Page 24 of Deadline for Love

Confused, I tried to stretch but was stopped by a weight around me.

My mouth opened in shock as I realized that I had fallen asleep in Nathan’s arms while he was sleeping in an uncomfortable position. His head hung down, and I was curled against his chest. His arms were wrapped around my torso as I rested on his lap. My legs were spread out on the sofa, so I was comfortable—The poor man probably couldn’t feel his legs.

I slowly tried to free myself from his grip, but he pulled me close and whispered in a rough, raspy voice, “Five more minutes…”

I stopped moving and turned back to Amara, who looked at me with a broad grin.

‘I took pictures,’ she mouthed.

In response, I shook my head slightly, and Nathan cleared his throat.

He blinked a few times and looked right at me. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, and when he smiled and showed his dimples, my emotions went haywire. I felt butterflies in my stomach and sparks flying around us.

“Good morning,” he whispered while my heart skipped a beat.

“Good morning, I’m sorry I fell asleep on you,” I said, clouded by this scene.

But he shook his head slightly. “Actually, I haven’t slept this well in ages.’’

“Ehem, I’m glad you two are awake now, but you have some explaining to do,” Amara interrupted, which brought us out of our little world. Nathan lifted his head and looked at her and then at me, confused.

“She has a key to my flat and sometimes visits unannounced,” I explained.

“What do you mean unannounced? I've been calling and texting you since yesterday. It’s already after eight,’’ Amara hissed.

“Are you feeling better yet?” I asked, ignoring her statement and telling Nathan to let go of me, which he slowly did. Then I got up and sat properly beside him on the sofa. Instantly, the warmth we had shared was wiped away, and I felt... disappointed that we had to part like this. The feeling was actually silly, but I couldn’t suppress it.

“I'm fine, but why weren't you answering? Is this why? Are you two seeing each other?” She answered by asking another question and then pointed her finger back and forth between him and me. “Justin told me not to worry because Nathan had texted him, but I would have liked your reply, too.’’

I hadn’t even looked at my phone after taking pictures of my car. My head just wasn’t in the same place.

“We bumped into each other during an interview,” I replied quietly because I didn’t want to cause her any more worries as she finally felt better.

But she stared at me in disbelief, which caused me to sigh loudly. “All right! The unknown poem writer slashed my tires and left me a creepy message. By the time I realized what was going on, I was on the phone with Nathan. He overheard the incident and rushed over so I wouldn’t be alone,” I confessed.

I noticed Nathan looking at me from the side, and I also saw his teasing smile, “Not quite. I was the one who asked her out, and she was the one who called me to give me the chance.” Then he leaned back and tilted his head. “She turned me down twice.”

Amara was dull, her features changing from happy to stunned. Then she squeezed between the two of us and held my hand anxiously.

“Thank you, Nathan, for being here for her,” she murmured. “But it can’t go on like this. You can’t stay alone. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I wasn’t alone.”

She didn’t seem to like my answer because she shook her head again, her curly hair swaying back and forth until she stopped.

“You know exactly what I mean. I don’t feel good when you’re alone. I don’t want to see you hurt. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Amara hugged me tightly. Her body began to shake, and I was afraid that she would start crying again, so I reassured her that nothing would happen to me and that I would be careful.

“That’s not good enough. You’re going to live with me until this is resolved,” She clarified, but I didn’t really want that. I didn’t want to put her in danger, and I didn’t want to disturb Justin and her.

“I’ll sort everything out. Don’t worry, Amara.”

I let go of her and then got up to go to my bag to fetch my phone; at the same time, my doorbell rang. Amara jumped up anxiously. “It must be Nia. We have a lot to do today,” I reassured her, and then she retook her seat and sighed.

Nathan just watched us, his expression serious.

I quickly went to the door and found an adrenaline-fueled Nia standing before it. She wasn’t wearing overalls today but baggy jeans and a loose green shirt. Her hair was tied into a bun, and, as always, her camera hung loosely around her neck.

“Good morning! I bought some snacks and drinks and researched the letters,” she sang as she entered my flat but stopped in front of Nathan in shock. Her eyes widened, and she stared at him from head to toe.

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