Once upon a Princess (Atypical Series #1)||✔️

32. I don't have a horse

ALEXA
Saturday, November 24

Nate and I were back at the park thanks to another one of Isabelle and I's switcheroos.

Just like the last time, there was a heap of snacks spilling out of his backpack and there a special seclusion of the area that made this private moment between Nate and I very special.

But Nate was too quiet.

He had always been a quiet person from the second I met him, but over time he had managed to grow out of his shell, and I was grateful that I was able to see the evolution of his character without him losing his true self.

Nate would always be Nate- reserved but when social, a quirky and charming sweetheart.

I pushed a curl that was dangling before his eyes away and grabbed his cheeks.

The action caught his attention and his gaze flickered up to meet his eyes, the proximity of his face allowing me to appreciate the golden specks in his vibrant blue eyes.

"You okay?" I murmured, caressing his cheek.

He began to nod, then he stopped mid-action and bit his lip in thought.

"He would have been thirty-eight today," He muttered, dipping his head so that he dropped his gaze to the grass. He began twirling the blades of it between his fingers.

The sad but comforting thing about Nate and I- and maybe the reason why we bonded as quickly as we did- is that we understood what the other felt.

We both suffered through the hatred of a parent, and through the loss of another. Which is why I knew that he didn't want to hear any comforting words at that point.
After a while the words mean nothing, they didn't bring back or person or magically fill the gaping hole of loss within.

So I simply grasped his hand in mine. His was warm, slightly clammy and shaking.
I squeezed it tighter, willing him to look at me, but he continued twirling the blades between his free hand.

We stayed in silence for a few minutes, Nate picking at the grass, as I absentmindedly watched. The silence was so comfortable and natural, that I had forgotten that I had been trying to capture his attention.

He cleared his throat and raised his head to meet my eyes, thankfully they weren't teary, instead clear and vibrant.

"I'm okay Lex," he said . He unclasped his hand from mine, only to grasp my face.
"Shit. I'm sorry for ruining the mood, let's change the subject."

"Nate. Stop. You're upset, if you want to speak about it, I'm all ears. If you don't, that's fine too. But don't you ever bottle it up because you think it'd dampen the mood. Okay?"

"Alright." He leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss to my forehead, "I swear I'm alright."

"Your hands are still shaking," I noted, clutching his hand. I ran a thumb over his skin comfortingly and he retracted his hand as if my touch was venom.

When I stared at him in awe, he smiled lopsidedly before dropping his gaze to the grass once again.

"How about we play twenty questions?"

I pursed my lips while I crossed my arms across my chest. Nate was a professional at changing the subject, and it cute at times, but not particularly in this moment.

"Fine," I grumbled, "I'll go first."

Nate blinked and scratched his nose, a tell that he was nervous. I smiled sweetly at the anxious boy before me.

"What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you?"

Although this was a humiliating question, Nate's tense shoulders visibly relaxed, and he released a subtle breath.