Please Mind The Gap #1

27: Please mind the plan

RECAP: Enalie (Nathan's sister) woke up from her coma and is in the hospital. Nathan confessed to his parents about him being the one who drunkenly pushed Enalie off the roof, causing her coma. The last chapter ended with Teddy saying that she would be leaving for London soon and that they should decide what was going on between them (Teddy and Nathan) once and for all. Hope that helped!

27: Please mind the plan

--- Waves in the media section ---

Nathan woke up to loud, heavy footsteps clomping and stomping outside his door.

"WAKE UP, BROWNIE!" hollered Teddy, cheerfully trip-trapping down the stairs. "I MADE PANCAKES!"

With his eyes still closed, he yelled back, "YOU HAVE LOUD FEET, TED!"

"DON'T INSULT ME - I'LL BE OFF IN THREE DAYS!"

The happy, loud skipping outside stopped abruptly and Nathan felt the half-formed smile on his mouth vanish like mist. Their conversation last night rushed back to him and he opened his eyes, remembering everything. Teddy was sadly wrong. Sleeping on the difficult decisions they had to make did not improve anything.

But...

Three days.

It hit him hard, leaving him (mentally) breathless, gasping for air. Think, Nathan, think. What do I want? He scrunched up his very brain (figuratively) and thought.

After Enalie's fall, he had locked his feelings away, wallowing in his guilt and anger towards himself. He disguised it as cheerfulness, eagerness to repent for what he had done to his sister. His parents saw this new, happy, volunteering, almost saintlike him and thought he was okay.

But inside, he was hurting. A lot. He said he hated no one more than Fox. But no. He hated himself the most for following Fox around like a mindless idiot.

And then he met Teddy and suddenly, his world morphed from being monochromatic to being in brilliant technicolor. Every scathing remark and taunt was like a breath of fresh air. He liked talking to her and being with her and he just wanted her there by his side because with her, he didn't have to disguise his happiness. He felt like the self he was trying to be. He felt real.

He could pour out his soul to her like he did after the Venezia. He could kiss her and touch her and not be afraid and hesitant and it wasn't awkward.

He was madly in love with her.

He loved her. That was that. That was his decision. He couldn't return to life without a Teddy Errol. Nathan laughed at himself for not realizing it sooner. He loved Teddy Errol as surely as he knew the letters of his own name.

"OI! BROWNIE! DO YOU WANT TO EAT PANCAKES OR NOT?"

Her voice sounded and he laughed out loud. He, Nathan, loved her.

Oh stop repeating it in your head, he thought to himself. Does she even love you back? She's got Ivan anyway. She didn't officially say it straight to your face that she loves you...

He stopped laughing. Oh, yeah, Ivan was still stuck in the picture. He was definitely hitting on her, no doubt about it.

But Nathan was willing to fight for Teddy. Whatever he had to do.

He gamboled down the stairs and sat down across Teddy whose cheeks were bulging all the food in her mouth. She was never a proper lady, that one, he thought fondly and his heart leapt at his decision. He loved her.