Nathan notices as Audrey slips out of the party. Because by now, he notices just about everything about her. He excuses himself from a conversation and follows her, slipping into the warm July evening. He can see her leaning on the railing of the porch surrounding her apartment.
"Hey." He says, leaning on the railing beside her. She looks at him, then stands up straight, and for a minute he thinks she's going to walk off and leave him standing there, wondering what he'd done. He straightens up too, and is running a hand through his hair when her arms go around his waist. He stands there for a moment, eyes wide, arms up in the air, while she hugs him.
"I'm glad you're here." Her voice is muffled against his shirt. He lowers his arms slowly, allowing one to fall to her waist while the other rests on her shoulders. She buries her face in his chest and sniffles. Surprised, he puts his hands on either side of her face and makes her look at him.
"Why are you crying?" He asks, mildly appalled. She just shrugs and shakes her head at him, takes a shaky breath, and rests her head on his chest again. Without thinking, he leans down and kisses the top of her head lightly. Her hair is soft against his lips, and he's content to just stand there, holding her, his head atop hers.
Music floats out to them from the party, and he starts to sway, humming softly. He hears her chuckle lightly against his shirt and he smiles. Much better.Their swaying turns into a dance, the wooden porch creaking beneath their feet. People begin filtering out of her apartment, leaving the party and paying them no mind. At last, Duke heads down the stairs, and they're alone, dancing while Elvis promises that he'll be home for Christmas.
Eventually, he pulls away from her slightly and looks down at her. "Are you ever going to tell me what happened today?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. She looks up at him with a slightly crooked smile and shrugs.
"Maybe later," She says. He's about to ask Why not now? when she pushes herself up on her toes and kisses him. When she pulls away, he looks at her, eyes widened slightly and both eyebrows raised in question. "Mistletoe," She tells him, pointing above his head and grinning. He looks up and laughs, then leans down and kisses her again.
She can tell him whenever she likes, he decides. Because right now, they have all the time in the world.