and emerged onto the sidewalk.
"It's beautiful out." Nathan threw back his head and showed his face to the rays of sun beating down on the cobblestoned streets. "Let's just walk around out here for a while."
Cathreese agreed, by this time knowing Nathan's walking pattern. She tried to match it as they took off down the streets, but she still couldn't master the skip he did unconsciously every fifth step. In Cathreese's opinion it might just have been the cutest thing in the world, but she didn't want to point it out to Nathan in case he tried to make himself stop. She thought it made him seem very lively, like a small firecracker. It gave the impression that he could break out into a jig at any second and Cathreese loved it.
"Why are you skipping?"
Cathreese hadn't notice Nathan watching her and she blushed, slowing down to a normal walk. "Sorry."
"Don't be." He grinned, "It was cute." Suddenly Nathan's attention slipped elsewhere and he noticed a walking tour. "Hey Ree want to join their tour?"
"Are we allowed?"
"Act like you belong and no one will suspect a thing. Come on." He hurried towards the group and she followed close on his heels. Nathan slipped seamlessly into their tight group, nodding along to whatever the tour guide was saying. Cathreese held back, certain she would get in trouble if someone noticed her.
"That's a pretty bracelet you have there Ma'am." Nathan smiled at the lady walking next to him as he complimented her in a loud American accent.
She looked pleasantly surprised, "Why thank you honey. My husband got it for me for our tenth anniversary."
"Cathreese darling," Nathan called out in a sickly sweet voice, "if you don't walk faster you're going to get lost." Then he turned back to the lady, "It's my girlfriend and I's first time here. Have you ever been?"
The lady smiled at the pair of them as Cathreese caught up, "It's my first time too sweetie. Are you enjoying the tour so far?"
Nathan nodded, slipping his hand into Cathreese's. "Yes, very much so."
"Good," the woman beamed at them. "I love to see teenagers learning about the world they live it. It's so great to be well rounded."
"I completely agree. Don't you pumpkin?" Nathan elbowed Cathreese in the stomach as his eyes prompted her to speak.
"Oh yes, foreign culture is very important to me." Cathreese was still trying to get over the shock of Nathan holding her hand. His fingers were soft and fit with her smaller ones perfectly.
"Wonderful," the lady was looking at the pair of them as if she could just gobble them up. "And aren't you two just the most gorgeous couple ever? You're a lucky girl sweetie." The lady winked at Cathreese then whispered something to Nathan that Cathreese heard anyway, "And I hope you treat her like the princess she is."
"Yes ma'am." Nathan nodded, "She's my everything."
"Now isn't that just the sweetest?" The woman pinched Nathan's cheek, "Ya'll take care now."
Then she moved up towards the front of the group to ask the tour guide a question.
Cathreese extracted her fingers from Nathan's grasp, "Glad to hear you're enjoying the tour boyfriend."
He smiled at her, "You hesitated. I needed to make you feel like you fit in."
"How was chatting up that lady supposed to make us fit?"
"Because," Nathan stopped as the group started taking pictures in front of the Arc de Triomphe, "she'll remember us. And if anyone says we aren't supposed to be here she will stand up for us. I made a lasting impression in her mind by giving her a compliment. And you made an impression with your pretty face." His tone oozed 'duh.'
They spent the rest of the day trotting around with the excitable tourists who all thought they were just adorable. The other members of the group had eaten them up just as the first lady had and Cathreese had to admit Nathan was good. Not one person questioned the fact that they didn't quite seem to belong.
***
***
Cathreese had just been about to drift to sleep when Nathan's voice startled her awake. "Was my hand sweaty this afternoon Ree?"
"N-no." The question confused her and she tended to stuttered if she was caught off guard.
"Then why did you pull away so fast?"
"I don't, I don't..."
Nathan's sleepy voice cut her off, "Cause I wouldn't have minded one bit if you kept it there a longer."
She was still trying to think of a response when his even breathing told her he was fast asleep.
***
***
Nathan was gone when Cathreese woke up the next morning and a note with his loopy handwriting was resting on the coffee table.
Good morning Ree Ree,
Hope you slept well. I'm at the airport. If you want to come by that's cool, but it will be pretty boring. Either way I hope you have a great day.
-Nathan
Cathreese dressed quickly and headed into the kitchen, figuring on grabbing a bite to eat before meeting Nathan at the airport.
Nathan's cousin was sitting at the table, "Hello Cathreese."
"Hi." She headed over to the fridge to grab some orange juice when he spoke up again.
"Has Nathan taken you to Cafe de FLore yet?"
Cathreese shook her head and the next thing she knew they were being shown to a table in a coffee shop. Nathan's cousin insisted they had the best breakfast ever and after trying it Cathreese had to agree. Because of the unexpected detour she arrived at the airport later than she expected to.
She wasn't surprised to find that Nathan wasn't alone.
Cathreese spotted him on the other side of the room, sitting in a chair as a girl with her hands on her hips stood above him. Nathan's head was down and the girl in front of him seemed angry. Cathreese took a few steps closer and she suddenly realized that it was Kylie.
Nathan looked up and noticed Cathreese. His eyes, which looked hollow and tired, sparked to life. Kylie saw the small smile spreading on her face and she spun around, locking her sights on Cathreese. If looks could kill Cathreese would be a goner.
Cathreese froze for a second then hurried over to them. She could tell that Kylie was about to explode and Cathreese didn't want the whole airport hearing.
"You slut!" Kylie screeched, her voice bouncing of the walls. "How could you? I thought we were friends, yet here you are traveling the whole freaking country with my boyfriend. What the hell Cathreese? I freaking hate you, you're even worse than my mum." Even Kylie's pretty accent couldn't hide the harsh sting of her words.
Cathreese took a deep breath, fingering the iPod in her pocket. She hated controversy, hated yelling, and hated when people didn't get along. When things went downhill, she usually turned up The 1975 as loud as she could and hid away from the world until it was over. Their songs helped her cool down in rough situations.
But today she was the one being yelled at, she couldn't just stick her headphones in her ears and pretend that this wasn't happening. For once she had to face the fight head on.
"Kylie," she started in her most friendly tone, "you're completely overreacting."
"Don't tell me what I'm doing, slut." Kylie took a step towards Cathreese, raising her hand as if she was about to slap her.
Nathan jumped up but Cathreese shook her head slightly at him, indicating that he shouldn't get involved.
"Nathan's not your boyfriend anymore. You broke up with him remember?"
"Of course I remember." Kylie mocked Cathreese. "Doesn't mean you get to come here and steal him."
"One, he doesn't belong to you." Cathreese was struggling to keep her voice neutral. "Two, we're just friends. And three, if I wanted to be more than that, you wouldn't be stopping me."
The two girls were glaring at each other, Kylie with hate and Cathreese with anger. She didn't actually hate her cousin; she just disliked her at the moment. They used to be really close, even living in two different worlds, but they had fallen out in the past year. Cathreese especially didn't like the way Ky had treated Nathan.
"Stay away from him."
"Why Kylie? Why do I have to stay away from him? Do you think he's going to go running back into your arms if I leave? Because you and I both know that won't happen. He deserves someone a lot better than you."
"Oh you think he deserves you?" Kylie spit the words at Cathreese.
"No, he deserves better than me. He's the most amazing, sweetest, and perfect person I have ever met. Neither of us can compare to him. Maybe once upon a time he was enamored by you, but those days are long gone. He knows he can do better. I don't delusion myself by thinking that someone is me. I know I couldn't hold a candle to him."
Kylie clapped very slowly and sarcastically. "Good show Cathreese. That should earn you what? A nice make out session?"
"No," Cathreese looked confused.
"Oh please. Nathan eats that stuff up. Tonight he'll be all 'I don't deserve you baby, you're the amazing one.'" Kylie scoffed loudly. "Don't act like that's not why you said it."
"I already told you, we're not dating. And I don't make out with guys that I'm not dating." Cathreese crossed her arms over her chest. "I said it because it's true."
"Whatever." Kylie laughed meanly. "Fine, I don't care. Have a nice life you two. Fu..."
"Excuse me? Is everything okay over here?" A security guard with a heavy French lilt was standing in front of them and he did not look one bit happy. "I'm going to have to ask you girls to leave."
Kylie brushed passed Cathreese, knocking her off balance as Ky drove her shoulder into Cathreese's arm. She stormed out the doors before Cathreese could even react.
The security guard took Cathreese's arm and guided her towards the door as Nathan called after them. "Wait!"
Cathreese turned but the man kept going forward, "Come on Miss. You have to leave."
Nathan caught up with them, "I can take it from here sir."
The man nodded, "Thank you Nathan."
The two of them walked outside in silence before Cathreese asked the question on the tip of her tongue. "How did that guy know your name?"
"I've been coming here every weekend since I was 12. Everybody knows who I am."
"Oh."
Nathan rubbed his nose, "Did you mean that stuff you said? About me?"
"Of course."
He smiled at her, "You're wrong you know."
"About what?"
"About me being too good for you. You're the amazing one."
"Thanks."
With that Nathan seemed to put the Kylie incident behind them, "You smell like coffee."
"Your cousin took me to de Flore's."
Nathan nodded thoughtfully, "I knew I was forgetting something. Did you like it?"
"It was great."
"What do you say we head back to the apartment and have a movie marathon?"
"Don't you want to go back inside?" Cathreese indicated the airport behind them. She still didn't know why he came every weekend but he'd been doing it for years and she didn't want to take him away.
Nathan looked torn now that she had given him permission to return. She shoved him lightly, "Go. I can take care of myself for the day."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Now go do whatever it is you do every weekend."
Nathan took a step backwards, a lopsided smile spreading over his face. "Have I ever told you that I like you Ree Ree?"
"It's been implied," she grinned at him. Then before she even realized what happened his arms were around her. It was the second time they had hugged and it was even better than the first. She squeezed him back tightly and did her best to burn ever millisecond of the hug into her memory.
"See you later Ree." Nathan gave her one last grin before he loped back towards the airport.
"Bye Nathan," Cathreese whispered even though she knew he couldn't hear her. Were things going to be different now? Were they going to become more than just friends? Or would everything stay the same, both of them pretending today hadn't happened? Cathreese didn't know what she wanted, but she knew she would accept either fate.
Because either way, Nathan was still hers.
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Author's Note: Why do you think Nathan always go to the airport every weekend? hmmm...
Sorry for the delay. I typed this chapter in my phone because my laptop got busted so I apologize if there are any mistakes.
Anyway, today was my first day in college and I survived it! Yay me! :D
Last thing guys, I just want to inform you that book cover requests are closed. I just don't have the time for them since I'm going to focus on my studies now. Book requests are still open though but it's going to be limited.
Votes and comments for this story are very much appreciated!
Have a wonderful week ahead lovelies! xx
- C o o k i e :)