Ignoring the scorching inferno that is burning inside of me, I lifted up my chin and sauntered further into Nate's home.
I sat down on his sofa and perched my back. I knew the Ellie that was present right now, and it was the Ellie that got business done.

My back was straight, my hands were resting casually on my knee and I had my legs crossed. My chin stayed up and I watched Nate through blank eyes. If there ever was a way to intimate a man, it was to never show them any weakness.

I couldn't help the barrier I placed over myself, but I deep down, I was aware that by doing such a thing, I could survive this encounter with Nate. Because other wise, I would crumble into a hot messy pile in the middle of the floor and accept anything Nate wanted to do to me.

Decorum was still heavy in my blood and I planned to ooze it all out.

I cleared my throat, pushing the intense feelings Nate unlocked within me to the back of my head. I could bask in those feelings and really analyse each one for every second - but only when I was alone in the comfort of my own room.

"You want anything to drink?" Nate asked casually from somewhere to my right.

I flicked my head and saw that he had moved into the kitchen. "I'm good, thank you."

Nate let out a scoff. "It's just a drink. Either water or a cold coke. Not poison."

I glared at him. "I did not say anything about it being poisonous."

Nate held my eye. "Then fucking take a drink?"

"No?"

"Why not?"

"Because, Nate. I don't want a drink."

Nate rolled his eyes and turned his back to me? Opening kitchen cabinets quite harshly. "It's quite disrespectful to decline something, especially if someone is offering something to you in their home. Their private space."

"No it is not ." I wanted to scream at him to stop with the dramatic comments but held my mouth tightly shut. Minimum conversation could see me out of here as soon as possible. I had some respect still on how to deal with being a guest in someone's house.

"Yes it is."

"Fine." I snapped, "hand me a cold coke."

Nate walked to the fridge and reached for one of the cans neatly stacked on one row. From here I could see how tidy his fridge was, and because of the typical roll of hi, I was quite skepticsl that he did it himself.

Did he have a housekeeper?

Maybe.

All men do.

Or maybe he was a organised neat freak.

Nate came out from the kitchen and walked into the living room, with one cold coke in his hand, and a cold beer in his other hand. Before he handed my coke, he held it next to my face.

I frowned, confused as heck but reached for it. "Say please."

"Oh fuck you!" I bursted out, leaning away from him and the coke. I was fuming. What an absolute kid!

I looked up at him, opening my mouth and ready to spew out all sort of obscenities when I saw a wide grin on his face. "What the hell?"

Nate erupted into fits of laughter, a deep vibrating sound emitting form him. I had to force myself not to drool at him. Because even his laugh was sexy as hell.

"I just needed you to loosen up a bit." Nate managed to say once he stopped laughing and cleared his throat.

"Why?" I asked him.

Nate shrugged and put the coke in front of me on the coffee table. "Because I want to know how you really feel about your uncle. And you sitting there, as if you're ready to close a case or some bullshit was not looking good."

He was walking to sit on the other side of the sofa whilst talking. All the while, I was watching his back move and how his long powerful legs carried him so gracefully. I couldn't help but feel as though there was an underlying current flowing in him. Like a muted shadow that was there but also covered with so much light.

"How do you expect me to sit?" I asked him, uncrossing my leg only to use my other leg to close them over again.

He raises his eyebrow at my legs and shook his head. "Definitely not like that."

"Like how?" I spread my legs apart, making sure it looked more ridiculous that it really should have been. "Like this?"

Nate put his beer down on the coffee table and pranced onto my leg. I let out a surprised squeal when he gripped my ankles and pulled it across his long legs. He leaned back, pulled my legs in closer so the side of them pressed into his hard abdomen.

With one flick by each heel, he managed to take them off and drop them delicately onto the floor beside him. "Although I really wish to throw these as far away as possible, I still think you look deadly in them."

I was choking on my words and unable to answer him. "This is insane, put my feet down!" I tried to pull out of his grip but he held on firmly.

"Ellie. Take this time to relax a bit."

My face reddened when he lifted up my feet and inspected my nails. Don't get me wrong, I was always on top of my pedicures but I did not have any polish on this time. I felt like he was staring at my bare body. Over freaking toenails.

"Nice feet." He complimented offhandedly and then dropped them back onto his lap.

"That's it?" I blurted out. I half expected a better compliment than that.

Nate slowly lifted his gaze from my feet to my face. I saw his eyes darkened before he spoke in a low voice, "You want to know what I really want to do to your feet?"

The timbre in his voice. The sheer masculinity sweeping out of him was maddening. I couldn't even find my voice to answer him before he lifted my feet up again. His teeth grazed my skin and I felt a sharp bite before he covered the spot with his lips. I felt a light suction and realised he was sucking on it.

I let out a gasp, squirming in my seat but not battling him hard enough. "You move much more and there will be problems."

He dropped my feet and I felt like I could breathe again. "I want you to relax."

When I finally found my voice, I managed to say to him, "I thought you wanted to talk."

"That was just a ruse to get you here. I wanted you to have a place for a few hours to calm down in and relax without anyone watching you."

I felt a sting in the back of my eyes and a full lump lodging itself in my throat. No one. And I mean no one since my mother has thought about me in such a way. To rest. To breathe. To fall apart in a place where I knew I could be brought together again.

I rested my head on the back of the sofa and closed my eyes.

Breathe, Ellie.

***

That night I walked with no plans. And as usual, my legs took me to where it needed to go.

I sat at the bench, my legs pulled up to my face as I rested my complaining head on it. I picked up a nest of flowers around the corner and I picked at it absentmindedly, my eyes trailing the dancing shadows created by the moving leaves. I was rocking on my seat, humming a soft harmonious beat to satisfied my own ears. It was a two hours past midnight and even though I had school the first thing in the morning, I wanted nothing but spend the whole day on this bench.

It was a special place for me. And it will always be special regardless of what happened and will happen.

I heard footsteps clacking from behind me, the stride almost sounding tedious. I stopping playing with the flowers, I stopped rocking on my set as my ears prickled to the sounds of approaching footsteps.

Then I heard the faint familiar exhale of air.

And then I resumed my rocking and playing with the flowers.

I felt him sit down next to me, his legs brushing my side innocently yet I shivered involuntarily.

"I wanted to be here tonight."

"It's beautiful out here at night. No one would be surprised if you'd want to be here right now." I told him, rocking more slowly since it wasn't helping my hammering headache. I wanted to be here for a lot of reasons. Beautiful scenery was not it.

"Ironic since there's nothing but a brick wall to look at." Nate scoffed, scuffing his feet on the ground

"You ruined the poetic reference." I smiled even though he would never see it.

"Fuck that."

"Don't swear."

"You know I don't want to be here for the scenery."

I took a sharp intake of air, ignoring the wild hammering of my heart. "Nate." I whispered out his name.

I felt his hands pull down my legs as he forced me to face him fully. The first thing I noticed was that he was dressed. Perfectly dressed with a white dress shirt, black tie and a black suit. His hair was styled so it resembled a beautiful natural disaster. In contrast, I was dressed in my out-worn jeans, Nike trainers and my own jeans jacket.

His hand was clamped down on my knee as he slowly, hazardously leaned closer to me. As soon as the light from above hit his front, his face illumined and the tingle in his blue eyes returned vividly - almost blinding me.

"Are we strangers?"

I swallowed down audibly because that was not something I expected. Ever. I looked at him carefully, covering a hand over my trembling mouth and holding it up by my elbow. His gaze didn't waver, only intensified as he reached for my hand to remove it from my mouth.

"Like a welcomed back stranger who will always be a stranger."I told him a hushed voice, snatching my lower lip again and digging my teeth into them sharply.

His face was inches away from mine now, his lips parted slowly as his deep cologne hit my nose like a wild tide. "Always a stranger."

And then he pressed his lips against mine softly, his hands tangling into my hair and pulling me  closer. I leaned into him, knowing all too well that this was our kiss.