The Coffee Date

Chapter 26 - Meet The Case

The silence, ironically, was what woke him up.

Sleepily,  Nathan turned to his side, expecting to see a sleepy brunette tucked under his covers. The blankets up to her nose and her body curling in towards him. Instead, he was greeted by nothing but empty sheets.

With fear in his eyes, he launched himself out of bed and speedily made his way towards his bedroom door, throwing it open. His hair was tousled; messy in the sense that he had just woken up. Literally. His clothes were wrinkled and messy, his eyes still had sleep laced through them, and his stance was one riddled with fear but dreary.

The night before he remembered Hazel had been commenting on how anxious she was for the trial the following day. She had stressed herself so much she had almost gotten sick in the bathroom before bed. She had laid limp on the couch and nervously paced the living room. Nathan could hardly get her to try to sleep. She hadn't eaten or had a lot to drink the day previous.

"Hazel?" His cry was desperate, praying that she would be in the next room. Luckily for him, there she stood, pacing back and forth, one arm hugging her body and the other lifted to her mouth, allowing her to nervously chew on her thumb nail.

"Huh?" Her body jolted up. Her thumb removed itself from her mouth and instead loomed just before it, her eyes widening at the mention of her name.

He paused in relief before giving a weak smile, starting forwards towards her. "Haz, try not to worry, okay?" He placed his hands on her tense shoulders.

Her face contorted in stress. "Nathan, what if I say something wrong? What if I mess up?" She shook her head and turned away. Even the thought made her ribcage shiver. Her eyes turned to the ground. "What if I make a mistake and everyone sides with him? I don't want to risk making a mistake." As she spoke, fear shuddered through her teeth, Nathan brushed his hand forwards, running it through the locks of hair grazing the side of her face. As her breathing faltered he attempted to soothe it by pushing back the strands brushing her red cheeks.

As soon as he sensed her breathing shift he frowned. "Hey, it's fine. You're okay. It'll be fine." His right thumb stroked her cheek sweetly while his other hand played with the loose strands of hair.

"Nathan--"

He spoke again, cutting off her whimper. "You've been through a lot and you're still here right now. With me." The corners of his lips curved upwards. "You'll be okay. You can handle this."

She stood silently, brows furrowed together as she studied his face for a hint of insincerity.

He gave a small smirk, lowering his left hand into his pocket and letting his right twirl her hair through his fingers. "You'll be okay. I'll be right there the entire time."

Her features relaxed slightly, her gaze shifting to the floor.

"Now," He breathed, tapping her cheek playfully. "I'll get you some coffee."

Hazel glanced up, watching him make his way into the kitchen. "Really?" She cooed after him, watching him grab a mug from one of the counters. It was the one with green and brown polka dots; her favourite.

He smiled. "Of course. Go get dressed, I'll be here."

-------------

"I feel like I can't breathe."

Nathan frowned as he stepped out of the car, watching the brunette sit in the passenger seat. Her hands were balled into tiny fists, shoving themselves deeper into her lap. The fabric on her dress wrinkling as she did so. It was a navy summer dress, brushing just above her knees with a sweet-heart neckline against her chest. It was plain and bland, with nothing more than a black cardigan and her locket falling overtop. It was simple.