Nomad 101 (Completed)

Chapter 68

I'm only a little excited for the next couple of chapters. Finally, they are going to start talking and communicating!

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**| Sang's POV |**

The scent of bacon and cinnamon woke me up a couple of hours later, still early enough to not be late with meeting with the dog owners. Hopefully, they were there when I showed up. I needed to apologize for not meeting up with them last week.

I used the bathroom attached to the bedroom to change before going downstairs.

Axel stood in the hallway, just coming out of the bathroom, freshly showered and changed, wearing dark jeans with a black t-shirt stretching over his chest.

"Good morning, Sang," he greeted as he took me in. His straight dark hair fell around his face and down to his shoulders, parted in the middle. His dark eyes were inquisitive as he looked me over. I wore worn out jeans and a t-shirt with a couple stains on them. Seeing him clean made me feel a little dirty and inadequate. I shook off the feeling. This was who I was.

"Good morning," I whispered.

He opened his mouth before closing it, thinking about something before finally saying what he wanted to say. "I wanted to apologize."

I blinked, confused. "For what?"

He sighed and ran a large hand through his hair. "For being an asshole. I know I've been a little cold towards you. That wasn't my intention. I just wanted to make sure we found Kevin. He's too important to my team to lose."

I gave him a smile, understanding him just a little bit better. He was a leader and sometimes leaders had to make tough calls. He eyed me warily, probably wondering if I was crazy because I was smiling.

"You made a good call. Kevin had priority and I understand you didn't want to jeopardize finding him by telling me things. I get it."

He still looked like he didn't believe me. I walked up to him and stopped inches away. I tilted my head back to look at him. Darn, why were they all so tall.

"I really do," I said. "I won't lie to you."

He winced because we both knew he would. That wasn't my intention though, I didn't want him to feel bad.

"How about this," I said and held out my hand. "We start over. I think it's fair."

He stared at my hand before reaching out and shaking my hand. I gave it a light squeeze.

"My name is Sang Sorenson, occupation: Nomad."

"Axel Toma," he replied gruffly. "Occupation: Research Scientist."

"Oh, not Chieftain of the Toma tribe?" I asked.

He snorted. "Only part-time. I work at an aquarium. I'm a marine biologist."

I looked him over again, grinning at him. "Smart," I said.

He chuckled and let my hand go.

"So, Sorenson?" he asked and I realized they didn't know my last name.

I nodded. "Not a last name I'm proud of."

His expression softened. "I get it. I really do. Come on, we better get some food before everyone else devours it."

We made our way downstairs and to the dining room. The table was already full of plates of food. I spotted everything under the sun. Eggs, bacon, ham, pancakes, french toast, potatoes, fresh fruit, and different juices.