Getting Under Nathan

35: "Do you want to live with me?"

Chapter 35 - "Do you want to live with me?"

**Dedicated to nerd-mode-on not only because she left several comments about various aspects of the last chapter, but also because one of those comments was particularly touching and meant a lot to me.**

The last couple of weeks had been magical. Italy itself had been great, for a variety of reasons. It was my first Christmas with a boyfriend, and that made it so special; it made me feel like my life was complete. Nathan had integrated well with my family, and in turn my parents had got along brilliantly with Peter and Georgia. I couldn't wish for more. Christmas was supposed to be a magical time, and it had certainly felt that way.  

After a week in Rome, we'd returned home, but Nathan had joined us. He'd then spent a few nights at my house - my parents were desperate to return the favour in some form - and then I'd spent the remainder of the Christmas holidays with him at his flat.  

For the last few weeks, I'd effectively been living in a little bubble of Nathan, a fantasy world in which we could spend every day together without a worry about anyone else. We'd woken up next to each other, washed together, cooked together, gone shopping together, and fallen asleep next to each other. It was almost like a little taster of living together, and now the thought of it excited me more than anything. When I thought about going back to halls at uni, it filled me with dread. I didn't want to be part of the drama and the student lifestyle that I was expected to partake in. I was perfectly content going about my business with Nathan and getting on with my life separately.  

Admittedly, I'd barely given a thought to the Jack and Hayley situation. I'd learnt to move on and let them make their own decisions regarding it. I'm sure a new year would bring new interests anyway.

"What are you thinking about?" Nathan asked me, interrupting my thoughts.  

We were on the sofa watching some decent Saturday night television. Nathan was sitting at one end whilst I laid lengthways with my feet resting in his lap. Though his hands rested mainly on my calves, every now and then he would treat me to a foot massage, digging his thumbs gently into the balls of my feet.   

"Just uni," I replied with a sigh.  

"Be positive!" he said brightly, pinching my big toe. 

"I'm trying, but there's not much to look forward to!" 

"I'm sure things with Jack will be absolutely fine," Nathan assured me. "It's been a few weeks now. Things with him and Hayley will have fizzled out over Christmas." 

"It's not just that," I said. "It's the housing thing. They'll want to start looking for a house soon and, well..." 

"Just be honest and tell them you'll be living with me. I doubt they'll be surprised." 

"But we haven't decided that yet," I stressed. "This is the issue. What if I tell them that I'm going to live with you, but then we decide that it's not practical? I'll either have nowhere to live or I'll have to make them look for a bigger house to fit me in last minute." 

Nathan was quiet for a few moments, but I could see him mulling things over. His fingertips gently caressed the soles of my feet as his mind wandered off to other places.  

"Do you want to live with me?" 

It was a simply question, but the direct way in which he asked it, coupled with the action of turning his head to look at me, made it seem much more intense.  

"Yes, of course," I said quickly. "This past week has been amazing. I've loved every second of being around you." 

"Well that's settled then," he replied with a shrug. "No need to worry."