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She’s sitting right in front of me in this very coffee shop. My mouth hangs open in surprise as I stare at her. She’s sitting all by herself in the corner, and she’s just as beautiful as I remember, if not more so.
But what is she doing in Boston?
I’ve known Natalie for years through my best friend, Brian Gordon. His little sister, Vanessa, was best friends with Natalie. The two were inseparable; finding one without the other was impossible.
As Natalie grew older, I saw how guys constantly gawked at her. And I mean constantly. In fact, once or twice a few guys found my fist in their faces after I heard some vulgar comments they made about her in the locker room.
And because of that, I always felt like I needed to protect her from all the creeps in the world. There was even a time last October when I had to basically rip some unwanted asshole off her.
But that day would live in my head as the best day of my life because that was the day Natalie and I kissed.
It wasn’t some peck or quick kiss either. It was akiss. A real kiss that I find myself thinking about quite frequently. Maybe more times than I care to admit.
But I never saw her again after that night.
Well, come to think of it, that’s not true. Because I saw her at the Halloween party Brian threw at his house for my birthday aboutten months ago. But that was also the night that … I shake my head to rid myself of that awful memory.
This past summer, I noticed Natalie wasn’t hanging out with Vanessa anymore. So, one night when I was over at the Gordons’ home, I asked Vanessa where her sidekick had been. She told me she hadn’t talked to her in months, which surprised me. But it wasn’t my business, so I didn’t bring it up again.
People change. Sometimes they just outgrow different relationships and places. They move on with their lives, looking for a fresh start. I mean, that’s what I’m trying to do, anyways.
What the hell,I think as I take a deep breath and walk over to the little table in the corner of the coffee shop.
She’s fully engaged in a book she holds in one hand; a coffee is in her other one. Her legs are crossed in a tight pair of jeans that show off her curvy figure, and she has on a thin white sweater that hugs the silhouette of her chest. She has minimal makeup on, and her long blonde hair is pushed back behind her ears.
Goddamn. Even just sitting there reading a book she looks gorgeous.
“Hey, Natalie,” I say, giving her my best smile while also trying to sound casual.
She looks up at me, and her face immediately pales as if she has just seen a ghost.
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
But within an instant, she puts on a smile and tucks her long shiny blonde hair further behind her ear.
“Nathan? What are you doing here?” she asks. “I thought you went to school in New Hampshire?”
“I did, but I, umm, actually transferred kind of last minute to Linrey University. I wasn’t feeling the whole wilderness thing, you know?” I joke with her, trying to ease the tension that I am starting to feel between us. I decide she doesn’t need to know the real reason why I had to transfer to this school.
She begins to laugh a little, and I can feel the pressure lift.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” I ask, pointing to the seat directly across from her.
“Of course,” she responds, gesturing toward the chair.
I take a seat and put my coffee down. My thumb traces the logo of the cup. I don’t know what to say, so I start simple. “So, how have you been?”
She begins twirling a piece of her hair around her finger and takes a breath. “I’ve been good,” she says. I can tell she is thinking over her words. “I am also attending Linrey University, and I just moved into my apartment last night right next to the river down the street. I just came here to get a head start with the reading for my English class.” She slightly lifts the book in her hands to show the titlePersuasiondisplayed on the cover.
As she’s talking, I can’t help but stare. She is perfect. From her beautiful smile to her adorable laugh.
God, why didn’t I ever ask her out? I’m a moron. That’s for sure. She easily could be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
Suddenly, I have a flashback to a time when Natalie was sunning herself with Vanessa by the Gordons’ pool a few years ago. She was wearing nothing but a tiny pink bikini that barely contained all of her. I had walked outside to a group of people having fun in the pool, and when I looked over at her lying on one of the lawn chairs, I almost tripped over the sprinkler like an idiot. I will never be able to get that image of her out of my mind, and I was thankful for that.
She notices me staring, so I quickly speak. “Oh, did you get one of those new units that they just finished building? I hear the view is amazing.” I know Natalie’s family has money, and lots of it, so it doesn’t surprise me to hear she’s living there. Rumor has it that there is a ten-year wait list for one of those units.
“Yeah.” Her facial expression turns into one of embarrassment as she looks down at her coffee. “I got a chance last night to see the view, and it’s pretty incredible. I … umm, I’m looking forward to being on my own,” she says. But, for whatever reason, I don’t feel like she’s telling the truth.
