The Irangel | Prequel Story |

Chapter 10 ~ Life as Perfect as Marshmallows

The night was spent lying awake, tossing and turning under the thick hotel comforter. Nate kept glancing over at Tori, who was sleeping peacefully on the other bed. He waited until she was fast asleep so he could leave, but Tori began to rise when Nate got up once to use the bathroom. Since then, Nate decided to just stay in bed, spending a long sleepless night with a beautiful rich woman who was a total stranger to him. Other guys might've been tempted by the wealth, but Nate was more worried about the person Tori was. He didn't care that Tori was hot and rich; he wanted security, unaware he would find it in the very person he initially tried to run from.

When he did fall asleep, it was around six in the morning. Tori let him sleep while she went out and bought some groceries. Nate woke up when he smelled fresh waffles and heard Tori pouring two glasses of orange juice on the table in their kitchen. He about took a glass and swigged it all, but he sniffed at it suspiciously.

He met Tori's steady, slightly playful eyes. "Honey, I'm not about to poison you," she said, lifting her glass and drinking it. Then, as if to prove a point, she drank from his glass and set it back down. "You gotta think," she said, reaching for a waffle, "why go through all the trouble of getting you out of prison just to kill you? We hardly know each other. Let's start anew. I am Tori Nichok, CEO of the – "

"I know who you are," Nate cut her petulantly. "And I don't care. I just wanna be free."

"You are, with me." Tori ate the waffle without any syrup.

"Stuck with you is what you mean." Nate hesitantly reached for the glass and drank carefully, as if still cautious. After deciding that she indeed had no intention to poison him, he went about his breakfast, starting to pile waffles on his plate and pouring himself some more orange juice.

Tori was already on her third waffle. Her eyebrows creased a little when she noticed Nate liked to put maple syrup on his waffles, an American habit that baffled her. When she mentioned it to him, Nate said, "I watch a lot of American movies and TV. This actually enhances the taste of the waffle."

"More like drowning out the taste of the waffle," said Tori, rolling her eyes.

Nate laughed, his laugh light and musical. "I guess I like some American stuff better than I like some European stuff," he said, his eyes beaming as he smiled for the first time.

Tori was captivated by his smile, enjoying seeing him happy. She smiled in response, delighted by the change in mood, and said, "Still, nothing beats regular plain waffles."

"I beg to differ," said Nate, still smiling that wonderful smile. He handed Tori the maple syrup. "Try it and see for yourself."

Tori looked at him, then poured a tiny bit of syrup on her waffle and bit into it. "Drowns, not enhances," she reaffirmed, tearing the syrupy piece off and finishing the untouched parts. "Plain waffles with fruit and orange juice are the best."

"Nuh-uh," said Nate, taking the syrupy piece Tori had torn off and eating it. "You don't know what you're missing."

Tori slid the bowl of berries out towards him. "Try this for enhancement," she said, smiling cheekily.

Nate gave her a smirky look as he reached for some blueberries and ate them. "I'd say they definitely enhance," he said, smiling merrily.

Tori relished it, delighting in the way he smiled.

The rest of their breakfast was spent in the warmth of each other's company. Despite Tori keeping him captive, Nate began to like Tori as a person and was starting to see her as more than a captor. He was surprised when she took him out to a shopping center and bought a bunch of clothes for him, allowing him to pick and choose anything he wanted. Though Nate's clothing style was simple and comfortable, Tori added a few stylish choices of her own.