"Mom!" The sound of my mother's voice caused me to jerk back as I saw her advancing towards us.
"Oooo, is that him? Is he the one you told me about?" She cooed, interlocking her arm with mine while eyeing Nathan from his head to his feet. "You didn't tell me that he was this handsome!" As the embarrassment grew, I was certain that it didn't take long for my cheeks to enhance into a tone of a raspberry.
"I sure hope I am he." Nathan let out a chortle before showing off an alluring smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Winters."
"It's nice to meet you too, Nathan. Ava has told me all about you-"
"Mom..." I grumbled, goggling at her in total disbelief when she attempted to mention the interrogation from that night. An absolute betrayal.
"Oh, hush now, honey." Feeling the tight grip on my forearm, it was undoubtedly true that my mom has been struck by Nathan's charms. "By the way, are you busy this evening?"
My eyes widened at her question, aware of what she was about to ask. Ensuring that I was out of view and a width away from my mom, I furiously shook my head and waved my hands at the side, hoping that Nathan would get the message.
Unfortunately, it was all for naught when he completely ignored the signals that were sent his way.
"Not that I'm aware of."
You little-
"Then please, join us for dinner!"
"Mom, he probably has something on. We shouldn't bother-"
"I would love to."
No!
Nathan's interjection and acceptance caused my mom to beam in delight before she was seen scurrying back into the house, probably to prepare another set of cutleries. "Dinner's ready! I'll see you kids inside."
When the grip from my arm was finally let loose, another one came; this time interlacing between my fingers.
"I saw what you did there," Nathan said, pulling me by the waist and into his chest. I would have melted if it was just the two of us, but with my parents just a few meters away, the sirens were screaming hysterically in my head.
"Did what?" Feigning innocence, I turned my head away to avoid his eyes. It wasn't because that I didn't want him to meet my parents, I was just afraid that maybe this was going a little too fast. Since we weren't even in a relationship, but are platonically in an employer-employee one, it did feel awkward to be thinking that you're bringing your boss home for dinner with your mom thinking that he is your boyfriend.
This man before me was slowly integrating into my life, to becoming someone that holds an important position in my heart. As such, another part of me was worried that the interrogation from my parents would scare him away.
"You know what." He whispered, prompting a series of goosebumps to form. "You don't have to worry about me. I have never been so clear in my life about how I feel towards someone."
The sincereness in his words washed away all contemplation. I was tongue-tied as I beheld the intensity of his voice and stare. It was as if I was about to be swallowed whole.
"Uhm...Let go," prying his fingers away from mine only escalated the strength of his grip. "They'll see."
"Then let them see. I'm done running away."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I meant." Nathan replied. "Let's head in. I'm famished."
"Hey dad!" His attention quickly drifted towards Nathan, "this is Nathan. Nathan, dad." I gestured between the two. The pause after the introduction stilled the air. The only thing that could be heard was my mom setting up the table in the dining area.
"Who's he?" My dad asked with a hint of sternness, as if a thief just broke into the house.
"He's my uh..." If I were a computer, you would have seen an error sign popping up at this moment. "My uh..." The two stared at me, probably waiting for the error notice to disappear.
"Boyfriend," Nathan sounded.
By now, my dad had his glare on Nathan before streaming downwards to our hands that were still locked with each other; then back up again. I felt a light squeeze on my hand, knowing that Nathan was probably just as nervous as I was; under the scrutiny of my father.
"By the way, Nathan got this for you." I pushed the bottle to my dad, hoping that I could do a little help in cutting through the tension.
Eyeing dubiously at the booze, dad gave a small nod. "I don't know much about wines, but I'm thankful for the gift. Please, have a seat." I let out a breath that I had been subconsciously holding after dad ushered Nathan to his seat. Placing the cake in the fridge, I went back to the dining room, feeling the saliva fill up the cavity.
The table prepped with a plate of individually baked potatoes coupled with a cube of butter buried in between, cream-sauced pasta served on a personal platter and a huge bowl of salad dressed with ranch sauce. It wasn't much, but it was home.
"I hope the dishes are to your liking, Nathan." Mom said as we began digging into the food.
"It's really good. It has been a while since I've had home-cooked food. Thank you, Mrs. Winters." The blissful look on his face instilled a tinge of sorrow by his response. He seemed so lonely, with no one by his side to care for him.
"So, how old are you and what do you do for a living?" With my mom around, all hopes of having a peaceful dinner was thrown out the window. I prayed that Nathan was ready for the barrage of questions. Meanwhile, dad was busy poking into the bake potato. Despite appearing uninterested, twenty-two years of living with him was sufficient to know that he was strictly observing Nathan and his conversations with mom.
"I'm twenty-seven and like Ava, I work in Estelle." Nathan simply responded, pushing a leaf into his mouth.
"Oh! Are you a designer like Ava?"
"He owns Estelle, mom. So, he's basically my boss." Interrupting the conversation was probably the best way to answer her question. Afterall, deep down, I knew that Nathan did not want to come off as an arrogant lad, especially since he has kept his appearance and private life away from the public.
"Wow! Did you build this company by yourself?" Mom's eyebrows were seen gently lifted, showing her amazement at his accomplishment.
"Actually, it was my parents who started this company from scratch. I took over when I was twenty-four, fresh out of university."
"It must have been tough for you." Dad finally said, joining into the conversation.
"I admit that it was little challenging, but it was nothing that I couldn't handle."
"Well, I'm glad that the worst is over. How are your parents?" Mother chimed, giving the last portion of pasta to Nathan.
"Divorced." The simplicity in his reply stilled the room. "I was only eight at that time."
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. It has been a long time since I've heard from my mother. Grandfather said that it was my old man's fault. But, I always thought that he was lying."
Although Nathan looked fine on the outside, him shifting uncomfortably in his chair led me to realize that this was a taboo topic for him. When I saw his hands clutching the fabric of his pants, I held out my hands and touched his, hoping that it would work better than a word of consolation. Somehow, I was disheartened at how much I hardly knew him, and it pained me to think that he had suffered through the ordeal when he was a mere child.
"No matter what happens in the past, the most important thing right now are the people that are currently surrounding and supporting you." Nathan nodded knowingly before revealing a small grin after he heard the word of encouragement came from my mom.
"Yeah..." We exchanged glances before resuming back to our chewing; only this time it was reduced to a pin-drop silence.
It wasn't long before the candles were blown, marking the closing of dinner. Stacking the dishes, I carried them to the sink, washing them as my mom dried them. The soft muffles in the living room were evident to know that the two men were partaking in a conversation. If only I could listen in without getting caught.
"How do you feel about him?"
"I feel good about him." I could no longer suppress my emotions at the mention of Nathan.
Has doing the dishes been this enjoyable?
"I know. I think he's pretty good too." Placing the dried plate onto the rack, mom proceeded to place her hand on my shoulder. "Honey, listen. No matter how different your statuses may be, if it's meant to be, it will be. Nothing will be able to stop the both of you."
"Thanks mom."
I guess I didn't need her to spell every word for me. I knew that if I were to be in a relationship with Nathan, people will start to think that I'm in it solely for his wealth and name. Tongues will go wagging and gossips will start spreading like wildfire. But nonetheless, I felt prepared for it.
With everything spick and span, mom and I entered the living room, seeing that the gentlemen had also finished wrapping up their discussion. In fact, with how dark it was outside; it was a sign for Nathan to head home.
"Thank you for today, Mr. and Mrs. Winters."
"Please, call me John."
"And call me Helen."
"Thank you for the wine as well. It was delicious." The huge change in my dad's behavior led me to frown. "Please stop by our house again."
Just what did Nathan feed him for the past fifteen minutes?
"Make sure to drive safely." My parents waved before I closed the door of our home, leaving Nathan and I to take a slow stroll to his car. Amidst the silence, was the sound of crickets chirping as our shoes dragged along the stone pavements.
"So, what did you talk about?"
"It's men's talk, are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes!" I was curious as to which magic words he used to change my dad's treatment towards him.
"Too bad, I'm not leaking out a single information."
"Fine! See you tomorrow." I huffed in annoyance, ready to make a turn back to the house, but only to be pulled close as he wrapped his arms around me. Slowly, I looked up to face him, only to see him make a soft sigh.
"I know that this is a little late, and I apologise if I ever made you feel that I'm merely toying with you. But..." His breath became shorter as he struggled to find the right words, making my heart thump wildly in anticipation.
"But if you'll allow me...
would it be okay if I called you mine?"
I felt the air suck right out of my lungs the moment he said the word. Mine. The man who has sealed dozens of business deals that was worth millions of dollars was now before me, slightly flustered and maybe embarrassed.
"I-I'll have to think about that." Saying this, I knew that my expression had given a clear clue of what I truly felt. The euphoria was indeed, intoxicating. Knowing how sharp Nathan was, a grin was quickly played on his lips, holding me tighter as he caressed my face with his index finger. Like a feather, his thumb lightly grazed my lips, leaving a ticklish sensation as I was reminded of that evening sunset.
"By the way, you still owe me something." He whispered, tilting his head to the point where our foreheads were now in contact.
"That's funny, I don't really owe people stuff." My chest grew heavier by the minute as I struggled to breathe under his intensity.
"Oh really?"
"Y-yeah really."
"Then I guess I'll just have to claim it myself."
Separating our temples, I felt his nose brush against mine. The proximity of our lips prompted me to stumble backwards as my oxygen supply was soon to be cut off.
"Don't move." Nathan muttered, pulling me closer than ever before.
Slowly but surely, his lips pressed against mine, melting away all nervousness and breathlessness. I felt alive.
"Goodnight." His sweet and husky voice rang in my ear as he pulled away, gifting another kiss to my forehead. Right now, I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He drew away, leaving our last point of contact at the mere ends of our fingertips.
"Okay."
Taking one last look at me, the car roared to life, leaving me on the pavement as I saw Nathan drove off into the night. I wasn't aware as to how long I stood there as my head replayed that pleasant scene.
"Come on honey! You can see Prince Charming tomorrow." The shout that came from the house brought me back to earth.
"Mom! Were you there the whole time?" I asked, worried that she might have seen too much.
"Oh, I saw everything." She winked. "Anyway, time for bed. You have work tomorrow."
"Goodnight!" Mom called out as I could hear her giggle with my dad by her side.
"Goodnight!" I hurried up the stairs; the only way that I could hide the blush from my parents.
Though I knew that I was going to have trouble sleeping tonight, I couldn't deny the fact that this was a good night.
Indeed, it really is a good night.
Nathan's POV
As my fingers touched my lips, I was reminded of the kiss we shared. Her warm and silky lips that spread throughout my body, still held its effects as I drove through the empty streets. After such a long time, I was finally able to call her mine; nothing was able to separate us. Not anymore.
Apart from the sound of the humming engine, the silence offered a tranquil ride, one that led me to recount the conversation I had with John.
-Flashback-
"Please have a seat." He gestured, prompting me to ease myself into the three-seater couch while he sat on an individual one. With the seriousness in his tone, it didn't take much to know about what he was going to say. A father has every right to be concern and careful about who his daughter dates, especially if he is a wealthy one. But I needed him to know how I felt about his daughter; not to trick her or even betray her, but rather to give her what I wasn't able to provide before.
"I'll cut to the chase. Why are you dating my daughter?" His voice was cold and stern. This conversation was far more challenging than any other business agreements previously signed, it would take far more than that to persuade him into granting our relationship. "Excuse me if I'm being too straight forward, but I'm sure that you have plenty of women that would want to have that kind of intimacy with you. Why did you choose my daughter? Perhaps it's because she's deemed as an easy target for you?"
"It's nothing like that." I retorted, frowning a little as it became clear as to what he was trying to imply. "I cannot deny that there are plenty of women like you said, seeking to have a relationship like what Ava and I has now. And it is true that in the bystander's point of view, she is just a normal girl with a kind of beauty that not many would even give a second glance. But to me, she is more than that."
The look on Ava's dad signalled me to go even further.
"I know you're worried that I would play her out and trample on her feelings. But when I'm with her, it makes me want to give her the best of everything, even the best of me. I want to be a better a person for her, a person that she can rely and count on through any circumstances."
"And how can I trust your words?"
"I'm imploring you to trust me even if there is nothing that I can guarantee you of, yet. But I beg of you, let me have this opportunity of loving your daughter."
And it was true, there was nothing that I can give as a collateral in this relationship. There was in fact, nothing, but only a leap of faith.
Her father continued to search the sincerity in my eyes before blinking and letting a small breath escape.
"Alright. I can feel the adoration you possess for Ava, and it seems that I have been overthinking." He smiled, closing his eyes as he slightly bowed his head.
"Then, from now onwards, I shall place my daughter in your hands. Please take good care of her."
-End of Flashback-
Yes, I have every intention to.
Because this time will not be like the last.