Chapter 10
Zack's POV:
I was currently running in my room from place to place as I heard Nadia yelling at me from outside the room to hurry. 'How could she manage to get ready in less than half an hour?' I thought to myself as I opened my watches' Drawer and picked a Rolex watch.
"I'm done" I yelled as soon as I put my jacket on and ran my hand through my hair to push it back like usual.
I grabbed my phone and went out immediately but I stopped in my track when I suddenly saw Nadia beside the door. She was sitting on a chair, her legs stretched out in front her, her hands were crossed to her chest and her eyes were focused on me, which gave me no other choice then look back at her since I couldn't figure out what her eyes were hiding.
"Finally, the princess is out" She chuckled nervously, averting her gaze to the ground "Where's your tiara?"
"It's right over here" I spoke calmly, walking toward her as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat "It's the beautiful creature standing in front of me"
Midst walking, I tried to study her face but it was void of emotions as if she was blocking everything out. I looked for any sign of feelings, anything that could help me read her but I couldn't find anything. I guess she was so good in hiding her feelings that if I didn't look in her eyes, I would have thought that she was happy.
"Yeah right" She mumbled after staring at me for a while as her cheeks were flushed red, fitting her red shirt perfectly "Come on, let's move before you fall for me" She winked at me before she stood up and was about to walk.
"What's wrong?" I demanded, standing in front of her blocking her way.
"Nothing's wrong" She shrugged off, trying her best to avoid looking at my eyes .
"Your face is emotionless and when you woke up, you looked different" I explained as my left hand unconsciously reached her cheek. She seemed shocked for few seconds, she lifted her head to regard me then she lowered it again, as if she knew I blew her cover.
"I'm fine, I... Just..." She murmured without even finishing her sentence.
"You can trust me" I affirmed her, still stroking her skin with my thumb.
As soon as the words left my mouth, she snapped her head up, disbelievingly. I couldn't blame her if she didn't believe what I said since we were just working on our friendship step by step and I just took a long leap. However, I honestly wanted to know what was bothering her since she looked drained and I hated it.
"I'm okay" She lowered her head, inhaling a deep breathe then she lifted it up with an obviously fake smile plastered on her face.
"Okay as you like" I sighed, defeated "Let's go" I stepped aside.
'Why did I want to help her so badly?' I suddenly felt a desperate need to protect her because whatever happened to her obviously affected her. I was so lost in my thought that I didn't even notice that she started walking while I told her several times that walking on her legs would damage her stitches but she was stubborn and didn't even listen to a word I was saying. But I intended to stop her immediately.
"What have I told you about walking on your feet?" I stood in front her, shaking my head disapprovingly.
"But it doesn't hurt that much" She answered, looking at me with a cute baby face which I was starting to hate since it always got me.
"But it does a little bit" I smiled at her genuinely "I'll help you till we reach the car"
"But..." She was about to protest when I shushed her immediately.
"I don't want your grandpa to think that I didn't take care of you" I answered trying my best to hide that it wasn't about her grandpa, it was all about her.
Although Mr. Mathews was such an intimidating person, he was the least of my concern in that moment, because I saw the look of pain plastered on her face when she was walking and even worse the blank look she gave me when I told her that I was only helping her because of her grandpa. However, I just couldn't show her how much I really cared. Not yet.
Without leaving her thoughts drift her away, I decided to break the silence which had built in the air between us "Come on, let's go" I was about to lift her like I did in the past two days but she literally put both her hands on my chest and pushed me away before stepping back, leaving me with a puzzled expression covering my face.
"You don't have to lift me" She snapped at me, coldly.
/*I really hurt her feelings*/
"I don't want you to be hurt" I admitted, rubbing my neck uncomfortably and focusing on her eyes that were looking back at me "So?"
"I was going to say, just give me your hand" She chuckled, gesturing at me to give her my hand which I offered it to her gladly.
She held my hand and pulled me closer, I put my arm around her neck while she put hers around my waist and we started walking slowly toward the door. However, she was trying her best to hide pain she felt from putting pressure on her legs, by looking at everything except me and squeezing the hem of her shirt.
Stubborn...
Holding her like that, it made me realize that she was surely different from the other girls who practically threw themselves on me, I admired the way she blushed whenever I inched towards her or hold her close in my arms. Heck, I even enjoyed the chills that spread all over my body and the tingling feeling at the base of my stomach, but I was trying my best to push those thoughts at the back of my mind at least until I could find the truth.
I just kept looking down at her, noticing her pain and I could do nothing about it except the one thing that I had been doing for the past two days. However, I waited until I closed the door to react. As soon as I pressed the button of the lift, I bent down a little bit until I could lift her comfortably in my arms. And as I did so, I felt her tense up by my simple gesture, exhaling a deep breath. How cute!
"What the hell are you doing?" She hit my chest lightly.
"Obviously lifting you" I lifted my shoulders as if it was the most casual thing in this universe "You'll have to walk later so you can rest them now. Besides, I know you love it when I hold you like this"
She was quiet but I could feel her tensed up muscles and her shacking breathe at the back of my neck where she rested her head. Silence filled the air but it was way far from being uncomfortable, it was the type of silence that no words were needed to break it.
The doors opened and I was about to step out when Nadia's phone started ringing, she pulled it out of her pocket and stared at the screen for few seconds without even answering. That's why, I peeked at it to check the caller's ID, and it was Cecilia. But since it was none of my business, I just acted like I was staring the ceiling.
She hanged up and put it back in her pocket with a defeated sigh. Her breathe accelerated and she started intertwining her fingers nervously. I wish I could see her face to at least define what was happening to her because her relationship with her mother, it was apparently bad, it was obvious in the wedding when Cecilia showed up. Moreover, no words were shared between the two of them.
I just stood there without moving any further when I suddenly felt wetness on my neck and a sob escaped her mouth. I froze in my spot not knowing what I was going to do in that situation so I just entered the lift again and pressed on 5th floor. When realization hit her, she shifted uncomfortably in my arms and demanded "What are you doing?"
"I forgot my phone and I have to leave money for the housekeeper, she's coming later" I answered her, wondering if she bought what I came up with.
"Oh! Okay" She mumbled into my ear.
I stepped out of the elevator and entered the apartment's code, I strode to the sofa and put her there. She lowered her head and hid her face with her hair, her shoulders showed defeat, collapse and pain as her sobs were getting louder and they held more agony and hurt.
I had a feeling that she didn't want anybody to see her in that position that's why I took her back to the apartment. However, I didn't want to leave her alone, I didn't want her to suffer, I couldn't watch her like that, and I had to be there for her.
I sat beside her on the sofa and just looked at her, she turned her head to the other direction as she was obviously struggling to breathe, I could notice it from the rise and fall of her chest in a matter of seconds.
At first, I hesitated to touch her because I didn't want to invade her privacy but by every second which passed, her pain became mine and my heart ached at the sight of her like that, so I threw my doubts out of the window and reached for her face, I turned it so she was facing me then I hugged tightly to her chest.
"What's wrong?" I tugged loosened strays of hair behind her ear and stoked the spot under her eyes, gently "Please" I pleaded when she didn't answer me.
"My mother" She whispered so lowly that if I wasn't paying attention on her, I would have missed it.
"What about her?" I kept drawing circles on her back, soothing her.
"She left" She tugged on the hem of my shirt possessively as her cries became heavier.
"What do you mean by left?" I demanded, pulling her closer to me if that was even possible.
"She left again" She hiccuped, burying her face in the crock of my neck.
"Shh" I breathed in her ear "Everything is going to be okay"
"It won't be fine, Zack because I don't want to see her again" She stated coldly, her voice emotionless.
"Don't say that, at least she is alive" I didn't believe the words coming out of my mouth because I never talked about my mother so why was I mentioning her in front of Nadia?
"Sorry for your loss" She sniffled then she left my neck and stared at me "I was there in your mother's funeral but I didn't see you"
"I was there, I just looked from afar" I closed my eyes as flashbacks of that day wandered in my mind and tears threatened to escape my eyes.
Silence settled between us since none of us had something to say. She started gaining her breathe again and her tears stopped while I kept stroking her cheek and running my fingers on her arm, soothingly and gently.
I had no idea how much time we stayed in that position but we were both quiet until Nadia shifted in my arms and hugged me so tightly that I could barely breathe. She cried, whimpered and sobbed in my ears as I instinctively tightened my hold around her waist and pulled her closer till she was on my lap, each leg was on one of my sides.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" She mumbled, regretfully.
"It's not your fault" I was confused because she was finally going back to her normal self then she suddenly collapsed again but I tried my best to hide my puzzlement and I kept patting her back.
"Back in that gym, I didn't mean what I said" She whispered brokenly.
My arms fell on both of her sides at the memory of that day in the gym. The day when everything began, when our hate started to grow and when I loathed the sight of her. Feelings I started to forget came rushing back to my heart, fighting with my new feelings for dominance, and I didn't even know what to do next.
Just when she felt the lack of my touch, she pulled back and looked at me, her eyes were puffy and her nose matched her red cheeks in their color. She looked disappointed and guilty, I could see it in her eyes; and that day in the gym, I knew she didn't mean those things and she only said them to annoy me but I was so angry and mad that I let all my rage on her for everything that happened to me that month.
"If I knew that Aunt Leticia was your mother, I would have never said that" She whispered, looking down ashamedly "I'm really sorry"
'Should I believe her?" I questioned myself as I was still looking at her. She seemed so broken, weak and fragile, just like she was when he grandpa had a heart attack, and it wasn't a pleasant sight to the eyes because I got used to the strong, the unbreakable Nadia, and the only girl who confronted me and always fought against the word.
"I know" I wiped her tears and smiled at her "Now, if we stay like this, we'll die from hunger" I chuckled under my breathe to enlighten the mood.
"I better wash my face, I can scare kids like this" She gestured at her face.
"Yeah, you should"
"Go bring you phone and we'll leave" She stated and waited for me to move but she apparently forgot that that she was sitting on my lap.
"Well, in case you haven't noticed, you're straddling me" I pointed at her body, trying my best to contain my laughter.
"Oh, sorry" She mumbled as her cheeks became even redder.
She started backing away but since we were on the sofa, it became even harder to move so I just put her arms around my neck, I held her by her waist and stood up slowly because I didn't want her to step on her feet. The moment I was on my feet, she wrapped her legs around me and I started walking to her room. I opened her room's door and leaded her to the bathroom.
"You can put me down, I won't die if my feet hurt me a little bit" She spoke calmly.
"Yeah right" I answered her as I put her on the bathroom's island "I will be right back" I tugged her hair behind her ears and surprised myself by kissing her forehead then went away.
The instant I was out of her room, I rubbed the back of neck frustratingly and nervously because I had no idea of what I was doing or what I was going to do. 'Why did I kiss her forehead? Why did I care that much? Why was I being nice to her?' I stared at the ceiling blankly, confused and puzzled about everything that was happening.
I left money on the wooden table for the housekeeper then I went to my bathroom to wash my face because puzzlement I was feeling was getting under my skin and I had to gather my thoughts in order to have a better vision of the situation and sort things out between Nadia and I because what we had, was defiantly messing with my head.
After drying my face, I threw the towel on the bathroom's island then I headed back to the lounging room where Nadia was already sitting on the edge of the sofa, looking so much better than earlier. Her face was brighter, the redness of her cheeks and nose, became a shade of pink,and hey eyes didn't look as puffy as they were minutes ago.
"So ready to go?" I walked toward her, running my hand through my hair, anxiously until I was a step away.
"Sure, but you really don't have to lift me, I'll have to get used to the pain" She explained, smiling genuinely at me.
"Look, you have a fly's weight so it's okay" I responded, taking a step forward "Besides I know you like it" I chuckled at her as I raised her up in my arms, I walked to the door and I pressed the elevator's button. Meanwhile I added, trying my best to tease her "You have to admit it someday"
"You have to move on with your life" She patted my chest smirking at me as I stepped into the lifts.
"Your sarcasm is killing me Nadia" I shrugged off as the elevator started to move down.
Being in the elevator was as awkward as being in the headmaster's office after skipping so many classes since it was based on me looking at everything but Nadia while she just stared at her legs not bothering to spell a word, not that I was complaining about our silence because if any word spoken, it would have added more unneeded tension.
I stepped out of lift with Nadia in my arms as Collen greeted us brightly like usual, I was actually starting to like that man because he was nice and polite. He opened the glass door for me and soon after my car's door also after I gave him the keys.
I settled Nadia in her seat and made sure to buckle her in her seat since I loved teasing her and watching her face turn red like a tomato every time I approached her or my breathe fanned her skin. Then, I hurried to the driver's seat and settled myself in my comfy seat as the smell of leather invaded my nostrils.
As soon as I started the engine, Nadia reached for the window's button and opened it, welcoming a cool fresh but yet cold air to occupy the entire car. I turned my head at her direction and noticed that she wasn't wearing the jacket of earlier 'She probably took it off in the bathroom' I thought to myself as I opened the glove box; I reached for my black Beanie and threw it on her lap.
"What's this?" She held it in front of her and stared at it.
"What do you think it looks like?" I glanced at her from the corner of my eyes to find her still looking at me "Just wear it, it might get cold"
"Where?" She asked me, curiosity evident in her voice but I ignored her attempts of knowing where we were heading.
"Just wear it" I responded sharply glaring at her which she reacted to by shrugging off and putting the Beanie on before resting her head on the edge of the seat.
She looked adorable wearing my black Beanie; it suited her red shirt and black jeans perfectly. However, I wished she wore something thicker because it might get cold outside and I didn't want her to be sick because of it. Her feet were enough of a trouble.
Nadia's hair was flying in all directions to the point that it became messy but she didn't even budge to touch it or at least try to fix it, she just left it and enjoyed the cold wind that was caressing her face tenderly. She was surprisingly quiet and peaceful, like she was listening to a master piece of melody of Beethoven or she was mediating.
In one hand, I didn't want to have lunch in a fantasy restaurant where I always pretended to be the perfect rich boy who had everything he wanted but in the other hand, I wanted to tease Nadia a little bit by taking her to McDonald's. It was a good place to stay out of sight.
"Are you serious?" She turned her head to face me with an amused look the moment the big building came to sight "Are you some sort of kid?"
"No I was only thinking about you!" I tried my best to hold my chuckle but I couldn't because she looked like she was going to explode on my face.
"Uh, it's good that you used your brain for something useful" She simpered at me mischievously.
"Now if you may" I gestured at her to step out as soon as I found a place in the parking lot because the passenger's door couldn't be opened after parking the car.
Stepping out of the car, I felt a cold chill caress my face, which reminded me of Nadia. I turned my head at her direction and just as I thought, she was shivering every time the wind blew at her. I knew that that was going to happen! But thankfully, I had an extra leather jacket in the trunk of the car.
I opened the car's trunk and took out my jacket as Nadia was looking at me blankly, tucking on the ends of her jacket repeatedly. With my jacket in my hand, I inched towards her in less than two steps. She inhaled a deep breathe when I inched even closer sending my hands behind her back in order to put the jacket on her shoulders.
I was closer to her than I wanted to be because if I could hear her heartbeat perfectly, it meant that she could do the same, and I didn't want her to even notice how much she affected me. However, she pulled away after few seconds then she hugged me tightly , folding her head in my chest as her hands found their way to my waist just like my hands found their way to her back.
"What are you doing?" I whispered in her ear, confusedly.
"He can't see me" She answered so lowly to the point that I could barely hear her.
"Who?" I found myself looking behind me but I didn't point out who she was talking about.
"I don't want my stupid best friend to see me with you" She hugged me tighter as few guys were approaching us.
"What if he saw you, what could he do? Kill you?" I chuckled although I felt a ping deep down in my heart.
"No but he would be mad if he found out that I married you" She immediately answered and her words kind of made me mad for some awkward reason.
Blame my ego not me.
"Am I that bad?!" I spoke almost whispering as I loosened my grip of her and my hands fell to my sides.
"I didn't mean to..." She started blabbering some words which had no meaning as she pulled away and looked at me. Her hands never leaving my waist and her face was filled with guilt, obviously of what she said.
"Nadia?!" A male's voice prompted from the back and we instantly looked at the source of the sound.
There stood a tall boy, looking at us blankly and clenching his hands into fists as if he had just seen a ghost in front him. He moved closer as Nadia stiffened and pulled away immediately with a horrified look covering her face "Col?"
'Who could he be? Her friend? Or worse her crush?' I looked between Nadia's shocked face and the boy's angry one.
/*Confused and Lost*/
/*Please, don't forget to vote, thank you*/