Summer Promise || Nathan Sykes

Chapter Four

"What else is there to know?" I furrowed my brows and looked up at him. He smiled and rolled his eyes, as if the answer was obvious. He sat up slightly and took hold of his bag, opening it up. I watched as he fumbled around. Nathan pulled out his notebook, as well as a pen, and began to make notes.

"Why don't you tell me the basics?" He suggested, shrugging slightly. 

"Okay, well, you already know my name." I started, trying to figure out what he meant by 'the basics'. "I'm twenty years old and I don't have any siblings." I inhaled while thinking about what I should say. Nathan said he found me fascinating, but I couldn't find a single interesting fact about me.

"How did you get your nickname?" He spoke up before I could continue. The wind had eased up slightly, leaving my hair hanging down my back, no longer lifted by the breeze.

"I gained my nickname a long time ago, back when I was in school." I began, thinking back to the day I had earned my reputation. "People took notice of how often I acted up, took notice of the stunts I pulled. One time, I climbed out of a window and walked out of the school." He continued to listen, not at all shocked by what I was telling him. "Another time, I painted the whole classroom blue. It took me all night, but it was worth it."

"Wish I'd been there." He laughed, once again noting things down in his notebook. I watched as his hand danced across the page, his words neatly written. I admired how his words looked alongside each other, forming a slight poem. When he realized I was staring, he snatched his book away and shut it swiftly.

"What else do you want me to tell you?" I tried again, truly lost for words. How was I supposed to know what he needed to know? Was I telling him the right things?

"What's your favourite colour and why?"

"White because it's made up of all the colours, meaning it could represent many different moods or feelings." I explained, finishing with a quick shrug. Nathan nodded briefly, his eyes fixed on his notepad, his pen once again dancing across the page. He had made it so I was unable to see what he was writing, unable to see what notes he was making on me.

"Have you ever been in love before?" The question took me by surprise.

"I don't know. I've had boyfriends, but I wouldn't call it love." I shook my head and looked over at him, though he avoided my gaze. "Love is supposed to be special, something you feel only once in a lifetime."

"Love doesn't exist in the real world." Nathan muttered, his tone cold and harsh. His hand tightened around the pen, his knuckles turning white. "People don't care, they never do. They just use you, and when they're done, they throw you away. As if you're just rubbish."

I frowned and fumbled to find the right words. "That's not true."

"Yes, it is." He snapped.

"Can you just move on to the next question?" The irritation in his voice had caused my body to numb, caused my curiosity to ignite inside of me. Why was Nathan like that? Had something happened to make him feel that way?

"What's the wildest thing you've ever done?" He sent another question my way, wanting to move on from the subject of love. 

"Wildest thing I've ever done?" I repeated his question, filing through my memories for the answer. There were many crazy, yet stupid, things that I'd done. It was hard to pick just one and label it as the wildest. "I once walked round town in nothing but my underwear. Does that count as crazy?"

Nathan chuckled and nodded. "I believe it does." I looked back up at him, holding my breath as I searched his eyes. Sure enough, he'd regained the sparkle that caused me to smile. 

Our conversation continued like that, with Nathan asking questions and me giving answers. We'd covered all of the basics, leaving me struggling to find more information to give him. Besides, I was sick and tired of talking about me.

"Now it's time for you to tell me something." I shifted my body so that I was facing him. He shrugged and shut his notebook, placing it down beside him, out of my reach. 

"What do you want to know?" He asked me, turning his body so that we were facing each other. He met my gaze and I smiled, his green eyes boring into mine. 

"Anything." I breathed, leaning back onto one elbow. The long, spindly grass tickled my arm, causing a small giggle to escape my lips. Nathan raised an eyebrow at me, but didn't say anything. He copied my movements, leaning back onto his elbows.

"Well, I'm twenty, just like you." He started, moving his gaze so that he was staring up at the sky. For once, there wasn't a grey cloud in sight. Instead, the clouds were white, looking similar to mashed potato. The sky was a beautiful cornflower blue, rather than a drizzly shade of grey.

"Continue." I nodded.

"Red is my favourite colour, I'm not quite sure why." He began, laying flat on the grass. I still used my elbows to prop me up, for I hated the idea of bugs crawling on to me. "Cats are the best." I noticed a smile on his face, sparkles in his eyes.

"Can I ask you something else?" I whispered, biting down on my lower lip. I knew the question was going to make the situation awkward, but I simply had to ask. Even if I didn't recieve an answer. Even if he sat there in silence.

He nodded, his gaze still concentrated on the sky. It was as if he knew what I was going to ask, and he didn't want to look at me. But I inhaled and continued anyway.

"Why don't you believe in love?" As soon as the words left my lips, I could tell that I'd made a mistake asking him. His eyes darkened and his smile quickly turned into a scowl. But that didn't stop me from wanting an answer.

"What's it to you?" He snapped, daring to meet my gaze. His eyes were filled with anger, though it looked like he was trying to cover something else. Nathan narrowed his eyes at me before turning away again.

"I'm just curious."

"You don't need to know!" His voice rose, his arms pushing him upward. Nathan sat up, breathing in and out deeply. I still laid there, waiting for him to say something else. But he stood up, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Let's go."

"But-" I protested.

"I said, let's go." He hissed, turning and striding off to his car. 

I sighed and stood up, following him while regretting my decision to speak up.