Getting Under Nathan

17: "Turn that frown upside down."

Chapter 17 - "Turn that frown upside down."

With my suitcase packed and Nathan on his way over to pick me up, I went to say bye to my flatmates. Luckily, I wasn't feeling hung-over. Unluckily, I was yet to see Jack. He hadn't emerged from his room all morning so I had no idea if Alison had stayed the night or not. Despite texting me last night and saying he needed to talk to me, Jack hadn't made an appearance.

I knew I couldn't go to Paris on a romantic weekend away without first finding out if everything was okay between me and him. Taking a deep breath, I headed down the corridor and knocked loudly on his door. No answer. I knocked again.

"He's not in," Hayley said from within her room.

I turned to look at her. "Where is he? I'm leaving in ten minutes."

She shrugged and turned back to her laptop. "Dunno. He's been gone for hours. I think he brought a girl back last night though. About time."

"Yeah," I agreed quietly, my stomach twisting. I really hoped Jack was okay. If he'd slept with Alison and she'd then told him it was all set-up, then that would be enough to drive him out of his room for a good few hours.

"Are you excited about Paris?" Hayley asked me, changing the subject.

I wandered into her room and sat down on her bed. "Yeah I am. It should be good."

"You made any plans about what you're doing there?" she asked, whilst still tapping away on Facebook Chat. She had about six conversation boxes open – she was clearly a popular girl.

"Some vague plans," I said. "We'll probably decide when we get there."

"You'll probably just spend the whole weekend in your hotel room," she smiled. "What else are romantic weekends away for?"

She may have been replying to me, but I felt like I didn't really have her undivided attention. Her comment about spending the whole weekend in the hotel room stirred something within me. It would be so romantic, she was right. And we hadn't done much romance recently when it came to sex. We'd both become quite caught up in the other side of it.

"I'm just going to check I've packed everything," I told her. "If I forget the tickets then he'll kill me."

She laughed. "Okay. Come say bye before you go."

"I will."

I headed back into my room and checked my bag for the tickets for the tenth time that morning. They were still in my purse, the same place as before. I scanned my room for anything obvious I might have missed. Remembering that I'd used a different bag for our anniversary meal, I checked inside it for any loose change. My eyes froze as they landed on the blindfold and cream from the other night. I twisted my mouth in thought. Deciding to be spontaneous, I grabbed both items and shoved them into the inside pocket of the suitcase. We didn't have to use them, but they were there for if we were feeling adventurous.

From across the room, my phone buzzed loudly. I jumped, on edge at the thought of someone discovering me packing such kinky items. The text was only from Nathan, telling me that he was just parking and could I let him into the building.

I dashed down the numerous flights of stairs, smiling when I saw Nathan standing outside the main door. He returned my smile and stepped into the warmth of the building when I opened the door.

"Morning, Beautiful," he smiled, pulling me close to his body, his hands gripping my waist. "Not too hung-over, I hope?"

I stood on my tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "Nope. I'm fine," I replied, scraping my hands through his wavy hair. "I'm a responsible drinker."