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somersaults at the
endearment.
    ‘Everything okay?’ I test.
    ‘Just going to ask you the same. 
Ellie called, said you were upset yesterday,’ he confides, ‘I didn’t know you
were in the dark about Ollie and Simon,’ he confesses.
    ‘It’s pretty poor that I know zero about
my brother, right?’ I sigh.
    ‘London,’ he hums.
    ‘No, it’s okay,’ I swallow the lump in my
throat.  ‘I don’t know what I’m doing here, Nate,’ I admit.
    ‘You are doing the right thing by your
brother, Sophie,’ he notifies me.
    ‘That’s what I intended to do when I came
here but now, I’m not so sure. Maybe it’s time to give up and go home.’
    ‘Don’t you want to know why what
happened, happened?’ He asked, his voice tight.  Why the hell was he
pissed?
    ‘It looks as if my brother living beyond
his means was a prize contributor,’ I scoff, ‘Oh, and his heavy drug habit.’ I
answer, sardonically.
    I hear Nate exhale a deep breath, ‘don’t
make any knee-jerk decisions, Sophie,’ he warns. 
    ‘I’m not,’ I contend. The line remains
silent for a beat, something unpleasant seemingly hanging between us.
    ‘I take it you’ll be there when I get
back tonight?’ he finally asks, offhand.
    ‘Why are you pissed at me?’ I ask,
bewildered by his attitude.
    ‘Will you be there, Sophie?’ He ignores
me.
    ‘Yes!’ I snap, emotion filling my chest.
    ‘Gotta go,’ and he disconnects the call
leaving me stunned by his coldness.
    ********
    I am in Ellie’s, enjoying my dinner when
he arrives. As cliché as it sounds, I sense his entrance, my body tingling in
recognition.  I am wearing a short, floral jumpsuit and my customary wedge
heels, my legs swinging against the stool under the counter as I chat to Ellie.
    I watch her face light in greeting as his
warmth hits my back.
    ‘Hey Nate,’ Ellie greets her
brother. 
    ‘Hey sis, could do with some food,’ my
body tightens as he brushes past me to the stool beside me.
    ‘Sure, meatloaf?’ she tempts.
    ‘Great!’ He nods. I turn to face him, my
eyes guarded.
    ‘Hi,’ I mutter, my eyes connecting to his
gloriously blue pools of deliciousness.
    I watch his eyes warm in front of me. ‘Hey,
still here then?’ He murmurs for my ears only.  I nod, is that what he’s pissed
about?  ‘Is that what you wear to work?’ He glances down to my bare thighs
before returning his gaze to my face.
    ‘Yep!’ I stiffen my spine.
    ‘No wonder the salon is full,’ he mumbles,
under his breath.
    ‘Exactly what is your problem?’ I snap
over to him.
    He runs a hand through his hair,
‘nothing, forget it.’
    ‘Forget what, Nate?’ I hold my palms up
in a defensive gesture. ‘You think one night of fucking gives you the authority
to tell me what to wear to work, or how long I get to stay?’ I question, just
as Ellie approaches the counter with her brother’s meal. 
    She freezes mid-pace, the plate raised in
the air, her eyes flickering from one to the other of us. 
    ‘Err, I’ll just leave that here,’ she
positions the plate in front of Nate and scurries off into the kitchen.
    Nate turns his dark gaze to mine.
    ‘What?’ I almost growl.  ‘Bloody
hell, Nate, use your words,’ I scold him.
    His lips twitch.
    ‘You are the most frustrating man on the
planet,’ I drop my fork and grab my purse, determined to end this exasperating
conversation.
    ‘London!’ He calls.
    I slip off of the stool and turn towards
the door.  A pair of strong hands prevent me from taking another step as
they grasp my hips and I am propelled back against a hard chest. 
    ‘Easy tiger,’ he murmurs, softly, before
turning me in between his legs until I am face to face with him as he sits on
the stool, his arms tight around my middle.
    ‘Let go,’ I hiss, ‘people will see,’ I
remind him.
    ‘Yeah, I’ve rethought that plan, it
doesn’t work for me,’ he remarks, casually.
    ‘What plan?’ I try to distract from the
burning sensations of his body against