Midnight Secrets

Chapter 10

"Can I call you Nate?"

"Why?"

"Because Nathaniel is a mouthful."

"Then no."

"No?"

Nathaniel had his head rested on the top rim of the bench, his throat coated with dark ink, exposed under the light provided by the lamppost. When I repeated myself, sounding all shades of stupid, he lifted his head up slowly and he glimpsed down at me.

"No." He said slowly, and I couldn't help land my eyes on his lips as he formed the single word. They looked lush and carefully crafted.

"You know..." I started to say, pulling up one leg closer. "You can do well with dropping down the rudeness a notch. I mean... You'll actually get friends that way."

Nathaniel sat up, all lean and bulky with the same jeans jacket as mine on him. My eyes dropped down to his shoulder, unavoidably seeing the same stitched logo as mine.

"I have friends."

I raised one eyebrow at him, rolling my tongue around the inside of my teeth. I wanted to fire back with a "yeah right" but I'd be a fool to open my mouth after my previous retort.

I wanted to ask what he considered as a friend. He seemed very far off from someone who was approachable and could hold some sort of friendship.

"Er..." I was fishing for conversation, since the tension that replaced the air was growing thicker and thicker. "How was your day?"

How was your day? Seriously?! I bit the insides of my cheek, horrified for my own self.

Nathaniel turned his full self so his torso was parallel to me. "Had better days."

"Oh?" I tried to sound disinterested but I really wanted to know how today excluded from being a good day.

"Yeah."

I dropped my head down to my entangled fingers, trying my best to find an exit out of this awkward route. "I had a good day." I tried, hell turns flowery, I freaking tried.

Silence fell over us. It was like the previous two nights had never occurred and we were back to being full strangers, with no business interacting whatsoever.

"Oh?" Nathaniel repeated. I snapped my head up and nearly reared back at the magnificent light that beamed off his face. But of course, it was only his smile, all white-teeth and full that somehow blinded me. I held close the butterflies that fluttered within me, my cheeks burning up for no adamant reason.

"Yeah." The ends of my mouth lifted up and I scooted closer to him.

Now someone please notify me why I thought that was a good thing to do?

Nathaniel looked down at me, all smiles gone and replaced with a blank straight face. I expected him to scoot away from me but he stayed put. He started talking.

"Now you know who I am, are you staying here on a dare or something else?"

I furrowed my brows at him, a frown replacing my face. I knew who Nathaniel was but I didn't know why he thought I was on dare right now.

"No one even knows we speak," I slowly told him, watching him with tight eyes.

Nathaniel's expressed changed, from blank to something else. I couldn't grasp in then but looking back at it, he looked slightly surprised.