The night was spent lying awake, tossing and turning under the thick hotel comforter. Nate kept glancing over at Tori, who was sleeping peacefully on the other bed. He waited until she was fast asleep so he could leave, but Tori began to rise when Nate got up once to use the bathroom. Since then, Nate decided to just stay in bed, spending a long sleepless night with a beautiful rich woman who was a total stranger to him. Other guys might've been tempted by the wealth, but Nate was more worried about the person Tori was. He didn't care that Tori was hot and rich; he wanted security, unaware he would find it in the very person he initially tried to run from.

When he did fall asleep, it was around six in the morning. Tori let him sleep while she went out and bought some groceries. Nate woke up when he smelled fresh waffles and heard Tori pouring two glasses of orange juice on the table in their kitchen. He about took a glass and swigged it all, but he sniffed at it suspiciously.

He met Tori's steady, slightly playful eyes. "Honey, I'm not about to poison you," she said, lifting her glass and drinking it. Then, as if to prove a point, she drank from his glass and set it back down. "You gotta think," she said, reaching for a waffle, "why go through all the trouble of getting you out of prison just to kill you? We hardly know each other. Let's start anew. I am Tori Nichok, CEO of the – "

"I know who you are," Nate cut her petulantly. "And I don't care. I just wanna be free."

"You are, with me." Tori ate the waffle without any syrup.

"Stuck with you is what you mean." Nate hesitantly reached for the glass and drank carefully, as if still cautious. After deciding that she indeed had no intention to poison him, he went about his breakfast, starting to pile waffles on his plate and pouring himself some more orange juice.

Tori was already on her third waffle. Her eyebrows creased a little when she noticed Nate liked to put maple syrup on his waffles, an American habit that baffled her. When she mentioned it to him, Nate said, "I watch a lot of American movies and TV. This actually enhances the taste of the waffle."

"More like drowning out the taste of the waffle," said Tori, rolling her eyes.

Nate laughed, his laugh light and musical. "I guess I like some American stuff better than I like some European stuff," he said, his eyes beaming as he smiled for the first time.

Tori was captivated by his smile, enjoying seeing him happy. She smiled in response, delighted by the change in mood, and said, "Still, nothing beats regular plain waffles."

"I beg to differ," said Nate, still smiling that wonderful smile. He handed Tori the maple syrup. "Try it and see for yourself."

Tori looked at him, then poured a tiny bit of syrup on her waffle and bit into it. "Drowns, not enhances," she reaffirmed, tearing the syrupy piece off and finishing the untouched parts. "Plain waffles with fruit and orange juice are the best."

"Nuh-uh," said Nate, taking the syrupy piece Tori had torn off and eating it. "You don't know what you're missing."

Tori slid the bowl of berries out towards him. "Try this for enhancement," she said, smiling cheekily.

Nate gave her a smirky look as he reached for some blueberries and ate them. "I'd say they definitely enhance," he said, smiling merrily.

Tori relished it, delighting in the way he smiled.

The rest of their breakfast was spent in the warmth of each other's company. Despite Tori keeping him captive, Nate began to like Tori as a person and was starting to see her as more than a captor. He was surprised when she took him out to a shopping center and bought a bunch of clothes for him, allowing him to pick and choose anything he wanted. Though Nate's clothing style was simple and comfortable, Tori added a few stylish choices of her own.

She kept the cuff on him and was at his side almost the entire time, but the more Nate was around her, the more he realized he actually liked her presence. Tori was hot, gorgeous, fun, delightful, and surprisingly, a good friend. She wasn't like anything he'd expect a sophisticated high-class person to be like. She was bold, brutally honest, sexy, and mysterious all at once.

At the same time Nate was falling in love with Tori, Tori was becoming more infatuated with Nate. She was with him almost constantly. Nate was put off at first, but then he found he didn't mind anymore. He liked the Tori he saw in private, when she was completely herself and not the rich CEO persona. He liked her smile, her playful laugh, the innocence he saw in her as her love enveloped around him. He saw the Tori no one else saw, the good side to her that he felt was hidden most of the time and wished that she could show more often.

Tori felt abounded with happiness aplenty with each day she spent with Nate. As their relationship deepened, so did their trust. The cuff came off during a very heated make-out session where Tori decided to give him his freedom while allowing him to indulge in her. The first time they kissed was the moment Nate knew that Tori was the woman he came to love with all his heart, and it was the moment Tori knew he was the one she would always love no matter what.

The cuff was undone in a matter of seconds, dropping to the floor with Tori's clothes following suit. Enthusiastic passion followed infatuated love, forming a close relationship with the other. Neither wanted to leave, only wanting to stay in this moment together. A strong bond had been forged between the two, one where neither would ever forget of the other.

The next morning saw the cuff destroyed, its metallic hiss disappearing into the sky above a bed of coals. Beside the firelit coals was a log where the lovers, Tori and Nate, continued to kiss beneath a rosy pink early morning sky. Cups of coffee were seated on the ground near their boots, resting softly on the snow that lay beneath the leather intruder. The rising steam was visible as the still-hot coffee cooled in the winter air. They were lifted off the ground within a few moments, rising up to meet smiling lips that eagerly looked forward to the taste of fresh hot coffee.

Later that morning, Tori and Nate attended a ski resort in Switzerland, one of Nate's favorite places in the world. The two hired a photographer to take pictures of them as they spent an entire day at the resort, just hanging out and having fun. The pictures perfectly captured the young couple in love, Tori's sheer joy and Nate's cute smile the picture-perfect combination of happiness. The hired photographer took many pictures, catching each memorable moment and adorable affection.

Pictures of them were hung up all over the mansion that evening. Tori's most favorite photo was in a picture frame on her office desk, showing the Swiss Alps snow-capped mountains in the background with Tori and Nate in front. Tori lovingly ran her hand over the smooth surface, smiling as she stared at the picture. She never tired of looking at it; it was like all her good memories contained in one picture. Many warm, cuddly nights were spent in Nate's log cabin in Switzerland, enjoying each moment together. Tori had purchased it for Nate, who loved log cabins and thought it was the perfect replacement for his former apartment in Winchester, Austria.

Tori practically brimmed with happiness. Nate never saw a day where she didn't smile or laugh. His happy relationship with Tori encouraged him to go back to school to work on a medical degree he'd been interested in pursuing. Tori cherished every day with him, loving every moment of her life. Each day was heavenly paradise, with not a single dark cloud to dampen the sunlit days of ecstasy.

Tori checked up on the glass building from time to time, but hadn't said a word about its existence nor did much else regarding Iredescent, having devoted almost all her time and energy to Nate. Work passed by like a breeze, each carefree day full of happiness and romance with no room for storm clouds, only sunshine and daisies.

Tori giggled as Nate playfully pounced on her one sunny afternoon, feathers fluttering in the air as he landed on the pillow beside Tori. He tickled her sides, making her laugh even more. Tori smacked a pillow at him, causing more feathers to break out and fall around them like snowflakes. The bed and sheets were as white as snow, the room nice and warm, the atmosphere light and playful, and the lovers in absolute paradise.

"Bet your life is like vanilla now compared to your old life," Tori said as Nate rubbed his nose against hers before kissing her.

"Well your life is cookies n' cream compared to my rocky road life," Nate told her, sitting back on his haunches as Tori sat up. He moved to a more comfortable position by laying on the bed, one elbow propped up to support his head.

Tori smiled and lifted her chin high as she looked down at him, admiring the way he lay on the bed. "In that case, I'm the marshmallow in your rocky road life, paving away the rocks and making it a smooth road for you."

Nate looked at her, smiling. "That makes you a very flavorful marshmallow," he said.

"In that case, I'm the hot chocolate you sink into, you being the sweetest part of me."

"Don't patronize me." He threw a pillow at her while she laughed.

Life was indeed as perfect as marshmallows, Tori thought, feeling like she couldn't get enough of the deep happiness she felt.

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Music:

"Streets of Freedom"
by MacScanton

"Dirty Talk"
by Wynter Gordon

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