My Best Friend's Brother (28 page)

“Jeez, what is happening to my poor innocent mind” I thought out loud.

No, I wasn't ready for that yet, despite what my raging hormones were telling me.

A knock at the door brought me back to reality.

"Hope?" Nate's voice called from the other side of the door.

'Oh my god, what does he want? I hope he doesn't ask to come in, because the mood I am in at the moment I don't think I can trust myself to say no'

"YES?" I called back loudly.

I heard a shuffling from the other side before he answered "Are you mad at me?" His voice in a tone which made me just want to hold him.

"No, why would you think that?"

"Urm, it's just… I just wanted to say sorry for being late, starring at you and everything" He said shyly through the door.

"You have nothing to apologise for, but why were you so long at the store?" I asked curiously.

"These two women were speaking at the checkout and not paying attention to me..." he stopped suddenly.

I knew he wanted to say more but was unsure if he should. "And?"

I think I heard him sigh, but it was hard to tell through the door, "And when I finally did get their attention all they were bothered about was trying to get into my pants.” He admitted.

"Both of them?"

He nodded "At the same time..."

My mouth fell open. "And you said no?" I asked surprised.

"Yes of course I did." He asked as if he was mad that I had to ask. "Why would I want Texas and Hallie when I have you my love?" At that moment I wished he was here and I could kiss him.

I didn't realise how long I had kept him waiting until I heard him say, "I'll just leave you too it then." I tried to call him back but he must have already gone.

Finishing up my bath, I dried myself and changed into one of the two robes that were provided by the motel.

Exiting the bathroom I saw Nate sat on the edge of the bedroom with a worried expression.

He must have heard the door opening because his head shot up.

"I love you Hope... I really do... I am sorry. But I am afraid.” he admits, getting up and stopping in front of me and cups my cheek.

"Afraid?" I ask in a hushed voice, feeling confused.

Nate's expression changes, as though he had just snapped out of a daydream.

For the first time ever Nate gives me a shy, embarrassed smile, as he moves his hand from my cheek to rub the back of his neck.

"I don't mean to sound big headed, but a lot of women come on to me." He stresses, running his hands through his hair.

"OK...." I said drawing out the letters.

"Well, what if you get fed up of it or think that you can do better than some ex player? I don't want too lose you. You are my everything." He sounded so genuinely worried.

It was no secret that he was a bit of a player in the past.

"As long as the player is in the past then you have nothing to worry about." I tell him pecking his lips.

"Don't worry I know your not like that now. Go take a shower or bath and we can talk more."

He looks unsure "Are you sure? I mean..." he looks away and starts to ramble.

Not really paying attention to his gibberish rambled, I try and call his name a few times but nothing happened.

I cup his face and press my lips to his before pulling back, "I am sure. I love you Nate."

Nate

First in the bedroom, seeing her in a towel and I acted like a
perv, starring at her.

I thought I had surely messed everything up.

But then when I knocked on the bathroom door and in my stupid panic trying to get her listen to me so I could explain.

When she didn't answer I thought she was mad at me for sure.

Now here I was a rambling mess. Thankfully Hope's a sweetheart and instead of hitting me like my brother would she kissed me.

"I am sure. I love you Nate." she kissed me once more and ordered me into the bathroom.

I heard a slight giggle as I walked in a daze and closed the door.

"Don't just stand there, silly. Take a bath." She ordered, guessing right.

I couldn't help but smile to myself.

How did I ever get such a perfect girlfriend?

After a quick shower, I dressed in the one remaining robes and left the bathroom to see Hope lying on the bed watching commercials half asleep.

She didn't even notice me enter the room, even when I stood beside the bed.

Hope

I almost jumped out of my skin when I looked up to see Nate with a very amused look on his face.

"Nate! You scared the hell out of me." I said clutching my hand to my chest. "What are you doing just standing there?"

"I enjoy watching you, you look so cute." He said, sitting beside me.

"Yeah, I'm sure the drooling, half dead look is cute." I say sarcastically.

He laughed. "On you it is." I rolled my eyes.

"Come on let’s get you dressed. You must be feeling a little cold.” I nod in agreement, get up off the bed and follow him over to the shopping he did earlier.

He picks out a few ideas of clothing and passes some of them to me, before picking out some stuff for himself.

"This is just for sleeping in, I'll buy you something proper to wear tomorrow. You go change in the bathroom, I'll change in here."

"I'll call when I am done, to make sure you aren't naked." I tell him as I enter the bathroom and close the door.

Stripping out of the robe I pull on the huge men’s shirt he had got for me, which ended just above my knee and then the small pair of pink panties with a panda face on the front.

"Panda pants?" I laugh to myself.

"You done?" I call through the door.

"Yep. You’re safe."

I exit the bathroom again and notice Nate in boxers and a shirt too, except his fit him properly.

"Panda pants?" I asked him amused.

Nate grins and nods "Cute aren't they"

I roll my eyes, but can’t help but smile widely.

He goes back to the bag and pulls out a new hairbrush from his bag.

"Sit in front of me and I'll brush your hair." He tells me sitting on the bed.

I move in front of him, he then goes on the blush and dry my still damp hair with the motels hair dryer and pulling it back into a small tie when he was finished.

"All done.” He grins pleased with himself.

"Thank you.” I turn smile back.

"You are pretty good at that. Do you often play with girls hair?" I half tease.

"Don't you remember when you used to make me play house?" He asked with a smirk.

"You told me it was a husband’s job to do anything the wife says. Including brushing her hair and carrying her when she wants him too."

I laughed at the memory. "And you never argued once. You actually asked me sometimes if you could do it. Or at least you did until..." I trailed off.

"But that doesn't matter now."

But that didn't stop him from apologizing again. "I'm sorry about how I acted back then."

"I know. Let's forget about it now."

"Alright Sweet Pea."

He kissed the top of my head and jumped up walking over to the bags of stuff he got earlier and brings them over to the bed.

"Right the plan is: we will choose and watch a movie and pig out on the stuff in these bags.” He says, pointing to the ones he just placed on the bed

"And then we will hug and go to sleep, is that alright with you?" He asks as if looking for confirmation.

I smile and nod "Sounds good, what you want to watch?" I ask as he turns the large TV on.

"I don't know, let’s see
" he says scrolling to the movies on demand menu.

"Do you need to call Ricky or anything?" he asks stopping what he was doing and looking at me.

I shake my head "No, I called him when you were out. He said 'we' have to call him tomorrow again.” I say, putting an emphasis on the word 'we'.

He nods and turns back to the TV. "Good, because I wasn't looking forward to speaking to him again.” I knew my brother was intimidating but I didn't realize even his friends were scared of him.

"How about this?" He asks breaking my thoughts.

I look at the screen and see he is asking about a movie called 'Pacific Rim’. I nod in agreement, not really caring what we watch.

I just like him being here with me and spending time together.

"Alright.” he exclaims merrily jumping onto the bed once he had played the movie.

"What food do we got?" I question.

Nate gives me a cheeky grin and pulls out a couple of large bottles of soda and juice from one bag and places them on the side table.

Then he picks up the second bag and empties the contents onto the bed.

My eyes widen "So much... junk and sweets"

There were a couple of shops, so I bought sandwiches and stuff in there but mostly sweets and corn based snacks.

"Let the eating commence.” He dived into the pile of stuff.

I grinned shaking my head "You are the best.”

He looked back me with a chocolaty smile and threw me a bar "So are you, that's why we are so good together.” And then goes back to eating and watching the movie, while I do the same.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE

The Lake

Hope

I woke up in the morning in the arms and my gorgeous boyfriend.

I lied
there watching him sleep and remembering yesterday, he looked so sweet and calm sleeping.

After the movie we just laid in bed speaking to each other, telling other about what we had been doing since over the years we hadn't seen each other.

He told me that when I stopped coming around when we were younger, he had called over to my sister’s house and asked to see me in a hope of patching up our differences. But Ricky answered the door and punched him in the face and told him that he was to keep out of my way and that he had bullied me enough.

Nate told me, he never really realized even though a few people had told him, that his 'pranks' could actually be seen as bullying.

After that he didn't call around again, but Ricky and he started talking and that's how they first become friends.