Strung (Seaside 0.5)(25)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

Nat sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Where’d you go?” I demanded pacing in front of her like I was more a forty-year-old dad than a teenager.

Jaw clenched, she answered, “Not that it’s any of your business, but Lincoln City.”

I cursed and turned away from her, stretching my arms behind my head to keep myself from putting a hole through the wall. I whipped back around. “Listen, Nat. I’m only nineteen. It’s not good for my health to be thinking about all the awful things that could happen to you in the rain.”

“It’s just rain.” She took a tentative step towards me.

I fought to keep my face from paling. “No, it’s not. Things happen, you can lose control, your car can slip, people die.” I closed my eyes and cursed.

“Was it raining when—”

“Yes.” I said, voice hoarse. Demetri’s girlfriend, Benjamin’s mom, the accident, the storm. I shuddered.

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be.” I snapped, not really meaning it but feeling so damn angry that I wanted her to know it. I never understood why people got into fights, why people yelled. Now I knew. You yelled, not because you actually thought it would solve anything, but because you were terrified and wanted the other person to know that their behavior affected you in such a way that you couldn’t be silent. Not even if you tried.

Nat’s eyes flashed. “I was getting a dress.”

For a moment I was confused, and then I hung my head. Damn it. “For Homecoming.”

“Yes.”

Anger cooling, I asked, “May I see it?”

“No.”

I scowled. “Next time, will you just tell me where you’re going? So I don’t have a heart attack before twenty?”

She sighed. “Yes, but why didn’t you just text me?”

“I think your phone died.” Please let it have died because if she was just ignoring me I was going to freak out.

Nat pursed her lips together and dug her cell phone out of her purse; she stuck the charger in one end and sauntered back over to me. “Satisfied?”

My lips curved into a smile. “Sure.”

Her eyes darted back to my chest before looking away again. “Put on a shirt or something, you’re making me nervous, and I’m already edgy enough what with having to drive two hours through the rain.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled then looked around the room. What did she want me to do? Cover myself with her pink blanket?

Nat rolled her eyes and tossed me a shirt from the corner. It was the one she’d worn when she was sick.

Suddenly self conscious, I turned around and put the shirt on, I don’t know why the hell I turned around. It felt stupid, but whatever.

“Hey.” Nat called as I had the shirt half on.

“Does Demetri have any tattoos like that?”

Shit. I finished putting on the shirt and turned. “Yup. You should take a shower, Nat. Warm up a bit.”

She shuffled her feet. “And what are you going to do?”

Oh you know, leave the room so I don’t tempt myself to join you and scare the hell out of you with my nakedness. I settled with. “Make you dinner.”

Nat’s eyes went wide, “My mom will freak if she sees you downstairs.”

“Nat, your mom won’t even know I’m here.”

Nat didn’t look convinced.

“Nat. Shower. Now,” I ordered.

Cute as hell, she rolled her eyes and stomped into the bathroom slamming the door behind her.

Chuckling to myself, I ran downstairs and checked her fridge. Left over chicken from the night before. Hmm, I opened the freezer. Veggies. Perfect. I made a quick stir fry, grabbed some soda, and brought it all up to her room.

I was just setting everything on the bed when the bathroom door opened, and Nat stepped out. In nothing but a towel.

Sweet. Lord.

She gasped and clenched the towel. Damn, I was hoping for the opposite.

My gaze met hers briefly before I mumbled, “Sorry, I thought you brought your clothes into the bathroom.”

“Nope.”

Her angry expression was priceless. I smirked. “I’ll turn around.”

“Yes, you will,” she said tightly.

I waited while she ran over to the dresser I was standing next to and started picking through her clothes. She paused and then opened a top drawer filled with underwear. I watched her like a hawk. Her hand floated over a pair of black panties. I coughed.

“Do you mind?” she said tersely.

“I like the pink better.” Hey at least I was honest!

She snatched the black pair. Of course she did.

“Girls take forever to get dressed,” I grumbled, still looking away from her.

“Not usually, I’m just doing it for your benefit,” she sang.

“You’re crabby when you don’t eat,” I teased.

She huffed behind me. “Okay, done.”

I turned around, my gaze hungrily taking in her leggings, imagining that black underwear as it kissed her skin. Agh… death by imagination. “I didn’t really know what you wanted, so I threw in some stir fry with your leftover chicken, hope that’s okay.”

“Smells good.” Her stomach grumbled on cue as she walked over to the bed and sat down. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Nat, I don’t think I’ll have an appetite for a week. I was too worried to do anything except call you and stare out the window.”

“I was fine.” She shoveled more food in my mouth.

“I promised Demetri.”

The fork dropped onto the plate. “You promised Demetri? What exactly did you promise him?”

I shrugged and looked away. “I promised him I’d take care of you. Then on my first day of babysitting you disappear.”

“So I’m a toddler?”

“No, you’re just very important.” Though I may as well be explaining it to a toddler for all she understood.

“Important or irritating?”

“I’ll tell you when I know.” I chuckled and pointed to the food. “All of it, Nat. Eat all of it.”

“I swear you’re trying to fatten me up.” She took another huge bite. I looked away as her lips formed around the fork. Yeahhhhh… my thoughts were nowhere near wholesome.

“Maybe.” I sat on the bed.

Nat ate in silence. I watched her take each bite. For some reason I found satisfaction in taking care of her.

“Done,” she announced, wiping her mouth with the napkin.