Because It's You - English Version

¤ 36 - Unsettled

As Nate cleaned the upstairs that morning, she kept glancing towards the stairs, expecting Marco to appear at any moment. She was curious about what Marco might have told Julian, and a little worried—Julian had a tendency to keep things to himself, and Nate knew that couldn't be good.

"Morning!" Marco said, walking in with a tray of vitamins. "Frida told me you weren't going back to the UK, but where have you been hiding? I've been looking all over for you for two days. You weren't even at your place."

"Marco! What did you say to Julian?" Nate asked directly, cutting past his question.

"Uh... what's this about?" Marco asked, confused.

"Thanks for telling him about Rachel, but did you also mention Keith?"

"What's the big deal? He deserves to know that the guy who stole his wife is around."

"I didn't want him to find out from someone else. He'll think I was keeping it a secret."

"Were you going to tell him yourself?"

Nate didn't say a word. She'd also chosen not to elaborate when Julian had brought it up the day before. As she hadn't actually met Keith, she didn't see the point in getting Julian worked up over nothing.

Nate and Julian's relationship remained unaffected, and they stuck to their usual routine. The space for longing between them remained a constant, with Julian often dropping by Nate's place in the mornings to head to work together, and Nate visiting Julian's flat after work to care for Muffin and then head home.

Julian mentioned that Rachel might visit his flat at the weekend, so he'd normally spend Saturday nights at Nate's, bringing Muffin along. They'd spend the rest of the weekend together. According to Julian, his motivation for doing so wasn't fear of Rachel, but rather a desire to avoid making Nate feel uncomfortable.

Nate didn't share with Julian her habit of observing him from Philip's restaurant. She preferred to keep it private. Nate was concerned that if Julian discovered she'd been doing this since her arrival in the city, Julian might perceive her as overly aggressive or even think she was stalking him.

As Nate wrapped up her lunch at Philip's, Yvet turned up again. Nate shot her a disapproving look, but Yvet appeared genuinely pleased to have found Nate there.

"Hi again," Yvet said with a smile, sitting down across from Nate. "Do you usually come here for lunch?"

"Sort of," Nate said, rummaging through her bag for her wallet, a subtle indication that she was preparing to leave.

"Oh, I'm sure Mr Stannard's told you we work together," Yvet said. "He's an amazing boss, and I'd love to get him something special as a thank you. Do you know him well enough to give me some insight into his interests?"

Nate took a moment to think, feeling a bit silly for not knowing more about Julian, considering they'd grown up together. "He lived in Japan for a while and was in a band there—he sang and played guitar. He's into rock music, books, and... um... musicals and theatre too."

"Wow, I'm surprised Mr Stannard is into rock music," Yvet said. "You wouldn't think it just by looking at him. What about his favourite food? All I know is he likes hot Americanos."

"He's not picky about food. He'll eat whatever's put in front of him."

"That figures. He doesn't seem like a complicated person," Yvet said, nodding in agreement. "Do you know what he looks for in a partner? Is there a particular type of woman he's drawn to?"

Nate exchanged a knowing glance with Philip, her doubts about Yvet's motives now seeming justified. It was improbable that Yvet's questions about Julian's ideal woman were purely driven by a desire to show her gratitude. As Nate's thoughts turned to Rachel, she was struck by the differences between the two girls. Nate was confident that Yvet lacked the unique qualities that made Rachel special.