Heavy Wears The Crown

Twenty-Five

   "Pretty girl is suffering while he confesses everything pretty soon she'll figure out what his intentions were about."

------- Pretty Girl - Sugarcult -------

             I stared at the blank screen for several moments in pure disbelief.

"You okay?"

I looked up to see Nolan just a few feet ahead of me. He was still in only his jeans but no longer dripping wet, he waved a plain white tee back and forth. "Flying the white flag, surrendering." He held the shirt out to me. "Peace offering."

Absentmindedly I took it from him. It was smooth, no dried foods on it, when I pulled it to my chest no foul odor rose up from it. Wow. He owned a clean shirt.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and stood idly by for a minute. When I made no movement he cleared his throat. "Want me to grab you some bottoms or something?"

"What?"

"Pants Carter."

"Oh, I, uh, please." I muttered and looked down. "Pajamas if you wouldn't mind."

Nolan turned his back and went down only a few feet to open my cupboard. I pulled his shirt on over top of my towel. He threw me a pair of loose pajama shorts. I put them on under the towel as well and pulled it off from under my shirt.

He sat down beside me and looked at the computer still having a blank skype screen. "Are you alright?"
"I can't- he won't let me - " I can't quit.

"What Carter? You can't what?"

There was an overwhelming weight pressing down on my chest, heat radiated through me, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't quit. He wouldn't let me quit! What a ridiculous thought of course I could quit. How would I ever get home? What if they threw me off the bus right now? My phone was dead, oh my God how would I ever call someone to find me. What was I thinking taking this job? I was thousands of miles from home. Oh my God.

"Carter." Nolan said softly and put his hand on my cheek. "Calm down. You're hyperventilating."

"Am I?" I squealed and closed my eyes tightly. "I called Ace to quit."
"You quit?" He pulled his hand away as if burned and I opened my eyes. His brows were brought together and he looked truly perplexed, but only for a brief moment before his jaw relaxed and he smirked. "Let me guess, he gave you a list of things you had to do for work tomorrow, didn't he?"

I put my hand on my chest, trying to help the air in and our smoother.

"I've tried to quit at least a dozen times." Nolan chuckled and put his hand on my exposed thigh. "Don't quit Carter."

This time when I sucked in air nothing came out. "Why would you care?" I breathed after a moment.

"I'm sorry, alright? I'm not the sorry kind of person. But I am. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I mean, I thought you'd be pissed yeah, but I didn't think you'd freak out. I'm not a modest person. Being naked next to someone is about as natural to me as taking a shit. It didn't matter to me. I mean, not like it did to you. I didn't know you'd freak."