Far From Perfect

Chapter 5

I'm sitting on the picnic bench outside our apartment when I hear a deep, sultry voice whisper, "I want to kiss you." I turn to see Nate looking at me with so much ferocity in his eyes that I nearly fall over from how weak he makes me feel.

"I-I can't," I stammer.

"Why not?"

"Because..." I start but can't come up with a good enough reason not to kiss him.

"Sounds to me like you really have no reason not to let me kiss you."

"We're neighbors!" I exclaim, the moment I remember.

"And?" he says, completely blowing off my reason.

"And...well...it would be wrong."

"The right kind of wrong," he says with a grin as he scoots closer to me on the bench.

"Don't come any closer," I tell him and scoot as far away from him as I can, well as much as the bench permits, but he isn't having it and closes the small distance between us.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Stay away from me."

"Why so nervous?"

"Because you make me nervous," I admit, hating him for getting the truth out of me.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Now keep your distance." I tell him, knowing that if he tries to make a move on me I won't be able to resist for long.

"That's not an option," he responds with a smirk and places his hand on the back of my neck.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"What you clearly want but are too afraid to ask."

"You can't know that."

"Oh, but I do," he responds with a seductive smile and slowly pulls me towards him. I swallow back nervously and feel my pulse race as his lips get closer and closer to mine.

"Please don't do this." I plead, hoping he'll be reasonable enough to stop what he is about to do because I honestly don't have it in me to pull away. Especially not now that he is so close to me.

"Don't worry. I'll be gentle," he promises and finally closes the remaining distance between us just as a loud, incessant whistle goes off; waking me from my very vivid dream that felt so real.

I groan in complaint, hating the blaring sound that ruined my perfectly good dream and reach out with my eyes still closed to find whatever is whistling so I can shut it up. I want nothing more than to keep sleeping, but somehow in the middle of finding whatever is whistling incessantly, I managed to fall on something that is hard yet squishy. It surprisingly isn't uncomfortable and is actually good enough to sleep on but my mind yells at me to wake up because something is clearly off.

I quickly sit up and open up my eyes to find that I am straddling a half-naked Nate, who is wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts. I meet his gaze and see nothing but amusement reflected in his mischievous blue eyes, and curse my luck for falling on him of all people.

"Good morning," he greets me with a big goofy grin, not bothered at all by the fact that I not only fell on him but am also straddling him.

"I am so sorry." I apologize, feeling embarrassed by the whole situation and swiftly climb off him, making sure to sit as far away from him as I can. I need to get my bearings together and with him so close I can't think.

I end up near the door with my back facing the entrance and my body facing him.

"No need to apologize," he tells me as he sits up and leans back against the nightstand.