Homeless

Chapter 21

I dipped my spoon in the Ice-cream carton between Nathaniel and me. I had noticeably gained weight since living with Nathaniel. I didn't care about looking thin, but I would care if the added weight started affecting my health.

"I think I should start working out."

Nathaniel scanned me from head to toe. I resisted the urge to shift in my seat. I stuck the ice cream in my mouth. "Yeah?" he asked.

"I feel like I no longer have the same endurance as before," I said. "I'm not even walking these days because I no longer go to work, and I'm starting to feel it."

"I'd tell you to come running with me in the mornings," he said. "But I know you wouldn't feel at ease leaving Mark alone, especially now."

"You're right. I wouldn't," I said, leaning my head back against the couch.

The faint spot lights in the kitchen cast soft shadows on the ceiling. Chris had left a couple of hours ago, and I was too keyed up to go to sleep. So Nathaniel pulled out ice cream and joined me on the couch.

"Do you think it'll work?" I asked.

Nathaniel hummed next to me. The crispy peanuts crunching as he chewed on them. "It's better than not doing anything," he said. "But I have a good feeling about this. I think it's going to be worth the shot."

I hoped he was right. I looked at him. "How will you get Robbins to get you an invite to the House?"

Nathaniel leaned his head left then right, his eyes devious. "I can think of a few ways."

"Legal ways?" I asked.

He grinned. "Does it matter?"

I groaned. "Nathaniel, I don't want this to come back and bite you in the ass. What if it affects your work or-"

He snorted. "Daphne, this is not going to affect my work. Even if it did, it's just a company. We're talking about helping people and stopping the monsters who made you go through hell. It's worth it." He shrugged. "Besides, the company is... like I told you before, the only reason I accepted my father's offer of being the CEO is because of my late grandfather. He loved his company, and I had good memories of him."

"You don't like being a CEO?"

"Eh, I think there are better ways to spend my time," he said.

I smiled. "What would you do if you weren't running the company?"

He sighed, stretching his long legs in front of him. "What would I do? To be honest, I have enough investments and real estate to live comfortably for the rest of my life without working."

"Show off," I mumbled.

He gave me a playful grin. "I'm just stating facts."

I chuckled and stole a gunky chunk of peanuts and caramel from right under his spoon. His grin disappeared. "You're lucky you're cute," he grumbled.

I did not blush because he called me cute. I most certainly did not.

"But if I had the choice to do what I wanted? I really don't know." He hesitated. "To be honest, I used to love writing, you know."

"Writing? Fiction?"

He nodded. Now his massive library made sense.

"I loved reading, I still do. And in high school, I dabbled a bit in writing. It's been very cathartic. But I haven't done that in a while. I don't know if I still have it."

"What did you write?"

"Fantasy. I was obsessed with Tolkien's work." He smiled a little. "Isn't it funny? I'm almost thirty and I have no idea what I would do with my life if I didn't have my current position."