We're all in our hotel room. There's one room that Rhiannon and I will sleep and the other room that Nathan and Grady will sleep. The wooden door separates the room. The bathroom is in Nathan and Grady's side of the room. "Okay, everyone get out the fanciest clothes you have!"
Whoa, Rhiannon goes psycho here!
♠♣♥♦
Later, we finish getting ready. However, Rhiannon looks smoking hot with that red dress, which I bought for her last Christmas. She finally wears the dress, after begging her to wear it last year. Rhiannon tells me that the purple, skimpy dress looks great on me. She says that it enhances my curves.
We open the door as we see two stunning men in front of us. "Oh my god, Grady, you look so handsome this year!" Rhiannon flirts and then winks while she swings her arm around his.
Nathan slowly walks towards me. My heart starts beating faster and slower at the same time. The heat between us builds. He whispers in my ear, "You look ravishing, tonight."
I blush, and then let out an exasperated chuckle. "Behave."
"Oh, why don't you teach me a lesson after this party we're attending?" His husky, deep voice taunts my every thought and motives. Part of me wants to rip off this dress and rip off his clothes as we proceed whatever is in the bedroom. However, this night is Rhi's night of getting her chance to co-host in an important fashion show.
Grady clears his throat. I bet Grady is watching Nate's every move. I love Grady, but he needs to loosen the reigns a bit, or maybe a lot. He's my best friend, not my mother. I glare at Grady for a long second, before we attend at the party. Grady carries the liquor to the hotel ballroom.
♠♣♥♦
Now, this is where I come into play as I start complaining about how this party is turning into a disaster. The bitch of Rhiannon's boss has left as well as the international Japanese famous designer, whom I do not know nor care. Anyways, Grady has every employee drunk as well with him. Nathan and I are the only ones who are actually sober.
Rhiannon is dead on the floor, kind of.
However, I walk outside of the party and decide to get fresh air. I think nature takes things out of my mind. I honestly don't like being cooped up in a room or something. I'm claustrophobic and I cannot deal well with people. I'm friendly, but I hardly open up to people who I do not know.
Without noticing, Nate follows me outside. "Lovely weather we are having." He says in a British accent. I chuckle, shaking my head as I feel the cold air hit my ears. I shove my coat closer to my body, trying to get heat. Suddenly, I feel Nate placing his coat over mine. I look at him, surprisingly.
"What?" he asks, dumbfound. I crack a smile.
"Why are you suddenly being nice to me?"
He shrugs, acting oblivious. "Hmm, I guess it's a side of me that you barely see nowadays."
"C'mon, you were always nice, four years ago. Honestly, you haven't changed a bit." I speak. He grunts.
"For your information, I have changed. You just didn't notice." He winks.
I roll my eyes. "Yes, you're still the same old Nathan Hampton."
Suddenly, I hear someone singing terribly inside the hotel ballroom. "I don't have anyone at home to talk to. And you don't have anything to do. So, I'll spend my Christmas with you." the song continues.
"I'll spend my Christmas with you." The person continues to sing.
Abruptly, Nathan wiggles his eyes as he extends his hand. "May I have this dance?"
I roll my eyes and cave as I nod. We walk inside the building and see Grady on the microphone, drunk as hell, and the rest of the people are lying on the floor or sitting on the chairs, or somewhere else. It's a good thing that Nathan and I are the only ones who decided not to drink, tonight. Things will end up terribly, where Nate and I might end up in a room, alone.
"It's Christmas and we are in love. With the way that the soft snowflakes kiss us from far above. The blustery breeze. Trudging onward, braving a harsh winter storm. You and I met passing by and now, our spirits feel warm. I believe that Jesus is truly the only way." Grady sings.
"So, what are you parents like?" I whisper into Nate's ear.
He flops his head to the left and then to the right before answering. "They're very nice."
"Oh?" I cock an eyebrow.
Nathan grins, sheepishly. "Yes, especially to pretty redheads."
I blush. "Anyways, how long are we staying?"
His eyes roam around the room. "Hmm, I think for only five days. I want you to meet my dog, Goldie." He smiles. "I bet she'll love you. She's so friendly to others. Are you a dog lover?"
"Nate, I love animals. Of course, I would also be a dog lover." I giggle, gently hitting him on the shoulder. What is this? Him and I are getting closer as we finally had our closure. We're bonding and I don't think we're boyfriend and girlfriend anymore.
Well, I'm not so sure. Are we boyfriend and girlfriend, again? Shall I ask him?
"Um, Nate," I hesitate. Quivering my lips, he places his hand onto my chin. Well, this certainly does not help at all. He looks at me with those sincere, emerald eyes. I stare at them for a second.
I shake my head. Just ask him!
"Are we t-together?" I stammer. Nathan just looks at me with those sincere eyes. We stare at each other for a couple of minutes. Oh great, I just scared the livings out of him. I'm such an idiot.
"Um, Inna...I don't think we should rush us into anything. I know that I broke up with you, and I regret until this day..." Nathan trails. I don't understand what he's saying. Fighting back those tears, he objects.
"No, I didn't mean to bring any hurtful memories." He pauses. "I think you should decide and listen to your heart's content." He smiles, but I'm standing before him, confused.
He sighs. "I don't think coming back to me will make you any happy. I hurt you so badly, and I hate myself for doing so. I think I should let you re-think all of this before going any further."
I nod. "Do you still have feelings for me?" I breathe.
"Yes." Nathan confesses. I look at him, surprisingly.
Then, I ask him this other question. "Do you still love me?"
This is where Nathan hesitates. Truly, I have no idea if I still love him. I don't want to end up hurt, again.
"And I celebrate Christmas because it's his birthday. I don't have anyone at home to talk to. And you don't have anything to do. So, I'll spend my Christmas with you." Grady continues on singing, horribly.
Nathan doesn't say a word. Does he still love me? Has he moved on? He says that he has feelings for me, but does that mean anything? Does feelings and love go together? Does pain and love go together? This boy confuses me so much, but my heart still beats for him, only.
He makes me laugh. He makes me angry. He makes me happy. He makes me gloomy. He's everything that I hope to see in a guy. I don't want any other boy in my life, besides him. Sure, he can be complicated, but he is forgiving in the end. He can be goofy and cocky at the same time, but he's sweet and caring. He has flaws that people can hate, but I don't care.
"I'll spend my Christmas with you." The song continues to diminish as Grady still sings horribly.
Leaning closer to me, the body heat intensifies between us. Suddenly, Nathan whispers in my ear. "Do you still love me? And do not lie to me, Inn." Oh god, he's so tempting. His stamina irks me so much, I can just rip the hairs on my head, but I choose not to do it. Anyways, his ego is so galling.
"Uh, I don't know," I continue to stammer. In amazement, I feel Nathan crashing his lips onto mine. Those emotions come flooding back to me. Every pain and every happiness from the day that we've dated all comes rushing towards me. My feelings for him are still there.
I feel his tongue, licking my lips. Opening my mouth, I invite him. He slows down our kiss as I start feeling light-headed from our passionate kiss. Gasping for air, Nathan presses his forehead onto mine.
"Goodnight everyone," Grady yells, before passing out onto the floor, drunk.
Nathan and I giggle and spend the rest of the night
, cuddling and watching a movie in our hotel room. We decide to leave Rhiannon and Grady to clean up the mess that they made. Hey, they can ask one of the guest to help them with cleaning up. Honestly, I'm exhausted to clean up after Rhiannon and Grady, since they are always depending on me. It is their responsibility, anyways.
♠♣♥♦
The next day, Nathan and I wake up at the hotel room, smelling alcohol in the atmosphere.
"I bet Rhiannon and Grady are passed out on the floor." Nathan whispers in my ear. I bite my lip.
Slowly getting out of the bed, I stretch my arms and legs before we grab breakfast in the hotel. Suddenly, Nathan whimpers. I turn around and give him a confused look. "Stay with me in bed for a little longer." He pouts. I smile as I roll my eyes.
"Awe, I think you'll survive without me." I tease, putting my comfortable shoes on my feet.
Nathan pulls me towards me - my back facing him. "I don't think I can, sweetheart. I think I'll die every second whenever you're a couple feet away from me." He purrs. My eyes widen in astonishment. Is this really Nathan Hampton speaking?
I place my hand onto his forehead.
"What? Do I have a fever? Because I know my temperature rises all the time whenever you're close to me." He flirts and tantalizes me, places kisses on my neck. I push him away.
"Seriously, I think you're overreacting." I confirm, walking further away from Nathan. He grunts as he is still lying down on the bed. A slight chuckle escapes my lips, but I try to hide it.
Opening the door, I see Rhiannon and Grady sleeping on the couch, together. Adorably, I stare at the lovely couple, sleeping next to each other. They do smell like alcohol, but how did they get up here, drunk? How did they remember our room number? Knowing Grady when drunk, he obviously doesn't remember anything!
"Grady," I whisper. Faltering, I roll my eyes and scream out his name. Thankfully, he wakes up as he rolls out of bed. I start laughing and rolling onto the floor. My sides start to hurt afterwards.
"What just happened? How come I have the biggest headache?" Grady asks twenty questions.
Rhiannon slowly wakes up and stretches her body. "Hmm, good morning to you!" she yawns.
Getting out of bed, I watch Rhiannon walk towards the bathroom. Suddenly, she yells.
"What's wrong?"
"There's something in the bathroom!" she confronts. I cock an eyebrow. Walking towards the bathroom, Rhiannon warns me. "No, do not go in there! It's a vicious animal in the bathroom!"
I slowly open the door. My eyes avert around the premises, and then I see a huge tiger in the bathroom. I quickly shut the door. "Um, Rhi, why is there a tiger in our bathroom?"
She shrugs. "I have no idea. All I remember is that I was talking to my boss, having a good conversation. Then, she left without greeting me a goodbye. In conclusion, I drank so much beer, so I passed out onto the floor. I don't know how the hell I end up sleeping here, finding a dangerous cat in the bathroom!"
My eyes wonder towards Grady. He shrugs and shoots me an innocent look. "Don't look at me! I don't remember anything last night, after I was drunk!" he explains.
Next time, make sure that Grady or Rhiannon touches any alcoholic drinks, ever!
"Uh, who wants breakfast?" Nathan asks, breaking the deadly silence. I shoot a glare at him. He shrugs and walks towards me, places his hands on my shoulder. "Don't worry so much."
Who says I am worrying?
Chapter Eleven
Look What the Cat Dragged In
Eventually, Grady and Rhiannon finds out that Nathan wants me to spend Christmas time with his family. Of course, they don't appreciate the idea of Nathan and his selfish schemes. However, Grady persuades Rhiannon to let me go with him and meet his family.
Before checking out of the hotel, Rhiannon calls the hotel management to exit the tiger out quickly of the bathroom. Truthfully, we still do not know how the tiger is in the bathroom. Grady never knows what's going on when he's drunk. Normally, Rhiannon has been drunk in her life, but she decides to let loose. On the other hand, I choose not to drink because it leads to disaster.
Leaving, we drive for six hours to go back to Montgomery.
"Hey, let's play a game!" Grady announces, as everyone gawks at him.
"How about we play 'Truth or Dare'?" Rhiannon suggests. We all shake our heads. She grunts.
"Or, how about we play 'Would You Rather'?" Nathan says. I gawk at him, remembering the last time he, Grady, and I played that game, four years ago. It's very amusing, but his version can go to the extremes, most of the time.
Before the summer, the boys and I plays this game, and it is quite amusing. My voice is hoarse, and I really don't appreciate my voice going out, so Nathan suggests me not to talk so much. I try avoiding his conception, but he keeps pushing me to stop. Loving the boy, he can be very protective.
The next couple of days, Grady finally asks if I was pretending that my voice was hoarse. Literally, my voice is hoarse! I can never fake a voice like it.
"Of course, I love that game!" Rhiannon shrieks. Oh no, I cannot believe she wants us to play.
Grady chimes. "Can I go first?"
We all stay silent, notifying him to proceed.
"Okay, Inna, would you rather eat a dead animal or jump into the frigid, cold water?"
"Jump into the frigid, cold water." I answer. "Rhi, would you rather steal a cute blouse from your favorite store or kiss Nathan Hampton?" I wiggle my eyebrows at Nate. Nathan's eyes grow wider as his ears are hearing this.
"Steal a cute blouse, next question!" she proclaims.
"Rhi, it's your turn to ask a question." I say. Her mouth gaps open.
"Grady, would you rather raise a skunk or wear girl clothes for three months?" Rhiannon asks. We all start snickering. Poor Grady, he has the worst question so far; however, we all love him.
"There is no way that I'll wear girl clothes for three months! I choose the skunk, over frilly skirts and makeup." Grady spats.
We start playing this game for a good thirty minutes or so, but it got tiring because our questions are somewhat getting bland. Honestly, I want to stop playing because Nate's questions are very extreme. He asks "Inna, would you rather have sex with me or have sex with Grady."
Yes, his questions are so ghastly.
He even asks Grady uncomforting questions. "Grady, would you rather fuck a donkey or have anal sex with Rhiannon?"
Unfortunately, Rhiannon is getting discomfort from Nathan and his repulsive questions. Finally, I say that we shall end playing the game because some of us are not comfortable, answering his descriptive questions.
♠♣♥♦
Somehow, we start driving in silence. Tending on falling asleep, Nathan lays me onto his lap, which is very sweet of him. I feel his hands rub against my arm, as I tend to fall, slowly.
What is he doing? Is he doing this on purpose, just to make me confess my love for him? Well, he must try harder because he's not getting anything from me! Nope, he's going to profess his love towards me. I won't be the one to say it. Nay, I will fight until we die.
"Mm," Softly, I hum as my thoughts drift into unconsciousness.
♠♣♥♦
"Wake up," someone speaks softly into my ear. Still drowsy, my eyes slowly open as I feel the cold air hit my body. Due to the reaction, I jerk. My eyes as saucers, I watch Nathan laugh his ass off because of my jump. He probably does this on purpose. Trying to torture me with his silly nonsense, I slap him against the arm.
"Ow," he feign, while rubbing his forearm. I roll my eyes, as I push him out of my way. Suddenly, I hear him compliment in an egotistical way. I turn around and stick my tongue out. He roars and catches up to me, slapping a hand onto my rear end. My eyes widen.
"Nathan Leo Hampton, you better not do that again, or I'll..."
"Or you'll what?" he cuts me off, blocking the entrance and my thoughts. His face draws closer to mine, creating heat between us. My heart rate increases as he caresses his hand to my chin. "What will you do
, huh?" his voice lingers.
I fight the urge to swallow his words into my mind, but to my default, he keeps winning!
"I'll kick you where the sun doesn't shine." I grumble before walking away from him. I try to shove all those emotions that I have towards Nathan stupid Hampton. He's so cynical, egotistic, and complicating! How can he just barge back into my life without warning and expect me to jump back to his arms? I will not fall for him!
Skimping towards my room, I grab all of the clothes, which I need, and place them into my suitcase. Quickly, I grab my phone and plug my earphones as I press onto my touch screen as I open Pandora Radio App. I choose a band from my list, as I start listening to whatever I want. I start humming along to the song and sway my behind.
Unexpectedly, I start twirling and then I see Nathan, standing there with a goofy look, plastered onto his gorgeous face. My face is all flustered, so I try my best to cover the red blush that is across my cheeks.
I take the earphones out. "Ever heard of 'knocking'?"
Nathan chuckles in his deep, manly voice. "Nah, there's no use in knocking when I can just unexpectedly dancing to the music that you're listening right now." His grin grows. "Besides, you amuse me in a way with your conspicuous mind."
I admit, the way he talks kind of turns me on. His witty remarks irk me, but it feels as if it's a compliment at the same time. I know, this feeling is very unusual. He's normally not like this before, but this has drastically changes his point of view. Alternatively, I may be going out of my mind!
I clear my throat. It's my turn to come up with a witty comeback. "Well, thank you." I mutter.
"Wait, what was that?" Nathan asks. I roll my eyes and flip the birdie at him. I don't listen to his response, so I plug the earphones back into my ears as I continue packing. We leave tonight for Fayetteville, Arkansas to visit his family. Nathan tells me all the information about his family.
What Love Has Lost Page 9