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"Let's see what I can rustle up," I suggest, moving him out of the way so I can look. I begin opening cupboards and freezers and manage to find enough to rustle up a simple spaghetti Bolognese.
We’ve just finished, and I'm washing up the dishes when I hear the front door slam. I reach for another plate, ready to plate some up for Gabe, who must be starving after working all day.
Gabe must see me before I see him because I hear him yell, "What the fuck?" I don't miss the way Nate just pushes me behind him, getting ready to stand between the two of us.
"Hey, Gabe," I say, peeking out from behind Nate. "We made you food," I say, handing him the spaghetti I made.
"Oh, um, why?" he asks, visibly shocked at the kindness.
"Because we thought you might be hungry… but if you don't want it—"
"No, I do. Thanks," he admits, grabbing the plate from my hand as if I might snatch it back at any moment.
"We’re just on our way out of here," Nate says, leading me out of the kitchen and towards his room.
"Fast and Furious 8 is about to start if you want to watch it," Gabe offers, and if I didn't know better, I'd almost believe he smiled at us.
Nate goes to decline, but I nudge him in the side with my elbow to make him stop. He looks down at me, obviously feeling uncertain. "Gabe just offered to let you, and in a roundabout way, me, watch TV with him without someone putting a gun to his head. There's no way I'm going to turn down that offer," I whisper.
"But what about our night together?" Nate whispers back.
"Baby, I love you, but getting Gabe Scott to play nice is rarer than winning the lottery," I state with a smile as I take him by the hand and encourage him to follow his brother.
We walk into the small living room, where there's a sofa and an armchair, both made of different sets. Judging by the floral pattern, I'm guessing they were either here when the boys were little or they found them at a flea market. But they seem comfortable enough. Gabe takes the smaller chair, and me and Nate sit together on the sofa. We watch the movie, barely talking, but at the same time, there's no arguing or rude remarks from Gabe, so that's a gigantic win in my book. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, Nate is rubbing his hand up and down my shoulder, trying to wake me up.
"I better get her home," I hear Nate say.
"She can stay here, I guess," Gabe offers. I consider opening my eyes, but decide to keep them closed, hoping to eavesdrop a little more and get better insight into their family dynamic.
"What! You never let anyone stay over." Nate gasps, and I can hear the surprise in his voice.
"I guess just this once can't hurt. But don't you dare let her wake up and go through my stuff."
"Why would she? No one wants your porn collection and beer bottle caps," Nate jokes back.
"How do you know about my porn collection? Did you steal it for yourself?" Gabe jokes back, and I have to fight hard to suppress the smile that’s trying to form on my lips as I hear their playful banter.Why can't I see this side of Gabe and Nate more often?
I feel Nate carry me into his room and lay me down on his tiny, single bed. I open my eyes briefly to help him take off my pants and sweater, but he leaves my top on. I feel him lay down next to me and pull me tightly against him, and then I fall back to sleep again.
By the time I wake up, Nate is busy trying to tidy up the mess his room is in. "Here, let me help you." I offer climbing out of bed, but he moves over to stop me. "It’s fine, Bella. This is my mess, and I need to clean it up." I can tell by his voice, he isn't just talking about the mess in the room, so I simply nod.says,
"Gabe’s already left for work. Why don't you watch some TV, then when I’m done, we can go out and do something fun?" he offers.
"Would you mind if we headed home first, so I could get a shower and some clean clothes?"
"Course not, but why don't you just shower here? You might as well while I clean up all this." He says, signaling to the room around us.
"Sure, if you don't mind."
Climbing out of the shower, I wrap the towel around myself. I walk over to the bathroom door, quickly peering out to make sure the coast is clear. I know Nate said Gabe was out, but it would be just my luck if he came back while I was showering.
Feeling confident that the coast is clear, I make my way back to Nate's room. I slip inside and begin getting dressed. I'm just pulling my jeans on when I hear a knock at the door. "Come in!" I shout, zipping up my jeans.
"Hey, beautiful, was your shower okay?" Nate says as he eyes me up and down, causing my cheeks to heat.
"I don't suppose you have a hair dryer here, do you?"
"Actually, we might," Nate says, thinking. "Give me one sec."
