I Adore You // Braeden Lemasters

Chapter 27: Wish Me Luck

The busyness of Natalie's life seemed to make time fly.

"Hey I miss you. Want to come over later?" She read her phone screen from behind the counter at work.

It was a hectic day and the shop was low staffed. She managed to quickly type a response.

"I'm sorry but I have a lot of homework to catch up on. Maybe tomorrow?"

"That works for me! I just want to see you. Love you." Braeden responded.

Natalie was exhausted. She held her face in her hands for a moment, wishing she could take a nap right there.

"Hey, come on. We have orders that need made!" Her coworker shouted from behind.

Yawning, Natalie said, "Coming."

Next thing she knew, it was morning and the sun was coming up. She finally had a day off from work.  Though she had just woken up she still felt tired. All the days just seemed to blur together, anymore.

Aubrey appeared in the doorway with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Hey, loser."

Natalie rubbed her eyes tiredly, "Morning."

Aubrey laughed and then sat at the edge of the bed.

"I wanna talk to you about something. I don't really know how serious it is, it could be nothing. But I wanted to come to you about it as your friend."

Natalie sat up in bed, curious.

"So you know that club we went to a few months back in West Hollywood? Hailey and I were there last night and we saw Braeden and Cole there. And they were there with a girl."

"A girl?" She asked with a furrowed brow.

"It seemed off, I don't know. This girl was hanging all over them, Nat."

"Hanging all over them, like what? Like kissing and stuff?"

"Just putting her arm around him, standing real close and stuff. I don't know, it seemed flirty."

Natalie was puzzled. They had always been good about giving each other space, so she hadn't bothered to pester him about what he ended up doing last night — she was busy with homework after work.

"What do you think I should do? You're sure it was him?" Natalie asked.

Aubrey bit her cheek and gave a little shrug. "I really don't know, Nat. I don't wanna get in the middle of anything. But it was definitely him at that club. Just seemed weird. Maybe just talk to him about it?"

Natalie let out a sigh and slouched. "I hate confrontation. I don't want him to think I'm being insecure or invading his space."

Aubrey chuckled, "He's your boyfriend! Just talk to him in a non confrontational sort of way."

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Later that Night

Braeden answered the door as soon as he saw Natalie's headlights shine in through the front window. He greeted her at the door with a nice kiss, smiling, having missed her. They went inside and unwound on the couch, cozying up with a blanket and a movie. Braeden's delicious cologne gently teased Natalie's nose, making her stir a little. She really had missed him.

"Soo, what'd you end up doing last night? Sorry I was swamped with homework."

"Cole and I just went out, met up with some friends."

"Oh, fun." Natalie said softly, nervous to push any further.

Braeden noticed she was a little tense. She ignored his gaze but he craned his neck until she was forced to meet his eyes.

"Hey," he chuckled. "Everything okay? Did I say something?"

She lowered her head and collected herself before meeting his eyes again. She tried for a smile as best she could.

"No, yeah. I'm good." She shook her head, dismissing his questions.

He squinted his eyes, searching her face. "Mmm, no. I know you. Something's wrong. Are you upset that I went out? Because I did want you to come, but you were busy—"

"No, no." Natalie sighed. "I'm not mad. But Aubrey was there last night."

"Okay," he said confused.

"She said she saw you with a girl... and she was... hanging all over you." Natalie felt foolish when it came out of her mouth. She felt intrusive and irrational.

Braeden's eyebrows raised in surprise and he let out a laugh. "Remi. We were with Remi, Remi Wolf."

"Remi?" She asked, unsure of who this girl was.

"She likes girls." Braeden laughed. "She has a girlfriend."

Natalie sighed and held her face in her hands. "Oh my God," her voice muffled by her hands. "I'm an idiot."

He wrapped her in a bear hug, "You're not!" He protested through a fit of laughter.

"I'm glad you find this funny," she groaned in Braeden's grasp. "I feel like a total jackass."

"You aren't at all." He cackled.

"I'm sorry. I- I feel bad. Aubrey just made it sound bad and I was so confused."

"Listen, there is nothing to worry about. Okay? I would never do something to hurt you like that." He tucked her hair behind her ear. "You're my girl. I'd be stupid to do something to ruin that."

Her cheeks reddened and she lowered her eyes sheepishly. Then he planted a couple kisses on her forehead, pulling her into his neck. She inhaled softly, taking in his scent.

"God you always smell so good."

He laughed. "You're all over the place, today, huh?"

She frowned, saying nothing.

"This is why I love you. You always keep me on my toes." He said, tickling her with kisses as she laughed and squealed.