Chapter 2: Drenched in familiarity
Duke confronts Nathan on his way out of the interrogation room. "You know, I'd think you of all people would be more subtle and wary."
Nathan tries to play it off like it's nothing. "What are you talking about? What? Are you jealous or something?"
"No, but you are out of your mind", Duke admonishes. "What were you thinking? Offering her a job on the first meeting?"
Nathan bites his lips. Yes, this is unlike him. But it's Audrey, he just can't be guarded around her, he never has been able to be. Even when he was taken back in time to Sarah-
He closes his eyes and takes in a shrill breath. No, he will not go there, he will not think about their son again. And he just did.
"I know what I'm doing, Duke." He finally says.
"Really?" Duke challenges. "What are you doing, Nathan?"
Nathan sighs. Can they not have this argument now? "In case you don't remember, the barn-keeper is gone. No one is here now to introduce Audrey to the troubles again. I'm trying to do that."
"Oh, so you're trying to send Audrey back to the barn when the time comes?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Nathan whispers under his breath, in a threatening tone that matches the glare in his eyes. His muscles are tensing, and he is losing his patience now. "I will never let her go back to the barn ever again. But this is what Audrey would have wanted- when she's here, it's her destiny to help with the troubles."
"It's her destiny to go to the barn too", Duke reminds him. Why is he suddenly so suspicious of Nathan, when he knows all Nathan wants is the best for Audrey too? Is this just his guilt on over-drive, having not being able to save her last time?
"And it's your destiny to die in the hands of a man with the same tattoo like mine." Nathan warns, his hands clenched into a fist now. He wants nothing but the best for her, and he will not tolerate this non-sense.
"Um, guys?"
For this long, Audrey had been quietly standing at a side of the passage-way, letting the two men talk in private, but she could see from their body language that it was escalating into a fight. And for some reason, it bothered her. Some voice inside her head told her that it was her place to interfere, that she wouldn't be trespassing.
"Is everything okay?" she asks anxiously, standing between the two, like a physical barrier.
Nathan and Duke exchange glances for a moment, as if to say, just like old times, eh?
"This is Duke", Nathan introduces, still tense, "Duke, Audrey."
"Hi", she smiles at Duke.
Duke smiles back, "Hello."
Before they could take the conversation further, Nathan interferes. This time, he's jealous. It's like this is their second chance to win the girl, and he's not going to let Duke steal his girl away. "Come on, let's go."
The drive back to the shop is silent for the first few minutes. Nathan steals glances at Audrey now and then. She is absolutely his Audrey, he can feel it. She's different somehow, she's not exactly his Audrey, she's not her carbon copy, but she's definitely drenched in carbon.
He breaks the silence by clearing his throat. "So, why did you come to Haven?"
She shrugs. "I don't know. One morning I just woke up and decided to be here. I'm impulsive like that. Maybe one morning I'll wake up and decide to get out of here too."
He only smiles, he knows he's not going to let that happen.
"What about you? Why did you come to Haven?" she asks curiously.
"I grew up here", he corrects her, but for some reason, her question resonates deep within his mind, and makes him wonder, why is he in Haven?
They make small talk during the rest of the drive, she talks about her life, how she grew up, how much she hated school, how she needed to buy a hair-dryer immediately. She realizes how smoothly her conversation flows with him, like she has known him forever. It's weird how she feels safe with a stranger who doesn't feel like a stranger….
They step out of the car, and Nathan curses under his breath. The flower shop is on the corner of a street, in the ground floor of a two-storied building owned by the owners of the store. The crowd that had gathered here earlier has now disappeared, and it makes it look almost like an abandoned house. "This place is so creepy, isn't it?"
Audrey shrugs. "No".
It makes him wonder if this place is troubled and she feels okay with it because she's immune to the troubles.
More importantly, it makes him wonder why in the world he has to make such a big deal over a stupid vase robbery. Only in Haven, only in Haven.
They enter the shop, the door making a creaking sound like in the cliché horror movies. The air feels like it's coming from the mouth of a volcano, yet, it makes the hair on his arms stand up straight. The place is empty now, just filled with vases and flowers and orchids. The sun is almost at the horizon, and the faint light of sunset is creeping in through the window, giving the place a Haunted House feel. Great, all that's missing now is creepy background music.
Audrey breaks the hypnotizing effect of the place by turning on the lights. "Miranda?" she calls out. There's no answer. "That's weird", she mumbles, "Why would she go out leaving the shop open?"
By this time, something about this whole thing has started to feel not quote right to Nathan. He decides to takes a look around the shop. Everything seems to be normal to him, yet, something is…. off. He picks up a random vase and studies it, it feels normal, it looks normal, he can't exactly perceive what's wrong with it. He smells a flower, loving its fragrance.
Finally, he decides everything is fine, he's just paranoid, it's just him being over-whelmed by how he suddenly got Audrey back, nothing else.
"Nathan!" Audrey suddenly shrieks.
He turns around immediately, panicked and alarmed. Is she okay?
She stands still, with her hands covering up her mouth in shock, and motions at his hand with her eyes.
He is almost afraid to look.
A/N: So I've decided to continue this. Hope you like it! Please review :)
P.S- I added a cover image to this story, hope you like it :D let me know if it infringes copyright or something, I haven't really done this before :/