Hey guys! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, they are so inspiring (: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
*Btw as of now, no one but Hotch and Bella know that Nate is Strauss' son.
After English class, I walk to History class with Nate, but we don't have the same class, as we just found out. He's in the class next door to me.
As we split ways, I'm upset that we're separating, but I know that I need some time to myself. Maybe I can use this class time to get a hold of myself.
As I'm sitting down in my seat, I hear someone calling my name.
"Bella, hey, is anyone sitting here?" she asks, pointing to the seat beside me.
I turn my neck to see a girl standing behind me with brown, curly hair cascading down her shoulders. She's wearing a black leather jacket over her uniform, probably to rebel against the stupid school dress-code. She has a black fossil tote swung over her left shoulder.
I recognize the girl as Mary-Kate, the girl I met yesterday in my P.E. class whose mother died last week.
I shake my head and she smiles at me as she slides into the seat to the right of me. I see her unloading her book-bag as I see one of my favorite books fall out of her bag.
"You read Jodie Picoult novels?" I question her, surprised at her interest in this author.
"Yeah," she responds. "After my mother died last week, this book helped me a little bit and made me realize there was probably a positive aspect to her death… The book being centered on a cancer patient makes it even more sensitive," she leads off, clearly about to get emotional.
I take a Kleenex out of my bag and hand it to Mary-Kate. She smiles at me in appreciation as she wipes the bit of smeared mascara from underneath her eyes. "Thanks."
"No problem, Mary-Kate," I say in sincerity.
"You can just call me Mary," she says as her mouth turns upward into a sad smile. "Mary-Kate is too long to say anyways," she vocalizes, and we chuckle in response. I suspect that the sudden change in nickname is due to her mother's passing.
After an hour of taking notes and reading the History book, Mary and I are the first ones to complete the assignment, so we exchange phone numbers and start texting.
Mary-Kate: Hey girl, whatcha doing after school?
Bella: I'm not sure...I've got some things to do...My mom passed last week, and I still have to plan the funeral, so I'm going to have to start doing that, but besides that, I'm not sure.
Mary-Kate: Aw, honey, I'm sorry. I'm not going to lie, the funeral is hard. But it can only get better from there right?
Bella: Yeah, I suppose so.
Mary-Kate: You wanna hang out after school? A little bit of ice-cream can't hurt your attitude (;
The mention of food upsets my stomach, but I can only agree to go, right? I don't want to abandon her, her mother just died of cancer. She didn't have it coming to her like my mother did.
Bella: Sure. I'm gonna have to go on a jog after school though, I don't want to put on much weight, lol (:
Mary-Kate: Don't kid yourself; you're thin as a rail! Let you treat yourself for once. (:
Bella: Oh fine…. :p
Mary-Kate: Oh yeah, who was that kid you were walking in with?
Bella: Who?
Mary Kate: You know, the tall, blonde kid. He seems to fancy you.
I can feel my cheeks growing hot as she brings up Nate. My heart starts to beat faster, and my hands get all sweaty. Apparently they're a lot sweatier than I thought, because when I drop my phone and try to pick it up, Mary-Kate gets to it first and hands it back to me.
Mary Kate: *smirks. I can totally see the way you feel about him, your hands get all clammy and your face flushes.
Bella: No it doesn't!
Mary-Kate: Okay, whatever you say, Bella. The bell is about to ring, I'll see ya after school (;
Bella: Yeah, I just gotta check with Spence to make sure its kay.
Mary-Kate: Kay, seeya! Ttyl. (:
Bella: Bye, seeya soon.
As soon as the bell rings, I pull out of my seat and rush out to my locker so that I can grab some things out of my locker. As soon as I'm about to leave, I hear the locker above mine slam, and I can feel a smile trying to form at the corners of my lips.
Be cool Bella. Guys don't like clingy girls. Just play it cool.
"Hey Bella," I hear a voice booming from above me.
"Hey Nate," my voice flutters.
"What are you up to today," his voice drawls, making my mouth go dry.
"OH, just going to grab some ice-cream with Mary-Kate. What about you?"
"Probably just going to go home," he sighs. I can tell he wants someone to talk to, so I do the only thing I seem to feel right.
"Wanna come with us?" I question him, a smile dancing on top of my pinkly glossed lips.
"Oh, I don't wanna impose," his voice softens, not wanting to cross any boundaries.
"Mary-Kate will be fine with it," I say. "I'll check if you want me to."
I pull out my phone, and just as I'm about to text her, I receive a text.
Mary-Kate: Why don't you just invite Nate to come with us?
Bella: Actually, I was just about to ask if he could come.
Mary-Kate: Yeah, tell him he can come. Why don't we all meet up at Paciugo's around 4?
Bella: Sounds okay. Seeya l8r allig8r. (:
Mary-Kate: Rawr, someone's turning their flirty-meter up. (;
Bella: Shut up, he's right beside me! Anyways, I gotta go. Seeya.
Mary-Kate: KK.
I turn back my attention to Nate, just to realize how close we are standing to each other. I really hope he didn't see those messages…
"Mary said it was cool."
"Who's Mary?" he asks in confusion.
"OH, it's Mary-Kate; she said I could just call her Mary. It's easier that way," my voice floats.
"Oh, right," he says. His eyebrows slightly knit together, probably wondering about the sudden change in nickname.
"Where are we meeting?" he asks, his voice sparking with excitement.
"Paciugo's at 4."
"Alright, I've gotta check with my mom."
"Yeah, same with Spence."
Bella: Hey Spence, can I go grab ice-cream with Mary-Kate and Nate?
Spence: I don't recall you ever telling me about a Mary-Kate. How do I know she's trustworthy?
Bella: You don't. You have to trust me on this.
Spence: I suppose you can go. This 'Nate' guy sounds familiar. Do I know him?
Bella: Probably, you've seen him around the BAU before.
Spence: Oh, I wonder whose kid he is….
Bella: Well, I gotta go. I'll text you when I get there. Thanks. XOXO.
(Nate POV)
Nate: Hey mom, can I go grab ice-cream with some friends?
Mom: Depends who these 'friends' are. Are they trustworthy?
Nate: Yes. It's just Bella and one of her friends, Mary-Kate.
Mom: Don't try anything with them.
Nate: Honestly mom, who do you think I am? I'll be fine. I'm 15 and responsible.
Mom: Okay, whatever you say. Just be careful. Text me when you get there.
Nate: Will do. Gotta go. Love you.
"Hey, my mom says it's cool," my voice quivers slightly, my heart twirling inside of my chest.
"Same with Spence," Bella says, her hand twisting her wavy blonde hair, a habit I've noticed she's picked up. I can tell she's a little antsy because of her fidgety hands. I've noticed that whenever she gets nervous she starts playing with her nails or popping her fingers.
She smiles at me, her pearly white teeth glimmering. "You ready to go? We can walk if you want. It's about a half an hour walk, and it's 3:20 now, so we could leave now."
I look at her soft, blue eyes, and see the tenderness inside of them. They pull me into her, and I so badly want to take her hand in mine, but I'm too nervous (not that I'll admit that to anyone) she'll reject me. She feels different than any other crush I've had. I haven't had many friends or girlfriends, but Bella is different from anyone I've ever met. She takes my breath away when I glance at her. She looks stunning with her hair up or down. Her beautiful golden locks turn even more blonde in the sunlight, and her face is so dazzling with or without makeup. Freckles dot her nose (twenty-six that I've counted) in a charming manner, and I assume that she gets more freckles throughout the summertime. Her beauty engulfs me, and I get lost in her beauty.
You could say I'm falling for her. I'll take any chance I can to talk to her.
"Yeah, leaving now sounds great," my voice vibrates as I grab my army-green backpack and start walking out of the school with Bella.
Bella POV:
Once Nate and I walk to Paciugo's, we wait for Mary to arrive. About 10 minutes after we arrive, we see Mary walking through the entrance. She waves from outside, eager to see us. She comes in and embraces me with a hug, being the exuberant, confident person she is. Her positive quality is somewhat like Penelope's, which is probably why we became friends in the first place.
Once we purchase our ice-cream or 'gelato' as Paciugo's calls it, we decide to walk outside in the nice, September weather.
Nate is eating his vanilla and chocolate fudge gelato, while Mary munches on a fruit flavored combination and I consume an espresso-centered gelato. Being obsessed with coffee as I am, my friends wouldn't expect any less from me.
As we're walking out of Paciugo's, we're all arguing over which gelato flavor is the best.
"Well, it's obviously chocolate and vanilla; they're the classic flavors!" Nate argues.
"Who can go against fruit?" Mary asserts. "It's fresh AND delicious!"
"I obviously disagree with both of you; COFFEE WINS OVER EVERYTHING." I state my opinion, my voice continuously rising in volume level.
They both raise their eyebrows at me, their expressions becoming accusative.
"What? Coffee IS the best you know."
Nate chuckles and puts a hand on my shoulder, and I have to stop myself from shivering at his touch. "You have a PROBLEM. This is too much coffee. You know that I love coffee, but I don't consume THIS much coffee," he says, emphasizing the large gelato cup I'm eating out of.
While I roll my eyes at his ridiculous remark, Mary's laugh emerges; a squeaky, high snicker. "Bella, it's true. You need to drink less coffee. I've seen you have three helpings today; that's too much!" she laughs.
I try to defend myself, not wanting to agree with them. I know that I have an unhealthy obsession with coffee, but that doesn't mean I want to stop.
"Well, maybe if you tried some yourself, you would see how addicting it is!"
As I'm about to shove some of my espresso gelato in her face, Nate and Mary beat me to the punch.
"Not before you try some of this," they both yell in unison.
Right before I'm about to release the espresso gelato in my hand, my face is coated in chocolate and strawberry gelato.
They look at each other and then look at me, and start running.
"You're not getting rid of me that fast," I attempt to yell as I follow in their footsteps.
It doesn't take me long to catch up to them due to my running speed.
Because the side-walk we are walking on is alongside a forested area, I veer into that area to deflect attention. As Mary and Nate look back, they sigh in relief because they don't see me. They assume that I gave up running behind them.
How very wrong they were.
Right as they're slowing down, I decide to use the element of surprise.
Of course, being the flirt I am (not really), I decide that the best way to surprise Nate would be to jump on his back and shove my ice-cream in his face.
I veer back onto the sidewalk quietly. Once they drop their cautiousness, I take two steps before boosting myself up on Nate's back.
Of course, he freaks. I wouldn't expect any less.
(Nate POV)
Mary and I look back to see that Bella has vanished.
"She'll catch up eventually," Mary says while she is devouring her strawberry and orange flavored gelato. "Don't worry about it."
"I bet she's gonna come sneak up on us," I say, not trusting the fact that Bella is nowhere to be seen. Because I know how fast she can run, I don't doubt for a second that she's crafting some way to get back at us.
"Well, let her," Mary says, challenging Bella.
Just as we relax and start eating our Gelato, I hear footsteps. Before I can turn around, I feel something jump onto my back.
"JESUS!" I scream. "Don't do that; that scared me half to death," I start laughing.
"Not more than this will," she says sneakily as she shoves her Espresso ice-cream right below my nose.
I blink in surprise while I feel the cocoa-colored liquid run down my face. Mary laughs at us, realizing how stupid we look. Bella makes eye contact with me, and I know exactly what she's planning to do.
She hops off my back just in time for us to shove our gelato in Mary's face. Her jaw drops in surprise as she feels the cold gelato run down her face. She cracks a smile and chuckles as she does the exact same to us.
(Bella POV)
After about 15 minutes of us shoving each other's faces with gelato, we find a water fountain along the pathway and we rinse off our faces. Good thing none of us wear much makeup; otherwise we'd be a hot mess by now.
"Geeze Bella, you're really good at surprising people," Mary says as we're walking back towards Paciugo's.
"What can I say, I'm just the sister of a genius," I state somewhat sarcastically as we all start chuckling.
"Well, I've gotta go, so you guys have fun," she says as she's running towards the dark green mini-van. She winks at me, and my jaw drops in response. I roll my eyes.
We're waving as her car drops off, and we realize that it's already 7 o'clock.
"Oh crap, Spencer wants me back by eight, he texted me that earlier," I groan in disappointment.
Nate looks at me. "What about we take a jog back to your apartment complex, considering my house is on the same path," he suggests.
"Sounds good," I grin in response.
As we're running, I trip over a rock and land on the pavement.
"Arghhhchhhhhhhhhhhhh," I yell in discomfort.
(Nate POV)
As we're running at a fairly steady pace back to Bella's apartment complex, I hear a crunch behind me.
As I'm turning around, I hear her grunt in pain.
"Are you okay?" I ask as I look into her magnificent blue eyes. As much as she looks in pain, she denies anything.
"I'm okay."
"Can I help you up?" I ask, hoping for a little bit of contact between ourselves.
"Yeah, that would be nice," she says as she's trying to put pressure on her ankle.
"Let me help you there," I say as I grab her hand to pull her up. Her hand is as smooth as velvet, and smells like raspberries. I can't help the small smile that escapes from my mouth.
She seems to notice and smiles back at me. "What are you smiling at?" she asks inquisitively.
"Oh, it's nothing," I comment, as my smile grows and shrinks again.
(Bella POV)
As he smiles at me, I feel my heart flutter in my chest, and I grin in return. As I try to put pressure on my ankle, I feel a surge of pain and almost fall again. Thankfully, Nate is there to support me.
"That doesn't look like nothing to me," he comments as he helps me gain my balance.
"Shut up," I comment as I jab my elbow into his muscular, strong arm. He jabs me back, and I enjoy the physical contact that's exchanging between us.
"Let me carry you."
His eyes reflect the sunset, and my eyes become allured to his. Because I don't deny his offer, he scoops me up onto his back. I feel my arms become abundant with goose bumps, and can't stop the shiver that emerges from my body. He seems to notice as well, because he wraps his jacket around my back as he's carrying me back to my apartment.
As Nate is carrying me back to my apartment, I can't deny how right this feels; I seek so much comfort in his strong, sturdy build, as well as in his relaxed shoulder blades. I feel my body relax after a moment of him carrying me, and I look up into the sunset deep in thought.
Nate seems to read my mind and breaks the silence. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yeah," my breath releases, my eyes stuck to the beautiful sight before me, with the person I want right beside me.
He looks up at me, and we both smile at each other; not leaving each other's gazes for a minute.
We continue walking for about 20 minutes before we approach my apartment. The sun has dropped even further, and the light is leaving the sky. He gently sets me on the ground, and we stare at each other before we split ways.
"I had fun," he says.
I can feel my cheeks flush, and warmness creeps up into my cheekbones. "Me too," I say in pure sincerity.
"We should do this again," I say, not wanting to end our moment together.
"Yeah, we should," he whispers, his deep voice making me shudder. He steps closer to me, and I can feel my body reacting to his presence. Just as our eyes meet and we step in to close the space between us, I hear a loud crash, and we quickly step apart.
He looks at me the way every girl wants to be looked at, although I know I don't deserve him. This disappoints me. Although I want to be intimate with him, I know he won't want to deal with my mommy and daddy issues.
His green eyes sparkle in the sunset as his hand makes contact with my face. He quickly strokes my cheek, and I can feel my body temperature rise in response.
"You had ice-cream on your cheek," he smiles shyly.
"Thanks," I whisper in response, not knowing how to end the moment.
"I'll be going then," he says, as he retreats in the direction of his house. He makes a waving gesture, and I find myself returning the wave. "You have a good night," he mumbles.
"You too," I croak, lost in his eyes.
As I walk inside the apartment, I enter my room and close the door. I slide against the door and take a deep breath. I can't stop thinking about him—his touch, his scent, his voice…
The only thing that I don't know is that he feels the exact same way as I do.
Hey guys, I hope you liked this; I know I loved writing this chapter. I love playing with the sexual chemistry between Nate and Bella. If you guys have any input or comments, just leave me a review. (: Have a good day everyone!
XOXO