'Til I Found You - (A Nathan Sykes Love Story)

Chapter 4 - Warm, Cuddly, Giant Teddy Bear

My back ached as I lay still on the hard mattress. I sat up in the bed taking in my surrounds. The room looked familiar, but it definitely wasn’t my own bedroom. It was different than before, the walls were white except for a solitary wall painted black. It was a typical boy’s room, messy. I studied the posters on the wall of his favourite band Boyz II Men. His love affair with them never ended. Upon the shelves lay several pictures of Nathan and his friends, numerous ones of him and Jay, various group photos and some of Nathan and I but none with Mollie, which was understandable. I flicked through the pages on his desk, many of which held words to new songs that he had written, old songs penned during hardship including Warzone or songs chalked out to show the bands love for the fans. I carefully picked up the guitar, running my finger along the sleek paintwork before strumming a few quick notes and placing in back down on its stand.

I peered out the window, noticing that the back yard had changed significantly since my childhood. The jungle gym had been replaced by a wooden table and chairs. Beautiful flowers lined the border of the garden and a little wooden shed held all the gardening tools. ‘Since when did you play the guitar?’ I asked hearing the door open behind me. ‘Tom’s teaching me. I plan to serenade someone special. I won’t be able to win over her heart any other way’ he shrugged placing his hands around my waist. He touch sent shivers through my body. It was good being back in contact with him.

‘Wait, what am I doing here?’ I asked in a moment of realisation. I turned to face him, his face dangerously close to mine. He arms we spread apart, one at each end of the window sill, trapping me in. ‘I got worried about you. You passed out in the café earlier. I thought you fell asleep but I couldn’t get you to wake up so I carried you back here and let you stay in my bed. I hope you don’t mind?’ he asked leaning in a little closer if that was at all possible. ‘Thanks for looking after me’ I whispered sitting up on the window to avoid a confrontation. ‘Some things don’t change’ he whispered smiling. ‘How, how, how do you mean?’ I stuttered. ‘You’re still claustrophobic’ he laughed hinting to my position on the window. ‘I guess you’re right’ I nodded back laughing.

We waited there in silence for a few moments waiting for one another to speak. I stared into his emerald green orbs, realising how much I had really missed him. Having him back after three or so years, made me realise how much it used to mean to me, how much he still does. They say you never miss the water until it’s gone, I guess it’s very true. His hand rested on my thigh as the other one still lay on the sill. I tried to flick my hair out of my face, but the fringe submerged my eyes in a mass of brown filaments. ‘Epic fail’ I mumbled swallowing the ends of my hair. He gently moved the hair out of my eyes, twirling the ends of it between his fingers. That’s when I saw them.

I tried to erase the image from my head but it’s something you don’t do in the blink of an eye. ‘So am, do you want to do something today?’ I asked trying to forget the image. ‘I’d love to. I go back to London in two days, so I want to spend all the time I can with you’ he sighed sitting down on the edge of his bed. He bit his nails for a few moments before placing his hands on his knees. Unable to see his face from my position, I took a seat on the bed beside, before taking his hand in mine. His freezing hands sent shivers down my spine. Nathan always got cold hands when he was nervous. I held his hands in between mine and rubbed them ferociously with the palms of my hand, hoping to regain heat.  

‘What’s the matter Nathy?’ I asked referring to the name he had as a child. I traced shapes in the palm of his hand, causing a small smile to appear across his face. ‘That’s the Nathy I like to see’ I whispered poking his cheek. He smiled sweetly before turning it to a frown. ‘Nathan, you can tell me. What’s wrong?’ I asked seriously sitting down on the floor in front of him. I groaned as my ass hit the floor with a loud thud. ‘Ouch’ I whined putting emphasis on the ‘h’. ‘Do you want me to kiss it better?’ he asked smugly. ‘Oh yeah sure, what not, go on and kiss my ass’ I teased. ‘Now come on, tell me what’s going on Nathan’ I demanded kicking him lightly on the ankle. ‘Ouch’ he groaned pinching my arm. ‘I see what you’re at!’ I announced pinching the rolls of fat that formed on his stomach when he sat down. ‘Has Baby Nath lost all his baby fat?’ I teased poking his belly button. Offended, he pulled me into his lap and tickled me to death. When he stopped, I struggled catching my breath. I inhaled and exhaled deeply, relaxing a little when the fresh air filled my lungs. ‘Shit, sorry Frey, didn’t mean to hurt you’ he fretted almost pulling his hair out. ‘It’s fi, fine’ I stuttered finally catching my breath again. ‘I always loved your baby fat. It made you warm and cuddly just like a giant teddy bear’ I whispered pulling him in for a hug. ‘I’m still warm and cuddly just like a teddy bear’ he whispered stroking my hair. ‘I don’t want to go to London without you Freya. We’ve only just rekindled our friendship again and if I go back, we’ll grow apart just like we did the last time. I don’t want to lose you again Frey’ he whispered as I buried my head in his chest. ‘You’re not going to lose me. I’ll visit as much as I can, especially when I’ve off at school. We’re not going to grew apart again, I promise Nathy’ I mumbled pulling him closer.

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‘I was cute back then’ I laughed as we looked through the old photos of us together. We sat under a warm, woolly blanket in my cubby house as we pulled out all the old photo albums. ‘I never knew we had so many albums’ I moaned taking them out individually. Looking for the oldest one, I opened the front cover of each, checking the dates. I opened the front cover of the final one, already knowing that it probably was the one I was looking for. Flicking through it, a loose page slipped out. Unaware of what it was, I carefully unfolded it before reading it from start to finish.

Gloucester Town Council Adoption Form:

Name of Adoptive Mother: Elizabeth Broomham

Name of Adoptive Father: Unknown

Name of Child to be Adopted: Freya Broomham (née Smyth)

Nathan dried my tears as I tried to explain what I just read. ‘I’m a, a, a, adopted.’

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So Freya's adopted?! Has she also found out one of Nathan's secrets? By far not one of my best chapters but it will get better, I hope. (I'm going to try get a picture of his room for you all)

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Rachael xx