Chapter 156

KATE

We had an entirely unusual afternoon. We had lunch together and lay on the couch to watch a movie. Nathan ended up falling asleep before me; he must have been even more tired after my jokes.

Soon, I'd have to tell my friends everything that happened. Mary would be at work on Monday and would find out that I wouldn't be working the entire last week before Christmas. I would only return to work on the first day of the year. This reminded me of the trip the Ryan family was planning.

When I woke up, I was in Nathan's bed. He must have woken up before me and brought me here. I got up and went to the kitchen.

Maryan always cooked for Nathan, but I liked to cook sometimes, so if she showed up, I'd let her go tonight. I decided to prepare mashed potatoes with steak and some vegetables. I was famished.

I turned on the home theater in the living room and chose "Play the Game Tonight" by Kansas. I started dancing awkwardly, laughing, and heading toward the shared kitchen.

"Play! Play the game tonight!" I shouted, singing along with the vocalist, as I opened the refrigerator.

I bent down to get the potatoes, some carrots, and cabbage that were at the bottom. I closed the door, and I was startled, almost dropping everything.

Nathan was staring at me, one eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face, wearing nothing but sweatpants and completely sweaty. My eyes stuck to his chest. He was working out. I blinked, trying to stop checking him out.

"What?" I asked, blushing.

Did he see me dancing? My ability to embarrass myself was remarkable. "All I Wanted" by Kansas started playing. God! This song...

"You dance well." He held back a laugh.

"Screw you."

A huge smile spread across his face.

"Look on the bright side; at least you have good musical taste," he approached, taking the vegetables from me and placing them on the counter. "What are you doing? You should be resting."

"I'm tired of resting."

He held my face between his hands, analyzing me.

"What have you done to me?" he whispered, looking into my eyes before kissing me.

Another one of those surreal moments. Okay, "All I Wanted" is officially my new favorite Kansas song.

"How can I help you?" He stopped the kiss.

"You should take a shower first."

The masculine scent and sweat made him even sexier.

"I have a feeling you're not saying that because you hate the sweat."

"One week... one week," I repeated to myself, sighing. He laughed before leaving.



He returned after a quick shower. I had already cut and seasoned the meat.

"So, what do you have for me?"

"Potatoes." I pointed to the potatoes on the counter, stopping to observe him.

Wearing a shirt didn't make him any less sexy. What torture. This is going to be difficult.

"I'll open a bottle of wine. Any preferences?"

"Is that how you work in the kitchen? If you lose a finger, it won't be my fault."

He ignored me.

"Your clothes have arrived. Not that I have anything against you wearing my shirts," he approached, kissing my neck.

"Heaven" by Bryan Adams was playing in the background. He started humming the song. We laughed.

"A normal couple, isn't it?" I joked.

"A normal couple on a Saturday night... minus the sex part."

"Will we survive?"

"Our chances are getting better."

We laughed.

"Get back to work." I returned my attention to the vegetables.

"Yes, but first, wine."

He opened the wine, and we drank a little while finishing dinner. I found myself staring at him a few times, once again wondering how we got here. We've been through so much, and yet, we seemed okay. Or, at least, we were trying to be.

We finished eating, and he took the dishes to the sink.

"Will you tell me?"

"What?"

"What you did to... you know who. I woke up, and you weren't there during the night."

"I'm sorry... I needed to."

"What?"

"I would have killed him if I could, with my own hands." I saw him clench his fists. "Unfortunately, I could only give him a beating and break some bones."

"Nathan!"

Seriously? He actually did that? It was worrying.

"Never mind; I'm making sure he won't be out of jail anytime soon."

"The jerk probably has enough money for that."

"Well... I have more. Let's see the son of a bitch try."

"Another movie?" I asked, still sitting.

"How about something more fun?" He turned around, leaning against the sink with his hands behind him.

"Something more fun? Have you forgotten about the week?"

"I was thinking about playing video games. It seems someone here only thinks about sex."

"Really? I never imagined you liked that." I raised an eyebrow.

"Ellie keeps my collection up to date."

"Well, I'm sorry to inform you, but your dignity is now at stake."

"Why?"

"There's no chance you'll beat me."

"We'll see."





On Sunday, we were having breakfast when Nathan was informed that Ellie was coming up. The beautiful girl with blond hair and green eyes was infatuated with her brother. Nathan hugged her, lifting her off the ground as she passed through the door. I felt uncomfortable being there. But that was soon forgotten. Ellie liked to talk, and it seemed that she also liked me, apparently. We had a common interest in video games.

During the night, I had a nightmare about that night for the first time. A sense of fear and panic overwhelmed me. Nathan woke up too and hugged me until I calmed down. He let me know that he wouldn't be working in person during the week; he would only go to the company if there was an important meeting. He wanted to keep an eye on me.

On Monday, I didn't do much besides bury my face in a book. Nathan appeared only to check if I had eaten and if I was okay, then he returned to his office.

On Tuesday, my psychologist came for a session; Nathan insisted on it. It helped me finally muster the courage to tell Mary and Lisa, whom I had been avoiding. Although reliving that panic-inducing situation was the last thing I wanted, I managed to tell them. They came to visit me during the night, and I broke down again.

In the middle of the week, I realized that Nathan was getting tense and moody. He only spoke to me as much as was necessary to check if I was okay. After seeing him lock himself in the bathroom a few times a day, I realized what he was doing. Then, an idea occurred to me in the middle of the afternoon. I set aside my book.

I knocked on the door of his office, and he told me to come in.

I closed the door behind me, leaning against it.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He was sitting behind his desk, resting one fist under his chin as he examined my clothes. "Are you going out?"

"Yes, and I need you to come with me."

"Where to?"

"I need to buy some things."

"James can do that for you."

"No, he can't, believe me."

"What things are these?"

"You can't say no unless you have something urgent at work."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, you have fifteen minutes."
Mr. Ryan
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