A few days had passed since Maddy’s visit to Nate’s house. They’d mostly sat in companionable silence, at least until Maddy’s frustration had been too much to repress and she’d ended up wishing very bad things to her science homework.
Nate had been the unfortunate bystander, but he’d offered his valuable help here and there whenever she asked, the low music a soft background to their studying. She’d left his house a couple of hours later feeling lighter than she’d felt since waking up that morning.
Everything had been pretty normal since then, all things considered. Maddy hadn’t wanted to bother Nate though, after she’d sort of strong-armed him into helping her, so she hadn’t contacted him again.
Now, roaming the school premises, shivering in her large, warm coat, she sighed, eating her sandwich hurriedly, before the bell rang and she had to rush for her final class for the day. Being back to school was still a hard pill to swallow.
Not paying attention to her surroundings, she suddenly bumped into a very firm chest, her glasses almost flying off her face, then barely hanging on for dear life.
She should really stop colliding with any type of surfaces, firm or otherwise.
Straightening her glasses, the tall, masculine blur in front of her came into focus and Nate’s exasperated drawl reached her ears.
“Is this a habit I need to get used to?” There was a small crinkle at the corner of his eyes. She’d always liked people who smiled with their eyes.
She blinked at him. “What do you mean?”
“You, falling on my person, sometimes with disastrous results,” Nate said dryly.
She blinked at him again.
“Well, if it was, you would be the first to know, trust me,” she quipped. “Wouldn’t want to drag you to another dimension or an alien planet next.”
Nate’s lips twitched in an effort to contain the beginnings of a smile.
“Oh? Can I know what kind of planet that would be? Maybe I should be prepared just in case.”
Was he… cracking jokes again? Maybe she had broken him. Maddy hoped she did a good job at hiding her shock.
“Um, I have one in mind, but it would be populated by large, blue warriors looking for fated mates,” she said seriously.
Nate lost the battle with his smile and his light chuckle warmed her more than the three layers of clothing she currently had on did.
“The things that come out of your mouth, I swear.”
Maddy didn’t know the right answer to that.
“Ah, thank you?”
“Anytime,” Nate said, his amusement never fading.
She liked this carefree version of Nate. Not that she actually knew him. It’s just that she liked seeing him like this. She also liked that he listened to anything weird she had to say and took everything in stride. There was no judgment in his tone of voice or his words.
A shiver ran through her, probably from standing in the cold too much. She tried to bury herself further inside her coat unsuccessfully.
Nate tracked the movement, frowning. “Are you cold?”
“What gave you that impression?” Maddy scoffed.
“It’s barely 50 degrees F and you live in Oregon. Shouldn’t you be used to the cold by now?”
Maddy was not amused by Nate’s very reasonable observation.
“I never get used to the cold, Nate. I am always cold. It’s the reason why you see me looking like a glorified onion,” she said using her hand to show the entirety of her look. “This isn’t about fashion, it’s about survival.”
Nate shook his head in disbelief.
“Come meet me at the school gym after basketball practice.”
