The Loneliest Stars

Chapter 12

"Hey, Gabi," Natalia greeted the tall man striding across the street and to her porch, where she was perched on the swing sipping iced tea and reading a book in the afternoon.

He had promised to swing by in the afternoon, it was now around three, since he hadn't been that concrete in his plans, Natalia hadn't bothered getting ready.

She was content to let him take the reigns and move this relationship forward, at his own pace. She couldn't stress herself over a man like she used to in her twenties.

In the first year of her third decade, Natalia was more easy-going when it came to dating but she had clear standards and boundaries, that if a man breached; he was going to be out on his arse.

Gabe was dressed in a white T-shirt that showed off his muscles and tanned skin. A black pair of slim fit jeans hugged his thighs and long longs. His hair was wet and he smelled so good, the clean scent wafting over to her where she was sitting.

She wanted to press her nose into his neck and just inhale. But she also had self respect. She couldn't be setting the feminist agenda back like that, even though all she wanted was to be swept up in his arms.

"Don't call me that. Like, ever," Gabe said with a serious tone.

"Like ever," Natalia mimicked his Southern drawl easily. She was getting good at this. Sometimes she caught herself slipping into using more and more Americanisms in her day to day speech. She loved 'y'all,' it was so versatile and rolled off the tongue more fluidly than 'you all' or 'guys,' ever could.

"I actually came here to do you a favour but I ain't so sure now," Gabe said in a mock hurt tone.

"Aww, Gabs, don't be like that," Natalia continued with a grin. She enjoyed watching the look of annoyance that crossed his face when she called him girly names.

"Anyways, I don't recall asking you for a favour, what could it be?"

"Continuing your education in all things Texan. On today's agenda we have barbecue, are you down?"

"I've no idea what all those words mean next to each other, but I hope food is involved."

"The best food," Gabe promised.

"Okay, let me get changed, I'll be back in a few."

"Oh no you don't," Gabe said easily grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him until she landed on his chest with a soft thud. "You look perfect just like this." His eyes swept appreciatively over her form.

She was wearing a white T-shirt too, with baggy harem jersey trousers and sliders. Her hair freshly washed, was in two fluffy buns atop her head and her face was devoid of makeup except for the pink tinted Vaseline she had swept across her lips.

"Okay, Drake. Let's go." Natalia rolled her eyes at his compliment but smiled despite its cheesiness.

"Drake?"

"Yeah, you know, 'Sweatpants, hair tied, chillin' with no make-up on. That's when you're the prettiest, I hope that you don't take it wrong'?" she rap-sang to him, an incredulous expression on his face, to the tune of the popular Drake song.

"Nope," he said, still looking a bit stunned. "But I agree with every word that he said."

"Good to know, I'm going to play you that song, old man, I can't have you sleeping on Drake."

"How is it that I give you compliments and you just insult me?"

"It's the patriarchy. I don't make the rules. Men give compliments and women look pretty."