The Submissive Assassin (BxB)

Chapter 19 - Seventeen

Nate was almost terrified when he walked outside and found a random man with a bucket hat on standing by his car. Tyler had been standing next to him with Jules behind the both of them, and when the two of them halted, Jules lifted his eyes and noticed the man as well. Instantly, their shape narrowed even further and Nate gulped when he felt a palm on his waist, noticing the other one of Tyler's waist as he pushed them aside before stepping in front of them.

In front of him, Nate could envision the way Jules' back appeared under that long sleeve, his body so muscular that the hem of his shirt widened away from his hips which was an attractive detail. His chin lifted intimidatingly and he was seconds from asking that man who he was when the bucket hat rose in their direction.

A hand lifted towards them and the man began stepping towards them, a lengthy smile crossing his face. He appeared a bit nervous, slightly uneasy even but he still advanced, almost disregarding the toned Jules hiding his target.

"Nathan."

Jules' eyebrows raised confusingly when he heard that and Tyler shoved him out of the way, revealing Nate who had been standing behind. Andrew removed his hat, a charming smile displaying his dimples while he approached them, his blond curls a little messy from the hat which he refined with his fingers and his dark chocolate eyes squinting slightly from his grin. This encounter had been completely unexpected for Nate who raised his hand as greeting, a strained smile on his face. He had assumed Andrew would want nothing to do with him after what occurred at the bar yesterday, but strangely enough, there he stood, genuinely excited to see him.

Jules curious eye still seemed to glare at Andrew, which was why Tyler gripped his wrist and pulled him, letting them have their private conversation. During their walk away from them, Jules asked quietly, "Who's that?" The only reason he got from Tyler was her eyebrows wiggling and be instantly knew what she meant.

Andrew widened his arms when he stepped closer to Nate. "Is it alright for me to give you a hug...?"

"O-Of course," Nate stammered, still confused as to how Andrew could have found him and why he had been waiting at his car.

Andrew noticed the stiffness in Nate's embrace, slightly cold as if it was a rejection, but he realized it must have been a surprise for Nate to suddenly see him outside his school.

"Look," he started once they pulled away, exhaling a long sigh and his smile faded for a second. "Your friend Tyler explained to me what happened last night and that you actually don't have a partner." His feet shuffled and he glanced away, scratching the side of his neck; an attempt to hide his cheeks starting to gain a tint of rose. "I thought maybe we could...hangout for a little? We can go grab a bite to eat if you're hungry and just talk."

When he turned and met Nate's gaze again, although Nate was not head-over-heels for him, he was attractive and overly kind, which was why Nate nodded his head with a smile. "I'll be honest," he chuckled while patting his stomach, "I am starving."

"I'm in the mood for burgers." Andrew seemed completely captivated by Nate, admiring every single twist and curl that happened on his face, vividly remembering how hot the kiss had felt. On the other hand, every time Nate thought about their kiss, it always lead to what happened after he left the bar with Dante.

Andrew tilted his head to the side. "Do you like burgers?"

"One of my favourites."

He then extended his hand, his eyes shifting elsewhere to which Nate didn't know what exactly. Until Andrew said, "Hand me your bag, you had a long day. We can take my car—I'll drop you off here later to pick it up."

Right when that happened, Nate felt a buzz in his pocket. He reached inside and grabbed his phone, reading the name of the caller. He gulped when he read Dante; Dante had asked Tyler to make him stay away from Andrew, but at the end of the day, Nate wanted to make decisions for himself. That was why he ignored the call, switched his phone to silent mode and shoved it back into his pocket before handing over his backpack to Andrew.

***

Nate had never expected their hangout to have been that amusing and fun. Both of them shared the same type of humour and Andrew was seriously a funny individual. Nate hadn't ceased to choke on his food from laughing too hard, Andrew making comments on things that Nate would have never even thought mattered. However, he was also an honest and kind guy, immediately admitting that he had married young at the age of eighteen, had a child at sixteen and divorced his wife two years ago. He was currently twenty five which although there was an age gap between the two, Nate and Andrew both agreed that neither were bothered.

They spoke about all and nothing; favourite foods, movies, siblings and parents, friends and favourite places to travel, biggest drama in their lives. The biggest drama that had occurred to him was his son almost passing away during his birth; they had to revive his heart twice. When Nate heard of that, he felt his heart clench terribly hard. The conversation they had shared was definitely the first out of many, and even while they departed, Nate wanted to spend longer time with him.

"I'll text you in the morning, alright?" Andrew grinned, leaning towards him only a little, wanting Nate to close the distance. "We can do this more often."

When Nate leaned in, slowly attaching their lips together, he felt whole again, as if Andrew had been the missing puzzle piece. Besides, it also helped that his lips were smooth and delicate and when he felt Nate's fingers press against his chin, he reached for it and interlaced their fingers without disconnecting their moment. "Thank you by the way, for joining me."

Nate had been thinking about the hangout that he hadn't even realized he was home until he parked his car. The drive back had been faster than usually and he was so ecstatic that he sat in the car, simply going through all the pictures in his mind of handsome Andrew, what he said during conversations and how he had licked his upper lip when the sauce had gotten on the edge. However, he was thrown back into reality when he reached for his cell phone and read the notifications that blurred at the front of his screen.

Seventeen missed calls from Dante.

Nate felt his heart rise to his throat. He had never really tested Dante this way therefore he had no idea how he would react when he saw him next. However, he was glad he hadn't checked since his memories could finally divert away from last night in the car. That was all he had been stuck on, but Andrew seemed to have been able to free it from that same constant loop. All he thought about while entering the elevator was when would be the next time they would have the chance to see one another.

His smile was from ear to ear, almost even skipping all the way to his apartment door and squeezing the key inside the doorknob. At first, everything seemed as it should, nothing out-of-the-ordinary. One second, the end of his corridor is empty and he looked down to untie his sneakers. Then the next second, a figure stood there.

Nate yelped, his back thrown against the door. He hadn't expected anyone to be home, but that didn't settle the pain when he realized what it was.

"Why aren't you picking up my calls?"