Page 57 of Yours, Truly

“Stay with me,” he said, gripping my hand. I gently nodded, repositioning myself closer. I wasn't going anywhere. The deep sleep returned for Nate, but I couldn’t sleep so I let my tears fall, as I watched him peacefully, replaying the pain I had witnessedin him today. It was like no other. All I knew was, I would never leave Nate’s side again.

Nate slept in all morning, as I snuck out of bed and started to put the apartment back together, ready for when he awoke, removing all traces of destruction. I poured up a pot of fresh coffee, as I had most mornings I spent here and I began to clean up all the broken glass and shards of pottery that scattered the floor.

Tears escaped me as the memory of Nate last night came flashing back.I just want him to be okay. I want to take away his pain.I felt so hopeless there was nothing I could do. He would need time to heal, time to grieve, no matter how long it took.

“You don't need to do that. I can call a cleaning service.” Nate's voice startled me out of my thoughts.

“It's okay, I’ve got it,” I said, giving him a warm smile.

“Thank you,” he said as he leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his bare torso, grey sweatpants resting on his hips, showing off the small V.

“For what?” I asked, trying to figure out why he needed to thank me.

“For this, for staying with me. After everything I did and said.”

“Nate, I’m your girlfriend and I love you.” I shrugged, trying to focus on getting the final pieces. It took everything in me not to burst into tears.

In a second, he was crouched down beside me, hesitating whether to touch me at first. But then he gently placed his handon my wrist, stopping me from picking up any more shards. I looked up into his eyes, his face was so close to mine. His eyes looked slightly better than yesterday; the blood-shot had disappeared, but his skin was still pale.

“I love you Gi,” he whispered, he placed his forehead against mine as he guided me to my feet. I looked at his lips, wanting to plant a delicate kiss there, but it was like he read my mind. He moved in slowly, tentatively, as if it was our first kiss. And his lips touched mine, leaving a tingle on them when he lingered and then pulled away. I had missed him so much the last few weeks. That in that kiss was everything I knew I needed to know.

“Let's get some breakfast,” I proposed, knowing he needed something. As much as he turned his nose up at the thought of food, he reluctantly agreed. He dialled the cleaning company and scheduled the clean up for today, stating he would pay double the rate. I went into the kitchen and started to prepare food. Shortly after he hung up the call, he came over and watched me. There was silence, as I brought the coffee and scrambled eggs on toast to the table.

“Gi, I really am sorry,” He stated, looking into my eyes. As soon as he had the first mouthful of eggs, the colour returned to his face.

“I know, and I’m really sorry too” I replied, sipping my coffee. I watched him as he devoured the breakfast, as if he hadn’t eaten in days, glad to see a small part of my Nate was back. I just wanted to move on from this fight.

“Oh… Ivy knows,” I said, smirking, looking up from my coffee cup, watching his reaction. Nate choked on his coffee, surprised by my sudden outburst.

“What?!” he asked, “how was she when she found out?”

“Well, you were right, shewasthe one pushing us together all along it seems,” I chuckled. “She says she knew for definite at the wedding, when you got shy because of me,” I teased.

Ivy had texted me, saying she couldn't sleep last night. She wanted to check in with Nate, to make sure he was safe and that I had gone to him. In that moment, she told me she suspected there was something between us, but it was confirmed at the wedding, specifically when Nate had noticed me as he came to wish Ivy luck. She had intentionally pushed us to dance together to see if we would break.

She told me she had never seen Nate’s eyes sparkle as much as they did when he looked at me, that she had never seen him like this for anyone and in fact, only wanted the best for her brother and her best friend. She was over the moon.

“Shit, okay, well I guess she is okay with us after all then. And hey, that wasn’t my fault that I got shy that day. You looked so beautiful!” he chuckled.

It was a relief that we didn’t have to hide it anymore, it made me feel bad as I should have told Ivy the truth right from the start but she was the best friend a girl could ask for. I just couldn’t believe that Ivy had been setting us up in secret the whole time. I couldn’t wait to grill her for this.

40

MR BARCELONA

A week after the funeral, we decided to host dinner and grill Ivy on her matchmaking skills. We were nervous as we invited Jude and Ivy to Nate’s penthouse, hoping it wouldn't be weird that I was here, like it was my home. It was our first double date, one that Ivy insisted we needed to have, since she had discovered that Nate and I were an item.

Since the day after the funeral, I had officially moved in with Nate and given up my apartment, as it seemed like the right move. The penthouse had become more of a home than just a standard bachelor pad since my proper arrival.

We prepared food for them, chilled the wine and we cooked together, like we did every night.

Ivy stepped into the house, bringing even more wine and hung her coat on the hook Jude trailing behind her. I hugged her tightly, before hugging Jude, as they made their way to the kitchen, where Nate was hovering over the stove.

I danced around, grabbing wine glasses, and serving bowlsfor Nate, as they sat on the stool opposite us. I noticed Ivy scan the flat, seeing all my belongings integrated with Nate’s.

“This is weird,” she teased, gesturing to me, dancing my way around Nate's kitchen,our kitchen, and pointing out all my things. Plus, she could also be referring to the fact she had never seen Nate's kitchen actually being used.

“Which bit? Nate and me living together, or the fact that Nate is cooking for a change?” I teased, sticking my tongue out at him.

---