Envelope Challenge

Chapter 20 - Reality of Returning

Jerks! 64 reads; really? Couldn't just click on one more chapter for 65, could ya? If I didn't feel bad for leaving you guys hanging so long you would totally not have this.

Enjoy!

Many long hours and short stays at fancy hotels, they pulled into a very familiar neighborhood. The Starbucks came up on their left and people were walking down the street, not caring about, or noticing, the change in the two young adults driving past them. Polly was looking around the town with a strange sense of nostalgia.

"It's only been a little over a week," she sighed. "But I'm getting home sick for some reason."

"You did, probably, just go through the biggest challenge of your life so I think that's understandable," he commented and turned the corner. Now the park loomed in front of them. There was the bench he'd hidden her under.

"Yeah, I guess so. I've never even left the city before." She looked over at him and grinned. "That was pretty crazy wasn't it?"

"You can say that again," he chuckled. "And you'll have some explaining to do when your mom sees your neck and head."

"Mother will probably think I got in a bar fight or something," she scoffed. "There's no way she'll be concerned about me."

He reached over and grabbed the hand that had curled into a fist on her leg. Warmth radiated from him and comforted her. "She's concerned about you," he promised. "She just doesn't show how to show it yet. You said your dad died recently right?" He glanced over at her questioningly before returning to his surveillance of the road. He didn't remove his hand from hers.

"Yeah. Almost two years ago."

"So she's still shaken up. She doesn't how to her love because she just lost her husband. That's not hard to understand." He gave her hand one tight squeeze before taking it off and putting it on his thigh.

With a sigh bordering on a groan, she put her head back on the headrest and stared up at the ceiling. "You're not supposed to be comforting me," she informed him. "That's not fair, you know?"

"Right," he laughed. "You'll have to tell me how to get to your house. I don't know the way."

"You take a left here," she instructed and he followed. After a couple seconds, she told him, "Now a right. It's the third building on the left."

As he pulled into the parking lot in front of the large building, she looked up to the tenth floor where she knew her mother would be. She was probably fuming, waiting for her to get home just to kick her out of the house once again. Polly wouldn't be surprised if she simply threw her out of the window instead of the front door. Regardless of the method, she knew that something was going to happen up in that apartment.

Settling her nerves, she opened up the car door and stepped out. "Thanks for the ride," she turned around to say, but Nathaniel had already gotten out and was standing beside her on the sidewalk. Walking to the back, he reached in and pulled out her suitcase before coming over to her.

"So this is your house?" he asked. "Nice."

"Yeah, we live on the tenth floor." She started towards the door and he followed her step for step. "Are you planning on coming up to the apartment?"

"Yup," he announced. "I want to see how your mom will greet you. I bet it will be just like I said."

"Don't hold your breath," she grumbled quietly. She opened up the door and he lugged her suitcase over the threshold. In front of them, the elevator opened to let out a young couple. It was the Kingo's from the floor above hers. The wife smiled at them as they walked by, but the husband ignored them. She smiled to Mrs. Kingo and went over to the elevator, barely managing to catch it before the doors closed. They ascended into the air with a whir before it jolted to a stop.