Chapter Two

Maya came to and the first thing she saw was Nathaniel standing with his hands on his hips, looking frustrated as she gathered where she was. She was now in his home again, sitting on the couch.

"Nathan," she said, which came out as nothing more than a mumble, "Wha…what happened?"

"It was Amber again," he said, "That's why I wanted you to let me know before you leave so that I could walk you there. If I was with you, she wouldn't have done that."

"I'm sorry," she said, her gaze dropping, "I just feel like I'm being a bother. I'm not used to someone going to this much trouble for me." She sighed. Why did he seem so angry at her?

"I told you, it's no trouble at all," he said, "Now if only I could actually do something about Amber."

"Nathan," she said quietly, "Can you sit by me?" She patted the spot on the couch closest to her, "Right here."

He blushed a little at the thought of sitting so close, but obeyed. She instantly felt warm feeling his side against hers. She couldn't help herself as she rested her head on his shoulder and held on to his arm.

"Stay here," she said softly, "I'm tired."

Maya's eyelids felt like weights. It wasn't long before she was slipping into a deep sleep.

•••

Nathaniel felt a bit strange with Maya sitting so close to him. It was warm and comfortable and he liked it, but this was something that should be done with a girlfriend, not just a friend. He took a deep breath. He needed to relax. It was the least he could do after what Amber did; going out of her way to physically hurt Maya. If Maya wanted to sleep on him like this then it should be okay. The only problem was the butterflies inflicted on his insides. Amber must have climbed the tree when she saw Maya inside and struck her with the branch by putting her weight on it at the right moment. He wondered why it made him so angry; if it was anybody else outside of his family, he would've been angry at Amber but not angry like this. His gaze fell on Maya. He was afraid that Amber's unkindness would scare her away. There weren't many girls he knew that were like Maya; there was just something about her.

Nathaniel slipped out of her grasp, adjusting her so she sat up normally. He wrapped her ankle so that it wasn't too tight or too loose, yet firm and able to support it. He returned to her side, pulling her closer so that her head was rested on his shoulder again. He rested his head on hers warmly. Extending his free arm over and stroking her bob-cut, thick and silky black locks. Her hair was soft. He closed his eyes as his fingertips traced her jaw line to her chin. Her skin was soft and had a delicate feel to it. It was a bit strange that Maya avoided Amber but was attaching herself to Nathaniel. Wait, 'attaching herself'? Poor choice of words, he thought to himself. It seemed more like she simply preferred to be around him. He sighed, letting his hand fall to her lap. It was a bit inappropriate but being so close to her like this made him feel tired, with her warmth melting into his skin.

•••

Maya's eyes fluttered open. She rubbed them, gathering her whereabouts. She was still in Nathaniel's house. The first thing she noticed was her ankle was wrapped nicely. She felt warm. Why did she feel so warm? She blinked hard. His head was rested on hers and he still sat so close. Her heart raced. His hand was even on her lap. Maybe he moved it in his sleep; he was too much of a gentleman to purposely put his hand there.

"Um, Nathan?" she stammered nervously, "Are you awake?"

He didn't respond, meaning he was asleep. She lifted up her hands, using them to support his body instead of her. She got to her feet, putting all her weight on her stronger ankle as she gently rested Nathaniel on his side. He slept soundly; he must've been tired. She limped around the first floor. She didn't see Amber anywhere, but she found a neat and organized bedroom, which she guess was Nathaniel's. She smiled knowing that no one else would have a room so clean and organized as she shuffled inside.

'I'm in his bedroom,' Maya thought to herself. She stripped the bed of the blanket folded on the edge, approaching Nathaniel in the living room again. She delicately laid the blanket over his body, pulling it up over his shoulders and her lips tingled with the urge to kiss him. She fought it off as she wandered to where she noticed the kitchen before lifting her gaze to the wall clock. It had been hours since he brought her here. She sighed; she needed to return the favor for what he'd done for her. She prepared the best meal she could think of that didn't include anything that was a major allergy for people, since she wasn't sure if he was allergic to anything; but then again if it was in the cupboard, he probably wasn't allergic to it but she didn't want to take the risk. Once she prepared the meal, she cleaned off the table and set it up.

Maya smiled kindly as she knelt down beside his sleeping face. She gave his shoulder a gentle shake. "Nathan," she said softly, "Wake up."

His eyes opened slowly and tiredly. When his gaze found her, he suddenly became more awake, gazing around.

"Did you put this on me?" he asked, lifting up the blanket.

Maya nodded as she got to her feet, careful not to put too much weight on her sprain as she gathered the blanket drenched over him. He sat up.

"This smells good," he said gazing at the dinner she'd prepared for him, "You made this?"

She nodded. "I just wanted to thank you," she said, "I don't think your mother's home yet and I don't know if Amber is – nor do I care to know. But I just figured that I should make up for it. I don't really mind that Amber doesn't like me, and I guess I had it coming when I got this sprain for the way I was acting and I appreciate all that you've done for me but I think you didn't necessarily have to. Anyways, I've been cooking for myself since I was in grade school, so the food should be decent at least."

He smiled. "Thank you," he said.

Shaking her head, she said, "There's no need to thank me, really. I've actually always wanted to cook for and take care of someone else. It makes me feel like a-" Maya bit her tongue before she could say the word 'wife'. It was the first day that they met; it was a bit too soon to be calling herself his wife, meanwhile she wasn't even sure he liked her like that. She turned, mumbling gibberish quietly so that he assumed she'd finished her sentence. She limped to his bedroom and folded up his blanket again, leaving it exactly where it was before wandering around in search of the bathroom. Once she found it, she entered and prepared a bath. She returned to the living room.

"Nathan," she said, "If you're done eating, I prepared a bath for you."

He grinned. "You're so helpful," he said, "This food was amazing, too." He got to his feet and as he brushed past her, he said quietly, "You'll make a great wife one day."

Maya stood there, gazing at the empty plate and cup on the table. That one phrase made her feel so… different. She took a deep breath, telling herself that she wasn't his wife and he was referring to her being with whoever she might marry, not referring to her marrying him. She shook her head, feeling a bit confused before limping towards the dishes on the table and taking them back to the kitchen. She washed them as thoughts of Nathaniel ran through her mind. Her heart was pounding. What was this feeling? It was strange. She hadn't known him long but it felt like she'd known him for so long. As she filed away the clean dishes, her ears pricked as the door opened. She slid back on her strong foot and peered through the doorway towards the front door. It opened to reveal a woman who looked in her thirties or forties. She had a sad look on her face as she shuffled past the kitchen. Only until she was a few feet away did she notice Maya.

"Who's… this?" the woman asked.

"I'm a friend of Nathaniel's," Maya said, giving her a friendly smile, "You must be his mother, right?"

The woman nodded, her curiosity instantly fading. "Did you cook for him?" she said, eying the clean dishes in Maya's hand.

"Yes," she said, "I mean, I hope you don't mind that I did, but he's done a lot for me today, so I…" Maya's words faded, watching Nathaniel's mother sluggishly walk away and disappear up the stairs in the middle of Maya's sentence. "Huh," Maya mumbled to herself, "That was a little… peculiar."

Maya finished putting the dishes away before limping towards Nathan's bedroom to tell him that she would be leaving now. She stopped mid-limp when her gaze found him through his half open door. He was shirtless. She bit her lip, letting the thought that his body was amazing slip through her mind before closing her eyes, covering them with one hand.

"Um, Nathan," she stammered nervously, "I… I'm ready to go now."

"Huh?" he said before gasping. She could hear him pull his shirt on quickly before telling her, "Okay, you can uncover your eyes now." She let her hand fall slowly as she carefully peeled her eyes open. He wore another white button down but no tie. The first few buttons were undone. "I'll walk you home."

Maya smiled. "Thank you," she said. She limped towards the doorway, Nathaniel close behind her. She reached for the door but his hand found it first and he held open the door for her. She smiled and brushed past him before he held on to her waist on the side of her weak ankle before lifting her arm around his neck and leaning her body towards his so that he was supporting her. She limped with her body leaning against his and he walked slowly so that she could keep up.

"We turn up there," she said, pointing. He nodded. After a few moments of silence, she said, "I don't know if you knew this but I met your mom which you were in the bath."

"Oh, I see," he said, looking expressionless.

"Yeah," she said, "I do respect her just because of her title as your mother, but she kind of ignored me, which was a little…" she stopped speaking, gazing up at him. He still looked a bit emotionless.

He smiled at her after a few moments. "I guess she was just tired," he said, shrugging. The rest of the walk was silent besides her directions until they reached her porch steps. He helped her up them before gazing around.

"Well I should probably go," he said, gazing at the setting sun. "Good night."

"Night," she said, kindly smiling before turning towards her front door.

"Sleep well," he said quietly before descending the stairs. She took hold of the doorknob, glancing back. He was gazing back just at the same moment and her heart pounded as she met his gaze. He smiled before turning away. She waited a few moments before opening the door slowly. As she stepped inside, her heart began to race with fear as she didn't know who was home and who wasn't and she bit her lip. She leaned against the door as she closed it behind her, scanning her surroundings. It was quiet. Her stomach rumbled with hunger. She slowly approached the kitchen. So far, she saw nobody as she knelt down to dig through the cupboards when her gaze caught sight of canned soup. She needed to make something fast and that looked like the only thing she'd be able to make in only a few minutes. She reached for it when she felt a jerk, then the sting. Someone was grasping her hair. She felt as if her heart was racing out of control. Since when was he home?

"What the hell did I tell you?" his raspy voice rumbled, "I don't want to see your ugly face."

He slowly lifted her up, his angry hand clenching her locks of hair. She cringed, biting her lip. "I'm sorry," she stammered, "But you know, I have to eat sometimes."

He chuckled. "You're getting smart, huh? Well, you little witch, now isn't one of those times."

He dropped her abruptly and she hit the ground with a thud, her knees sliding against the hard floor and burning, along with her scalp. She scrambled to her feet and hurriedly limped up the stairs, ignoring her complaining wounds and entering her room. She locked the door and leaned against it, making an attempt to relax as she listened to the thumping of her heart in her chest. Once she knew he wasn't following her, she changed into pajamas and climbed into bed, letting herself become absorbed in thoughts. Why was he always hitting her? He was her father, and a father should never hit his daughter like that.

Maya cringed, beginning to feel tired. All she wanted to think about was Nathaniel. She didn't want to think about Amber or her parents or her missing enrollment form or anything like that; just Nathaniel. What was it about him? Were they connecting or were these feelings one-sided? Taking a deep breath, she decided to put all her trust in him for now; even if her feelings were one-sided, Nathaniel wasn't the kind of guy to blow a girl off like that. She bit her lip, her heart pounding. It wasn't long before her happy thoughts of Nathaniel pulling her into a happy state of sleep.