Page 74 of Nathan
“You mean your next movie?”
“Yes. Beginning of November we start shooting up in Vancouver, Canada. It’s a historical film, so I’ll get to wear long dresses and corsets, which I’ve always wanted to try. You can come and stay with me if you want.”
Nathan angled his head. “You mean that?”
“Of course! Nathan, I’m crazy about you.” There it was out in the open, and for a split second, he looked surprised at my raw admission.
“That’s… ehm… wow.” His free hand ran over his short hair and the other squeezed mine. “I feel the same way.”
“You’re crazy about yourself?”
He laughed, and at that moment, it was like the stress of the morning evaporated and left his face boyish. “You knew what I meant.”
“Yeah, but I still want to hear it.”
Looking deep into my eyes, Nathan said, “I’m absolutely crazy about you. Not just a little, but this much.” He spread his arms as wide as they would go.
“That much, huh?”
“Yes, and probably much further.”
Getting up from the chair, I went around the table to sit on his lap. “Tell me why?”
“Why I’m crazy about you?”
“Yes, I’m curious.”
“It’s not because you’re famous!”
“No, I never felt that sort of interest from you.”
“It’s because I love everything about you. Your looks, your personality, your wits, and the fact that you allow me to take care of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just so used to women not feeling comfortable with a man being a man. I always have this feeling that they want to prove that they can do the same as men, and preferably better. When I met you, there was something different about you. Maybe it’s just the difference between American women and European, but in Spain, you loved it when I helped you in all the small ways I could. You even praised me for my manners and skills, and it made me feel good about myself. I remember thinking that you were my dream woman.”
I nuzzled my nose against his. “We’re meant to be together. I feel it in my heart.”
Nathan held on to me, and we hugged for a long time.
“I know being with me comes with a heavy price, but promise me that you won’t be scared off by the press or all the rumors.”
Nathan breathed noisily. “Is it always going to be like this?”
“No. The news cycle isn’t usually this long. It all depends on what else is going on in the world. We can hope that another celebrity goes to a red carpet event and shows a nipple, or gets in a fight. Anything to distract the press from us for a while. Typically, once the world accepts that we’re together, they’ll move on. They probably would have moved on already, if Storm hadn’t kept feeding them with his sob stories. But of course, these new pictures of me with bruises will make everything flare up again.”
“I’ll never understand what attracts people like you and River to fame.”
I bit my lip. “Sometimes I don’t understand it myself.”
“So, what’s the plan then? You want to go back to the US today?”
“It’s tempting to find a different location to hide with you, but too many people are hurting from this media storm. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that when the media attacks me, my mom and sister suffer greatly. Sometimes they’ll snap and talk to journalists that chase them for comments. You heard my dad, didn’t you?”
“Yes. It was something about an interview with your mum complaining that you had cut them off.”
“She must be heartbroken, so what I suggest is that we take a week or two to sort things out with our families and friends. After that, we can meet up somewhere.”
