05

CHAPTERS 05

He crawled into his comfortable yet small bed once again, this time fluffing his pillow and turning the lights off. He reached over for a glass of water, huffing when his hand didn’t touch any.

Once again, annoyed, he got up and padded to the kitchen, choosing a glass to pour water into. As he did this, Nathaniel thought of how lonely he was. He couldn’t afford a pet, let alone get a boyfriend. The thought made him smile sadly and make him think of Lucas. Lucas was definitely straight . Nathaniel didn’t stand a chance.

He slowly walked to his bed, feeling lonely and alone once again. Nathaniel had been lonely for his entire life. His mother had died, and he didn’t know where his father was at.

He was then sent to the worst orphanage ever, where he met the boy that haunted him still to this day. Shuddering at the thought of his past, he placed the glass aside, letting himself rest as he laid down on the bed.

Nathaniel wanted nothing more than to be alone, especially at a night like that. Before he drifted off into a slumber, he let his mind wander to the boy who dragged a gun across his jaw, a red rose tattoo on his hand.

Nathaniel knew he was running late. He had missed the bus this morning and was currently dashing through the library, dodging people so he didn’t bump into them.

People were watching the boy run in a rush, some chuckling softly to themselves. Nathaniel’s heart was beating rapidly, approximately two hundred times per minute, his only chance of being not fired because of the adrenaline that pumped in his veins, boosting him.

He chuckled, out of breath as he slowed down into a jog when he spotted the library. He was exhausted. This was the punishment he had to endure for sleeping in in the morning, hitting the snooze button countless times before he realized that he had work to attend.

He caught his breath as he stepped into the room, running up to Mrs. Lavender and apologizing profusely, his hands on his knees as he hunched over, panting.

« It’s okay, dear. Would you mind getting back on the organizing job ? » Nathaniel smiled at her sweetly, nodding. « I’ll get right on it, ma’am. »

He trudged over to the ladder he was now familiar with and began to climb it, having a co-worker help him by giving him the books he needed to place on the shelf.

An entire morning passed by like this, leaving Nathaniel drained of all energy. His co-worker, Gabriel, had to attend to his own share of work, so Nathaniel was going up and down the ladder like a workout, grabbing books and emptying them until he had to repeat the cycle.

Mrs. Lavender was nice enough to bake cookies for the workers, also offering tea to some. Nathaniel took a few, grinning at the generous lady and thanking her for her thoughtful actions.

As he placed the last book for the letter « l, » he noticed Lucas entering the store, his heart starting to beat faster. Nathaniel felt himself blush, looking away quickly as he gripped a book tightly, stepping off the ladder.

While stealing glances at the boy sneakily, the two made eye contact. Lucas winked at him with a boyish smile, running his slender fingers through his hair, his movements making Nathaniel’s knees buckle in pure anxiety.

Nathaniel shot him a nervous and small smile, waving. He went to ask Mrs. Lavender if she needed any help with anything particular.

When he was walking towards the desk, he felt the aura around him change as the glass door opened behind him. He didn’t bother looking behind him to see the new customer that entered the library.

Everybody stopped and stared at the person who entered the store, girls gushing and pointing, some even taking pictures of the person shamelessly.

Some boy’s knees buckled, some envied them. The person just ignored them, walking up to the kitten that was too oblivious to realized that a familiar face had entered the store.

Slowly, the unknown person stepped closer to the kitten.

Nathaniel had already moved onto the next letter in the alphabet but had to leave the piling work for a bit. He was called over by Lucas, who needed help on finding a certain book.

« Y-You called for me ? » Nathaniel asked, stuttering nervously as he rubbed his arm. Lucas grinned at him, his finger on a book that he was looking at the title of.

« I’m looking for the Fifty Shades Of Grey franchise, so you know where they’re located at ? » Nathaniel broke eye contact, blushing at the thought of his crush reading such an erotic book.

« L-Let me quickly check. I’ll be right back. » He shuffled over to the computer they used to see where books were shelved at.

He typed in « Fifty Shades Of Grey, » quickly, his cheeks still as rosy as ever. Pushing his glasses up his nose, the ones he sometimes wore, he walked back to Lucas.

« It should be right around here, » he lead the way to a further shelf, scanning the titles. Then he picked out the book that Lucas wanted, heat rushing to his cheeks as he handed it over. « H-Here. Enjoy the book. » Lucas winked at him quickly, displaying his usual smirk on his lips. « Trust me, Nathan. I will. »

Then he walked away, Nathaniel watching his pace and steps. He loved the way people walked, gracefully, confidentially and smoothly while he basically waddled like a penguin, his steps short yet quick.

Just as he had gotten over his encounter and meeting with Lucas and had started heading back to his workstation, he got called over by Mrs. Lavender. With a slight hint of annoyance on his features, he composed himself and walked up to his boss.

« Yes, Mrs. Lavender ? » « A customer reported a complaint that the men’s bathrooms appeared to be damaged. They said that a toilet was overflowing. Can you please repair it, dear ? I’ll pay you a greater salary this month for your kind actions. » Nathaniel perked up, agreeing to do the job as his stunning baby blue eyes shimmered in joy. « Of course. Thank you ! »

On his way, he grabbed some gloves and a plunger, bracing himself for the putrid stink. He stepped into the bathroom, surprised to inhale in an expensive men’s perfume that wavered thickly in the air.