Temptations

55. AT PEACE

NATHAN

My eyes were glued to the clock and with every passing minute, I was getting closer to punching the wall and breaking my hand. Sitting on the bed anxiously, I was staring at a distance mindlessly, all my thoughts converged on Ellie and what she would be doing with Drake currently.

The repeated thought of their bodies wrapped together on his bed was appearing in my mind and it made me want to strangle someone.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I first ignored it but when there was another knock, I walked towards the door and opened it, revealing my mother.

"Yes." I asked.

"You didn't come down for dinner." She said, walking into my room.

I walked back to the bed, sitting down at a corner. "I'm not hungry."

"And may I ask the reason? Where's Ellie?" She asked and a frown appeared on my forehead at her mention.

"She is out with a friend." I said, keeping my eyes out of her vision. There was some moisture in my eyes and I didn't want her to see it.

"Nathan," Mom said softly and it wasn't a tone I'm used to hearing from her mouth. I looked towards her and her gentle expressions unnerved me. "Son, I think it's time you open up to someone."

"To whom exactly? Ellie?" I said sarcastically. "Do you see her around?"

"Yes Ellie. I don't see any other girl worthy to be your wife. She can give you a real chance of…"

"A chance of what? Serena was nice too. What did she do to me? Women left you weak. They break you and then they take pieces of your heart with them." I asked.

"Ellie is different. She is patient enough to deal with you and that says a lot about her." She replied.

"Doesn't matter." I laughed halfheartedly. "It's too late anyway." I looked at the mirror and it struck 11. There was no doubt that she was at his apartment with him and if things went Drake's way, she was in his bed right now. The thought itself was enough to crush my heart into a million pieces.

"It's never too late." Mom said. "Tell her what you feel. You can't expect her to just guess what goes on in your mind. Women need reassurance. They can't just survive on mere hope."

"I…." I felt overwhelmed all of a sudden. I struggled to breathe while my vision was getting blurry due to the onslaught of emotions. "I'm scared."
She extended her hand and wrapped her delicate hands around mine. "It's okay to be scared. It's a sign that you care."

Once she walked out of the room, I picked up my phone and dialed Ellie's number. I wanted her to leave Drake and come back home but her phone was switched off.

Groaning, I threw the phone away and screamed in frustration. Why did I let her leave with him?

I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes, trying to distract myself with sleep but it didn't help. Only a few minutes had passed when the door to the room opened.

I opened my eyes and that's when I saw Ellie enter the room. My body went cold all of sudden. Her eyes met mine and I tried to read them. What was she doing here and what happened between Drake and her? I wanted to know each and everything.
Instead of saying anything, she walked over to the closet to find clothes for herself. I left the bed and stood up, slowly reaching behind her. Realizing my presence, she turned around and that's when I caged her in between my arms, not letting any space for her to leave.

"Nathan…" she looked at me with surprise.

"I can't… I fucking can't." I groaned in frustration, decreasing the distance between our faces. "I can't watch you date someone else or go out with any other guy. I'm sorry I lied before. I do mind that."

Her brown eyes filled with tears and her features softened. "And if you've slept with already, don't tell me because it will fucking kill me." I added.

"I didn't." She said and suddenly, a weight was lifted off my chest. "Drake and I have ended our situationship." She said and my irregular heart beat picked up rhythm.

"Good." I said and hugged her tightly. Her body was pressed tightly against me and her scent was calming the anxiety brewing up inside me. I could hear her heartbeat against my ribcage and I knew she could feel the same.

"Nathan." She whispered.

"Ssshhh." I kissed her cheek and her soft skin urged me to continue kissing her. Our eyes met from this close and I saw the same vulnerability in her eyes. She had feelings for me, no matter how much she tried to hide.

I tried to reach her lips and she hesitated at first but then she let me kiss her mouth. The kiss started innocent and soft, with our lips slowly molded against each other but as the time passed, the kiss became heavier and our tongues started to dance together.

Bringing my hands to her hips, I picked her up and guided her legs around me. I wanted to be close to her, so close that there was no distance between us whatsoever.

"I'm sorry for purposefully hurting you." She said, creating some distance between our lips. We rested our foreheads together while both of us tried to catch our breath.

"And I'm sorry for not telling you what you mean to me." I said as I began to walk with her in my hands. Once we reached the bed, I lowered her down and then took position on top of her.

"It's okay." She said.

Her brown hair sprawled everywhere and her face was burning red due to the kiss.

"You have no idea how badly I want you." I said and began kissing her neck while my hands moved to her buttons. I unbuttoned her shirt slowly and when I was at the last button, she held my hand to stop me.

"We can't. I'm on periods." She said.

Realizing what she meant, I instantly regretted letting her heat me up like that. My whole body was pumping with need and I was this close to tearing her clothes off and making love to her. But apparently, that was out of the question right now. What was I going to do with this member of my anatomy all perked up now?

"Sorry." She said.

I took a deep breath and watched her smile at my situation. Groaning in embarrassment, I moved from on top of her and lay down on her side. "You should've told me earlier. I'll need to take a cold shower in this freezing weather now." I said and she laughed at this.

"Don't laugh. You aren't a guy, be thankful for that." I said and stood up with my tightened pants.

I went to the bathroom to take a shower and when I returned, the room was drowned in darkness, only the moonlight illuminating the room. Ellie was sitting on her side of the bed, her eyes zoomed on me. I went to my side of the bed and sat down, covering myself with the blanket.

"So what does this mean? For us?" She asked.

"I don't know." I said and slid closer to her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I brought her close to my chest. "I just know that I don't ever want you to leave me."

"I don't want to leave you either." She said softly, holding my jaw.

We both lay down under the blanket with our bodies molded together. She smelled heavenly and I wanted her to be the last thing I smelled every night. We cuddled the whole night, talking about various things while kissing each other every now and then. I loved the way she fit in my arms and the way our mouths melted together, as if they were made for each other.

It was about 3 in the night when we finally succumbed to sleep in each other's arms. It was the best feeling ever, to not be in a dispute with my feelings and accepting them. Suddenly, my heart felt like it was in peace and not in a burning fire anymore.

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