Page 32 of Reaper

“It was alright. Yours?”

She shrugs with a little smile.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much,” I say honestly as I lean back against the door and cross my ankles and put my hands in my pocket.

I keep meaning to check in on her and make sure she’s okay and has what she needs but something always comes up, stealing my attention. Does she feel as neglected here as she did with Danworth?

“It’s okay. I know you’re busy.”

Natalie looks down at the blanket that’s covering her lap and runs her hand over it.

I hate that she accepts my apology so easily. Almost as if it’s an instinctive response.

“Do you have any plans for the night?”

Natalie raises a brow but doesn’t say anything.

I chuckle. “Yeah, stupid question. What I meant was, would you like to hang out?”

“With you?” she asks, sitting up a little taller.

“If you want.”

She thinks about it for a moment before she hesitantly asks, “What would we do?”

“We could watch a movie or I might have a deck of cards around here somewhere.”

“I think I would like that.”

I push off the door and stand to my full height. “Yeah? Cool. Do you want anything from the kitchen before we get started?”

Before she can even answer, I hear her stomach rumble.

Natalie places her hands on her stomach as a blush covers her cheeks.

I chuckle. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll go grab some shit and be back in a minute.”

“Okay.”

Leaving the room, I head toward the kitchen and start rummaging around. I don’t even know what she wants, so I grab a little of everything.

Frowning, I lean against the counter as I try to figure out what I’m feeling. I didn’t expect to spend my evening with Natalie, but I’m glad that I can. Honestly, I didn’t think she would say yes, and as I waited for her answer, I could feel my hands shaking and my heart racing.

Is this what nervousness feels like?

How could a little waif of a woman make me feel nervous?

Shaking my head, I load everything onto a tray that Elenore keeps around for when someone is hurt. Grabbing it, I carefully make my way back down the hall, not wanting anything to fall off or tip over.

Stopping outside the door, I move the tray into one arm and take a deep breath.

She’s just one woman.

Opening the door, I step inside. I hide my smile as I look around the room. Looks like while I was out, Natalie took the time to straighten the bedding and tidy up.

She turns and looks over her shoulder. “Do you need help?”

“Nah, I got it,” I tell her as I carefully set the tray down on my desk. “So did you decide if you rather play cards or watch a movie?”

---