Not Just Acting (Negovanman)

Chapter 16

I dig through my bag one last time, mentally checking off things I find the most important. I'm sure if I forget something Natasha would just lend me something to replace it anyway. She wouldn't leave me hanging with no toothbrush or whatever else I may or may not forget.

My phone rings from my bed stand as I struggle to zip the last two inches of my bag. I bounce to my feet and bring the phone up to my ear, smiling when I catch a glance of Natasha's contact icon on my screen.

"Hey," I say breathlessly.

"You okay? You sound out of breath," she says with a clear smirk in her tone.

"I was just trying to zip up my very full bag and I was having some troubles with it." I frown and kick at my bag. With all my luck, my bare toe makes contact with something hard in my bag. Pain explodes in my foot immediately and I'm forced to yell out. "FUCK!"

I fall down, luckily on my bed. At least falling on comfortable things is on my side. I drop my phone in the process and hear Natasha's unclear words coming from it. Clawing for it, I bring it back up to my ear.

"-happened? You sound like someone just attacked you. Oh no, blink twice if you're being attacked right now and being held for ransom." Now she's making jokes, bringing humor to my pain.

"You wouldn't even be able to see me if I blinked!" I roll to my back and bring my hand up to my forehead. "I'm fine now though. I just hit my toe on something hard in my bag." 

"What could possibly be in your bag that's hard?" Natasha asks. "Last time I checked, clothes are soft."

"It's probably my laptop." I hope I didn't break it.

"A laptop?" She laughs. "You don't need that. Put it back on your desk or wherever you keep it."

I sit up and look down at my bag. "No, I need it."

"Okay, Laura Hollis," she jokes.

"Hey now." I point, even though she can't see it. I feel like a fool and am forced to put down my hand. "I will be very miserable to be with if I can't bring it with. It's my life, my soul. I need to be on my laptop."

"I'll throw it in the lake if I see it."

I gasp dramatically. "You wouldn't!"

"Test me."

"Fiiine," I say, dragging out the word. I sigh and bend down to my bag. I pull at the zipper with my free hand; it explodes open, so I let out a defeated sigh. "I'll put it back."

"Good, you better. But to the reason why I called, I'm downstairs," Natasha says patiently.

"Oh, sorry. I'll be down in a minute."

"See you in sixty seconds then," she says in a serious tone. "Bye."

"Bye." I hang up, quickly take my laptop out of my bag, zip it back up, then haul it through my apartment. "Bye, Christa!"  I yell out, not knowing whether she's even here or not.

I don't think Christa will be surprised when she finds I'm not here. I did tell her last night about going somewhere with Natasha for the weekend. I grab my keys and slip on shoes along the way before I'm out the door. My bag, or rather a large suitcase, bounces noisily down the steps as I rush down them.

"You're forty seconds late." Natasha smiles, leaning against her car.  I shrug as she tilts down her black aviators, nearly making my heart fly out of my chest, and then pops her trunk. "That's a very large suitcase you have there." She holds out her hand. "You're lucky I'm nice."

"Thanks." I roll my bag over to her and watch her lift it into the trunk with ease.

"Are you ready for a wonderful weekend?" she asks after slamming the trunk down with an unnecessarily strong force. Her infamous smirk follows and it makes my stomach release butterflies that fly lightly around, fluttering in the most heart-pumping of ways.