Because You

Chapter 3 - Share the cabin

"You're not the usual guy," Ayla said when she finally was able to talk.
He ran his hand through his hair and looked nervous. "Who?"
"The short one, ladies' man."
A light of recognition flashed through his eyes. "You know Rick?"
"I don't know his name or nothing about him, I just know he sometimes occupies my cabin."
"I'm so sorry." He said quickly. "I can leave."
"NO!" she had not meant to shout it so loud, or sound so desperate for that matter, but something made her wanting him around. She took a deep breath before she spoke with more calm. "Please, stay, and maybe tell me your name."
He had a hard time function alright in her presence, so he sat down on the bed to keep himself from falling. "I'm Nathan."
"Ayla, nice to meet you. So, you're here camping?"
Nathan shrugged. "Something like that, sometimes you just need to be alone."
"Tell me about it, why do you think I have this hideout?"
He smiled softly before his hand went up to that gorgeous hair again and he focused very hard to smooth out the wrinkles on the bed sheet. "But, I don't want to be in your way if you need your space."
Her eyes caught his for a second, before he looked down again. "We can share," she said. "I'm only here occasionally."
She went over to the closet again to take out clean sheets to make the sofa.
"It's your cabin, please take the bed, it's yours."
Ayla turn to him again with her arms full of bed clothing. He was now standing up, and made a move to unmake his bed.
"No, you take it," she stopped him. "I like the sofa, and it's to small for you either way."
She walked past him, out to the living room. In a few seconds Nathan remembers about manners and went after her to help with the embedding.
"I already like you better than Rick." She revealed when he handed her the spare pillow.
"How come?" He asked.
Ayla put the duvet on the couch and as they were done, she sat down on top of it. "Well, for starters, you didn't bring a woman. Second, you act considerably more like a gentleman, and third, you're hot. I mean..."
She couldn't believe that she had just said that. It was the truth, but you don't tell a guy you've just met something like that. Especially when it's very late and you have just agreed on sharing a cottage together for the night.
She looked up at him and was met by a huge grin. His eyes sparkled with playful cockiness. No one had ever smiled at her like that. This guy had for just a moment ago being a blushing, and now? Now it was Ayla who felt embarrassed. "Please, can we just go to bed and forget I said anything."
"Well, we can say goodnight, but don't think for a second that I will forget that you think I'm hot."
Ayla took the pillow and threw it at him. It was a good throw right in his face.
"Wow! You're strong!" He said picking up the pillow and walking over to her in the couch.
"Don't let the height fool you."
He smirked. "So, size doesn't matter?"
Ayla grabbed the pillow from him before quickly raising her eyebrows. "Well, in some cases."
He wet his lips and the playful smile was back. "In that case, I have it covered."
Her cheek heated. Ayla who was used with this kind of language, who was a master herself in this kind of teasing, did she just blush?
"Sweet dreams Ayla." Nathan said and walked away towards the bedroom.
"Sweet dreams Nathan." She said in a whisper.

The next morning Ayla woke up first. She knew she had to go back before they found her missing. Well, Keane and the father knew she was gone yesterday already, but they didn't have to know that she had not slept in her room.
Her eyes went to the closed door to the bedroom. Nathan. What had happened last night? She usually didn't connect that well with someone first time seeing them. They hadn't even really talked, it was just something in the air, and it felt right.
Ayla shook her head were she sat on the couch. She knew her father had forbidden all association with humans. She couldn't tell anyone about this, and she couldn't see Nathan again.
She sighed deeply.
Maybe it was for the best, this weird feeling inside of her didn't make sense and she did not want to jeopardize Nathans safety.
She got up, unmade the sofa before writing a note to Nathan and put in on the kitchen table. Then she undressed, folded the clothes and put them on top of the sheets and sneaked out. As soon as she was in the cover of the trees she turned into her wolf-shape and ran as fast as she could back to the pack-house.

When Nathan woke up, he thought it all was a dream, before he came up and saw the couch. When he went to the kitchen for some breakfast and his eyes got caught by a piece of paper on the table.

"Thank you for lending the couch, nice meeting you. /Ayla"

Nathan had a feeling that this note was a goodbye –note. She didn't say 'see you later', 'I'll be back' or 'until next time'. She had just written 'nice meeting you'. Nathan couldn't really understand why it made him so sad. He had only known her for a couple of hours, and they had not even had the chance to talk properly. But somehow she had made him very confident, he didn't usually talked to girls like that. Nathan rested his forehead in his palm, he had been a douchebag, why would he say something like that? He had been way to comfortable with her, it usually wasn't so natural with strangers, but with her it just felt right. He had no idea who she actually was; just that she apparently liked walking around naked, because she had left the clothes behind on the couch. But that didn't make it less true, he missed her.

However Nathan did not need any more complications in his life, so if he never saw Ayla again, that was maybe just for the best. He needed to focus, he had some major decisions to make and he was out here just to get a chance to make them.
He would just eat breakfast.
And then take a shower.
The hot water was broke, or out, he wasn't sure, either way he had to shower in cold water, so he didn't bothered washing his hair. Cold, but refreshed he sat down at the kitchen table. Pen and paper in hand.
"Okay, Nathan, what do you want to do with your life?" He asked himself. He knew his father wanted him to take over the family business, but Nathan could not see himself spending all day at an office. He had never described himself as a man of nature before, but now sitting here I the middle of the woods he realized he loved it here. Away from the city, away from all the sounds. It was basic, but beautiful. But what occupation was placed in the woods? And for that matter, was good enough for his parents?
The day passed slowly, but after lunch Nathan, could not sit still a second longer and think about his life choices. He decided to take a walk in the woods. Something inside him pulled him deeper in, but he was afraid he wouldn't find his way back so he forced himself to turn around.
He started to read one of the books he had brought before dinner. When the evening came he lit a fire in the fireplace and dropped into the armchair in front of it. Ayla had been in his mind the whole day, even when he had tried to ignore it. The fire glowed almost like her eyes and the embers reminded him of her heated cheeks. He almost blushed himself when he thought about what he had told her. This was not like him, he was not a ladies man like Rick. Only reason girls flocked around him was because he was rich. It was something about Ayla that had given him courage. He was not sure it was the best to indicate that he had a large equipment, to someone he just met. Nathan shook his head, the first time he felt comfortable with a girl he's plump instead, no wonder why she had fled the scene before he woke up.
Nathan looked into the fire again, her gleaming eyes were hard to forget. He wondered what she was doing now.