Yours, Eternally

Seven

It had never once crossed my thought that I would be having supper with my boss that miraculously possessed the face of my ex. Not until now.

The both of us sat quietly in the diner, with me buried in the plate of Bolognese while Nathan simply had a cup of coffee placed in front of him, his eyes fixated on me. Shifting uncomfortably under his gaze, I placed the forkful of spaghetti into my mouth, chewing it as quietly as possible.

"Why are you staring at me?" I burst, breaking the awkward silence.

"Are you seeing anyone?" His sudden question made me choke on the noodles, prompting me to cover my mouth as I tried to muffle the thunderous cough.

"Excuse me?" I forced a reply out of my strained voice as I downed the glass of water.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He pressed, clearly adamant on obtaining an answer.

"I don't see why that's any concern of yours." I remarked, twirling another forkful of spaghetti, this time having a newfound courage as I returned his gaze.

"Looks like you don't." A smirk hanging triumphantly as he took a sip of coffee. I frowned at his reply while giving him the credit he deserves for choosing the correct answer.

"Any exes?" He continued. I groaned, dropping the fork at his series of bombarding questions, creating a loud clang.

"Why are you so interested in me?" The level of annoyance seems to mount higher and higher. It won't be long before it decides to explode.

"I'm just concerned about my employees. Is there anything wrong?" His eyes bugged me, telling me that he wasn't going to let me off any time soon.

"His name is Adrian." The mention of his name made me grumble internally as I was brought to remembrance of the things he did. "I dated him for a year. And when I was 17, I found out that he was cheating on me. Jessica...that was her name. So, I decided to call it quits. That was the last time I ever saw him before I..."

The sudden pause in my speech made Nathan draw nearer as he leaned his elbows on the tabletop.

"Before you?"

I peered into his eyes as I felt him stare into my soul. As much as I wanted to forget about him, about the things he did to me, my heart would only just amplify in hunger. For his touch and embrace, all the way down to his kiss.

I love you.

The tears that welled up started streaming down my cheek as I remembered his words.

"Nicholas..." I muttered. 

A name that I did not mean to say, slipped my tongue as I stared at the uncanny appearance before me.

"Did you love him?"

Drop by drop, the tears fell freely into the plate of pasta, adding an additional touch of saltiness as I shifted my attention away from his face.

I could not look at him. Not when he was asking these questions.

"Yes." That was all I could say with my fists clenched tightly as I ignored the pain on my right palm.

"Do you think he feels the same way about you?"

"I...I don't know."

I was in a mess.

If I could just hear him speak those three words again, I was certain that it would melt all my doubts away.

What a wishful thinking.

Letting out a scoff, I wiped away the tears and took a deep breath before returning his gaze with a soft smile on my face.

"Enough about me," interjecting the possible questions that he might ask. "What about you? Ever had a first love?" Attempting to calm myself, I took a sip of water while praying that he wouldn't see my trembling hands.

"Yeah, I did," his response, straight and simple. "And I will never forget the look of sorrow in her eyes when I hurt her...I just wished that I had told her what I felt. That whatever happens, it has always been her."

As he said this, Nathan looked straight at me. His eyes filled with emotions of hurt and regret that somehow engulfed me as I detected an overwhelming presence of Nicholas in Nathan.

No. Impossible.

Erasing those thoughts, I let out a soft chuckle. "Seems like we have both had our fair share of troubles with romance."

"Without a doubt." That unmistakable sorrow emitted from Nathan signalled that this conversation was enough for one night.

"It's getting late." Nathan, who seemed to share the same sentiments as me, stood up from his seat before guiding me back to his car. Though silent, the ride back was not an uncomfortable one. It felt as if we were on the same level, that we were in it together.

When the car had finally pulled to a stop in front of the house, I mumbled a small thanks before opening the door.

"Hey," I felt a tug on my arm, prompting me to turn back to him. "I apologise if I made you remember things that you didn't want to." His voice that was laced with a warm tenderness pulled on my heartstrings.

"It's alright." I replied, showing a tight grin. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nathan."

"Rest well, Ava."

I exited the car and strolled over to the house, closing the door before looking through the peep hole to see that he was already gone.

"Miss Ava Winters!" I gave a loud shriek as I heard my mom's voice resonate against the walls while she approached me. "Are you not aware that it's already twelve? And who is that guy who sent you home?!"

"He's um-"

"Are you trying to tell me that my daughter is having a boyfriend without even telling me?"

"He's not my boy-"

"Come on, spill it out! How was the date?"

"Mom..." I groaned.

As you could see, another round of interrogation began as my mother pressed into the details over a bowl of soup, stretching further past my bedtime. Of course, I made sure to leave out the conversation we shared over supper.

After what seemed like an hour, I was finally released from my mother's clutches as I rushed for a warm shower that I had been yearning for the whole day.

"Alas! Peace."

Laying down on my bed, it was clear that the mental and emotional exhaustion from the hustle and bustle from the day's events took a toll on me. But despite all the fatigue, I found myself pondering about Nathan.

Our encounters and experiences made me feel a strong pull and connection to him. And it felt as though the words he spoke were meant for me.

Lifting my right arm into the air, I stared at the bandage with the help of the moonlit night. Pondering over and over this particular question.

Just who are you, Nathan?

Nathan's POV

Stepping out of the car and into the cold night, I grabbed the keys out of my pocket and ascended the short flight of steps as the keys jingled at my every movement. Just before I could twist the key into the knob, the sound of clogging shoes caught my attention, halting all actions.

Turning round, I glanced over at the woman who stood a distance away from me below the set of steps. While staring at the familiarity, a mix of astonishment and disbelief arises.

Her?

"Do you remember?" The lady asked, with her head dipped at an angle that only allowed me to see a portion of her face.

"Yes." I turned away, feeling the warmth in my eyes that were quickly dismissed by the effects of the cold night air.

"Don't you screw up this time." Her words were short but sharp as I could feel it cut deeply into my being.

I watched her figure disappear as darkness enveloped the silhouette; praying that this time, perhaps this time, things would be different.