She shuddered at the thought.
Nate must have caught the subtle movement because suddenly there was his outstretched hand clutching the blanket that had been thrown over the back of the couch.
Her chest squeezed so hard that breathing became almost difficult. It hurt how much he hadn’t changed.
“How?” the word slid unbidden from her lips.
Nate tilted his head in question.
“How are you here?”
If she hadn’t been paying such close attention to his expressions she might have missed it, but there was no mistaking the numerous emotions that flashed in his eyes. Emotions that she recognized.
“I’ll give you the short version,” he said as he huffed an awkward laugh and his hand rose to rub his nape.
“No.” Her voice was sharper than she thought it’d be. So much so that it startled even Nate. “Give me everything.”
His eyes burned.
“Everything started coming back to me in bits and pieces a few days ago. First, it was your name, and then everything else followed. I would get the strange feeling that I’d done something again, or that I’d been somewhere similar before, or that I’d already had a specific conversation. But it was like reaching for air, I could grasp at nothing.”
As he talked his agitation seemed to grow imperceptibly. Maddy didn’t know if he even realized it. He now speared her with eyes full of tension.
“I was a ghost, Mads. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. It ate at me every day. Then, one day, it all happened so easily. Your CD fell into my hands and it was as if you’d dropped it there yourself like that day at the music store and suddenly, I could see everything so clearly.” He paused, swallowing thickly, averting his eyes and dropping his gaze to the floor. “I’m so sorry, Mads. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for you, waking up on that street with a stranger looking back at you instead of me. I can’t even imagine what I would have done had it been me. I’m so sorry–”
Maddy was already shoving the blanket away before he’d finished his sentence. She would not let him say more things like that. She scrambled to his side and he was already there to catch her when she threw her arms around him.
She hugged him with all the strength she could muster, holding him so tight he probably had seconds of air left.
He didn’t seem to care. His strong arms wrapped around her, keeping her equally close and tight. She felt his whole body relax against her as he loosened an exhale that spoke of such pure relief it almost brought tears to her eyes. Her nose was buried in the spot where his shoulder met his neck and she’d never felt calmer as when she was surrounded by his scent.
Which was exactly why Maddy had to ruin it.
She sprung out of his arms, going as far as to jump on her feet in front of the couch.
“Oh my God, I’m sick! I’m going to get you sick!”
The shock on Nate’s face melted into shaking bouts of laughter while he attempted to grab her hand while still sitting.
“That’s not funny! Why are you still laughing?” she asked as she evaded his hand.
His laughter died down and, in its place, remained an expression she was familiar with, a look that was as serious as it was playful.
Nate made a final grab for her hand and he succeeded in catching her, starstruck as she’d been rendered momentarily by his look. He pulled her back where she’d been, in his arms, whispering, “Then you get me sick. But you’re not moving from here.”
Okay, she could get on board with that.
She shuffled a bit so that she was between the back of the couch and Nate. Now she could easily tilt her head and be able to look at his face. A face that had gone as soft as she remembered.
Nate in her apartment. Who would have thought.
Wait a minute.
“How exactly are youherehere though?” she asked, gesturing with a hand around her apartment.
Was that a blush staining Nate’s cheeks or had her fever finally made a comeback making her see things that weren’t there?
Nope, that was definitely a blush.
