You Found Me

13

Arista's POV

As Nathan made his promise to me I couldn't help but feel like he was lying or would break his promise. As I made mine, I couldn't help but feel the guilt inside me as I knew I was lying to him. I can't automatically heal in two minutes. I appreciate his effort but it's just not that simple. I really wish it was, I wish I could take away all my negative thoughts. But I can't hurt him like that. As all this guilt runs through my mind, I'm reminded that I'm not alone anymore though.

"I think I love the ocean because it's calm, beautiful, infinite... but also angry, harsh, and magnificent. And that intrigues me." I say too scared to look at Nathan as I do. "You're my ocean Arista." He says. My heart flutters hearing him say this. There is still hope for not only me but him. I look into his eyes and kiss him quickly and lean back on his arm enjoying the moment that's supposed to be light but darkened by my horrid thoughts.

After what seems like a lifetime but was really twenty minutes of sitting on the hood of Nathan's car, I feel my eyes get droopy and let put an exasperated yawn. Nathan looks at me and laughs. "Oh come on don't be a party pooper." I look at him and laugh at his immaturity.

"It's really late already though, I'm sleepy."

"Should I take you home then? I'm ready if you are." He says shifting to get off the car. I grab his arm and he looks at me in confussion. "I uhm- I don't want to go back there."

"I can take you back to my place then?" He says more sounding like a question. "Please?" I ask not wanting to intrude. He smiles and takes my hand to help me off the car as we drive down the bridge to his place.

I follow him down the hall to his apartment and wait behind him as he unlocks the door. He steps aside letting me in first and as I step in I instantly smell his scent of cologne but with a mixture of laundry soap. He turns on the light and I see a small glass coffee table in the middle of the living room in front of a black leather couch and on the other side, an average sized TV.

I turn my attention back to Nathan and ask, "Is it alright if I take a shower real quick?" He hesitates to answer but does so quickly. "Yeah sure let me just get you a shirt and show you the bathroom." I follow behind him to his bedroom and study it from the doorway.

There's at least three bookshelves filled from top to bottom, side by side surrounded by many pictures unframed on the walls almost completely covering the navy blue paint under them. My attention is drawn back to Nathan rummaging through his dresser then tossing me a t-shirt of his which is probably way too big for me but why not.

Once I'm done showering I walk out in the shirt he gave me and examine his room. I walk up to the wall covered in pictures first. The one I noticed first is of Nathan holding a girl with long dark hair and blue eyes like his but if possible, more blue. They're smiling and laughing about something Nathan said. As I look up at the rest of the pictures there's more and more of her. Mostly alone, some with Nathan, some with Mark?

Just then Nathan walks in and sees me looking at the pictures. As if he could read my mind he answers what I'm about to ask. "Her name was Adeline. She's the one I was telling you about." He looks at the picture I was looking at and grabs it. He looks down at it and hands it to me. "We were at the park when I had told her I loved her as much as I loved corn dogs." He says as he thought about something.

"You knew Mark that long ago?" I ask. "Well I knew him before I knew Adeline. I told you he gave me my first tattoo but that's not how I met her. I met her at a coffee shop. Then when things got serious and I met her family I found out Mark was her brother." Small world. "It's a small world isn't it?" He says as if he can read my mind.

Nathan's POV

She hands me back my picture and points to another of my parents. "What's this one?" She asks. "Those my parents." I answer her. She looks around and points to another. "And who is that?" She asks. "And that is my sister Natasha."

"I'm sorry Nathan." She says. "For what?" I ask. "I don't know." She says. I look down and back up at her and take in how amazing she looks in my t-shirt that barely covers her thighs. As I look longer I notice scars in perfectly straight lines some darker than others some lighter and some still fresh and pink.

She looks at me and tugs at the bottom of the shirt she's wearing to cover her legs as much as she can. She looks away ashamed but I cup her face with my hands so she can look back at me. I ran my hands down her arms and hold her hands in mine so she can let go of the shirt.

I lean down so close our lips brush against each other's a few times, our breath fanning across each other's faces as I hesitate to kiss her. Suddenly she throws her arms around me holding me as we take in as much as we can of each other. I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist. I hold her against the wall as I slowly caress her thighs. As I do so she sharply inhales a breath but I kiss her again reassuringly.

As her hands travel down my back I reach under her shirt pressing my fingers into her skin and softly draw small circles on her bare skin with my thumbs making her break our kiss with a gasp. She starts kissing me again so desperately that our bodies curve into each other. Her lips feel so good against mine I just can't seem to stop. I get a grip on her as I shift to the bed with her so she's sitting on me now straddling my lap.

Our lips are molded together perfectly as she let's out a small moan and pushes me back so she's now laying on top of me. I roll us over so that I'm on top now and she moans quietly again. I move my hands from her waist down to her thighs caressing them again. She stops kissing me so I start to kiss her jawline and make me way to her collarbone. She sucks in a sharp breath as I gently suck the spot right above the middle of her collarbone on her left side.

She gently tugs at my hair at the nape of my neck and moans my name slightly louder this time. I haven't done this in so long it feels almost forgein to me. I don't know if I should keep this going. I'm in love with this moment I just don't think I'm ready to take this any further.

As I'm pulling away I hear her mutter my name. "Nathan, I don't think I'm ready for this either. It's okay." I look down at her and give her a quick peck on her lips and lay next to her. Something shifted in me when I saw her scars on her legs. I felt the sudden need to protect her, even from herself if I had to. "Arista?"

"Nathan, don't, I don't want to talk about it okay?" She sighs and stares at the ceiling. "It's okay, I understand. Just know I'm here now and I won't let anyone hurt you anymore." I pull her by her waist so she's against my chest now and whisper to her. "You hear my heartbeat? It's still beating because of you. For you. Just focus on that okay?"

"Okay." She sighs. We lay in silence and soon I let my sleep take over when I know Arista's asleep.