When Hell Runs Cold

Chapter Twenty Six

Alysia insisted on taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and Nathan had simply rolled his eyes before complying. "At least this will be a good workout for you." He had grumbled under his breath, and Alysia gave him a dirty look, before flipping him off.

The pair hadn't talked about his mother and the fact that she had invited her to their Christmas Dinner. Christmas was a week away, so it wasn't as if Alysia didn't have time to make up an excuse to ditch the dinner.

"She's not going to let you ditch dinner, by the way. She's very hard to say no to, and if you don't show up, I'm never going to hear the end of it." Nathan said, breaking the silence. They were on the third floor. Two more flights of stairs to go.

"I have plans." Technically, it wasn't a lie, just a half-truth. April and her had always spent Christmas together for as long as she could remember. Family Christmas dinners were an unfamiliar concept to Alysia.  Even when her mom was alive, Christmas dinner had usually been just her, Alysia, and April.

Granted, it wasn't really a fancy Christmas dinner, seeing as April and her would just watch movies and order Chinese takeout, but it was still important to her.

They passed the second floor sign.

This year, they hadn't come up with solid plans for Christmas, but the chance of them not spending Christmas together were slim. "Cancel them." Nathan simply said with a shrug, pushing open the door that led to the ground floor.

"Cancel them? No. I have plans with April like I do every year, and I'm not cancelling on her for you, Bird Boy." The name April and Alysia called Nathan slipped out of her lips, and Nathan glanced over at her, unimpressed.

"Bird boy?"

"It makes sense." Was Alysia's simple response. "But I'm not ditching April for you."

"Bring her then. As my mom says, the more the merrier." Alysia blinked at the monotone tone he used to say that. It sounded defeatist.

"You know when people say 'the more the merrier' there's supposed to be like, I don't know, joy, in your voice, Bird Boy."

Nathan simply rolled his eyes, holding the doors to the main entrance open for her. "Call me that again, and I'll literally blow you away with a tornado."

"Sure you will, Bird Boy." Alysia said sweetly, nudging him with an elbow.

Nathan scowled as they walked to his car. "I don't know how your fancy car is going to help us stay inconspicuous. Your car is really recognizable, it's been on magazines before." Alysia added on, getting into the passenger seat as Nathan unlocked the car. "And, it's not like you can just fly us over there, you don't have your suit, and once again, isn't the whole spying thing supposed to be us fitting in?"

"And we will." Nathan said, getting into the car.

"You're Nathan Carstairs. You're recognizable."

"People don't pay attention in this city, Lockheart. They're too self-absorbed. And," He paused, turning to the backseat, grabbing something. Alysia narrowed her eyes at the beanie in Nathan's hands. Her eyes only narrowed further, as he pulled the beanie over her head. "I have hats."

Nathan pulled out a baseball hat, putting it on his own head. She raised her eyebrows as he put on a pair of sunglasses.  "Do I not get any?"

"Like you said, I'm easily recognized. You aren't." Nathan said, putting his keys in the ignition and turning it. "We'll start at the house."

"Not needed. April sent me the places Flynn usually frequents around this time." Seeing Nathan's annoyed look, she shrugged. "I told you, she'd be a great asset. She's faster than me with computers."

"What's the place?" Nathan chose to ignore the last sentence.

"He usually goes on walks in Selcouth Park at 1 p.m." Alysia answered, and Nathan seemed to be in thought for a moment before nodding, and the pair glanced at the time.

12:30 p.m.

"Well, let's go then."

***

The pair sat on one of the benches by the entrance of Selcouth Park. "So have you ever gone undercover for Gevasi before?" Nathan questioned, curiosity filling his eyes. He rested his arm on the back of the bench, and Alysia shook her head.

"No, the only purpose I had for them was to steal and make them quick money." Alysia answered. Nathan looked out of place in his casual clothes. They were too normal for him. The sunglasses looked strange, along with the baseball cap.

It was very, not Nathan.

But that was the point of going undercover, wasn't it?

He wasn't supposed to be the prestigious heir to the Carstairs throne, he wasn't supposed to be the vigilante, Whirlwind. Right now, he was just a nobody. Just like her.

Nathan looked away from her, scanning the surroundings.

Alysia followed suit, looking around the park. After a few moments, she felt a chill go down her spine. The feeling of being watched overtook her. Nathan turned to her, pulling his sunglasses down a bit, his ocean blue eyes staring into her own.

"What?" He asked, and Alysia shook her head.

She couldn't see anybody, so it might've just been paranoia getting the best of her. "Nothing. Don't worry about it. Do you see Flynn anywhere?"

Nathan glanced down at his wristwatch. "It's 1:03, I'm guessing he's running a bit late." Nathan shrugged.

Alysia tried to disregard the feeling of eyes on her, but she just couldn't. Her eyes scanned the park, narrowing her eyes when she saw no one. She heard footsteps slapping against the pavement, and she looked up to see a man running past them.

Alysia looked at Nathan, who nodded in confirmation that it was him. Nathan put an arm around her, pulling her in. Alysia looked at him in alarm, and he gave her a reassuring look, leaning down. "As far as anybody's concerned, we're just a normal couple taking a walk."

He got up, pulling her up by the hand. Alysia and Nathan walked side by side, slowing down as Flynn slowed down. He looked back, and Nathan put an arm around her, whispering soft words into her ear.

"Just a normal couple taking a walk."

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have had a great week! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as well! Any thoughts?

Feel free to vote, comment, share if you enjoyed!

Onto question of the day!

QOTD: What was the last movie you watched?

I'm pretty sure the last movie I watched was Tangled! It's my favorite disney movie and comfort movie.

See you guys next week!