Page 44 of Somewhere Only We Know
I put my phone back on the charger when Nate slides off the bed. He’s mostly composed himself and while the sweats are a good choice, they’re definitely not ideal when you have a girlfriend who wants nothing more than to jump his bones. Well…bone.
“Don’t look at me like that.” He chastises and leads me to the door with his hands on my shoulders.
“Like what?”
“Like you want me to fuck you so hard you forget your name,” he whispers into my ear and I stumble over one of Jersey’s toys, because yes I do. Nate laughs and holds me up. “In due time, Bee.”
“Will that be before I turn thirty?”
He smacks me on the butt and kisses me on the cheek. Nate leaves me without an answer when he hops down the stairs.At least he’s teaching me something, I say to myself as I trail after him and to the kitchen to serve my plate. I’m especially grateful that my parents let him stay here during breaks. They were lax with Kamryn, so I didn’t expect much pushback from them. But they surprised me my first year when they said I could have a friend from college stay here if they were from out of town. Guess they never expected that friend to be a boy.
My parent’s boisterous laughter greets us as we walk into the kitchen. From day one they’ve been the prime example of the love that I want. They met in college, got engaged when they graduated, married two years later, and have been married for almost thirty years. That’s what I want. And I feel like I’m close to getting it.
Nate and I fix our burgers and add fries to our platebefore joining my parents. My dad and Nate talk about the upcoming baseball season and I’m glad my dad has another person to talk about the sport with. His go-to was Liam, but with the way his future hasn’t panned out the way he wanted, their talks have significantly decreased. I have to hand it to my dad for being emotionally aware of others' struggles. He doesn’t push, but I know he was hurt when Liam stopped coming by for their monthly catch-up.
“Nate, are you ready for winter break?” My mom asks once we’ve all finished eating and can’t find it in us to clean up.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
On the outside, I’m as happy as a clam that Nate is going home to spend time with family. On the inside, I’m selfish that I want him to stay here. When he gets back our time will be more limited. And while I know I’m with him for the long haul, I don’t want to miss any more time with him.
“You’re still entering the draft?” My dad asks with pride beaming behind his eyes.
“That’s the plan.”
After the sixth month of bringing Nate around, my parents got sick of him addressing them as Ma’am and Sir, despite it being a huge sign of respect. So now he calls them by their first names, speaks directly to them, or calls them Mom and Dad. Which if that’s not the best sign of our future that they accept him calling them that, then I don’t know what is.
A throat lightly clearing from across the table pulls my attention to my mom who’s giving me a knowing smile. I haven’t told her much about my feelings for Nate as I’m not as open about my relationship like my sister is. But from the look she’s giving me, I know she knows how I feel. It’s strange that Nate and I haven’t uttered those three words.But we haven’t needed to as with every look, every touch, and every moment spent together has said more than those words needed to. My mom announces that it’s getting late and I volunteer us to clean up.
“I wash, you dry?” I ask Nate as I turn towards him before standing up. I gather my moms dishes while Nate gathers my dads.
I turn the water on to hot and get to washing. Nate and I work as a well-oiled machine to get everything cleaned and wiped down.
“You’re quiet.” He notes and hands me the dish towel to dry my hands.
“I love you.” I blurt out and meet his brown eyes unashamedly. “I know we haven’t said it, because personally, I don’t think we’ve needed to. But I love you.”
Nate stands in front of me speechless until a smile blooms on his angular face. “I love you too, Bee.” He frames my face and angles it up so we’re eye-to-eye. “Will you tell me why you were so quiet?”
“Because I’m scared,” I admit.
Nate shocks me by picking me up and putting me on the counter. He steps in between my thighs and gives me his full, undivided attention. “Scared of what, J?”
“Of saying those words. I’ve loved you as a friend for longer than us being a couple.” I say and fiddle with the strings of his hoodie. “Plus, with baseball–”
“Hey, we’ll make the long-distance, if that’s what it comes to, work. I’m not losing you.” He tells me and I feel his eyes all over my face.
“Okay.”
“Now, if we’re done down here, let’s go to bed.”
I nod and a smile curves my cheeks as Nate turns aroundand taps his back. The silent message is clear and I climb onto his back.
“The air is so much clearer up here,” I joke as he turns toward the stairs.
He snorts and easily walks up the stairs with me like a backpack. “It is a wonder how you can reach anything.”
“That’s why I picked you.” I tease and kiss along his neck.
