Sharing a Memory

Chapter 1

"Hey, wake up," someone nudged the middle of my back. Someone with cold hands and a voice I didn't recognize. I opened my eyes slightly and saw the pattern of my own sheets. All at once I realized that I was in my bed, in my apartment with a man whose voice I didn't recognize. I jerked awake and looked around quickly and met the face of a confused man.

This confused, gorgeous man stared back at me. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, had dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was pretty tall and very fit.

"Who are you?" I asked him suspiciously. To my discord, I flushed at his almost naked body standing in front of me, only Calvin Klein's tightly hugged his bottom half.

He smiled a shy, crooked smile and held out his hand for me to shake, "Nathan." He laughed nervously.

It wasn't until I reached out to shake his hand with my bare arm that I realized I wasn't wearing any clothes. I shook his hand while I wrapped the sheet the rest of the way around myself.

"I'm Paige, but I think we've already met," I laughed referring to my nakedness.

He flushed and nodded, "Yeah we've met," he chuckled and picked his wrinkled jeans up off the floor and slipped them on, then grabbed his shirt from the corner of the bed.

I watched him while he wasn't looking and noticed the way that his jeans hung low on his taut hips and hid the end of the visible v-line of his toned stomach muscles. After he'd put on his shirt, I looked at the time and realized that I had to be at work in twenty minutes.

I looked up at him from my spot in the bed, "Look, Nathan, it was great meeting you and all but I really have to be at work so I'm gonna go get ready and when I come out to leave, you won't be here."

He laughed and slipped on his shoes, "Hint taken. Nice to meet you Paige," he left my room and I listened closely until I heard the front door open and close.

I quickly threw my hair up into a bun and put on jeans, a t-shirt, and black converse and rushed out of my room. In my hurried panic, I flung open the door of my little brother, Alex's, room.

"Alex," he laid there still snoring like he hadn't heard me. I stomped the rest of the way in and nudged his arm, "Alex, wake up." Still nothing, so I smacked his head a little harder than necessary, "Wake up now!"

He groaned and looked up at me, his dark hair pointing out in every direction and an annoyed glint in his brown eyes, "Jesus Paige, what the hell do you want?"

"I have work and I won't be home until after five. If you go anywhere at all, text me and let me know where you are and don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Well big sis, there's not much you wouldn't do, exhibit A being that guy that you stumbled in with last night," I pulled back my fist, ready to punch his arm and he held up his hands in a defensive gesture, "but hey I'm not one to judge. I'll be a good kid, just go to work before you're late."

I rolled my eyes and laughed, "Okay, I'll be home later," then hurried out and locked the door on my way out, then practically ran to the diner I worked at a few blocks down from our apartment building. As soon as I got there, I tied my apron and grabbed my pen and notepad.

"Paige are you okay? You look a little frazzled," a fellow waitress and my friend, Melissa, asked while she leaned on the counter and rolled silverware.

I smiled while clocking in, "I am great," I said with forced enthusiasm, "just woke up late is all."

Melissa smirked, her eyes flitting between my neck and my eyes, "There's a little something on your neck there Slick."

I quickly picked up the napkin holder from the nearest table, looked at my distorted reflection, and saw a dark hickey on the right side of my neck and muttered, "Oh no, oh shit." I brought my hand up quickly to cover it up, I was in such a hurry getting ready that I didn't even notice it there at first.

Melissa laughed and tossed a bundle of silverware in the bucket, "Did you have a good night?"

I shrugged a little and laughed, "I'm not sure-," I started over, "The details are a little blurry. I remember going to the bar after my shift and meeting a guy and the next thing I know, he's waking me up twenty minutes before I had to be here."

"Sounds like you did have fun, was he at least good looking?"

"Gorgeous," I rolled my eyes and laughed as someone walked in the door of the diner and sat at a table by the wall, "I'll be right back, someone just sat in my section."

I walked over to the table and began my usual greeting, "Hi, my name's Paige and I'll be your server. What can I get you to-," I stopped suddenly and bit my tongue hard as he turned his head and I recognized his face. It was the guy from this morning. Nathan? Yeah, Nathan. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and restarted the question I had begun, sounding a lot less sure of myself this time, "What can I get you to drink?"

"Paige?" I watched the confusion pass over his face which was replaced by a huge grin moments later, "I'll have a coffee and a glass of water."

I nodded, "I'll get that for you real quick," I laughed nervously and walked away, tripping slightly over a chair. I swore I could hear him laughing quietly behind me.

I hurried over to the counter and shrunk behind it to get the iced water.

"Are you doing okay?" Melissa watched me carefully, noticing my shaking hands.

"The guy that just sat in my section? Yeah that's the guy that I woke up with this morning."

She leaned over the counter and angled her head to get a look at him, not even bothering to be subtle, "Damn Paige, he is fine."

I shrugged, "Yeah he's okay," I muttered trying to be nonchalant.

"You better get back over there before he thinks you're avoiding him."

"Yeah, well he'd be right," I laughed a little and gathered up the glass of water, coffee cup, and carafe of coffee and anxiously walked back over to his table.

He glanced up at me and I just now noticed the flecks of green in his blue eyes and the very unsubtle way that his eyes flickered to the hickey on my neck, which I'd forgotten about again. To my surprise, his face turned a light shade of scarlet after he noticed the mark he'd left and I couldn't help but smirk while I filled his coffee cup.

"Want any cream or sugar?"

He shook his head and picked up the cup, "No, just black is good. I do know what I'll be having for breakfast, I didn't have time this morning," he paused and smiled, "I was a little rushed."

I laughed a little, "Sounds like you had quite a morning."

"Oh believe me, I did," he looked up into my eyes and I held his gaze before he looked down at his menu again.

"What'll you be having then?" I cleared my throat to cut the intensity.

"I'll have a stack of pancakes with a side of bacon, please."

I didn't write his order down, I only kept the notepad around for crowded tables.

"Is that all?" He nodded in response, "That'll be out in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks Paige," He smiled and I shook my head.

"Any time Nathan. Just holler if you need anything else," I walked away smiling with a little more confidence than before.

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Author's Note: As a few of you may already know, this story used to have about twelve published chapters, but I decided that I wanted a fresh start. I hope you enjoy my story, I have so many exciting plans for it. Don't forget to comment on your favorite parts and please vote!