Midnight Secrets

Chapter 26

I sat down on the couch, feeling the weight of the day bearing down on me. As I rested my head in my hands, I watched Nate carry box after box into the small living room.

He looked exhausted, his brow furrowed with concentration. But despite the obvious physical strain, he never lost his focus, never wavered in his determination.

I couldn't help but admire him, the way he approached every task with such unwavering resolve. He was a man of action, of purpose, and it was impossible not to be drawn to him.

As Nate finished carrying the last of the boxes into the room, he collapsed onto the couch next to me, his breathing heavy.

"Phew," he said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "That was quite a workout."

I smiled, feeling a sense of relief that the move was finally over. "You did great," I said, my voice filled with admiration.

Nate smiled back at me, his eyes warm. "Thanks," he said. "I couldn't have done it without you." Sarcasm flooded through him. I hadn't moved an inch from my seat.

I feign a sense of gratitude, and I reached out to touch his arm. "Of course," I said. "I'm always here to help you."

As our eyes met, humour danced in them. It felt so lightweight being with him, cocooned in his small apartment. Although shit was hitting the fan outside these walls, I really was tempted to set up camp here and not move.

Nate held my eyes and I felt a sense of electricity pass between us, a connection that had always been there but had never been acknowledged. He would let me stay in his room, for sure.

For a moment, we sat in silence, our eyes locked, our hands touching. And in that moment, I knew that I couldn't keep my feelings for Nate bottled up inside me any longer. It was time to take a chance, to tell him how I really felt.

But as I opened my mouth to speak, Nate's phone beeped. He reached into his pocket and shut it off. "Alarm."

"For?" I asked, puzzled.

"To get you,"

I glared at him. "Shut up."

I watched as Nate began to open the boxes one by one, revealing their contents. My heart raced with anticipation as I realized that these were the boxes he had gathered for evidence.

As he pulled out file after file, I leaned in closer, trying to get a better look. The folders were filled with photographs, documents, and notes, all carefully organized and labelled

I could feel the weight of the situation bearing down on me, the reality of the danger we were in hitting me like a ton of bricks. But I knew that we had to push forward, to gather as much evidence as possible before it was too late.

As Nate handed me a folder, I opened it up, my eyes scanning the pages. The information was overwhelming, a maze of names, dates, and locations that made my head spin.

I leaned in to read the scrap of paper on the table, acutely aware of Nate's presence beside me. The messy handwriting scrawled across the page made it hard to read, but I could make out a few phrases. My heart was racing, both from the anticipation of what the note might say, and from the proximity of Nate.

As I continued to read, my eyes squinted in concentration, trying to make sense of the jumbled words. I could feel Nate's breath on my neck, his warmth radiating beside me. It was a dangerous combination, the tension building between us almost palpable.

Nate looked at me quizzically, his gaze intense. "What's that?" he asked, his voice low and seductive.

"It's a note," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "But I'm not sure what it means yet."