Alyssa

The sound of something hitting my door woke me up. It was a rough night to say the least. I had a problem with adjusting to new places and was only able to close my eyes at 5am. It was no wonder why I woke up with a bad headache, the person at the door should take a hint and leave.

“Alyssa, are you in there?” I heard Nathan's voice call.

I let out a sigh, dragging my aching body away from the comfortable bed to unlock the door. I had it locked out of habit. In Christopher's house, I locked the door everytime I was leaving the house or asleep for fear that anyone in the family would sneak in at night to hurt me.

Nathan stood at the other side of the door, in a jeans and T-shirt under a coat with his ever-charming smile on display. His brown hair remained in the mess of curls on his head and his eyes sparkled.

“Good morning, Love.” He greeted. “Sleep well?”

I just nodded, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. The way he studied me made me self-conscious. I mean, I know I look bad, no need to make it obvious. My pajamas were just an old tank top and shorts, probably not what he was use to but they weren't that bad, right? Or was it something else?

“Breakfast is ready.” He told me.

“Actually, I think I'll skip breakfast.” I said in a voice barely over a whisper.

His full eyebrows furrowed as he stared at me strangely. “Are you sure? You didn't eat dinner last night, you must be hungry. Why don't you freshen up and meet me in the kitchen, my housekeeper makes good pancakes.”

At the sound of pancakes, my stomach decided to growl very audibly, loud enough for Nathan to hear. He chuckled while I was mortified and stood there blushing furiously.

“I think you should shower and come out for breakfast. After that, I'll take you somewhere, there're a few people I would like to meet.” I just nodded, slowly stepping into the room as I closed the door.

Well, that was embarrassing. I thought to myself, looking around for my bag.

Because he said not to bother unpacking, I removed my bag from the bed and decided to lay down on the bed after I changed my clothes. I fell asleep really early at around 6pm. The bed was so comfortable and although I didn't get much sleep, I still enjoyed it.

I found the bag right where I left it after I had pushed it off the bed. I opened it and picked out the basic things I needed and entered the bathroom. The person that designed this place did a wonderful job. Like the rest of the house, the color scheme was grey, blue and white but the way it was used made the place look so unique.

I stepped into the multi-headed shower and set the temperature and water pressure, sighing as the warm water touched my skin. Sure, most of my bruises had healed but it still hurt when I lay down on my sides because of my fractured ribs that according to the doctor were healing properly.

After my shower, I put on a pair of black jeans and a brown sweater under my black coat. I only had a pair of black and white sneakers with me which reminded me of how many clothes I actually had with me and that I had to go back to get more.

I met Nathan sitting at the kitchen counter with a plate of Delicious looking pancakes in front of him. There was a woman at the stove making another batch of pancakes. That must be his housekeeper.

Nathan noticed me standing by the door and gestured for me to come in. I walked slowly to the counter and sat two stools away from Nathan, greeting the housekeeper.

The middle aged woman smiled warmly at me and replied. “Good morning, you must be Alyssa. Nathan has said so much about you and he was right you are very beautiful.” My face turned red at her statement and I seemed to have lost my voice. “I'm Mrs Peters, do you want any pancakes, dear?”

I simply nodded at her offer trying to get my face to its usual color. I glanced at Nathan briefly and saw that he looked almost as embarrassed as I did with color at the tips of his ears. We ate in a comfortable silence, except for Mr Peters' humming.

“Can I help?” I offered, standing next to Mrs Peters after I had finished eating.

She was doing the dishes and it wouldn't feel right to me if I didn't help her or at least offer.

She shook her head with a kind smile. “No thank you, dear. You and Nathan are going out, I don't want you to be delayed.”

“Are you sure?”

She just nodded this time, concentrating on her work. Nathan had gone upstairs to attend to a phone call so I just sat in the living room and waited for him to return. He did about twenty minutes later, looking a lot more stressed than I had ever seen him.

“Alyssa, come on, let's go.” He said curtly as he descended the stairs.

I stood from my seat and followed him wordlessly to the elevator and then to the underground parking lot. The drive started out quiet. I turned and was looking out the window again to the cars and houses we passed while concentrated on getting us where we were going.

I heard the sound of someone singing and looked to Nathan, wondering if he was the one. He wasn't. He had put on the radio, letting the song fill the semi-awkward silence.

Something was bothering him, that I knew. The way he was clutching the steering wheel with creased eyebrows, extremely focused on the road told me everything. I wanted to know what disturbed him so much.

Was it work?

Was it me?

Maybe that was it. He's realized that choosing me was a mistake and was taking me back to Christopher's house. I really hope not.

“Nathan, is anything the matter?” I asked him boldly.

Well, with as much bravery as I could muster.

“Hmm?” He hummed in reply, momentarily glancing at me before looking back to the road.

“Is anything wrong? You seem...” I cut myself off, not knowing what to say.

He flashed me a small smile. “Everything is fine, Alyssa, you don't have to worry about me.”

“But I do. We've only known each other for a few days but you're my friend, aren't you?” I said, hopeful that he felt the same way.

His smile widened into the grin I was use to associating him with. “Of course, I am.”

I was my turn to give a bright smile. “Then, I should worry about you.” He only chuckled but frowned after. “I mean it though, is anything wrong, Nathan? I can help if there is.”

Realizing those were the exact same words he use on me yesterday, the corner of his lip tilted upwards in a one-sided smile. “Thanks for your concern, Alyssa but I doubt that there is anything you can do to help.”

“You don't want to talk about it.” I stated. That was the only interpretation of that sentence I could think of because anytime I say something like that, that's what I mean.

He nodded, concentrating on the road again, letting the car become quiet again save for the sounds from the radio.

The drove ended at a cozy looking house with a beautiful garden filled with different flowers, stone steps that led to a big wooden door. Nathan rang the doorbell and almost immediately, a woman opened the door.

“Nathan! It's so good to see you again!” She exclaimed before enveloping the man in a hug.

She had a British accent as well with straight blonde hair. I couldn't tell what he eye color was but I knew her skin was not as tanned as Nathan's.

“It's nice to see you too, Mum.” Nathan said as he pulled away from her.

Oh. This is his mother. I thought. Well this is awkward.

Looking at the house, you would never imagine that Nathan's parents lived here. It was smaller than what you would expect from Steven Graham, Nathan's father, way smaller.

I stood there, behind Nathan shifting my weight from one foot to the other as she ranted on about how much she missed him. Her grey-blue eyes shifted to me and she stopped talking.

“Who's this Nathan?” She asked him, studying me from head to toe.

Nathan wrapped an arm around my waist, again making goosebumps erupt and causing a tingly feeling where he touched.

What is this feeling? I wondered but not for long.

“Mum. This is Alyssa,” He introduced. “Alyssa, this is my mum.”

“Nice to meet you Mrs Graham.” I say politely, stretching a hand out for her to shake.

It surprised me when she threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. I groaned as she squeezed my injured ribs but managed to pat her back awkwardly.

“Mum, she's injured, remember?” Nathan said, pulling me away from his mother.

“Oh, dear. I am so sorry, I completely forgot. Are you alright?” She said remorsefully, placing her hand on my shoulder.

“I'm fine, Mrs Graham.” I replied.

“Call me Sophia, I haven't been Mrs Graham for twenty-two years now.”

What? Nathan never mentioned that his parents were divorced.

You never mentioned that yours were dead. My subconscious pointed out.

“Okay, Sophia.”

“Come in, you came just in time, I just brought out a fresh batch of cookies from the oven.” She walked in and we followed her.

The inside of the house fit the outside perfectly. The earth tones and stone walls instantly charmed me as we walked in. I could see the kitchen from the couch I sat on through a large window in the wall with double doors. The kitchen had the same decor as the house with stone counters and walls.

It was all so inviting. I wouldn't mind living here.

“So tell me about yourself, Alyssa.” Nathan's mom says after,  serving us some cookies and lemonade.

“There isn't anything to tell, ma'am.” I answered after a pause.

“Nonsense, there must be something to tell. What about your parents, how are they?” She asked harmlessly.

I looked down, a sad smile on my lips. “They died when I was thirteen.”

She gasped. “Oh. I'm sorry but Nathan said that his father made a deal with your parents. So I just assumed...” She trailed off .

“My uncle adopted me legally when my parents died.” I told her.

“Oh, alright. I'm sorry for asking so tactlessly.”

“No, it's okay. You didn't know.”

“Mum, where's Oliver?” Nathan finally spoke up.

“At our neighbor's house, he should be back in an hour or so. Till then, I want to know what's been happening in my baby's life.” Nathan rolled his eyes with a groan. “What? You never tell me anything.”

“For a good reason.” The man said dryly.

It was his mother's turn to roll her eyes. “Fine, since you don't want to talk to me, I'll just start making lunch.”

“Can I help?” I offered.

Surprise flashed in Sophia's eyes before she nodded. Lunch was spaghetti with a sauce that Sophia insisted on making. I barely helped. She only had me make the spaghetti even when I told her that I could do so much more.

She probably thought I was one of those girls that didn't want to get their hands dirty and was using Nathan for his money. I had to show her that that was not how I was.

“Dad!” I heard someone shout from the living room.

Sophia smiled and looked away from the sauce to me. “That must be Oliver.” She said as if I knew who he was.

My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to think if there was anyone named Oliver that Nathan had introduced me to but I came up blank. Apart from his friend, the police officer and his mother Nathan had never introduced me to anyone.

“You look as if you don't know who Oliver is.” Sophia pointed out and I shook my head, telling her that I had no idea who he was. I watched as her eyes widened considerably. “He never told you he has a son?”

Ooooh Cliffhanger!!