[9] Romance in Aisle 3: The Tampon Section

"I don't know really. I just sort of want to get to know the basics and then the more complex things about you...in a compressed time frame; because we're clearly moving at a much quicker pace than the average Joe."
Nathaniel's lips formed a smile and pulled her body towards him, "I think it'd be a better idea if we got out of the water and got dressed first. Just in case, you know, things get awkward. I don't want to put you off."
She nodded in agreement and followed him to the shore. Nathaniel never looked over at Summer, aware of her comfort zones and that she didn't feel comfortable being so physically exposed to him. He didn't have a problem with this, in time, they'd get there.
"Ready?" Nathaniel asked, opening his eyes just a fraction to see if she was fully clothed.
Summer stood across from him, her hair damp and loosely tangled around her shoulders. Her natural beauty stunned Nathaniel and for a moment all he was capable of doing was staring at her. He gazed over her hair, her cheekbones, and her eyes until his gaze lingered along her lips. It wasn't until Summer looked to the ground, heat rising to her cheeks, that Nathaniel looked away in realization that he'd been staring. She walked over to him and tentatively took his hand in hers. He smiled his crooked smile and it was then that it all began.
"What are your parents like? Your mom, your dad? Who do you think you resemble the most, who are you most like? Name one bad habit, are you afraid of anything? Ar" Summer rambled.
Nathaniel laughed, the sparkle reaching his eyes, "Slow down. One at a time. Please."
"Sorry, umm. I guess I'll start with family?" Summer blushed. She had a tendency to blush for the smallest and most minor matters, yet Nathaniel found this fascinating and quite adorable.
"I don't have a father and unfortunately, I have a strikingly identical appearance to him. I'd like to think I'm much more like my mother though, for her heart is pure and she may not know it, but she's a very strong woman. I admire her endlessly for that. She's raised me to be who and what I am today and without her, I don't know where I'd be now."
Summer nodded, prodding for him to continue. "A bad habit... hmm, that's a tough one. I'd reckon I'm pretty damn perfect. Flawless, if you ask me." He grinned.
"Should have expected as much." Summer said in a mock tone. "- But really, don't you have a single one?"
"Nope." Nathaniel replied, keeping his poker face on.
"You're impossible." Summer laughed a carefree laugh.
"Seriously speaking though, I'd have to say I have quite the nasty temper. You really don't want to tamper with that."
"Okay."
"Okay, is that all you have in response to that?" Nathaniel sceptically asked, raising a brow.
"Bad temper. Don't tamper. Got it." Summer smiled. Nathaniel frowned. He didn't like the fact that she took so lightly to that, as if he was joking or exaggerating the fact. Her smile faltered as she noticed the expression on Nathaniel's face.
"Umm, next question?"
"What?! How's that fair? You asked a question with sub questions from A to D. It's my turn." He argued.
Summer noticed that he hadn't answered the last question, but decided she'd get the answer after and allowed him to have his turn at asking the questions, "Sure, hit me."
"Why Summer?"
"Excuse me?" She asked, perplexed.
"Why did your parents name you after a season?" He clarified.
Nathaniel asked the most trivial of questions, and yet their effects were staggering. She didn't have the answer to his question so she just shrugged, "Because it's the best season of the year?"
He laughed. "May I?"
"You have an answer to that?" She wondered, confused.
"You're warm to the touch... to the bone. Kind of like Summer, you know?" He grinned as he continued, "It makes everyone feel as if all their troubles and all their worries no longer matter nor exist. And even if it's just for a little while, you can make everything seem more; lively, vibrant and fragrant. Better, if you will. A little piece of sunshine is what you are."
"Is that... how I make you feel?" She choked out, her face now fully flushed in a rose-tinted colour. He nodded slowly. He pulled her into his arms and she fit snugly between his chest and his arms. A perfect fit.
"I guess you've got three more questions to ask, since I asked so many already." Summer reminded him once she regained composure.
"Okay, well umm... what's your biggest fear?"
"Roller coasters."
"Are you serious?" He asked, straightening himself. Summer leaned away from him.
"Yes. I'm terrified of them." Summer gulped, goose bumps rising on her skin with just the mere thought.
"You're a strange one alright." Nathaniel laughed, but rubbed along her forearms to ease the goose bumps. Summer made a disapproving face and ignored his side comment.
"Summer, how do I make you feel?" Nathaniel mummured, removing the wisps of hair over her eyes with his fingertips.
Summer's body became stone against Nathaniel's body. He noticed, and let his arms drop to their sides. He looked at her with worry and saw no reassurance in her eyes. There was a reason why he left this question last. This was the reason. He knew by this point that he wouldn't be getting an answer and gently shrugged her off of him. Nathaniel tried not to feel offended or upset, but he was, and it showed.
"I think I should take you home now. You're dad's going to want you home soon." He told her in a monotone voice.
"Whaat? But it's only-" Summer sputtered.
"I've got other plans tonight. Sorry." Nathaniel answered; his voice hard.
"Okay..." She mumbled, following his back to his car.
They walked in silence the entire way back until they reached his car, and even then, all Nathaniel managed to say to her was, "Get in." Summer could feel her heart begin to crumble as she sat in the car, him never saying another word or even giving as much as a glimpse in her direction. She felt terrible for not giving a reply, but she was afraid. So very afraid. She was frightened by her feelings for him, his feelings for her, his reactions combined with hers. She was terrified of the mere thought of the pace in which their friendship was going at. It was more than just a chemical reaction. Every time he even as much as breathed near her, her heart beat erratically within her chest. She felt as if she was suffocating from the lack of air in her lungs as it constricted and expanded wildly. He had no idea, not a single clue as to how he made her feel. It was more than just his physical presence that caused uproar in her body and mind. She could never let such details be known to him; the risks were just far too high and the cons outweighed by far, the pros.
The entire drive home had been in silence and when Nathaniel finally pulled up into her driveway, he sat there staring straight ahead waiting for her to get out.
"I'll see you later, I guess?" Summer asked, unlatching the car door.
"I'll call you if I'm interested." Nathaniel said with spite in his tone.
"Well if you feel so fucking badly about it, then don't call at all. You're the most egotistical sonofabitch I've EVER come across." She bit back, slamming the car door.
"I WON'T call. And I'M egotistical?! Really Summer? Take a good fucking look in the mirror sweetheart because you ain't that far off either. I don't know why I'm even wasting my time." By then, Nathaniel had already got out of the car, slammed the door, and was walking towards Summer who was stomping up the patio.
She whirled around, her face flushed with anger. "I CANNOT believe you have the balls to come out here and say that to my face, when no less than 15 minutes ago you were proclaiming your 'get-in-her-pants-as-fast-as-you-can' speech. Do you HONESTLY think I'm THAT stupid, that... blind as to what you were up to the entire time? I know guys. And, I know you."
"You may know guys, but you don't know me."
And he walked away.

"I don't know what you want, so I'll tell you how I think it should be."



Thanks for reading, messages would be nice. Oh, and your thoughts and predictions as well. I'd love to hear those.

-Kirsten