NURA

Chapter 17

Nura

Feb. 2014, New York

A few days later, Nura came stumbling down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and yawning wide on her way to the kitchen. The smell of fried eggs and bacon drifted from the stove, waking her a bit more before a warm cup of coffee was thrust into her hands as she collapsed into the wooden chair.

"Morning, sweetie!" Mrs. Hope chirped, her smile bright and easy as usual, and she nodded, still half asleep, gulping down half of the cup before finally starting to feel alive as the warm liquid warmed her insides.

"Morning," she mumbled, and before long, she was presented with a big plate piled high with delicious-smelling food. She made a motion to start eating before she looked around in confusion, suddenly aware that she was the only one at the table. She frowned, wondering where the men of the house had gone.

They always ate together, and then Nura would go out with Jer to help him with the horses and other farm-related stuff. Nate usually ate quietly with them and then disappeared somewhere, keeping true to his promise not to bother her again.

Nura was unsure how she felt about that fact since she found herself missing the man. She knew he was just doing what she had asked, but now, when she finally got what she'd wanted, Nura felt incredibly sad.

She'd come to cherish the time they spent together during breakfast since it was the only time of the day that Nate would be close enough for her to touch him if she wanted to, which she never did, of course, but the knowledge that she could if she just extended her hand was somehow comforting.

In the last few days, Nura had spent a lot of time watching Nate, his face, hands, and mouth, as the man slowly ate with his head always bowed slightly as if he didn't want to look at her or maybe couldn't. It was all too reminiscent of the previous year before Stefan came along when Nura would watch him every time Nate came to the club.

He was a big guy, really tough looking, what with all of his tattoos and piercings, but there was something in his movements and the way he spoke that almost made him look gracious. His voice was always on the low side, the silent confidence in it ever-present; not as obvious as with some of the men she had encountered so far, but still unquestionably there. It drew her in, as much as she tried to deny it, and she was slowly losing the battle with herself.

She started to eat slowly, even though most of her appetite was suddenly gone, as she stared dejectedly at the empty chair usually occupied by the infuriating man.

"He went into town to pick something up." she heard Hope say from the other side of the room, and her head snapped in that direction.

"What?"

"Nate. I asked Jeremiah to pick something up for me this morning. Nate went with him, in case you were wondering." she said, her knowing eyes trained on her, making her squirm a little in her seat.

"I wasn't," Nura said, sounding like a petulant child even to her ears, making her wince slightly.

"Mhm..." Hope hummed as she picked up a cup before joining her at the table. She refused to look up, shoveling food into her mouth, ready to bolt if Hope tried to talk to her about her son. If she was honest, she was impressed that Hope had managed to hold out for this long without inquiring about their relationship.

"Breathe, honey, you'll choke to death if you keep eating like that. I will not force you to talk to me if you don't want to." she chuckled, making Nura flush bright red as she ducked her head in embarrassment.

"But if you ever want to talk to someone, know I am here. Don't worry about me being Nate's mom, that fact is what makes me the perfect person to talk to about him because I know him the best. I know how that enormous brain of his works, and I won't be angry, no matter what you say." she said, tapping Nura's hand with hers.