Heated

N I N E ~ M A T U R E

N E R I D A

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TWO YEARS LATER
~ ~ ~

I swiped the lip balm across my lips and then rubbed them together, fluffing my hair in the mirror one last time.

"NERIDA!" Jackson yelled for the umpteenth time.

"I'M COMING JACKIE!" I shouted back. I grabbed my purse and took my time walking out of my room, just to piss him off further.

I strolled into the kitchen, blessed with the sight of the monument that was Jackson Colt. He was dressed in his work clothes, dark blue cargo pants, tightly laced black boots and this useless grey t-shirt that did nothing to hide the rippling muscles underneath.

I've been seeing the same thing for the last two years and I've yet to become accustomed to it.

"Why do you insist on making us late every morning Nerida?" He sighed as he pushed my breakfast closer to me.

"Because, that look on your face gets me going," I teased, taking my seat at the island. He walked around and gave me my morning hug.

I frowned when he didn't give me my morning kiss and he immediately took notice. Jackson can read me like a book. It also doesn't help that my facial reactions are uncontrollable.

"Spoilt," he chuckled and gifted me my morning cheek and forehead kiss.

"Now eat up, we're already late," he turned to walk away and I grabbed his hand.

"Did you eat yet?" I frowned at him when he shook his head and, keeping his hand in mine, I took the plate and led us to the living room.

On the couch, I sat on his lap as usual and together we ate breakfast. When it was finally time to leave, we rode the elevator down to his car and got ready to brave the NY traffic.

Jackson just loves to be overdramatic in the morning. If it weren't for my 'lateness' we'd be forty-five minutes early to work every day.

"Do you and Juliette have any plans for tonight?" Jackson asked, interrupting the silence of the car.

"I don't know what Julie has in mind but I was just hoping for a quiet evening in," I answered, looking out the window at all the busy New Yorkers.

Juliette moved to New York about a year ago and stayed with us for the first few months. Then, she got her own place about twenty minutes from our building. Every time Jackson has to work at night, Juliette comes to stay with me because Jackson doesn't like it when I have to be alone in our apartment.

About thirty minutes later, we pulled up in front of the coffee shop I worked at. It wasn't the most elite job in the world but as a teenager, I always wanted to work in one, as corny as that sounds.

Plus, Jackson, my therapist, Nina, and I all agreed that getting a job would help with establishing my independence and teach me some responsibility, as well as help develop my socialization skills.

I loved it. My coworkers were awesome and my boss was pretty cool. The best part was all the people I got to interact with daily. Everyone was going about their own day with a unique story to tell. It was just so satisfying to me to be able to see a glimpse into the lives of so many.