His name was Nathaniel

60

Nathaniel stared out the window as the Rolls Royce pulled into the underground garage of his penthouse. The gentle hum of the car was soothing, but what had really put him at ease was the sight of Adaliya peacefully asleep on his shoulder, her breath soft and steady. He didn't want to wake her—not yet.

If it weren't for his injured ankle, Nathaniel would have carried her up himself. He frowned at the thought of one of his bodyguards touching her, even if only to help. That was something he didn't want to happen. Not tonight, not ever.

"Sir, we've arrived," the driver announced quietly.

Nathaniel sighed. As much as he wanted to let Adaliya sleep longer, he leaned down, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Adaliya," he whispered softly, giving her a light nudge. "We're here."

She stirred, blinking groggily, slowly lifting her head from his shoulder. "Oh... sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

Nathaniel smiled. "It's fine. I didn't mind." He shifted, bracing himself on his crutches before stepping out of the car. He glanced at her as she stretched, clearly still half-asleep. He felt a fleeting pang of guilt. He would've carried her to the penthouse if he could, but the thought of needing someone else to help her was out of the question.

When they made it upstairs, the familiar space of Nathaniel's penthouse opened up around them. As soon as they entered, Adaliya let out a tired sigh, her eyes scanning the place before landing on the large glass windows overlooking the city. She hadn't been here since that weekend a few weeks ago—the weekend where things had started to change between them.

Nathaniel noticed her eyes wandering, and the faintest smile appeared on her face, but he didn't comment. He could guess what she was thinking about.

That weekend had been unexpected. It was meant to be a quiet escape, but then Violet, Nathaniel's cousin, had shown up unannounced. The encounter had been... awkward, to say the least. Adaliya wasn't sure if Violet had been genuinely curious or just suspicious of her, but the way she asked too many personal questions made Adaliya uncomfortable. She had been polite but couldn't shake the feeling of being judged by someone from Nathaniel's world.

"You're tired," Nathaniel said, breaking her thoughts.

Adaliya blinked, snapping back to the present. "Yeah, I guess I am."

He smiled, gesturing toward the hallway. "You can stay in the guest room again, like last time. It's all set up for you."

"Thanks," she replied with a yawn. "What about you?"

"I'm going to take a bath and then head to bed. I won't be long."

Adaliya nodded and headed toward the guest room, her feet dragging slightly. As Nathaniel watched her retreat down the hall, he felt a familiar warmth bloom in his chest. This was the first time in a while that he didn't feel lonely in this massive place.

With a sigh, he made his way to the master bathroom, grateful for the luxury of a deep, soaking tub. He slipped out of his clothes and lowered himself into the hot water, letting it soothe the tension in his body. His broken ankle was propped up, and for a while, everything felt calm.

But then reality hit him again when the bath was over. As he reached for his crutches, he realized they had fallen farther from the tub than he anticipated, completely out of his reach. He cursed softly under his breath, feeling the embarrassment rise in his chest.

This was the part he hated—how useless he felt with his injury. His pride warred with practicality, but after a moment, he gave up. He grabbed his phone from the counter, grimacing as he tapped out a message to Adaliya.

Nathaniel: Hey, are you still awake? Could you help me with something?

Seconds felt like minutes before her response came in.

Adaliya: Yeah, I'm still up. What do you need?

He sighed in relief, replying quickly.

Nathaniel: I, uh, dropped my crutches. Could you bring them over? I'm in the bathroom.

A soft knock came at the bathroom door shortly after. "Nathaniel?" Adaliya's voice was gentle, her concern evident.

"Yeah," he called back, feeling a bit more flustered than he wanted to admit. "Come in."

The door creaked open, and Adaliya stepped inside cautiously. Her cheeks warm the moment she saw him in the tub, but luckily, the thick layer of foam covered most of his body.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes darting around before landing on the crutches lying just out of his reach.

"I'm fine, just... stuck," he admitted, feeling his face heat with embarrassment. "The crutches fell, and I can't exactly get up without them."

Adaliya quickly grabbed the crutches and placed them beside the bathtub, careful not to look too closely at him. "There you go."

"Thanks," Nathaniel muttered, his voice softer than usual. "I appreciate it."

Adaliya gave him a small, sympathetic smile. "No problem." She turned to leave but paused at the door. "Good night, Nathaniel. Try not to get into any more trouble, okay?"

He managed a chuckle, though his face was still burning. "Good night, Adaliya."

As the door closed behind her, Nathaniel let out a long breath, leaning back into the tub. His face was still bright red with embarrassment. Of all the things he had imagined happening tonight, being rescued by Adaliya while sitting naked in a bath wasn't one of them.

He stared up at the ceiling, feeling a mix of frustration and amusement. She had handled it so well—better than he had, for sure. But even as he replayed the awkward moment in his mind, there was something endearing about it.

Maybe it was the fact that, despite all the challenges and uncertainties they faced, she was still there for him—no matter how embarrassing the situation might be.

And for that, Nathaniel couldn't help but smile.