I scowled at her as she raised her eyebrows at me.
“Hey Wade! Whatcha doin?” and she giggled. She giggled! Oh this is not good, this is so not good. I hoped she was not falling for him because Wade was a player. He was my cousin and I loved him but I knew he wasn’t ready to settle down yet. If Nats falls for him she is in for a heart break.
“hmm ok. See ya!”
I grabbed my briefcase and turned to Natasha.
“Ok I am leaving. I have left the spare key on the counter.”
“Ok”
“Hey what will you do today?”
“Its taken care of, Wade is taking me out”
“He is taking you out?”
“Yeah he is free so we decided to meet up.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Dunno we will just go with the flow I guess”
I nodded and started leaving when I felt Natasha’s hand on my elbow.
“All the best. Its your first day” I smiled and said, “Thanks”
She stood on her tip toes and kissed me on my cheek and then shut the door behind me. I slowly raised one hand to where she had kissed me and smiled.
I got into my car and zoomed off to my office. I pulled into the parking lot and felt little knots in my stomach. What if I messed up? I am supposed to lead a team can I? I can’t do this! I felt my hands become clammy and pulled out my phone and dialed the first person I could think of.
“Nats”
“Jude what’s wrong?”
“erm I am scared” She didn’t laugh as I thought she would but instead she said, “Are you serious? You are Jude! I mean the Jude Smith! You aren’t scared of anything, nothing can scare you, hell to me you are everything that symbolizes confidence and self assurance. Now go in there and kick some ass!”
I laughed feeling better already, “Thanks Nats. I am going in and I will kick some ass”
“Way to go Jude!” and she whooped a little, I was already imagining her doing a little victory dance and I chuckled as I hung up. I stared at the elevator doors and took a deep breath, here goes!
Natasha’s P. O. V
I smiled as I hung up. He called me! When he was nervous he called me! Ha! Take that Stephanie McBitch. I was feeling really happy and warm all over and I couldn’t stop smiling. My phone rang again and I picked it and saw it was Wade.
“Are you ready yet?”
“No give me ten minutes”
“Oh come on! I didn’t pin you for one of those girls who take ages to dress!” he groaned.
“Something came up, give me ten minutes. Have you left?”
“Nope I am going for a shower now”
“What the hell are you making so much noise for?” Wade just laughed and hung up. Oh yeah Jude and him were brothers.
Wade showed up after a good two hours. We got into his car and he turned to me, “Where to?”
“ummm Wade, if you don’t mind I’d like to go visit my mother”
“Sure! Why would I mind?”
I just shrugged and looked out of the window. I gave him directions to the nursing home and told him a little about my mother’s condition.
“My mom died when I was 8 so I kinda know how you feel” I turned to look at him in surprise. Sean or Jude had never mentioned that to me.
“Wade! I am so sorry!”
“Its ok, I miss her sometimes though but I have come to terms with it. You know what I love about my dad though?”
“What?”
“He truly loved her. When I asked him to re marry he never did and when I asked him why? He said that my mother was the only woman for him and that he could love no other woman that way. He said that when he died he’d only want to be with her in heaven”
I couldn’t speak, there were tears in my eyes and I felt myself choke up. Would I ever find someone who would love me that much? Would I ever find that kind of love?
“Th-that’s beautiful”
“I know, I for one have never come across any couple like them, have you?”
I nodded and said, “Yes, my parents. Dad died when I was really little and mom never re married. I never asked her why but I knew, I knew she could never love anyone else the way she loved my dad.”
“I hope to find that kind of love you know? I see my dad everyday and it re instates my believe in love”
“Yeah I guess it does” I said with a smile.
“Wade, what if, what if Jude loves Stephanie in the same way?”
Wade’s eyes widened with realization and then he shook his head. “No, Natasha your dad, my mother they were extra ordinary people, they were compassionate, they wouldn’t cheat on their partners and call it a mistake. He couldn’t possibly love someone like that. Nope don’t even compare it.”
I nodded in response. I stared at Wade’s profile, he looked exceptionally good today in jeans and a white shirt. He was wearing ray ban aviators and his wear was the usual pile of mess.
“Natasha?”
“Yeah?”
“Take a picture, it lasts longer!”
I blushed and looked away again. Finally we reached the nursing home. I got out while Wade asked me to ahead as he would park the car and then come. I went inside and asked for the matron. She came and we exchanged pleasantries.
‘How’s mom?”
“Oh she is fine”
“Did she you know was she lucid anytime in between?”
“You know I would’ve called you if she was Natasha”
“Yes well what has she been doing?”
“Well she sleeps most of the time, some time she gets these bouts of depression and if she is in a really good mood she reads or embroiders”
“Really?” I asked smiling, mom loved embroidering. She used to embroider my dresses and pillow covers and bed sheets for me.
“Yes”
“Can I meet her?”
“Oh dear! She just took her medicines and went to sleep”
“Oh its alright. I had to pay her fees and well I’ll just go look at her and leave”
“Well Natasha she gave me something to give you”
I felt my breath catch in my throat. “For me?” I whispered.
“Yes, if you will just come with me”
I followed her to her main office when I heard Wade call out. “Tasha!” I had completely forgotten about him. I motioned for him to follow me. We entered the office and the matron handed me a light blue pillow cover it had the little mermaid embroidered across it. That did it, I couldn’t stop myself and started bawling like a little baby. I broke down while Wade held me patting my back. He let me cry and held me. By the time I had spent all the tears he held out his handkerchief to me. Oh gross I had snot running from my nose, when I couldn’t wipe my nose properly he wiped it for me. He wiped my snotty nose! Where was this boy when I was sitting in the park? Did it have to be the idiot cousin I had to fall in love with? I gazed at him and he smiled back and gave me a glass of water. I looked at him as if willing myself to fall in love with Wade. But try as I may I could not do that. I was irrevocably in love with Jude. You know that tingly feeling you get when you fall in love with someone? Its common sense leaving your body and mine had left me for good.
“Natasha what happened?” asked Wade softly.
“Um mom’s been embroidering”
“So that’s good right?” he asked looking unsure.
“Yes it is” I smiled.
“Then why are you crying?”
“My favorite character from Disney is the Little Mermaid”
Wade blinked a few times before he spoke again, “Sorry I lost you at Disney”
I laughed and showed him the pillow cover.
“oh, she remembers you as a little girl”
I nodded, “Tasha I am so sorry”
“Don’t be, I am fine now, can we leave?”
He nodded, before leaving I stepped into my mother’s room and kissed her on her forehead. She smiled and I froze then relaxed when I realized she had smiled in her sleep.
“I love you mom” I whispered and left.
After that it seemed Wade’s sole purpose was to cheer me up. First he took me to eat ice cream and then we went for lunch. Yeah he said that ice cream would cheer me up faster than food. We went to eat pizza, we ordered and sat back talking about Wade’s work. It seemed he hardly went to office and managed most of the work from home. In a few minutes our food had arrived and we were about to start eating when my phone rang.
“Its Jude”
“Well go ahead and answer!”
“Hullo”
“Natasha you won’t believe how easy it was to talk to the team and assign their work to them.”
“Wow that’s really great!”
“I know right? What have you been doing all day?”
I walked away from the table and told Jude about mom and the pillow cover that she made for me. I left out the part where I bawled my eyes out. I was about to hang up hen Wade come up from behind.
“Natasha I have something important to tell you”
“What’s wrong Wade?” I asked looking at his serious expression
“I need to tell you something”
“What is it?”
“Natasha I think I am falling for you”