Chapter 23 ~ Nate's Return

________________

~ In the glass building
Wachstyen Forest, Germany ~

________________

Justin woke up, feeling more relaxed and content than he had ever been in his life. He hadn't felt this good in so long, it was almost a strange feeling for him. He took a few moments to simply sit back and enjoy while it lasted. He closed his eyes, feeling wonderful. He opened his eyes when the sunlight showed warm orange through his closed eyelids, as if stopping in to say good morning. Justin breathed deeply, his relaxed eyes drifting towards the bed.

Tori was still sleeping. She was facing him with her eyes closed. Her long blonde hair splayed out behind her, making her look angelic. The sun gave her a soft glow, furthering her sweet, innocent look. She was wearing nothing but a white sparkly lacey Dream Angels Victoria's Secret bra and matching white lace panties, the soft white covers tossed back a little with one leg. There were tiny gold stars on her lingerie, alluding to her dreams of going to outer space and reaching higher than the stars.

Justin turned to fully look at Tori as she continued sleeping on her side. She's so beautiful, he thought, his heart full of warmth and admiration for the woman he loved. Last night was really sweet and loving, tender and unrushed. It had been a very special moment for Justin.

He leaned over and kissed Tori on the cheek, lovingly pushing back a few strands of her hair. He got up and stretched, then put on jeans and a white tank top. Wanting to make breakfast for Tori, Justin headed for the kitchen.

The other irangels were still asleep. Justin turned on quiet alternative rock music and set to work preparing breakfast.

When Tori came to the kitchen later in the morning, dressed in a blush pink top and white skinny pants, the irangels were already seated at the table, talking quietly and eating breakfast. The mood was cheerful and happy, like the sun that came in through the windows.

Justin turned and smiled at Tori. "Good morning, Tori!" he said happily. "I made breakfast for everyone."

Tori came over to Justin as he handed her a plate with fresh, steaming waffles on it, and a refreshing cup of orange juice. Tori stared at it in surprise, a brief flashback appearing in her mind as she suddenly remembered having the exact same breakfast with Nate. She took the waffles and orange juice from Justin, saying a heartfelt, "Thank you, Justin" and went to sit down at her seat, a faraway look on her face. Justin sat beside her as Camdren, Elisa, Keith, Eamon, Velo, and Millian continued eating and talking.

Eamon looked up at Justin and nodded, saying, "Thanks, Justin. You're awesome."

"Yeah, these waffles are the best," Keith chimed in.

Tori got up briefly to make herself some tea, pulling out one of the acai berry tea packets. She glanced at Justin, watching as he poured syrup over his waffles. A memory of Nate pouring maple syrup over his waffles hit her, making Tori freeze, stunned.

"Need help with that?" Camdren asked, his voice smooth and helpful as he took the tea kettle from Tori and kindly poured some water into her tea cup.

Tori looked at him with appreciation. "Thank you, Camdren," she said, a genuine note in her voice.

Eamon noticed her appreciative, caring behavior today and nodded to himself, liking this new Tori.

When they finished eating and were cleaning out the dishes, Eamon came up to Justin and gave him a high five. "I like what you're doing," he said. "Whatever it is, it seems to be working. Keep it going, man."

Elisa came by and playfully grasped Justin's shoulder. "You scored," she said, winking. "Congratulations."

"Uh, thanks?" Justin said in reply. He didn't like sharing his personal business, but it was hard to keep it private when they were all stuck in the same building and it was noticeable what each person was up to. Elisa and Camdren's flirtation and obvious sexual interest was no secret, either. The fact that Tori consistently made her drink the acai berry tea everyday was blatant.

Velo headed straight for the pool. Millian disappeared in the bed room with a book. Camdren and Elisa went off somewhere to spend some private time together. Keith started singing a rap song. Eamon left to work out.

Justin wondered where Cole was. He hoped he would return to free the rest of them. Justin was sure Cole wouldn't abandon them unless something held him up. Even as Justin was having those thoughts, there was a knock from the storage room. Thinking it was Cole, Justin hurried to unlock it, but Tori had already beaten him to the punch. Curious, the irangels crowded around as Tori urged them to step back, using her electroshock device to threaten them if they came closer than she liked. Velo was still wet from the pool, and Elisa's hair was messed up from where she was making out with Camdren.

As Justin hung back and watched Tori unlock the door, he saw a glimpse of movement near him and turned to see Cole hidden in a doorway. His eyes met Justin's, a calm quiet look in them. Justin gave him a small nod and averted his eyes, glad to see Cole had indeed returned. I knew he wouldn't leave us, Justin thought in relief. But if Cole's back, then who's at the door?

Tori's reaction said it all soon as she unlocked the door and flung it open to reveal Nathan Shaw. Instantly lowering her electroshock device, Tori exclaimed, "Nate!" at the same time he smiled and brushed aside some snow off his shoulders.

Justin and Cole stared at the newcomer. Though they had seen Nate in framed pictures in Tori's office, this was their first time seeing him in person. Nate was indeed good-looking, his close-cropped light brown hair underneath a snow-dusted beanie. His brown eyes were like Russell Stover chocolates, warm and decadent. He wore a tan coat, hoodie, scarf, and gloves. He looked like he had just flown in from a snowstorm. His heavy brown winter boots trudged slowly as he took in the sight of Tori and the irangels she created. His wings were still out, white and fawny looking.

"So there's more of us now," he said, almost to himself.

Seeing Tori staring raptly at Nate, Eamon strode forward, arms crossed. "So you're the Nate?" he asked, intending for Nate to sound like mate, indicating their relationship.

Nate glanced at him curiously, but before he could respond, Keith asked, "So you're who exactly?"

"Tori's former boyfriend," Justin spoke up, stepping forward. He too crossed his arms as he carefully studied him.

"Tori's current boyfriend," Nate corrected him, turning to smile and wink at Tori, who practically melted.

"What?" Justin asked, a cold feeling seeping beneath him. He froze as Tori threw herself in Nate's arms, exclaiming happily, "Oh my stars, you returned for me! My Nate is back! Yay! But what changed your mind?" Tori kept her arms around Nate's neck and shoulders as she took off his beanie and held it in her hand, her body pressed tightly against Nate.

Fire broke through the cold feeling as Justin felt his chest burn with jealousy. Before he could pry Tori away from Nate, he heard a shuffle from Cole and then Camdren asking, "Yeah, last I heard, you two had broken up. What exactly happened between you two? And how come Tori didn't keep you prisoner like she did us?"

"Oh, Tori kept me prisoner alright," said Nate, withdrawing from their embrace. "And I ended up imprisoning her heart."

"Where were you all this time?" Tori asked. "I haven't heard anything from you since you left."

"After returning to Winchester, Austria, I decided to pick back up on a favorite hobby of mine: skiing. I came up with a ski resort called Angel Resort in the Austrian Alps," Nate replied. "I came here to find you and invite you to see it. I'm making a lot of money from Angel Resort. My love for skiing has grown into a successful business."

Nate turned to Tori, his eyes beaming. "It's all thanks to you, Tori, for turning me from my life of crime to a life of snow angels. The only thing that would make my life even more perfect is having my angel beside me."

"Your angel?" Justin growled in a low undertone, but Nate didn't catch that, distracted by Tori who acted as if he had just proposed to her.

"Yes! Oh my stars, yes! Forever yes! Yes! Oh wow, you're really back! We're together again! That's all I wanted." Tori impulsively kissed Nate, who was caught off guard but responded eagerly.

Seeing Tori with the man she loved infuriated Justin. He was about to lunge at them when he felt Eamon place a hand on his arm.

"Don't do anything rash or stupid that could have us locked here forever," Eamon told him in a low voice, his mouth by his ear. "He's obviously on Tori's side, and Tori is distracted right now. Wait until we can make our way outta here."

"Is that what you guys care about? Escape?" Justin hissed.

"Well don't you want that too? Or did you become so comfortable in your prison that now you don't want to leave?" Eamon shot him a dark look before sidling away.

In the hidden doorway, Cole shook his head and gave Justin a withering glance. Justin stood directly in front of Cole, his body to the side while hiding Cole from view. As Tori, Nate, and the irangels started to leave, heading further into the building, Justin muttered to Cole, "Hope you had fun."

Cole reached out and yanked Justin in by his tank top, his face just a breath away from his.

"Fun?" Cole said in sarcasm. "Out there, we're rejects. I was laughed at. My girlfriend was horrified and thought I was on drugs. When I tried talking to the cops, they tried to lock me up and even hired a scientist to, get this, 'study' me." A pained look came over Cole's face. "Justin, nobody will take us seriously. This, this glass building, this 'prison' we're in, is the only place where we're accepted by our own kind. We're safe from the humans here. Out there is the real prison."

Justin realized the depth of Cole's words. "We can never have a normal life again; it's forever taken away."

"Mistaken, forsaken, incomplete, rejected, that's what we are," Cole said bitterly.

"Well, we can't live here forever," said Justin.

"I plan on it," Cole said decisively. He came out of hiding, Justin stepping out too. "You guys can leave if you want. There is nothing in the human world for me except my desire to kill Tori for what she did to me."

Justin suddenly slammed Cole against the wall, his grey eyes turning dark. "If you lay a hand on her, I'll be forced to end your sappy life."

"How could you love her?" Cole retorted, locking eyes with him evenly, matching the deadly look in them. "She destroyed our lives! I had everything until the day she took me away in her Bugatti."

"I had nothing until the day she bailed me out of prison. She forever changed my life and I am super grateful for it. I would still be rotting in prison if it weren't for Tori." Justin kept Cole pressed to the wall, Cole unresisting as he looked back at him coldly. "My threat stands. As much as you hate her, she is not yours to touch."

Cole scoffed. "Like I would willingly touch her."

Rough hands grasped both Justin and Cole by their shirts, flinging them. Justin and Cole fell to the ground, looking up in surprise at Eamon.

"Well look who came back," he commented, tossing a glance at Cole. "Look at you two, fighting over a woman." He glanced at the storage room entrance/exit, but it was locked. "Seriously, Cole, simmer down. You too, Justin."

"Don't tell us what to do, sparkly hotshot," Cole retorted, getting up.

"Sparkly hotshot yourself," Eamon said back, looking evenly at him. "C'mon, we gotta get back or Tori will think we're trying to run off."

"In your dreams," Justin countered, straightening his clothes.

"Dude, what is wrong with you?" Eamon asked him, giving him a look.

"He's in love with Tori," Cole said distastefully, shooting Justin a glare.

"That's no secret," Eamon responded, leading the way back with Justin and Cole following him. "It's so obvious."

"Shut up," Justin murmured, while Cole snickered.

Eamon rolled his eyes to heaven, feeling as though he were stuck with a bunch of three year olds.

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top