Nate’s POV
It’s been almost three weeks since the police arrested big D. They said one of his closet associates outed him and got him arrested at his hideout. Rex on the other hand was badly injured and is at a hospital.
Detective Mason told me to stay put for a while, so they could see if someone would come after me. Since then, I’ve been hiding at a crappy motel. He called me a week ago saying that the coast is clear, so he sent police escorts with me and I went home.
I’ve been home for a week and I’ve not been able to speak to Tory. Apparently, she never knew that the headset she got me was bugged, but detective Mason did say he eventually told her.
I really wanted to see her but according to detective Mason, she’s been in a really bad place. Worried and paranoid that Big D would kill me one way or the other.
I lay on my bed that afternoon wondering what I should do about Tory and me. It sucked since she seemed to not want me to leave wherever I was for fear of me being killed, but there’s so much I want to tell her.
I mean, I haven’t even confessed my feelings to her. I haven’t told her that I love her, and it’s eating me inside. Besides, I’m sure that everything is fine, no one will come after me.
I have to go see her, no matter what!
I grabbed my car keys and went downstairs to see my mom sitting on the couch and laughing as she watched a TV show.
” Mom” I said while she giggled while watching whatever soap opera that was on TV.
” Yeah hone – are you going somewhere?” She asked, her tone a little harsh. I didn’t need anyone to tell me the reason why she sounded that way. She was just trying to make sure that we were both being careful and cautious, but I really had to see Tory.
” I just need to see Tory” I said gently and she sighed.
” You’re not sure who’s out there, Nate.” She said, turning off the TV.
” Well, I can’t stay here forever. Besides detective Mason says the coast is clear” I explained rather to desperately and a small smile formed on her face. I couldn’t even think of what could possibly make her smile at a time like this so I just waited for her response.
” Nate I just don’t -” she started to say and I was already prepared to cut her off but the sound of the doorbell ringing stopped our argument. We both kept quiet and stared at each other for about a minute or more. During that time, whoever was at the door still kept ringing the doorbell and I became curious and decided to open the door.
” Nate don’t,” my mom said as I moved to open the door.
” Mom it’s fine. Just let me see who’s at the door.” I assured and she said nothing. It may not have been long but in the three weeks of my stay, I’ve strategized how I would handle situations like this but I had this feeling in my gut that there was no threat.
I opened the door and was shocked to see no one outside.
” Lock it Nate it’s a trap!” My mom shrieked and I almost shut it but stopped myself when I saw Mr. Joe in Williams’ family car. The door had just been shut but I could still make out the figure inside the car. It was her! Tory! She probably thought it was the wrong house and decided to get back in the car.
” Hi,” Tory said to me as she hurriedly got down from the car and ran towards me, stopping right in front of the threshold. I smiled at her and literally heard my mom heave a sigh of relief.
” Oh, Tory it’s you. Don’t scare us like that!” My mom whined.
” I’m sorry. I was scared that I was in the wrong house and that I don’t know… maybe some weirdo would come out instead of Nate.” She said tucking her hair behind her ears before she looked at me again. The fact that I was able to guess the reason why she got back in the car at the time I had opened the door made me feel hopeful that we still had a shot at this – whatever this was.
” Can we talk outside Nate?” She asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
” I could go in the room so you two can talk in the sitting room” my mom offered but Tory declined.
” I have to be somewhere so, I can’t go in. Nate?” She said looking at me expectantly and I nodded.
” S-sure,” I said before I gave my mom a reassuring smile and went outside, shutting the door behind me. She started to walk to the side of the house where there were flowers and I followed her.
” Hi,” I said as I looked at her from head to toe. She was dressed in an oversized t-shirt and jeans. Now THAT was weird, it gave me a nostalgic feeling because this was exactly how Tory used to dress right after her father died, only she looked cuter this time but I still didn’t like that she looked this way. It meant that she’s been having a hard time and though she may not know it but she has a habit of dressing the way she feels.
” Please tell me you weren’t on the verge of going back to sad Tory 2. 0,” I said with a worried look on my face no doubt and she laughed.
” I can’t believe you’re okay…” She said, expertly avoiding my question. Her voice trailed off when she saw that I wasn’t pleased with how she looked.
” I’m sorry, I sorta expected the worst.” She admitted and looked at the ground nervously.
” So you went back to being the old you?!” I asked, sounding a little more angry than I felt and I could see panic in her eyes as she tried to explain things to me.
” I just – I was scared when I didn’t hear from you. I thought Mason was lying when he said you were okay.” She said, holding my wrist and I closed my eyes and tried to calm down and let my anger die down because this wasn’t how I hoped we would talk.
” First off… I’m sorry for flaring up, I mean I don’t care how you look Tory, whatever you do or wear you’ll still look amazing.” I said and she quietly watched me.
” I just got mad at myself because I know that you dressing this way means that you’ve been having a tough time and it’s all because of me and I’m sorry for that, ” I said and she smiled at me, but she still said nothing.
” So what made you believe him?” I asked after the awkward silence after my apology.
” What?” She asked as if my question threw her off guard.
” I said, what made you believe that Mason wasn’t lying to you when he said I was doing okay?”
“Oh…” She said and folded her arms as she explained, ” I just couldn’t take it anymore, I was in my room thinking of the possibility that Mason might have been telling the truth about you being okay all along but when he didn’t say anything about you today like he always does I got scared and thought that something had happened to you.” She said licking her lips nervously, a gesture that never seized to turn me on.
” I would’ve come to see you Rya but my mom wouldn’t let me. I was on my way to come see you, I’m glad you’re here.” I said, holding her hands in mine and she nodded. I hated myself for not seeing her earlier, it was obvious from the unstable way she was breathing that she was trying to fight back tears and I shred my heart into a million pieces to see her that way.
” Me too. I’m not going anywhere, I just lied to your mom because I feel here is a lot more private than in there.” She said when she managed to control her breathing, she even smiled afterwards!
” True,” I said, observing her closely as we stood under a tree. I knew that a lot of thoughts must have been running through her mind this whole time, thoughts like, ” why didn’t he call me at least?”, ” Is he done with me?”, ” Did I do something wrong?”. I needed to end those thoughts now, once and for all.
” I need to tell you something Rya..” I said, playing with her soft silky hair.
” No, let me go first.” She said and I nodded, she breathed deeply, licking her lips before she started.
” Nate, I wanted to apologise.”she said, surprising me. Why the hell would she want to apologise? What actually goes on in Tory’s head? – I wondered as I stared at her.
” What are you talking about babe?” I asked and she sighed and folded her arms as she said, ” I’m sorry for not loving you right from the start. I was one bitter little girl who didn’t know shit! All you deserve is love Nate and if you and I got off on the right track, we both would’ve had so much time to be together.”
That’s what she was sorry about? – The fact that she couldn’t help but hate me when we first met? Granted, I was always bitter that she didn’t at least find me likeable when we first met but I have moved past that, she ought to have known that.
” Well, Tory it doesn’t matter now. I’m back, Big D is gone from our lives and we could have as much time as we want.” I said cupping her face in my arms, her gray eyes tingled with hope and then it suddenly disappeared.
” Aren’t you gonna leave New York, you know… just to be safe.” She asked, looking at her shoes.
” What? No! Why would you say that?” I asked and she sighed before she said, “Detective Mason kinda mentioned it last night before they all started acting weird today.”
He said that? Of course he knows that I’m not leaving so why did he tell her that?
” Why is he at your house these days?” I found myself asking instead.
” He’s dating my mom, really gross if you ask me,” she said with a shudder and I laughed.
” Tory, I never said that and I’m certainly not thinking about it. He just said it to make you come to see me.”
” Oh… Thank God.” She said smiling happily, her eyes glowing.
” So what did you want to come to see me for?” She asked and I sighed.
” I wanted to tell you something.” I said, nervously this time and she noticed it, I could tell that she knew I was nervous just by the way she asked, ” What is it?”
I moved closer to her and held her hands. ” I don’t know why I never said it before and I honestly don’t care if you feel the same way about me but….”
She looked at me expectantly and I smiled before I said, ” I love you, Victorya Williams.”
She gasped and closed her mouth with her palm.
” You mean that?” She asked looking at me suspiciously all of a sudden and I grinned at her.
” Of course I do. I love you too much and I can’t ever get enough of you. You have no idea how HAPPY I am to know we could still have each other in our lives. ”
She smiled before she let out a breath and said, ” I love you too Nate McClain.”
My heart must’ve skipped a beat multiple times as she said that to me. There was nothing else I could think of doing but to kiss her so I pulled her closer and kissed her soft, tender lips. Overwhelmed by how long it had been since I kissed her.
She suddenly broke the kiss saying, ” wait, wait. I have to ask you something, so I know I’m not wasting my time.”
” Okay?” I said completely oblivious of what she’s going to ask.
Tory’s POV
I watched his brows furrow as he probably wondered what I wanted to ask but I had to try, even if he might freak out.
” I know you said before that dating and committed relationship isn’t your thing and you can’t go beyond s few weeks but…”
I paused when I saw his eyes widen as I spoke.
” I really would love it if you would be my boyfriend – for two weeks, a week, a few days… Even if it’s for a day – even if you just get to be called my boyfriend officially just for a day, I don’t care.” I said and licked my lips nervously as he stared at me. I knew whenever I licked my lips it turned him on, but I wasn’t doing this on purpose.
His face suddenly turned into a frown and he passed his hands through his hair.
” I take that as a no.” I said and he looked at me, ” Rya, I don’t want to be your boyfriend -”
” – why?”
” Let me finish, I don’t want to be your boyfriend for two weeks, a week, or even a day.” He said with a straight face and I swallowed hard at that statement of his. How could he even look me in the eye and say that?
” Rya,” he said holding my hands probably because he could see my eyes getting moist with tears.
” I want to be your boyfriend for longer than you can imagine.” He said as he tilted my face with his index finger so I would look into his eyes.
” B-but you just-”
” – two weeks isn’t enough Tory if that’s the longest you can imagine then that’s horrible.” He said with a smirk and I blushed.
” Then how long can you bear dating me?” I asked, looking at him expectantly.
“Rya, with you It’s not a burden that I have to bear. It was with other girls because I didn’t love them. Tell me, how long would you imagine that I – who’s madly in love with you would be your man.” He asked, his green eyes fixated on my gray eyes.
” I can imagine… a year or two,” I said cringing a little and he laughed.
” I wanna be your boyfriend for longer than you imagine, being your boyfriend for a day is just torture.”
” Do you mean that?”
” Certainly, I’m hoping for the rest of our lives – three years for dating and then we get married and have cute little me and you’s everywhere!” He said and I laughed as I pulled him for an embrace.
” I love you Victorya and yes, I wanna be your boyfriend for LONGER than you can imagine.”
” And if Imagine four hundred years?” I said with a mischievous smile.
” You got it, babe,” he said before he lifted me and wrapped my legs around his waist as he pulled me in for a maddening make-out session.