Nothing More - Sam Kiszka

Chapter 1

Natalia wakes up with a familiar pounding in her head, quickly pulling one of the soft pillows over her eyes to block the incoming sun from hitting them. A groan escapes her lips when she decides to check the time, seeing that it was already 9:30, meaning she had to be at work in 15 minutes. She sighs and stretches in the large bed, only for her hand to hit the warm figure beside her. That explains a lot she thinks to herself, sitting up and pulling the sheets to cover her bare chest before looking at the sleeping man in her bed, covered by just as much as she was. 

He's handsome, has long brown hair, and a clean-shaven face with prominent features. Though her skills were limited, she thought how nice he would be to draw with how well-proportioned his face is. His body is tan and toned, but not overdone. At least he's hot.

She gets up and runs a quick shower, only getting in to wash her face and body before having to get out again. Once she finishes up, she wraps the fluffy towel around her thin frame and walks back into the bedroom, seeing the man still sleeping in her bed. A sigh escaped Natalia's lips as she shakes his shoulder lightly until his eyes blink open, his hands soon finding them to rub the sleep away. His eyes are the color of honey in the sun, and the morning light seeping in through the window, the light that made her head pound even worse, made him look nearly perfect.

"Listen, I have no idea who you are or what we did, but I have to work. Meaning you gotta go," she says, tossing his clothes onto the bed beside him as he sits up and attempts to gather his surroundings. 

"I would love breakfast, thank you so much for offering," he mutters sarcastically, getting up and pulling his boxers on while she gathers an outfit from her dresser quickly, just her usual work uniform. 

She glances over when he pulls his shirt over his head, opening her bedroom door so he could leave before she changed, "don't let the door hit you," she mutters to herself, watching him leave the apartment before going back to getting ready. 

With two minutes to spare, Natalia arrives at her job at a local music store, where she sells everything from records to posters, to instruments occasionally. 

While stocking new items, though, her mind couldn't help but wander. The party last night was one that she could remember as fun, but not for any specific reason. She remembers dancing and loud music and a couple of make-outs here and there, but it felt like a piece was missing. Maybe it was the guys in her bed this morning, but maybe something else played into it.

Ever since splitting from her awful ex-boyfriend, Natalia has found her freedom and run with it. She had been restricted for almost two years, so when she was finally free from that grip, she partied almost every night and never much cared for who she woke up beside the next morning. 

The bell on the door rings, bringing her from her thoughts as the practiced line falls from her lips, "Welcome to Freddie's, let me know if I can help you find anything!"

"Good to know you actually greet the customers!" A voice replies, one that she recognizes as her boss'.

She turns around with a smile after finishing placing the rest of the records in her hands down, "Tony, I didn't know you were coming in today!" She says, making her way over to give him a friendly hug. Although she usually isn't the touchy type, Tony was a father figure for Natalia, since she never spoke to her actual dad. He took her in when she moved to town at 18, now 4 years ago, and never once judged her. 

"I figured this place gets a little boring. You look like a zombie today, you sleep a wink?" he questions, sitting down behind the counter and setting his coffee cup down. 

She shrugs and heads back to where she was working before, only a few feet away since the shop was relatively small. "No idea, I slept at least a little while but I couldn't give you a number. Hey, I have class at 3 today, you care if I leave 10 minutes early? My building is a few blocks away."

Tony shakes his head with his cup to his lips, finishing his drink before setting the cup down and walking over to Natalia. "You head home now, I'll pay you for the couple hours you were here, you need some rest," he says, taking the records from her hands to put away. 

"But T-"

"Lia, go, I'm not letting you stay."

Knowing Tony, this was the truth, so she decides not to argue the subject. She grabs her bag from behind the counter and says a quick goodbye before heading out and walking to the coffee shop just next door. As much as Tony wanted her to go home and sleep, she had a thousand other things she could be using her new free time for. She gets her normal coffee order and walks back to her apartment, walking up the steps to the second floor and unlocking the big door, heading into the lonely home. She has a roommate, Sophia, but she may as well be moved into her boyfriend's apartment at this point with how much time she spent there. 

She starts by cleaning up the living room, simply tidying the already clean space. After everything looks nice she heads into the kitchen and begins cleaning there. She does the dishes, wipes the counters, sweeps, everything that needed to be done for her to be able to function. Natalia has learned at this point in her life that if she doesn't keep up on cleaning while she's doing well, one bad day can result in her living in a pig's sty.

When the cleaning is satisfactory, she decides to take a real shower. She puts some music on before stepping in, letting the warm water cascade down her body, soaking her long brown hair as it runs over her and relaxes her muscles. She takes a second to examine her body for the first time since the night before, finding small marks all the way up her stomach to her neck and a few between her thighs. Whoever that guy from this morning was, she must have had quite a time with him. The ones on her neck were sparse enough that they weren't noticed earlier since she had her hair down, which she silently thanked herself for. After washing her hair, body, and face, Natalia steps out of the shower and gets dressed in an old Rolling Stones shirt and sweatpants, not feeling the need to dress up for class.

With plenty of time to get there, she slings her bag over her shoulder, which contains her laptop, a textbook, and a notebook, before walking out the door. She takes in the scenery and lets the sun warm her shoulders as she walks the blocks to her building, entering and checking the schedule on her phone for a room number. This was a new class for her, one that she joined late, so she didn't know the ropes yet. Upon finding the correct room, she enters and finds a seat at the back of the big lecture hall, pulling the chair out and briefly looking at the guy sitting beside it.

"Is this seat taken?" she asks, causing him to look up and their eyes to lock in on each other. 

"It's all yours," the man with the honey-colored eyes says, his gaze slowly scanning over her, making her skin heat up as she sits.

They were the only two in the back row, which was exactly what she wanted. Well, not with him, he was a new addition to the plan. 

As the professor starts in on the lesson, Natalia finds herself watching the man as he writes, her eyes grazing over his softened features. But after a few minutes of that, she shakes the feeling and steers her attention back to the teacher at the front of the room.

"You know," the boy beside her says in a hushed tone, keeping his eyes forward, "I don't think I ever caught your name."

"It's Natalia, Natalia Watts," She says in the same type of voice, "yours?"

"Sam, Sam Kiszka."

A/N: Well, I'm trying my hand at a Sammy fic! I hope you all like it so far! This does not mean the end for Rekindled, it just means 2 books at once:) Be kind to yourself and others, as always.

-M<3