The Loneliest Stars

Chapter 3

A city of contradictions.

Natalia stared out of the window, watching her new surroundings whizz past. Giant shrub-like trees lined the streets. The city was incredibly green, with lakes and parks; bridges that intersected it and a bustling skyline.

The radio played in the background, so they didn't have to speak. The music of choice being country, of course. A young female melancholic voice harmonising over a sad melody.

Natalia bit back a chuckle.

The man driving her noticed and paused his watch over the wide motorway to give Natalia a sideways glance.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing..." Natalia offered reverting back into herself. Everything was just as she expected, if not a little cliche. She was just missing seeing a couple of Stetsons and the picture would be complete. But she didn't want to share this thought with him, she'd already offended him just by existing it seemed, so she kept her opinions to herself.

Soon they got off the motorway and were driving down smaller residential areas. Less put together, you could see deprivation in the worn and sun-beaten wooden houses looking more like shacks than homes that people were meant to live in. Brown faces catching her eye as they drove past.

Natalia gazed on solemnly, the enormity of her task suddenly dawning on her. How was she meant to relate to these kids? She was from the other side of the world, would they have even have anything in common?

They arrived at a part of town that was clearly much nicer, a quarter of an hour later, the line of gentrification was clearly drawn on the sand and the demographics had changed considerably.

They pulled up to a cul-de-sac.

"This is you," he said.

Natalia climbed out of the car, the door to a white house with a generous porch was already open and a blonde woman, whom Natalia guessed to be Ella, was supervising some handymen.

When she spotted her, the woman flew off the porch and down the path, to the kerb where they were parked, taking Natalia into an aggressive embrace.

Not one for physical contact with strangers, Natalia froze, her body going rigid. Ella noticed and pulled away with a final, hearty squeeze.

"I'm sorry, I'm a hugger," she laughed and Natalia couldn't help but smile back at her warm friendliness.

"Gabe! Bring those bags in so I can get her settled."

'Gabe. So that's his name,' Natalia thought. She realised that he hadn't even introduced himself. What a rude, rude man.

"Did he behave himself?" Ella asked in between a gaggle of other questions and a long monologue of plans that she had for the first week of term. Natalia tried to follow the one-sided conversation but the jet lag was catching up with her fast.

"Uhm, I guess," Natalia said noncommittally. She wasn't one to complain or tell tales, and she still didn't know what Ella's relation to Gabe was

"Oh honey, he's just a grouch don't take it personally."

Natalia definitely was. She could see him scowling at her from the corner of her eye as he opened the trunk of his car and fished out her luggage. Natalia tried not to notice the way that the muscles in his sculpted arms bunched and flexed as he moved, or the way his broad shoulders were showcased in the T-shirt he wore.

Ella pulled her into the house, "I'm sorry for the mess; they'll be gone before you know it. I just wanted everything to be perfect for you."

Natalia was overcome with a rush of emotion that she couldn't explain at Ella's words. "It's perfect."