(Ophelia's Point of View)
I woke up to someone shaking me, thinking it's my father. I jumped up, but an arm across my chest pulled me back, causing me to hit the bed with force. I knocked the breath out of myself. I looked up to see Nathaniel, he was smiling at me. "Are you okay, Lia?" I raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed. He gets up, then gets me up and wraps me in a hug. He sways us slowly and I can't help but smile. He plants a soft kiss on the top of my head, before he lets go of me. We get dressed separately. When I'm ready, I go knock on Nathaniel's door.
"Come in." I walk inside and shut the door. I see him doing his hair in nothing but a towel. I muttered quietly, "I'll just wait in my room, I'm sorry." He turned around as I turned to leave, He bounded to me, and took my hand in his. He turned me around and then he caressed my face with his other hand. "Ophelia, don't leave, I'll be ready in a few minutes, stay?" I nodded and he smiled, picked me up, and carried me into the bathroom and sat me down on the counter. He kissed my cheek softly, then continued on his hair. Once he finished his hair, he kissed my forehead and left for a moment, then came back in his boxers. He put on jeans and a shirt. Nathaniel put his hands on my sides and I placed my hands on his upper arms. "Are you ready?"
I nodded and put my arms around his neck. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me downstairs, then set me down once we were inside the dining room. Nathaniel pushed me in so I didn't have to, then he sat down across from me.
N-How was the rest of your night? O-It was a lot better, thank you for staying. It meant a lot to me. N-How would you feel about going on a hike today? O-I would actually love that. N-So our plan for today is to go on a hike, have a private conversation, come back, take a nap, eat dinner, then settle down for the night. O-That sounds good, seems pretty relaxed other than the private conversation. It gives me a bit of anxiety just thinking about it. N- Don't worry, I just want a private conversation away from the house.
Our food came and we dug in. Once we were done we got up and we went outside. He led me to a trail and we started on it. He had a hand on my lower back for most of the time. We got up a hill, then he turned to me. "Time for the conversation?" He nodded and said, "Yes, time for the conversation." We both sat down, and he took a big breath, then started speaking.
N- I apologize in advance, but I'm really nervous. So, I really like you and I really enjoy your company, I'm just worried about you. The bruises, the nightmares, how little you've been eating. O- I'm sorry about that, I don't mean to scare you, I've just had a lot of rough stuff happen in my life. N- I know and I'm sorry, also I know you're scared about signing, I would be too, and I know you don't know me that well, but I feel like we're bonding. O- I feel like we are bonding. Which is great, I'm just nervous about the contract itself, I don't know the details of it and I wonder if it can be revised or not. N- It can definitely be revised if you want to do that, we can have a look at it tomorrow, since today we have a schedule that I want to maintain. O- I completely understand and thank you for listening to my concern. N-Another thing is if you have any other concerns, or even just feel a little off, please tell me, I'd like to help you in any way I can.
I nodded and hugged him. "We should head back now." I nodded and we began to head back.
Once we were back, it was noon. We went into the dining room and sat down. Before either of us started another conversation, the food was delivered. It was a really cheesy lasagna. It was one of the best meals I've ever had. Once we were both done, we got up and then went upstairs and Nathaniel led me to his bedroom. I sat down on the bed and Nathaniel took off my shoes for me. I laid down and Nathaniel followed suit. Once I laid my head on his chest I fell asleep.
I was shaken awake by Nathaniel what felt like five minutes later. I groaned at him and he laughed at me. "C'mon, it's time to get up, we napped for two hours." I groaned again, but sat up. He chuckled and I raised my eyebrow at him. "You must've had a good nap because you have the good nap lives on your face." I smiled and laughed a little. I rubbed my face and got out of bed. I put on my shoes and Nathaniel followed suit. Once we were both ready, we went back downstairs. Once we sat down at the dining room table, Nathaniel struck up a conversation.
