Undercover

14. Another Year

I didn't want to get up. Today was officially the fourth anniversary of that failed wedding day. I didn't want to do anything, but like always leave it to Ingrid and Cayden to basically rip me out of bed. For the past four years, they would wake me up just to take me to the park where Nathan proposed. It was something that gave me joy each year because all of the nature would make me feel at peace and at home. It was something that I had come to treasure. I felt like this place had become a part of my life and whenever I came here, I felt a little bit closer to Nathan even though he was no longer in my life. I had wanted more than anything to have him here, but as I have said many times before this, we didn't always get what we want. And I had known loss throughout my life. It didn't mean that there were no happy moments in my life. It was quite the opposite; I had had many happy moments and there was a lot of happiness regardless of what else was happening. Everyone knows what it is like to have happiness, just as they know what it is like to lose it.

"Come on. Get up, Sleeping Beauty. We're going to go to that special place." Cayden said.

"I don't want to go anywhere, Cayden." I said to him. I didn't want to go anywhere. Didn't I deserve to do nothing and just wallow in self-pity for at least one day?

"I know that you don't want to do anything today, Nat. But this place actually calms you. It's the only place where we see that you're okay, like there's nothing in the world that's bothering you."

I sat up. "That's really sweet of you. But I still don't want to go anywhere. Even if it's that place that makes me feel completely alive as if I have no cares in the world."

"See? This would be good for you. You know we're not going to give up that easily. This is a special place. So get up. Tell her, Ingrid."

"Cayden's right, Nat. We know how much you love this place and we see how much it calms you. So we're obviously not going to give this one up. And you know it too, because that's what we're supposed to do."

I rolled my eyes at them. They were being completely ridiculous. But I knew that I would love going out there and I really couldn't say no to them. "Fine. Let me just get dressed and we'll be on our way."

Satisfied with their little ambush, Cayden and Ingrid left the room to give me space to get dressed. After that, I just put my hair up in a messy ponytail because I was too lazy to do anything else. I grabbed a jacket and then went downstairs. I made sure to carry my phone with me, even though there were places where I didn't have any reception. I didn't mind, though. I never really called or texted anyone. There were only three people in my contacts list: Ingrid, Cayden and Nathan. I literally smacked myself in the face. I had Nathan's number! Why the hell had I never thought to text him or even call him? He must have thought that I was happy without him. I mean, that's the logical thought when you don't receive any kind of contact.  What the hell? Why had I not thought of this before? I'm so stupid.

I went to his contact and pressed it so that I could call him.  It rang a total of three times before someone picked it up. At this point, my heart was beating at 2000 beats per second (obvious exaggeration but you know what I mean).

"Hello?" the other voice on the phone said. It wasn't him.

"Hi. I'm looking for Nathan Villanova?" I asked, trying to keep my voice under control.

"Sorry hun. You've got the wrong number. There isn't a Nathan Villanova registered at this number.

"Do you, by any chance happen to know who he is?"

"No. Sorry. But good luck."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Bye."