Falling in Love + other Conditions of Living

Chapter 6

© kelliekook

The first girl Nathan Wyatt ever liked was Cassandra Clark. A brunette with curly pigtails and rosy cheeks, she'd been the apple of his eye at the mere age of six.

Of course, at that age, that simply meant he treated her the worst of all the girls in his grade.

After Cassandra there was Jennifer Sanders. A strawberry blonde with short, spiky hair, she'd been the object of his affections at the age of eleven. This time, however, she'd liked him back and they became a 'couple'.

At that age though, being a 'couple' just consisted of awkward conversations, teasing one another and having everyone else in the grade know you liked each other.

Many years after Jennifer there was Olivia Carter. A brunette with freckles and an infectious smile, she'd been his teenage sweetheart at the age of sixteen.

At that age, this meant they spent most of their time together making out in the back of his father's station wagon after she got off her shift at the local fish & chips shop.

Needless to say Cassandra, Jennifer and Olivia were only three of the many women that earned the affections of Nathan Wyatt over the twenty-three years he'd spent on earth so far. He'd come to conclude that this experience gave him subsequent knowledge that would no doubt help him in pursuing future relationships.

Until he met her, then none of it seemed to relate.

Curls escaping from a clip at the back of her head, white top sleek and professional, black slacks snug around her curvy hips -- Rachel West.

A large smirk stretched across Nathan's face as he spotted her exiting the showers. His day had suddenly gotten a whole lot better.

He stood there for a moment, watching as she twisted her head from left to right, when it dawned on him that she must be looking for someone.

A sudden thought occurred to Nathan, was it possible that she was looking for him?

He sniggered to himself, it was unlikely. He watched her retreating into the distance, thought about his session he'd yet to have and, after a moment's hesitation, he followed.

Still, he thought with a grin, there is a possibility.

Feeling ever so slightly like a stalker, Nathan watched as Rachel stopped suddenly, hesitating at the exit and fidgeting anxiously with her hands briefly before huffing irritably and shoving open the door. His interest grew as he followed her outside, raising one eyebrow as snippets of angry mutterings reached his ears. He bit back a smile as he watched her cross her arms across her chest like a petulant child. What has calm and collected Rachel West in such a state? Nathan thought with increasing curiosity.

Shaking his head Nathan looked up just in time to see Rachel step up to a small, red Corolla and rummage through her bag briefly before taking out her keys. She yanked the car door open, climbed in and slammed it loudly behind her with a final thud.

All his earlier amusement suddenly evaporated.

Nathan scowled; he wasn't nearly close enough to catch her before she drove off. Just my luck, he thought sarcastically as he kicked at the pavement, running a hand through his hair and feeling like a complete wanker. What was he expecting to achieve, following her like this? It was weird and creepy. No wonder luck was screwing him around like this -- throwing her at him when he wasn't prepared and leaving him agitated and miserable when he was. He scoffed, who was he kidding? He should be handling this situation like an adult, not stalking the woman and putting off the inevitable.