I Adore You // Braeden Lemasters

Chapter 1: Remember When

She sat behind the wheel, anxious, staring out at the empty parking lot before her. Her eyes were unfocused and she almost seemed to forget where she was.

"Hey," Braeden said, pulling her back into reality. "You got this."

"I can't do this." she said with a sigh, dropping her head and pressing her forehead to the wheel. "I don't think I'm ready."

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Three Months Earlier

Rain was pouring heavy outside. Natalie was on her way home after a long day of work in San Fernando. It was late, the sky was black, and visibility was low. The windshield wipers of her blue Ford Focus swished violently back and forth, trying to keep the rain off the windshield.

"Come on," Natalie pleaded, "We're almost there. Come on,"

That night she was full of apprehension, and was very eager to get home. The moon flashed through the trees, shining brightly in the sky. As Natalie turned the bend, the wetness of the pavement caused her car to hydroplane, and the blue Ford Focus flew off the edge of the road, and crashed into the ravine.

Braeden became worried when he didn't hear from her that night, but figured she may have gone to sleep early. Her car was discovered the next morning by a passersby, flipped upside down and covered in mud. She was rushed to the nearest hospital, where they discovered she had a concussion and two broken ribs. But, she was going to be okay. Natalie hadn't really been the same since the accident. She had not driven since.

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"Why don't we try again in a week or two?" Braeden said, trying to meet her eyes.

Natalie held her head in her hands, embarrassed and flustered. She hated the way she felt, but every time she got behind the wheel she kept reliving the moment she lost control of the vehicle, over and over again.

Braeden reclaimed his spot in the driver's seat and they headed back home. The ride was mostly silent.

"It's gonna take time. It won't happen over night, but you'll get there eventually." Braeden said softly.

Natalie said nothing, watching out the window.

"Look how far you came already. Remember when you couldn't even get into a car a couple months ago?"

A tear rolled down her cheek. She turned away as much as she could, keeping her watch out the passenger window. She quickly wiped the tear away, holding her breath, hoping he didn't notice. He glanced over at her.

"Well I'm proud of you." he said.

She looked over at him, smiling through her tears. He smiled back, gently caressing her leg.

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Eleven Months Earlier

Natalie had been living in Simi Valley for over three years. She'd grown up in Ohio but was now going to the University of California, Northridge, nearing the end of her junior year. Aubrey was her best friend; they'd met during their first semester of college. They shared an apartment together on the North side. Natalie and Aubrey spent every weekend together.

The weekend after finals, Natalie and some friends went to West Hollywood to visit a new club that had opened. The streets were bustling with young people dressed to the nines. Natalie wasn't crazy about this type of scene, but she was happy to go if Aubrey wanted to go. The line outside of the club was long. Natalie felt a bit awkward and self conscious standing outside in her pumps and black mini dress. She didn't like the feeling of men studying her with their lustful gaze. It was safe to say she wasn't the most confident person. She crossed her arms over her chest, protecting herself from wandering eyes.

When they finally got inside, the club was overflowing with people. A band was going to play soon, and all of Natalie's friends were grabbing drinks. But she watched eagerly as the band came out onto the stage. Everyone near the stage started screaming, and the crowd rushed forward. Natalie stumbled a bit but was able to regain her balance. She smoothed out her dress and looked up to see the band getting set up. The front man welcomed everyone and introduced themselves, "We are Wallows."

Wallows? She had never even heard of them before. The crowd seemed excited though, and the girls behind Natalie were very chatty and giddy, gawking at the three cute guys before them. Natalie watched the guitarist carefully. He was a lanky guy, average height, with a heap of brown messy hair on top of his head. She smiled softly to herself as she watched him play, getting lost in the moment, not really listening to what the frontman sang. She focused on the smoothness of the guitarist who stood above her. At one point she could have sworn their eyes met, but it was probably the lights in the club playing tricks on her. Aubrey looked over at her, raising an eyebrow for approval, and Natalie did approve. In her mind she hoped the night would never end.

In the morning, Aubrey sat at the dining table eating cereal while her eyes were glued to her phone. Natalie rubbed her face tiredly and sat down across from her.

"Hey," Aubrey smiled deviously. "what are you doing today?"

"Nothing," Natalie yawned. "It's Sunday, I'll probably relax."

"Wanna go to Central Market? Hailey and some of the guys wanted to go and get some food. They invited us. Actually, Mikey asked if you wanted to come." she smiled slyly.

"Really?" Natalie was surprised. "Why?"

"He said he thinks you're really cute."

"But he didn't talk to me at all last night."

Aubrey shrugged, slurping the milk from the bottom of her cereal bowl.

Natalie hadn't had any serious relationships in over two years. Mikey had been apart of their friend group for the past six months, and she didn't know much about him. He was average looking and seemed nice enough. She was open to the possibility of something.