Damage Repaired

Chapter 19

Nathaniel's P.O.V.

"You look like you need a drink," Carter muttered from the living room, looking over his laptop when I walked into my penthouse.

It was boy's night or whatever the hell Carter called it despite it clearly being daytime, but every Saturday, he'd come over and spend the day at my place.

I ignored him and began unwrapping the athletic tape around my hands, tossing it in the trash on the way up to my room. I stayed in the cold shower until every part of my body felt frozen before finally slipping out and heading back downstairs after getting dressed.

"Long workout?" Carter asked, watching my every move as I grabbed a protein shake from the fridge and took a swig letting the cool drink freeze my throat.

"It was fine," I finally answered my friend, taking a seat on the other couch diagonal from him.

"You boxed," he observed.

"I did."

"You only box when you're feeling overwhelmed."

"I box whenever I feel like it."

Carter sighed and gave me an all-knowing look, the observant motherfucker. I stared up at the ceiling briefly, then slowly turned my attention back to him.

"She's back," I muttered, wincing when I felt my heart squeeze.

"Who, Chloe?"

My hand twitched, and I had to stop myself from throwing the protein shake bottle at his head. "You think I'd be boxing because of fucking Chloe?"

Carter shrugged. "That's the only she I know of, and I highly doubt you're talking about..."

It finally clicked.

"...Stazi?" His jaw dropped, and I nodded.

"Stazi's back?" He asked in complete utter disbelief, closing his laptop and placing it on the long coffee table in front of him.

"Yes, Carter."

"How do you know?"

I closed my eyes, letting my memory take me back to the night of the ball when I first saw her standing there looking so ethereal my heart almost leaped out of my chest. The way my skin burned when we touched. Her sweet familiar vanilla scent I missed so fucking much I couldn't resist burying my face in her neck when I spun her around during the dance; the best three minutes of my life. And I remembered how her beautiful voice trembled slightly when she spoke, especially after I spilled how much I missed her.

The next memory was from yesterday. I was already hanging on by a thread seeing her in that skimpy towel when I came and surprised her with soup after Marsha told me she was sick, her long wet hair dripping down her brown shoulders and back, her big pretty eyes glaring at me when I walked in. But when she dropped the only thing keeping me from seeing that glorious naked body of hers, I almost lost all restraint—almost.

"Nate." Carter's voice snapped me back to reality.

"Hmm?"